Sweet, Delicious, Positive Press
As I have been saying for many days, the NY Times Magazine has an article today about how the internet has changed the relationship between artists and fans, and there’s a big ol’ picture of me plus quite a bit of JoCo discussion. As one commenter has noted, my cat is not in the article or the photo, but he appears quite a bit in the video thingie. He’s going to get a ton of myspace friend requests today I’m sure.
Thanks to Clive and Lee for this multi-media one-two punch to the midsection of popular culture. Body blow! Body blow! Body blow!
May 13th, 2007 at 11:33 am
Now I’m going to have to learn the “Code Monkey Dance” so I can do it next time you’re in Ardmore.
May 13th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Your cat is awesome my cat could still beat him up
May 13th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
What an amazing article. (If only they’d included your URL!) JoCo’s answers were in-depth and revealing and touched on a lot of subjects that I haven’t seen you mention before; lots of credit to Clive Thompson, who must’ve conducted a great interview. (Now I’m curious about all the other things in your conversations that got left out of the article.)
I love the Times Magazine for articles like this. I hope you’ve checked up on your servers, Jonathan, because I fear and hope your hit count’s about to take a beating, and not from people trying to cancel their accounts this time.
May 13th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Fantastic work man. Really inspiring and sobering to see someone take the internet connections with fans to this level. Just thought this professional jazz musician in Seattle would take a brief moment to give you props and congratulate you on a nice Times article. Keep it up brother! http://www.myspace.com/joshrawlings
May 13th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
It’s kind of a fun loop – I read MSM paper and find an article about you, in which you mention that you need the MSM on top of the internet stuff to be popular, then I come to your site to see what’s up, fullfiling said prophecy.
PS: I’m the guy you met in SF when touring with John Hodgman who is getting married. My finacee and I are both astronomers and I asked you if there was a first-dancable version of “I’m Your Moon”. You said maybe once you were done with your crazy schedule. So how ’bout it?
May 13th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Woot, an awesome article and movie-thing, and it just hit the front page of Digg! Piggy the Cat obviously has drawing power.
May 13th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
I envy your cat.
May 14th, 2007 at 1:10 am
Awesome! And they used one of the embaressing parts of my video…well, I guess it is all embaressing.
May 14th, 2007 at 2:25 am
It’s nice to see good press happen to good people.
May 14th, 2007 at 4:16 am
Good deal! It’s a great article, and always good to see your name getting out there.
May 14th, 2007 at 4:36 am
Wow, did MSM crash your server again? Such awesomeness! Congrats, O Shaggily Handsome One.
(I think Piggy needs some monkey minions, or at least) a dedicated dance.
May 14th, 2007 at 5:45 am
Now you can put
“Shaggily Handsome”
– The New York Times
on the back of your albums.
May 14th, 2007 at 6:45 am
Another person I peripherally know continues to make good…
Hey! Jonathan Coulton is featured in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine. Awesome…….
May 14th, 2007 at 7:06 am
Woohoo! Len even got a sort of mention: a professional graphic artist in Cleveland has drawn an illustration for each of the weekly songs, free. Your massive fame rubs off on people, JC!
May 14th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Even Hodg-man blogged it: http://areasofmyexpertise.blogspot.com/ in general, good job and wait to go the free publicity, real top-notch stuff.
May 14th, 2007 at 7:41 am
Personally, I like the more traditional pop stuff just as much as the funny, geeky stuff. F’rinstance, “Make You Cry” has this beautiful guitar part that almost obscures the fact that the narrator of the song is completely insane and is stalking this poor woman. Great song. And “I Hate California” is just an incredibly well-constructed composition — it kills me when the piano part comes in on the chorus. People may be attracted at first by the goofier hits, but if they stick around they’re bound to appreciate the wide range of styles and subject matter in the JoCo songbook.
May 14th, 2007 at 8:13 am
Both my brother and I are fans and have mentioned our fannish ways in family situations, so I showed the article to my 59-year-old mother, who said “So that’s what Jonathan Coulton looks like. He’s kinda cute.” It was a very nice article, very positive.
The non-technical arm of the Wonder Twins is thrilled about being an example.
May 14th, 2007 at 8:25 am
The NYTimes brought me here. I’m no geek, no code monkey, haven’t been a fan of anybody’s music since the Talking Heads (yeah, I’m THAT old), and I find Code Monkey running around my head like a crazy virus! Love it, love it, love it.
May 14th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Mazal tov on the Times piece. Utterly fantastic — I hope all manner of other good things follow in its wake.
May 14th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Congrats on the article–in today’s music marketplace, it’s very tough to be heard above the general noise. You may be interested to know that a fellow Brooklynite recording under the name of Thunderegg also completed a Song-of-the-Week project in 2005, posting a new track each Monday to his website (alas, for free; perhaps he should borrow a leaf from your self-marketing manual). You should check out some of his songs. I look forward to giving yours a listen; anyone who operates outside the system is okay in my book!
May 14th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Yeah, the article has been put up on slashdot now, so that poositive press may become more like a positive torrent.
May 14th, 2007 at 11:21 am
I just posted about the song, the article and the phenomenon on our blog over WhatIs.com.
The whole phenomenon is really quite extraordinary — and it’s all based around the age-old talent of good songwriting and infectious tune-smithing.
Codemonkey has been bouncing around my head now for weeks; truly an instant Web-classic.
Congratulations on your success, Jonathan!
May 14th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Uh oh… I just read a link to the story on slashdot.
May 14th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
God Bless Jonathan Coulton. Can’t believe a friend of mine has his picture on the front page of the Times website.
May 14th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Read the article this morning, been listening to the music all day. Now get yer ass to Philly!
May 14th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
I know I was in that video but I need to be more public, you know…… I may just be a cat but some day, SOME DAY I’LL RULE THE WORLD!!!
May 14th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Hello, I just read the article about you. Very inspirational. I too left my job and am now doing more music, but the catalyst wasn’t my muse, rather it was a brain injury. Anyway, really dig your stuff, cool tunes, great playing/arranging/singing. and I’m really happy for you that you’ve been able to make this shift in you life!
May 14th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Joco:
The Year of the Coulton is upon us. Welcome to it.
May 14th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
I have been very uninspired to make music lately for no preticular reason, and then I read this article today. I am not that bad at playing guitar when i actually decide to. I have the ability to record with my computer and have mostly taught myself, and would like to continue to learn more. This is really awesome. This information has made me want to play/create more hopefully I will. –Check out the sponge bob remark on canceling aol– good for some good laughs.
May 14th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
When I was reading this I kept thinking about how articles and the media never have any self awareness. The fact that NY Times Magazine author was writing this piece kind of puts the feather in your cap and will only cause you to explode out even more. I guess the author needs to separate himself from this but in fact you being in the ny times will only further your great successes.
some other insights i share with you on my own space: http://worldjohnny.blogspot.com
May 14th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
How cool! Congratulations Jonathan. I found you on “Town Crotch” week and fell in love with “Shop Vac” and have been a fan ever since.
It’ so perfect that Piggy and aleprechaun feature so prominently in the video. I was hoping they would include her.
And, is it “shaggingly handsome” or “shaggily handsome”?
May 14th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Bless the NYT…found you through their article and am glad I did!
May 14th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
Totally new for me. I love your work, i guess i find a part of me in it, best wishes
May 14th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
When I clicked your picture at work, the definition for “friendly” comes up. Now I can’t replicate that. Poop.
Thank you for the inspiration and the laughs.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:50 am
Great article. I blogged about it.
May 15th, 2007 at 5:38 am
JoCo, you rock.
Sorry I missed your show at RIT :/ I ended up not being able to get back to campus in the afternoon, but I’m sure you made many new geeky fans, because that’s what RIT produces :p
Can’t wait til you come back to Boston, I’ll be there!
If you ever have need of someone with sweet photoshop skills, let me know, always willing to contribute to your cause
May 15th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Are you buddies with Francis Heaney?? I guess that shouldn’t surprise me.