Never gone. No, wait, gone.

NOTE: Following post written sans "h," "y," and "?" (<-- copee 'n' pasted) due to effed keeboard after tea spill.

So Stylus is no longer. It's too bad, because a lot of good writing came from it.

I did some good writing in Sugar Etc., and I coulda done more -- I like to imagine I'll find an alternative, but I sorta doubt it. Some people didn't like it; life goes on.

I would claim to feel bad for not writing more, but as I've said before, I don't believe I'm a good record reviewer. Never was. I do "pieces," requiring a subtle mix of provocative ideas and crap, less crap needed, and a Big Weakness is still WRITING ABOUT MUSIC. I suck at it. And I'm still faking it a lot, and it's often transparent.

But I still possess a reasonable brain, good ideas. And one great aspect of writing at Stylus was it wasn't afraid of ideas or brains. Not all brains were good ones, and fewer ideas were, including several of mine. But some sense of "see if it sticks" just never let up. I appreciated it, since Todd contacted me at a time I wasn't sure if stuff I'd been writing (spewing) stuck (or stunk).

It stuck for a time, about as long as I wrote for Todd 'n' Nem. I sort of regret losing, in about an equal span of time, a few places to test ideas in (relative) quiet-not-private -- I feel a lot MORE isolated now, and it seems like lots of people don't understand I didn't and don't want a "project"; most of all I want to talk to people, or at least feel as if I could if asked or goaded into conversation. One aspect of a Good Online Music Place not even Stylus figured out was sustaining a public conversation. (Comments section was a bust, meaningful cross-critique too rare.)

(A bit self-indulgent so far, but again I wasn't a devoted contributor -- glad to see Brie made Todd's "Bluffer's Guide" feature.)

Don't call it a eulogee -- I'll send kudos etc. in private -- online mags are dwindling to dead and Next Big Place isn't around as of now: Small Places don't draw sufficient audiences, Big Places don't draw sufficient talent -- or seem to stifle it -- and Medium Places feel like temp, fluctuating convo spots, prob an internet norm. (I.e., internet equals lotsa Medium Places...but big online mags seem a bit different.)

For me, I'll miss a deadline most. Can't seem to talk about stuff I want to talk about. Can't articulate it, as if I'm missing a few letters on Da Cranial Keeboard. Not Clicking. Well, sour vibes all around in '07 (glad it's not O-SIX cuz "six" is busted too), but too few people are asking good (enuff) questions, and now we've got one less place to ask 'em on occasion.