Matador To Paste Ad Sales: "Fuck You"
Matador Records writes in its latest newsletter...
Finally, we'd like to offer a shout-out (ie. "fuck you") to the cowards and thought-cops at the Ad Dept at Paste Magazine who have deemed our proposed advertisement for 'Face The Truth' to be beyond the bounds of "good taste." God forbid that anything might challenge the sensibilities of Paste's Yep Roc-loving, Starbucks-guzzling, Wes Anderson-worshipping readership. Seriously, if there's anything we or SM have done that is a poor fit with Paste's Ad Dept's narrow worldview, that is the highest compliment we've been paid since the last time Spin refused to run one of our ads.The ad in question: Click.
Stereogum hearts Matador even more now. In addition to Malkmus, make sure to pick up the new scintillating 3-disc Yo La Tengo comp.
You can still win a subscription to Paste and the new O.C. mix CD by writing something witty here.
Posted at 5:58 PM
Man, I really do hate that ad. I'm not a "Yep Roc-loving, Starbucks-guzzling, Wes Anderson-worshipping" individual, and I don't have a narrow world view (nice attitude, Matador, Jesus), and I don't even read Paste, but the ad is just gross. I don't see why not wanting to run an ad that basically is just a close-up crotch shot is somehow worth a "fuck you". Whatever.
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How is the ad gross? It seems pretty saccharine and digestible to me. I don't think I would even notice it on the page. Sort of boring. Whatever.
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Hey, let's attack the reader's rather than the magazine. Way to go Matador, you just made youself look like shit.
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No one should ever discriminate against anything ever. And when they do, they shall be mocked.
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The ad is gross because that is a man! I personally think that S. Malkmus is more creative than that and should have come up with a cooler ad. But I don't see why it would be any more offensive than an ad for the new Limp Bizkit album.
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Yeah, -1 point to Paste for not running the ad, -5 points to Stephen for the crappy ugly ad -10 to Matador for not enough Pizzicato 5 hype.
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How on earth is that "beyond the bounds of good taste"? I mean, jesus christ, yeah she's shoving her crotch at the camera but she's fully clothed (I assume that nipple-covering graphic is in the actual ad). And Paste is a magazine for adults, it's not like this is going in the newspaper next to the comics page. What a weird decision.
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scott, i just checked my email and thought the exact same thing.
sounds like some of y'all have a problem with female masturbation, and/or silly 70's throwback artwork. that ad is FAR less offensive than, say, the "tip drill" video.
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http://www.prefixmag.com/lcd_soundsystem_letterman_04_20_05.php
lcd soundsystem on letterman if you missed it
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What's wrong with Yep Roc? I LIKE the Sadies
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that cover art is far more offensive than the ad..
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Nothing's shocking.
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I guess the have a problem with dick sucking fools at pussy licking school. Wowee Zowee Matador.
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I don't have ANY problems with masturbation, male or female, or cheesy art, and maybe gross was the wrong word ("ugly" would have been better), but *my own personal preference* is that I would rather not have a crotch in my face while casually flipping through a magazine (unless it's that kinda magazine.) And regardless, Matador came off looking like a bunch of dicks.
And man, yeah, "Tip Drill" is...something else. I can't watch MTV, MTV2, MTV Hits, any of those channels, because of videos like that.
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i think the ad is pretty...wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
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what's the big deal? there is a lion on the nip.
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I don't see what worshipping Wes Anderson has to do with censorship.
And what could be more indicative of a "narrow worldview" than that ridiculous stereotype you just tried to pawn off on us?
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It's apparent to me now (and for a long while, actually) that Stereogum's readership and Matador's fanbase have little in common.
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Sorry Rux, the indie taste police have spoken. Wes Anderson ist VERBODEN! I guess if someone from LCD SNORESYSTEM directs a movie, hipsters can pretend to like it without fear of reprisal.
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I'm more offended by the fact that this ad looks like a desperate attempt to be "shocking" and "cool" and Matador insulting Paste readers and Wes Anderson fans, than the picture of the fully-clothed woman holding her crotch with a boob popping out of her top.
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Puh-lease! Matador hasn't been a hipster label since 1993. However, they've remained pretty fucking funny.
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Haha Joey.... well I guess tomorrow morning I'll wake up with Matador graffiti all over my front door.
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Sad part is that Paste probably does see all of us as "Yep Roc-loving, Starbucks-guzzling, Wes Anderson-worshippers" hence the quick trigger on an ad that so clearly falls in line with the rest of the "trash" cycling the media.
If you arent one of the above things then why get ruffled. Seems like they were making the point about the readership which Paste was trying to "protect".
I like Matadors stance, they are pissed and I would be too. F you Paste, don't assume I have any moral decency.
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I think it's a sexy ad.
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The ad just shows a lack of any class. I'm not familiar with this Malkmus person, but it's the typical "shock" value that people use today because they don't have a creative bone in their bodies. Perhaps a pic of a guy masturbating? Nah, he'd never do that, but it's ok to again depict women in this light. And your FU showed your lack of class also.
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P.A.S.T.E.
Pandering to
Adults
Suspect
Taste in
Entertainment
Yeah? No?
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i dunno...it's not my cup o' tea, yet i don't find it entirely offensive. certainly, as someone else remarked, limp bizkit has had more egregious cover shots. honestly though, i find the mag's remarks more offensive than the ad itself...i would just as soon "shame" matador as i would paste for this spectacle....
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What's wrong with Wes Anderson?
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i'm as big a matador fan as the next indie yuppie, and i don't really see a problem with the ad (i mean, it's less risque then "Cheaper music means more money for drugs"), but... it seems strange that the label would go all out to trash a readership that they wanted to reach the week before.
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I think it's hot.
and pretty.
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Only old people listen to Matador anymore.
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Hell, I'm still trying to figure out why they didn't just run "Look at us! Look at us!" in 70-point Futura Extra Bold across the center.
... subjective taste in type, photography, layout skills and soft porn aside, this ad is about as creative as that punk/goth/indie kid in high school who dyed his/her/its hair pink/black/green because he/she/it was so different/shocking/misunderstood.
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Wow. That's kind of nutso. Not so much for the censorship (which is kind of crazy) but because of Matador's reaction. I mean, that's pretty vitriolic. Censorship of ads happens all the time. To be honest though, Paste is kind of lacking in the design department, but that's just my opinion.
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man you can get away with anything on here
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Wow, I never realized before how many people here REALLY need to get laid. Seriously, shocking people was probably the last thing on their mind when choosing this ad. Unless you're a home-schooled shut-in who only leaves their house to go to church, there's no way you should be offended by that. "OMG, this display of over-the-top 70's kitschy graphics and female sexuality has damaged my delicate sensibilities!!!" A lot of you must walk around in a permanently offended state.
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That ad is way too tame. I personally would have gone with some kind of tubgirl/goatse collage (if you don't know, you'd best get to googlin'). Now THAT would have grabbed people's attention and would have justified the shock that people have expressed here.
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It's not shocking because we've been exposed to much more graphic displays over the past 20 years. I think if Paste doesn't want to run the ad, then that's their choice because it obviously would cause some negative criticism as evidenced by the comments here. I think Matador's response made them look like assholes.
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Yep Roc has The Legendary Shack*Shakers...
+50 points to Yep Roc.
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"Perhaps a pic of a guy masturbating? Nah, he'd never do that, but it's ok to again depict women in this light."
I totally agree. There's nothing new or shocking about exposed women in magazines tailored to men, women, or both. Yay, women have titties! How exciting.
Exposed men in anything but a magazine for gay men? There would be something shocking.
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This entire comment thread is populated with idiots.
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Help!! I like Wes Anderson movies, Starbucks coffee, Matador Records and the cover for the new Stephen Malkmus CD. Does this mean that I am a conflicted freak?? Do I need counseling? Paste magazine and you other self righteous pricks, chill out!! What's most important is that the new songs that I have heard from the new Stephen Malkmus "Face the Truth" are truly amazing! Thank you Matador records for releasing more great music and having the guts to support your artists, totally believing in their artistic visions.
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,,, as a starbucks guzzling Wes Anderson fan, i think the ad is doing exactly what it was supposed to do, drum up interest through bad press. but, it certainly didn't make my eyes bleed or anything. janet jackson's wardrobe malfunction already stole my youthfull innocence and all hope of me becoming a well rounded, god fearing individual.. oh, um, wait, no it didn't.
print media is just a world of ad-whoring anymore anyway. this all as a press move benefitting both parties anyway. Now we've both heard of Paste and the record, so mission accomplished, both parties benefit.
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This entire thread is populated with idiots? Are you aware that this includes you as well as the rest of us, Paul?
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just found this blog...enjoying it...thanks.
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THE BEST PART OF THESE COMMENTS, MY FRIENDS, WAS WHEN THE MUSIC NEOPHYTE ABOVE SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW WHO OUR BOY MALKMUS IS BUT ASSUMED BECAUSE HE LIKES THIS ART HE MUST NOT BE CREATIVE. I PITY THE FOOL THAT DON'T KNOW MUSIC! I RUB YOUR FACE IN THE PAVEMENT AND SAY "NOW YOU GOT A TASTE OF PAVEMENT, CANDY-ASS FOOL!" MALKMUS HAS HAD THIS TYPE OF ART IN HIS OTHER ALBUMS SO HE MUST LIKE IT AND THAT IS COOL WITH ME. I PITY THE FOOL UPTIGHT AND PRUDE. MY MOMMA WOULD NOT BE OFFENDED BY THIS TAME AD. YOUR MOMMA WOULD LIKE IT TOO. RESPECT YO MOMMA!
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getting into a hissy over a woman touching herself, and then considering showing a guy doing the same would be "shocking" and "creative" is maybe the lamest, most hypocritical thing i've ever heard. now if it was a puppet- that's brilliant!
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Forget the ad, SM's last album "Pig Lib" was 'beyond the bounds of good taste'...in music.
This one better be better.
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Thank you PASTE magazine for considering the sensibilities of your more refined readers. God forbid I spew my Starbucks coffee the moment I flip the page and look at that hideous ad!!
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Hey Matador, place nice. Mentioning Spin magazine in the same sentence as Paste. Now that hurts!
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What the hell is wrong with Wes Anderson?
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Hey thanks Matador for lumping us in with the Wes Anderson lovin' crowd. Those bastards! What other demographic are we going to single out? Middle age men who publicly wet themselves?!!
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My only problem with Matador's statement (which I'm assuming is largely meant tongue-in-cheek) is that if Paste's readership is so unhip, why is Matador dying to spend money pimping the new SM to them?
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Hey, why is everyone picking on Wes Anderson? I really loved his Freddie character. Freddie can kick Jason's ass any day of the week.
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Yep Roc has John Doe, Dave Alvin, Robbie Fulks, and Los Straitjackets.
Matador has Stephen Malkmus, M. Ward, Cat Power, and Interpol.
Yep Roc wins! Their artists could totally take Matador's in a bar fight.
But I fail to see where Wes Anderson, Starbucks, and Yep Roc apparently inevitably collide? I mean, sure, I dug Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, but I've never wanted to know what a five-dollar cup of coffee tastes like.
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Wow. Just wow. Between the people who were offended by this ad, and the people who were offended by Matador's comments, I am now thoroughly convinced that the end of the world is imminent.
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matador, hon. i love you. but how much are you still trying to cash in on belle and sebastian? paste may be bougie and dorky, but do you think this is gonna make you look somehow more badass than they? watcherself, slow hands.
and ps: the whole sexual objectification as ironic gesture... you don't get it, do you?
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Considering th fact that Matador releases records by pathetic hipsters such as Interpol, they have a lot of nerve casting aspersions on ANYONE'S taste.
And would someone please tell Mr. Malkmus that he (and his audience) are far too long in the tooth to utilize that kind of NYLON-esque teenage kitchen-sink graphic without looking (even more) pathetic and sad.
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Hey ya'll, Paste was created by a--capital letters--CHRISTIAN man named Josh Jackson. Read all about it: http://www.christianity.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID323422%7CCHID664014%7CCIID1772438,00.html
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someone already mentioned this, but it needs to be reiterated that MATADOR TRIED TO BUY AN AD IN THIS RAG. Which means they consider their target audience a "Matador-loving, Starbucks-guzzling, Wes Anderson-worshipping readership". This is really disingenuous, so I call shenanigans. Smells like a prank/scam to generate free PR for both parties.
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whats the big deal. ad looks like shit. should be glad they refused to print it.
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Matador plays up being pissed off for fun, taking swipes at really annoying people (yes, most Wes Anderson "worshippers" fall under this category), and everyone gets upset.
Paste would still be a terrible magazine whether or not this had ever happened, any everyone who doesn't see the fun in what Matador's doing is either one of the joked-upon parties or is plain fucking dumb.
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While we're on the subject of character assessment, you are a boring, self-righteous prick. At least these people aren't feigning omniscience and calling everyone dumb. Could you be any less original?
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Yeah, I know. It's really hard to be original when you're passing judgment on people. But really... I love Stereogum, and I think Scott's a great guy, but I have no idea what caves his readers crawled out of.
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Wow, I've never seen anyone be accidentally ironic while trying to be ironic.
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the best damn post was the "Wow, I've never seen anyone be accidentally ironic while trying to be ironic" and he/she didn't even sign their name! You've got to take credit for ingenious remarks like that!
That being said, Matador did sound like a bunch of jerks, because there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying starbucks, wes anderson, and yep roc [even though I have no idea what this is supposed to be :P]
That ad was ugly as sin. Good thing it didn't run. I don't need any other reason to gouge out my eyeballs and put them on a flight to china, I am already subjected to Stereogum's freaky borderline-religious obsession of Lohan and "Spederline" goings-on.
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I think it's kinda funny that Spin just ran a full-page version of the ad in their latest issue, right next to their review for Hot Hot Heat's new album, no less.
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no, seriously, what the fuck is wrong with yep roc?
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All the other Yep Roc defenders forgot Paul Weller!
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And Nick F'n Lowe.
Matador is about as anti-conformist as Urban Outfitters and Nine Inch Nails.
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this seems like as good a time as any to reprint something I wrote somewhere else:
"As a big fan of Robyn Hitchcock, Bob Mould, the Go-Betweens, corporate frozen coffee drinks and the film "Bottle Rocket", the offending line was meant to be a joke. But also meant to point out that I thought there was something screwy about Paste determining what was or wasn't tasteful enough for their readers to lay their eyeballs upon...that we had previously assumed (mistakenly, it seems) that said aesthetic wasn't a million miles from our own, given that _we purchase and read the magazine in question_.
In short, there's nothing wrong with loving the varied Yep Roc roster, overpriced beverages or Wes Anderson's movies. I apologize if you or your loved ones were insulted by said remarks, but I don't see why you should've been."
As far as the Urban Outfitter and NiN comparisons are concerned, please feel free to add IBM, Exxon, RJ Reynolds and Pablo Cruise to the list. This wasn't about being anti-conformist. We thought enough of Paste's readership to let them make up their own minds about the ad in question ; the magazine's ad deparment felt differently. If ya ask me, it's Paste that are making the value judgements about their readers, not us.
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this is a marketing ploy. there is no controversy.
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is this where i get the free oc comp?
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It's great that matador went (verbally) postal on this Paste magazine, whatever it is. I can only support them for throwing f-bombs around like that. And by the way, what kind of ridiculous hipsters are so full of themselves that they're too cool to listen to Matador?
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The ad is a bore...Malkmus is boring...Paste is boringer...and Matador Records is boringest. In that order.
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yeah, and your name is WALLY! BWAAHHHAAAAAAA HAAAAAA.
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I need whose come alimony
You call me tel: 661-9126681 (THAILAND)
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