Read "The Salvation Shark," and more short fiction, scripts, and very little poetry at Laugh at Yourself First.
pauljuser.blogspot.com
One day, history will tell how Napster destroyed the world. In those days, short of a magazine or book contract, the only way I could find new readers were hastily assembled chapbooks with photocopied covers. Pages were printed on my inkjet and stapled with a stapler that couldn't reach the middle of the page. Instead, I stapled each copy on cardboard boxes and closed the tines with my finger. If you're here with me in Binghamton, you might have one of those books, handed out at a punk rock show or poetry reading that probably took place in your living room. There may be misspellings, but there's a drop of my blood in nearly every single copy. These were the days you tied up your phone line for hours downloading a single song ,and streaming video was a laughable fantasy.
Technology changes, and computers became smarter. With cable Internet, whole albums could be downloaded in a few hours time, and made movies possible, first in segments, then in seamless files. CD's and DVD's became irrelevant faster than producers could stop spending money on them, leaving only Madonna proud that she remains a top-selling artist. The record companies didn't know what they were up against. Nitwits like Lars Ulrich paraded in front of cameras bullying fans to buy a new disc that was scratched in a week by those sleeves under the visor of your car. Entertainment companies met a real competition in people producing their own art. When quantity no longer matters, quality wins every time. The change has spun so fast that tyrants with weapons, armies, and money are being easily routed by a million kids with Facebook who shed only their own blood. The notion of Nation is gone, and the Bad Guys are just starting to realize they lost everything years ago with a single downloaded song. Salvation Shark chapters start March 4th. Thanks for reading.
-Paul
printisbetter.blogspot.com
pauljuser.blogspot.com
One day, history will tell how Napster destroyed the world. In those days, short of a magazine or book contract, the only way I could find new readers were hastily assembled chapbooks with photocopied covers. Pages were printed on my inkjet and stapled with a stapler that couldn't reach the middle of the page. Instead, I stapled each copy on cardboard boxes and closed the tines with my finger. If you're here with me in Binghamton, you might have one of those books, handed out at a punk rock show or poetry reading that probably took place in your living room. There may be misspellings, but there's a drop of my blood in nearly every single copy. These were the days you tied up your phone line for hours downloading a single song ,and streaming video was a laughable fantasy.
Technology changes, and computers became smarter. With cable Internet, whole albums could be downloaded in a few hours time, and made movies possible, first in segments, then in seamless files. CD's and DVD's became irrelevant faster than producers could stop spending money on them, leaving only Madonna proud that she remains a top-selling artist. The record companies didn't know what they were up against. Nitwits like Lars Ulrich paraded in front of cameras bullying fans to buy a new disc that was scratched in a week by those sleeves under the visor of your car. Entertainment companies met a real competition in people producing their own art. When quantity no longer matters, quality wins every time. The change has spun so fast that tyrants with weapons, armies, and money are being easily routed by a million kids with Facebook who shed only their own blood. The notion of Nation is gone, and the Bad Guys are just starting to realize they lost everything years ago with a single downloaded song. Salvation Shark chapters start March 4th. Thanks for reading.
-Paul
printisbetter.blogspot.com
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