rusty_halo

So for the past hour, we've been looking out our office windows watching people set up a gigantic red blow-up float thingy of Santa Claus riding a huge lobster. Anyone have any idea what this means? We figure they're selling something--lobsters? Christmas decorations:? Is it some kind of early cinco de mayo celebration? Are they promoting bestiality between fat men and lobsters?

Also. Every day the mail guy comes and he calls me "princess." I hate it. It's not funny. And everyone laughs about it and I feel obligated to smile and be nice, but really I just find it terribly condescending and not funny and irritating and I wish it would just stop, and I wish I was a great big intimidating man so that no one would ever call me "princess."

We ordered Indian food today, and they completely screwed up our orders, and then they were assholes on the phone and wouldn't send us the right food. And my female coworker freaked out and got really upset, so she gave the phone to my male coworker and he convinced them to send replacement food. This also upsets me.

Reading LJ. People are still kerfuffling over Marsters? God, that's like, so two years ago. :P

Actually, I rediscovered this last night. Ah, the good old days--I sort of miss being able to start a kerfuffle with just a bitchy JM post. It was pretty funny. (Though I'm also somewhat embarrassed by my devotion to something I now find so completely... irrelevant.) I think that post got on fandom_wank, and was the inspiration for me leaving some snooty elitist yahoo list in a huff because they were bitching about me without realizing I was on the list, and then witling started writing that boglescatverse story for me because I was all upset.... although maybe I'm confusing things; I think I had multiple kerfuffley posts. Way back when. I was such a newbie, I cared so much about this inane social bullshit that I don't even notice anymore.

It's weird seeing who I used to talk to back then--some people who ended up becoming close friends, and some who I've totally lost touch with. It's weird that I've had a LJ for over two years; it still feels sort of new, like something I'm experimenting with, rather than something I just do. Truthfully, I'd probably have been long gone, except people kept gifting me with paid time, so I felt obligated to stay, and now I'm pretty much stuck with it, because now I maintain some important relationships solely through LJ and I don't want to lose those.

Yesterday someone linked to this, and I thought I was going to die laughing. I mean, no offense to those who like him, to each his own and all, but, dude. Seriously. Are you kidding?

I miss 10zlaine already. How dare she go to New Zealand and not have internet access for a week?!

monanotlisa asked that I put together a QaF recs list, since I'm reading so much of it lately. That's my role in fandom, isn't it? Starting kerfuffles and screening out badfic. (Could be worse; at least I've got good taste. ;)

Anyway, I'm mainly going to rec authors rather than stories, because most people who write well tend to do so consistently.

( My half-assed Brian-centric Queer as Folk rec list )

Sorry this is so long; I just kind of wanted to save it all in one place for my own amusement, in case the threads die.

I've got to say, this ongoing KMFDM kerfuffle is one of the funniest/strangest things I've ever seen. Total fandom wank material.

If you're bored, I think this might make for entertaining reading material. KMFDM, if you didn't know, is a pioneering industrial rock band that's been around since the mid-80s.

It seems to go back a long way; the first thing I see is late 2002: a forum administrator getting banned from his own forum by a KMFDM flunkie due to discussions that he wasn't even involved in about the possibility of KMFDM bootlegging.

So then KMFDM announces that they're starting their own record label. On March 2, 2004, they announce on their official site that their first release will be the latest solo effort from frequent KMFDM collaborator Raymond Watts (aka Pig, aka Watts). Two days later Watts himself posts at his official board, The Sick City: ( Read more... )

Then on March 25, KMFDM posts a terse ""KMFDM Records will NOT be releasing Pigmartyr by WATTS." I can't find any explanation, or public comment on this from Watts himself.

So the record comes out instead on UK label Grand Recordings, who put up a website for Watts which looks like total crap made by a 12-year-old, and their official site contains an unflattering bio which portrays him as an alcoholic/drug addict, and contains more information about his collaborator Eden than it does about Watts himself.

( Read more... )

Eden also makes a general annoyance of himself by posting regularly on the Sick City boards and reassuring fans that the album will be released in the U.S. (it isn't), that they won't have to pay import prices (they do), and then that the album has been shipped (when it hasn't). Fans respond by blaming him for the "bad business advice" that led Watts to ditch KMFDM, and posting his home address and phone number. They dare each other to crank call him, but apparently no one does.

So the album comes out and fans have to pay huge import prices (almost $30 for a CD) to get it shipped from the UK. They are mislead about the shipping date, and many wait over a month and receive nothing.

So in June '04, many people still haven't gotten their orders, and this thread pops up: Grand Recordings = Liars and thieves

( excerpts )

So after massive bitching and fans begging for refunds/re-sent CDs/U.S. distribution through KMFDM records, Raymond Watts himself finally shows up and blames the U.S. postal service for his record label's shitty behavior:

( Read more... )

Responses are generally pretty respectful, given that it's a Raymond Watts fanboard, along the lines of

( Read more... )

So already, we've got some major resentment among fans that Pig/Watts stuff is so hard to get.

So in November, Darren870 posts offering to share a DVD of rare/hard-to-find/unreleased Pig material with other sickcity posters for only the cost of burning/shipping the DVDs.

( Read more... )

So everyone and their sister pops up begging for the Pig DVD.

Then the KMFDM legal department shows up and bitches out Darren, ordering him not to distribute the Pig material.

( Read more... )

Darren responds asking if he can give the CDs to his forum friends for free; other fans respond expressing their annoyance with KMFDM:

( Read more... )

KMFDM sends threatening emails; Darren decides not to distribute the DVD.

( Read more... )

And KFMDM continues with the ridiculously threatening emails:

( Read more... )

So no Pig DVDs, KMFDM fans are disillusioned, and the kerfuffle dies down for a while.

Then on March 11, more than 3 months later, PalerThanGray posts looking for MDFMK bootlegs. (MDFMK is an old disbanded project of Sascha from KMFDM).

Darren responds with a link to download an MDFMK bootleg torrent.

KMFDM jumps on him almost instantly and claims that they are about to sue him:

( Read more... )

Sascha, leader of KMFDM, responds with a rude email to a fan who complained to him about the legal department's attacks on fans:

( Read more... )

So Captain Poop Face and Darren870, longtime KMFDM fans who hang out on KMFDM internet boards, announce that they are fed up and are selling their KMFDM collections on ebay:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZpraisetheschwein
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZtardcorewtf

Complete with snippy item descriptions like
If you're a huge KMFDM fan, or just a fan of industrial music in general, pick up these cds at a generously cheap price. XF is a great side project from "mastermind" and "father of industrial-rock" Sascha Konietzko.

Then they troll over to the Ultra Heavy Beat forums, an unofficial board where several band members post.

In a thread about the possibility of KMFDM leather jackets, the boys vent.

( Read more... )

Of course, a flamewar ensues between current KMFDM fans and disillusioned former KMFDM fans.

( Read more... )

Meanwhile, on the sick city board, folks begin mocking with thread titles like Torrent Link to Entire KMFDM DIscography containing text like "Just fucking with you, Sascha. You just lost me as a fan when you started harassing someone over a live bootleg from four years ago from a side-project you don't even care about anymore. Even Metallica supports live bootlegs, which means you're below Metallica in my book."

And pooballs changes her sig to read "KMFtm, where your memories of industrial music are raped by lawyers!" They also complain that the KMFDM email newsletter contains nothing but product advertisements.

And so then Sascha himself shows up and posts at the Ultra Heavy Beat forum, as Kapt'n K, in a thread titled SORRY MUTHA FUCKA ADIOS. You should probably go read it there, as it's full of formatting and quotes. Sascha also takes the opportunity, later in the thread, to announce his engagement to KMFDM member Lucia... which makes the kerfuffle thread a rather strange mix of flaming and congratulating.

( Read more... )

So Darren, Sascha, and Chris have it out ... honestly, you've got to love a 40+ band leader getting into petty message board flamewars with 19 year old fans on a FANBOARD.

( Read more... )

At least Sascha apologizes about the rude legal representative:
( Read more... )

And then he offers to buy Darren and Chris' ebay collections:

( Read more... )

Darren posts a civil response:
( Read more... )

And Chris actually apologizes:
( Read more... )

Good god.

***

And, sort of unrelated: the latest on Raymond, posted today, from Sascha:
[regarding the Pig DVD] after the pigmartyr dilemma - no thanks. we want no part in releasing anything from that camp

i haven't heard from raymond in many months.

Goddammit. Raymond is the only one I give a crap about.

I just tried to post and it turned into a big personal rant about my family, so I posted that privately. Now trying again with a real post.

Quick summary of my life at the moment: work is stressful, family is stressful, real life is stressful.

I've been away from LJ for almost a week; I stayed up until 4am last night trying to catch up with all I've missed. I have a hard time skimming anything; I'm obsessively thorough, and so I want to read each and every thing. For the most part, I've not been commenting, since these discussions are days old.

If I've ignored you, it's not a slight; it's just me being busy and away from the internet.

( thoughts on fandom, kerfuffles, fic, etc )

I'm going to write up a full con report in a bit, but first I have to get this rant off my chest. (I really apologize for the rant. I'm trying to be a more positive person and I don't want to be known as someone who is always bitching. But this has been upsetting me very badly all weekend and I'm hoping I'll feel better if I get it all written and posted. I promise to write a con report covering all the positive stuff in just a bit.)

( James Marsters didn't say a single positive thing about Spike all weekend )