Toad: Completely and Utterly Pwn3d!
Oh for fuck’s sake. It just wouldn’t be a normal week without me making a colossal dickhead of myself would it? Well never fear, it may be late but it’s happened. I’m more reliable than the fucking sunrise in this respect, it would seem.
What have I done this time? Oh just gone and put my foot in my mouth again. Or, more accurately, clad myself in moonboots and jammed both feet in as far as they would go. The other week I was sent a PR email by a company called Sneak Attack, promoting the merits of a group called Computer vs. Banjo. It’s an odd name for a band, but the song was a good ‘un, so I asked for a copy of the album to review. I always ask for digital copies, because it seems more sensible in case I don’t like them. Deleting some files seems a lot better than throwing a CD in the bin, or even bunging it to your local charity shop.
Anyway, what I was sent, instead of a zip file or the much less common but occasional rar file, was something with an .sitx file extension. Eh? Well it’s frustrating, but what I had to say about it in the last podcast was perhaps just a teensy-tinsy bit over the top. Just maybe. Listen below:
Toad Being a Dick
Materially, it is true: if you send a song, send it as an mp3, if you send a compressed file send it as a zip file because these things open on any system, pretty much irrespective of software or setup. But I wasn’t, erm, charming was I? And what arrives in my inbox today but the following email from the poor lass in question:
I just listened to your podcast where you featured Computer vs. Banjo. First off I’d like to thank you for featuring them!
I have to say I’m a bit confused because the format we use to send music out in our emails is an MP3 link. And I didn’t send you a compressed file for the album — I offered to send you a physical copy and one is on the way to you, if you haven’t received it yet.
But I’m glad you like the track — and please let me know if there is anything I can do in the future to improve things.
Happy Friday!
Not a single remark along the lines of, say, ‘you fucking supercilious prick’ or anything even remotely admonishing me for, erm, well, acting like a complete penis, basically. In fact to read that email you’d think I’d got in touch by way of a polite phone call wouldn’t you? Don’t I feel like an arsehole. And, let’s face it, don’t I deserve to.
The Smiths – Bigmouth Strikes Again
So, given my ranting tirade and her gracious-above-and-beyond-the-call-of-duty reply, I think it is safe to say that I have had my arse handed to me on a plate on this occasion people. Ah well, time for a pint. And an absolutely enormous slice of humble pie. You, on the other hand, should be listening to the song that started all this off in the first place. Rather good, isn’t it:
Computer vs. Banjo – Give Up on Ghosts
It was probably me who sent you a .sitx file…just replaced all my stupid compression software
You know, Toad, what’s even funnier than the fact that you called yourself out as an asshole is the fact that you let the rant drag on for TWO AND A HALF MINUTES. You are terrible, and that’s why you’ve reestablished yourself as my favorite. But god, I’d hate to know what you’ve said about other music promoters. Poor them!
[listens] Somebody make him stop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fucking Wendy. I should have known it – I was set up!
Can I offer the ‘I was plastered and um, er, I didn’t really mean it to be that specific and, ah, IT WAS ALL WENDY’S FAULT’ defence?
No, thought not.
I’ve received .aiff files in the past, just .wav’ed them away. Nice rant btw.
Eh …. what’s this “Possibly Related posts” piss-widget you’ve installed ?
I’m getting one link entirely in chinese characters and another to a post on ‘Raw Christianity.com’ entitled “Judah Update and Prayer Request”
From which I quote:
“This gives me hope that although my faith and my vision of heaven is weak, I can be confident that the infinite and future reality will exceed all my present and limited expectations.”
Fairly apt I guess. Though I think ‘Highway to Hell’ would be a good mp3. link for you old chap.
Haha … I’ve just clicked on the chinese one – it’s a blog called ‘Watch the silly brown monkey’. Genius.
PS> Yes, you did dribble on about that file extension for about 10 minutes too long …
i’d hate to see you in a REALLY bad mood!
I was really frustrated because it happens such a lot that you get sent through things in bizarre formats. I would have thought that knowing this kind of thing was just basic. I am pretty scrupulous about listening to things, but most bloggers just ignore and/or delete stuff that makes it in any way tedious to just listen to the music in question. So for PR folks dealing with internet publicity I would have thought that a bit of research on file formats would take place on day one.
That said, the rant in particular was not supposed to be personal, nor was it supposed to go on that long. And the fact that it was so abusive was, erm, an unfortunate side effect of the wine. And the beer. And the late hour. And the fact that I wasn’t thinking at all.
Morgs – I didn’t install the wiget, Wordpress did.
Dinnae worry Toad … we’ll take you as we find you. All this apologising just isn’t you.
[...] email was just getting deleted immediately without any attempt to even listen to the song. I’ve learned my lesson on that one, so stop laughing, this is entirely dedicated to the lawyers at Sony BMG and the marketing [...]
You fucking supercilious prick.
But your OUR fucking supercilious prick, and that makes all the difference.
You’re. It’s early.
It’s a bit like having a retarded son isn’t it. You may have to keep him locked in the basement and feed him scraps through a grate in the door, but you love him really.
How did you find out about Dexter!
Morse code, tapped out on the waste water pipes.
But I expressly told Mrs. C&B to confiscate his spoon!
I think he had to pull out one of this own teeth and use that, actually.
[...] whose email suggesting I listen to their music consisted mostly of taking the piss out of me for that god-awful rant about PR people the other week but, erm, ‘bastards’ springs to mind: i attach an sx3r2tp for ur [...]
[...] alluding back to this comment about when I oh-so-much less significantly lost it and swore long and loud at someone for really not very much at all, just imagine having your most childish, least gracious moment made [...]