Welp… it happened. My time
@pitchfork
is being brought to an end, as it was announced today that the publication is being folded into GQ. It’s been the honor of my life to have worked here for the past 18-and-a-half (!) years…
Debatable which of these two things took more time and effort to make: the elaborate, wall-sized Courtney Love collage I constructed in the mid-90s... or our daughter.
As my first year as
@pitchfork
Managing Editor comes to a close, it’s time for an epic thread celebrating some of the incredible work we published in 2019. I am so proud of our team and so grateful to be a part of it. So here goes... a list of some of my faves (deep breath):
helping create this magical little space where passionate thoughts about music could reign supreme. I wish the new management all the best. Please take good care of it.
Today we launch the biggest project in the history of Pitchfork:
#P4k2010s
, our wrap-up of the 2010s in music. I’m incredibly excited, proud, and relieved to have it out in the world at last.
They will be running the section together, a true dream team. Don’t be surprised to find an increase in coverage of garage bands, art-rap, WWE wrestlers, soccer, and avant-classical film soundtracks 😉 (2/3)
The press release announcing the National Magazine Awards 2024 finalists is now posted. Included are the finalists and winners of the ASME Award for Fiction, the ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration and the ASME NEXT Awards.
@ryanpitchfork
Thank you for everything, Ryan. Thank you for creating this incredible company. Thank you for hiring me in 2005, bringing me to Chicago, and changing the course of my entire life. And thank you for your infectious, undying enthusiasm for music.
Mark has been, without question, the guiding force of my professional life for the past 11 years. It’s been such an honor to work with him. I will miss him greatly.
This year was absolute shit for the most part, of course, but one of the things that kept me going was the consistently incredible work of my fellow P4kers. Here is a long thread of some highlights:
Announcing ‘Save Stereogum: An ‘00s Covers Comp,’ an album of 44 new, never-before-heard covers from your favorite artists of songs from 2000-2009.
Available exclusively as part of a crowdfunding campaign to keep our independent music journalism alive.
This is my first
@pitchfork
byline ever as I guest there and continue my journey with Joni. Thanks to
@staceykanderson
and I’m so happy to share the space with such fine writers!
Conwy displayed her first act of music criticism today. I started singing “Wheels on the Bus” and she said “no” and shook her head. Same for “Old Macdonald.” I started “The ABCs” and she clapped and smiled. So proud.
Very proud of our Music & Technology package, which is now available to read in full over at
@pitchfork
. We are living in a wild, confusing time; hopefully, these essays will help you make sense of these issues:
Week 2 of
#P4K2010s
kicks off with two stunners. First:
@ericdharvey
on how Twitter became one of the most powerful forces in music. (No joke: whenever anyone asks me “What’s Pitchfork’s biggest competition?” I always say “Twitter.”)
This month, Condé Nast announced that music website
@Pitchfork
would be folded into GQ. Reset’s Sasha-Ann Simons spoke about the site's
#Chicago
connection with former staff like
#Pitchfork
founder Ryan Schreiber, and its impact with local music writers.
It is no exaggeration to say that time spent in small indie venues has shaped the course of my life. Proud to share P4K's tribute to these magical spaces. (And stay tuned for much more later this week!)
Naloxone nasal spray should be readily available at every concert venue in America. Countless lives would be saved.
@MarcHogan
reports on the people helping to make that a reality:
.
@Anmlcollective
,
@PearlJam
, and
@Twinshadow
are among the artists leading the charge to make the overdose-prevention drug naloxone more commonly accepted at concerts and festivals
Just want to point out that today,
@eliaeinhorn
interviewed Nile Rodgers, Common, Kim Deal, Andrew WK, Natalie Prass & Snail Mail all within the space of 6 hours. He’s a superhero.
Whether it’s androgynous new-wavers, classic pop songwriters, or brain-scrambling electronic musicians,
@toriamos
has always sought out artists who shift the way she perceives the world around her
Critical biodiversity talks are happening right now, but they've barely made it into the public conversation. Here's our attempt to help people understand what's happening and what's at stake.
WE HELPED DOLLY PARTON LAUNCH HER OWN RADIO STATIIIIOOOON!!! Plus Mark produced & I voiced for her Songteller radio special that’s live today. DOLLY PARTON!! What a true thrill & honor. Huge shouts to Brian & Joe for making this happen. DOOOOLLLYYY!!!!
#dollyparton
#dolly
#sonos
🔥
@acasualfemale
: "Bieber spends most of the video smeared with a comical, if not offensive, amount of 'oil,' to the point that I wondered if he accidentally showed the makeup artist images of a chimney sweep for reference."
Foxygen’s Sam France and his ex-girlfriend and former touring bandmate Elizabeth le Fey have been embroiled in a years-long legal battle. Here are the competing allegations:
.
@CatZhang1
explaining the sound of TikTok, an extremely necessary piece for an Old like me!
@erictorresx
digging deep with the Helado Negro album
@ssodomsky
’s definitive Bill Callahan profile:
There are 19,757 artists with their own dedicated page on Pitchfork
For our 25th anniversary, we revisit the 200 that shaped the way we consider music →
#Pitchfork25
Have been thinking about all the times
@mattschnipper
was like "this is going to be a thing" and he was so, so right. Lil Peep. Vagabon. 100 gecs. XXXtentacion. Post Malone!
Sad to say that after five years yesterday was my last day at Pitchfork. Very proud of my time there. If you have long or short term work, need someone with ideas, and writing or editing skills, please keep me in mind. My DMs are open. Thank you
Alas my reference to that time Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Cara Delevingne sang "Heartbeats" in a hallway got cut. So here is that moment in history, in case you forgot about it:
For the first time in 12 years, I wasn't part of the team putting together P4k’s year-end lists. So I get to enjoy them purely as a fan-- a great pleasure. Congrats to
@staceykanderson
and the whole crew on another job well done. Don't worry-- I'll be back in action next year.