In a recent missive Steven Crist notes the parallel phenomenons of evaporating print coverage and at the same time the ascension of quality online coverage largely provided by unpaid bloggers. In the best instances this "quality" Crist speaks of means avant-garde, irreverent writing, or more specifically, writing peppered with obscure pop culture references and hilariously opinion laden political commentary.
Engaging content is not strictly the trade of online forum zealots fed up with formulaic mainstream horse racing media. Nor is it merely the purlieu of indie kids sipping lattes while pecking on their Mac Airs in hipster populated coffee shops attempting Colbert Report caliber satire. ESPN's Kenny Mayne isn't beyond a (properly mocking) Miley Cyrus reference. Delightfully unscripted exchanges on HRTV & TVG also regularly yield similar inventive wit. But the home of wily treatises that induce mouse wheel spinning previously known only to readers of The Onion, can be found, usually via the very googlable Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance .
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MID POST SHAMELESS PLUG
The Saint Louis, Missouri based punk band Dead City Dregs is on tour now. If you're in SoCal go see them at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood Friday night. I saw them in SF and I can personally tout to you that they rock.
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Periodicals such as The Form could do worse than to emulate this approach. And it doesn't mean penning editorials in l33t (old people: google it, or for hippie Firesign Theatre Enthusiasts, trust that it's a 21st century version of op-talk). Stodgy geriatric sods in racing newsrooms may analogize this style to the excessive drum kit usage and inharmonious rants of punk bands. Regardless, Anti-Flag, Dropkick Murphy's (yes their punk!) sell a more concert tix than Crist does racing forms, and he knows this. I think he's on to something.
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4 comments:
Is this the point at which I reveal I'm from St. Louis and ask where the Dead City Dregs went to high school? I can attest that their name is entirely appropriate.
I'll have to work in a few more Lucksmiths references later, but that will only mean something to the other two 30ish fans of jangly Aussie guitar-pop that read my blog.
yes. this is that point, professor superfecta. but, you best not reciprocate. ya don't want lecherous innerweb types writing fan fiction featuring you in a catholic school girl uniform. if you must, though, tell'm you went to roosevelt.
ftr, one went to my alma mater, and the others in your neck of the woods.
Look at the big horseracing media-DRF, Bloodhorse, Thoroughbred Times, NTRA's website-all are shills for the industry. Oh, they'll criticize on the edges, but they aren't looking to make any enemies, and they sure don't do much investigative journalism. Then again, this is happening throughout all big corporate media, so I guess horseracing is just following the trend. Thanks to you who do what you can to give us an alternative view.
Brad -
Enjoy the blog, especially the Bay Area perspective.
I just moved out of S.F.(unfortunately), to write for a new horse racing website based in L.A.
I was at the last day of Bay Meadows and wrote an article about it HERE.
Thought you might appreciate it.
(after today will be on NEWS under BAY MEADOWS title.)
keep up the good work
-B. Frank
bcf200@gmail.com
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