|
|
|
Written by asap
|
|
Monday, 25 September 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
 Anybody who follows celebrity gossip, even remotely, knows that John Mayer crushed Jessica Simpson's little heart (or more likely her publicist's little heart), with a simple post on his blog. Rumors of romance were flying. His Internet response: the cover of Public Enemy's single "Don't Believe the Hype" along with four words — "Really enjoying this song."
Ouch.
His soulful singing aside, this is why I love John Mayer — and even more, why I love John Mayer's blog. Most other musicians (or their publicists, or their assistants, or their publicist's assistants), post the boring usual blog updates. "Hello from Vancouver where I'm still on the road, playing just for you, my fans, whom I love so much. The next album drops in a few months. Be sure to pick up a copy!"
While John Mayer does some shilling, it goes down smoothly. The T-shirts he sells read "Songwriting is not a crime." Enough said.
In the year or so since I've been reading, (Mayer didn't just create a blog to fend off the tabloid onslaught) his posts have been quick, smart and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. He manages to be real and witty, sarcastic and humble all at once. This whole Jessica Simpson/Public Enemy/screw-the-paparazzi thing is just the tip of his sardonic iceberg.
Other entertaining tidbits you'll find on John Mayer's site lately: A spot-on parody of gossip blog perezhilton.com. Photos of some of his 200 guitars. A tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn. How he wore the Nike Plus iPod on stage just to let us know that he burned 75 calories during a performance. A picture of Chewbacca throwing a ball, above it written, "Who says I can't play sports?" Some random iChat plug-in that he thinks will improve your life. An analysis of the "Doodlebops" children's TV show.
One thought for the cynical among us — What if this blog is some highly orchestrated PR campaign? What if Mayer's publicist is writing all these posts? Or directing them somehow? Well, stranger things have happened. I can't say that it's not the case. I choose to believe that his blog is the real deal. I have no reason not to: The posts feel sincere and off-the-cuff and genuine. It would break my heart if it were anything less than what it appears to be.
Doesn't all of this position the blog as an anti-PR, PR campaign?
Sure. But so what? The point is that John Mayer doesn't think that his fans are idiots. And it works.
The posts make me feel like I know John Mayer, even though I just own a few of his CDs. I feel more like I'm reading one of my friends' blogs instead of one written by some famous musician. And in our hype-driven, publicist-filtered society, that kind of connection is rare. Even if it's not real at all.
___
Check him out for yourself at: http://johnmayer.com/blog
___
asap Midwest writer Caryn Rousseau loved John Mayer's music before she discovered his blog.
| Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
