I don't know what I'm doing with this at the moment.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Oh Internet Drama
For the record, you don't have to read all of this.
It's not my place to be a voice of reason but I'm at least hoping to impose some sort of unbiased viewpoint on the issue. At least, this is my perspective on the issue at hand. So to the members of the ffg, the members of leatherhips, the members of kyte, and heck - even the members of the muse boards and the lurkers, let's get down to business.
We're all passionate. This much is clear. We all like this band a lot, but this shouldn't be some sort of competition. It's not about who's the biggest fan, who's been to the most gigs, or who's met them. Seriously, it doesn't matter. It's awesome when people have stories and photos to share. But it seems silly to judge people on behaviour when you weren't there and don't know the story. Don't call people rude or creepy if they post a story that seems strange, because it probably made sense at the time. As well, no one should be considered less of a fan because they've never gotten the chance to go to a gig, or they've only become a fan of Franz since the release of 'Tonight'. We were all 'new' fans at one point, and it's hard - yes, it is hard - to become part of an already thriving community. It's imposing to walk in on a bunch of people that have a history and just sort of get in on it. Inside jokes can be taken as opportunities for exclusion (whether they are or they aren't) and it always seems to be an unavoidable issue with communities.
I think we need to realize that not everyone's going to get these jokes or feel like they're part of this community. I think what happened with the breakdown of ffg was that people who have been members for a while had felt ostracized by the increasing activeness of newer members and newer fans. These older members had their own set of social codes - whether it be the language they used or the attitudes they had towards things. Newer members might have interpreted this as strange behaviour, and said a few things against it, or displayed their own emotions through their own methods. Whatever the case, they - or we - just didn't mesh and it ultimately boiled down into what's just happened.
And things were said. Some of it uncalled for, some of it expected. I wish it hadn't been this way, because I felt that some of the posts were harsh personal attacks that no one would want to be on the receiving end of. It's all good and well to post your reasons for being angry and upset, but calling people names is just ridiculous. I think that if arguments had been made without such slander, a more reasonable reaction would have occurred. It's all good and well for people to want to leave, and it was even understandable in a situation such as this. Naturally, communities split apart and separate as they grow. It's human nature and change happens. I just wish it had been dealt with and expressed in a different way. It's not fair to call people out on their gig activities when you weren't there for the entire reaction. Having been in Montreal myself, I can tell you, there were indeed actual smiles. There was no fleeing, no hints of any anger, and absolutely none of that. In fact, they actually hung around for quite some time talking and telling jokes. Basing behaviour off of one silly photograph in an attempt to chastise someone isn't necessary. This misunderstanding between two very passionate groups was unfortunate, and I think we all need to realize that we're fans. And we're all fans of the same thing.
As for the pretzels, it's the same way. It's an inside joke - that's grown to a rather large scale. As far as I know, it doesn't bother the band. Assumably, it's harmless and inoffensive. If Bob wanted it to stop, he could by all means just say so and it would. We respect the band, but it's a joke. No, you might not get it, but that doesn't mean it's fair to slag off the people that do it. I've met some of the greatest people and had some of the funniest moments because of it (sentimental, I know). If you don't want to give Bob pretzels, nobody is cocking a gun to your head and forcing you to do it. They've got a sense of humour about it, and if you don't want to laugh at it, at least don't complain about how the people doing it are 'offensive' and 'rude'. Because that's silly. It's just a way for some fans to show a sense of community.
We've drifted apart. I'm sorry. I can't purport to understand everyone's logic behind how they handled the situation. Separate communities have separate languages. Maybe I shouldn't go so far as to say stop generalizing behaviour if you don't know the entire story, but I'd just like all this reckless judging of others to stop, because it's getting out of hand and dividing a group of people that should all be glad that they have a band like Franz Ferdinand to support. We know that they're great, and a huge majority of their fans are great. We either need to stop judging each other so harshly, or stay out of each other's way. This isn't going to turn into some big war between communities. When you see each other at gigs, you're not going to punch each other in the nose. The anonymity of the internet allows for things to be said that normally wouldn't. So calm down and breathe. Listen to some Franz Ferdinand. We love them, we just show it in different ways.
... And there's probably a reason why I'm not studying sociology.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
September News Update
Date: Friday, August 28 to Wednesday, September 23
Toronto, Ontario - Virgin Festival (Saturday, August 29) / Baltimore, Maryland - Virgin Festival (Sunday, August 30) / Montreal, Quebec (Monday, August 31) / Winnipeg, Manitoba (Wednesday, September 2) / Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Thursday, September 3) / Edmonton, Alberta - Sonic Boom Festival (Saturday, September 5) / Vancouver, British Columbia (Sunday, September 6) / Seattle, Washington - Bumbershoot Festival (Monday, September 7)
---
News
Okay, news.
- Franz Ferdinand dj set coming up this Friday (September 25, 2009) in the UK [Read More]
- You've probably heard of the private Brazil gig. It ended up selling out in 15 minutes. High five.
- Brixton after party (October 23, 2009) [Read More.]
- Franz Ferdinand in Jakarta on November 14 for Playground Festival [Read More.]
- April 17, 2010 Beijing Peace Concert? (Be warned, clicking on this link leads to the auto-start of a really crappy band. Ugh.) [Read More.]
- Potential South American tour in April/May of next year? I'll keep you updated...
- Little blurb/photos from Franz in Seattle (September 7, 2009) on 107.7 The End [Read More.] [See More.]
- A translated old-ish article from Hove Festival (published June 22, 2009) [Read More.]
- Alex remixed a song: 'Chew Lips - Salt Air'. keep an eye out for it [Read More.]
- Ben Sherman charity - bid to win something signed by the band, and do it for a good cause [Read More.]
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The Cribs support FF
- 8 shows from November 20 - November 30, 2009
- Hamburg, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Paris, Rennes, Bordeaux
Music Go Music support FF
- UK section of the tour from October 11 - October 23, 2009
- Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Newcastle, Sheffield, Manchester, Wolverhampton, Leeds, Bournemouth, London
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Photos
- One from August 12, 2009 [See More.]
- Two from Paredes de Coura (July 30, 2009) [See More.]
---
And this is from Spin Magazine's twitter, from a while ago:
"Nick from Franz Ferdinand is napping backstage by a tree while Taking Back Sunday brings the emo smackdown"
I'll be posting a full list of upcoming tour dates in the days to come. Tomorrow you get your Interview Update. I apologize in advance if it's a little late, I'm supposed to go to a concert.
We're almost completely sorted! Yay! ... And then you get to tell me if there are any blaring admissions I should be aware of. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
September Video Update
Date: Friday, August 28 to Tuesday, September 22
Toronto, Ontario - Virgin Festival (Saturday, August 29) / Baltimore, Maryland - Virgin Festival (Sunday, August 30) / Montreal, Quebec (Monday, August 31) / Winnipeg, Manitoba (Wednesday, September 2) / Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Thursday, September 3) / Edmonton, Alberta - Sonic Boom Festival (Saturday, September 5) / Vancouver, British Columbia (Sunday, September 6) / Seattle, Washington - Bumbershoot Festival (Monday, September 7)
---
Videos
(marked with a * means recommended)
Still no kyte updates. Like that's a surprise.
Live
- *Acoustic radio session at 103.9 (Phoenix, I think?) [Take Me Out] [Ulysses]*
- Nick giving a fan a beer at the Hollywood Palladium (August 27, 2009) [See More.]
- Last Call With Carson Daly: What She Came For at the Hollywood Palladium (August 27, 2009) [See More.]
- Live from Toronto V-Fest (August 29, 2009), courtesy of backpackdave [Intro/Matinee] [No You Girls] [This Fire]
- Live from Montreal (August 31, 2009) - This Fire! Paul as a tiger! Alex wearing my deputy sheriff hat! Etc! [See More.]
- Live from Montreal (August 31, 2009) - Alex and Luisa's fireman hat [See More.]
- F*ck the rain! Vancouver (September 6, 2009) [See More.]
Interviews
- *Alex and Bob. This is an old interview, but maybe you're like me and haven't seen it before [See More.]*
- Alex and Paul. I don't get it. [See More.]
- Alex & Paul interview at V-Fest Ontario (August 29, 2009). Perhaps a new EP at the end of the year? One of the rumoured collaborations is Clint Boon [See More.]
- Alex interview at FreeFest (August 30, 2009). Oh, the mustache [See More.]
- Alex and Paul interview. Somewhere in Canada [See More.]
- *Nick interview. Sort of. A brief video, at least from Bumbershoot (September 7, 2009) [See More.]*
- Nick and Paul and German words [See More.]
Miscellaneous
- Glastonbury - at 0:17 Alex Kapranos watching Pete Doherty (with Jimmy from Metric) [See More.]
- *Recommended by Mr. Kapranos himself, a fan version of CSF [See More.]*
- Jet talk about Franz Ferdinand (copyright boundaries) [See More.]
- The CW using 'Turn It On' for their fall preview. Yay background noise [See More.]
Other
- Keep your eyes peeled for a Franz Ferdinand-Nardwuar interview. Apparently it took place in Vancouver (September 6, 2009).
- MuchNews Weekly had a V-Fest Ontario special. It's unfortunately not online, so you missed Alex guessing Richard Branson's age (he said 98), not knowing who Pitbull is (I don't blame him), Paul failing at a rubik's cube, and Alex spelling 'amphitheater' correctly. A+
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Other
*And this is just a story worth pointing out. From Winnipeg (September 2, 2009). Makes you wonder how someone under the age of 18 passed for someone who's 34. [Read More.]*
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Check back for Wednesday's News Update!
Monday, September 21, 2009
September Review Update
Date: Friday, August 28 to Monday, September 21
Shows:
Toronto, Ontario - Virgin Festival (Saturday, August 29) / Washington D.C. - Virgin Festival (Sunday, August 30) / Montreal, Quebec (Monday, August 31) / Winnipeg, Manitoba (Wednesday, September 2) / Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Thursday, September 3) / Edmonton, Alberta - Sonic Boom Festival (Saturday, September 5) / Vancouver, British Columbia (Sunday, September 6) / Seattle, Washington - Bumbershoot Festival (Monday, September 7)
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Reviews
Get ready to read!
(Marked with a * means recommended.)
Some of them have pretty photos too, so go be entertained.
Hollywood Palladium, California (August 27, 2009)
- Review #1 [Read More.]
- *Review #2 [Read More.]*
- Review #3 [Read More.]
- Review #4 [Read More.]
- Review #5 [Read More.]
- Review #6 [Read More.]
V-Fest Ontario (August 29, 2009)
- Review #1 [Read More.]
- Review #2 (shameless self-promotion) [Read More.]
- Review #3 [Read More.]
- Review #4 [Read More.]
FreeFest, Washington (August 30, 2009)
- Review #1 [Read More.]
Montreal (August 31, 2009)
- Review #1 [Read More.]
- Review #2 [Read More.]
Winnipeg (September 2, 2009)
- *Review #1 [Read More.]*
- Review #2 [Read More.]
- *Review #3 [Read More.]*
- Review #4 [Read More.]
Sonic Boom Festival, Edmonton (September 5, 2009)
- Review #1 [Read More.]
- Review #2 [Read More.]
Vancouver (September 6, 2009)
- *Review #1 [Read More.]*
- Review #2 [Read More.]
- Review #3 [Read More.]
- Review #4 [Read More.]
- Review #5 [Read More.]
- Review #6 [Read More.]
- *Review #7 [Read More.]*
Bumbershoot Festival, Seattle (September 7, 2009)
- Review #1 [Read More.]
- Review #2 [Read More.]
- Review #3 [Read More.]
- Review #4 [Read More.]
- Review #5 [Read More.]
- Review #6 [Read More.]
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Photos
- From Spain (April 2, 2009) [See More.]
- From Rome (July 14, 2009) [See More.]
- From St. Louis (August 11, 2009) [See More.]
- From Montreal (August 31, 2009) [See More.]
- From Bumbershoot (September 7, 2009) [See More.]
- Thanks to Ootsider on FFG for this one of Alex, Nick, and Parker. [See More.]
- So this photo is a little... err... well. Hi Alex. Yeah. Great. Keep up the good work (September 21, 2009) [See More.]
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Other
- I know this isn't interview-post day, but this old-ish interview with Paul needs to be posted(!!!). And for the record, Nick doesn't have anything to do with them. [Read More.]
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Check back tomorrow for the Video Update. Getting back on track one long post at a time...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
September Photo Update
Date: Friday, August 28 to Sunday, September 20
Shows:
Toronto, Ontario - Virgin Festival (Saturday, August 29) / Washington D.C. - Virgin Festival (Sunday, August 30) / Montreal, Quebec (Monday, August 31) / Winnipeg, Manitoba (Wednesday, September 2) / Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Thursday, September 3) / Edmonton, Alberta - Sonic Boom Festival (Saturday, September 5) / Vancouver, British Columbia (Sunday, September 6) / Seattle, Washington - Bumbershoot Festival (Monday, September 7)
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Photos
(marked with a * means recommended)
Los Angeles (August 25, 2009)
- Set one: [One] [Two] [Three] [Four] [Five]
- Set two: [See More.]
Palladium (August 27, 2009)
- *Set one: [See More.]
- Set two: [See More.]
- Set three: [See More.]
V-Fest Ontario (August 29, 2009)
- *Set one: [See More.]
- Set two: [See More.]
- Set three: [See More.]
- *Set four: [See More.]
FreeFest, Washington (August 30, 2009)
- Set one: [See More.]
- Set two: [See More.]
- Set three: [See More.]
- Set four: [See More.]
Montreal (August 31, 2009)
- Set one: [See More.]
- Set two: [See More.]
- Set three: [See More.]
- Set four: [See More.]
- *Set five (with review): [See More.]
Sonic Boom Festival, Edmonton (September 5, 2009)
- Set one: [See More.]
- Set two: [See More.]
- Set three: [See More.]
- Set four: [See More.]
- Set five: [See More.]
- Misc: [One] [Two] [Three] [Four*]
Vancouver (September 6, 2009)
- Set one: [See More.]
- Set two: [See More.]
- Set three: [See More.]
- Set four: [See More.]
Bumbershoot (September 7, 2009)
- Set one: [See More.]
- Set two: [See More.]
- Set four: [See More.]
- Set five: [See More.]
- Miscellaneous: [One] [Two*] [Three] [Four] [Five] [Six]
Miscellaneous:
- From Lyon (2006) [See More.]
- From Roundhouse (July, 2009) [See More.]
- From San Jose (August 18, 2009) [See More.]
- From San Diego (August 20, 2009) [See More.]
- *Parker and Nick in Edmonton (September 5). But mostly just Parker. [See More.]
- Two from earlier this year (May 10, 2009) [See More.]
- Paul got a new tattoo. [See More.]
- Alex had a new twitter profile picture. It's since been changed, but oh. The facial hair. [See More.]
- Another reminder to check out fan pictures on the official site. [See More.]
- Fan art. [See More.]
- Fans are strange, right? [See More.]
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Quite the list. So that should keep you busy until tomorrow, when the Concert Review update will (hopefully) go up. Check back for that.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Plan
I suck. Forgive me.
Since Franz Ferdinand are on break for a bit, I guarantee you're not missing all that much in terms of news & interviews, but I'll hopefully get everything up-to-date fairly soon.
Here's the (tentative) plan:
Sunday: Photo Update
Monday: Concert Review Update
Tuesday: Video Update
Wednesday: News Update
Thursday: Interview Update
Friday: Everything Else / Tour Date Update / 4 photos of the week (or something like that, I owe you a few)
Yep. We can do this. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in...
Sunday. I'm resolved.
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