Results tagged “robgordon”

With all the growth in new technology and media mergers alike, it’s both easier and more important than ever to create, not just consume. As we head into the unofficial start of the weekend (is it OK to start the weekend on Thursday night or does that kind of thing become gauche after you leave college?), two events illustrate the possibilities:

John Cusack is undoubtedly one of Chicagoist's favorite hometown boys. (Well, maybe this would be a more appropriate distinction for the non-existent Evanstonist, but we'll count it anyway.) And his quintessential performances – the ones that really feature his trademark endearing, heart-broken, obsessive compulsive sensitive guys – come in High Fidelity's Rob Gordon and Rob's predecessor, Say Anything's Lloyd Dobler. In fact, that whole film is nicely summed up by its tagline, "To know Lloyd Dobler is to love him. Diane Court is about to know Lloyd Dobler."

If you haven't seen the Reader this week, there's an interesting cover story about a local college student, University of Chicago’s Loren Wilson, and his creation of a database that analyzes that Internet bastion of indie-rock coolness, Pitchfork. A Chicago-based website, Pitchfork is something of a guilty pleasure for Chicagoist. The site's staffers are pretentious, high-brow barometers of underground hype – the Rolling Stone of the indie world. (And they're just as easy to mock: Check out Popdork, indie label Sub Pop's hilarious parody of Pitchfork.) But their ability to write snarky reviews and expose readers to great unheard bands – their tireless cheerleading helped The Wrens, The Unicorns, and Broken Social Scene all achieve semi-fame over the past year – definitely appeals to our sensibilities.

Chicagoist just loves receiving mix tapes – or mix CDs now, *sigh* – and analyzing the meaning behind every agonizing choice. As the recent Tony Award winner Avenue Q notes, “A mix tape./ He made a mix tape./ He was thinking of me,/ Which shows he cares!/ Sometimes when someone/ Has a crush on you/ They'll make you a mix tape/ To give you a clue.” And when making the tapes, we definitely abide by the rules of one Rob Gordon: “You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don't wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch.”