Don’t know the TNOCS consensus — but I think “Baby Baby” is a great pop song. And the video perfectly captures the vibe of spring 1991.

Reading the article (which I really enjoyed), I thought Tom would score the song higher than a 5, but that’s OK. It’s an 8 for me!

Adele giveth (non randomized album playlists), Adele taketh away (vinyl for everyone else)

Hi TNOCS! Sorry about the commenting issues. The new platform wasn’t quite ready to go live yet. Things should be back to normal now.

goddamn. remember that quote about harvey weinstein? something like ‘he kept getting rewards, and watched others like roman polanski getting rewards, so why would he think anyone would care?”

Men will literally nominate accused sexual predators and transphobic comedians for meaningless trophies before going to therapy.

the system really needs to change. it can change. Brass Against have shown us a different kind of streaming model.

Can’t believe that was the default. Spotify pretty clearly wants its users to only care about individual songs and playlists.

It’s cool that Adele used her muscle to get this changed. Can she come out in support of a penny per stream for artists? A man can dream.

Hi, friends. Checking in while waiting for the Tofurkey to safely defrost. My continuing commitment to you all: No food-borne illness on my watch.

I put in a call to the TNOCS HR department to request an OTM. (That’s an ‘Off-Topic Moment.’ It’s like PTO, but without the anxiety you experience as you sweat out your supervisor’s approval.) I wanted to say hello to all of you, and offer a proper ‘thank you’ on this eve of the US Thanksgiving Holiday.

Regrets? I’ve had a few. Like a lot of folks, I subconsciously maintain a big honkin’ list of likely-never-gonna-happen experiences. In no particular order, I’ve got: elementary school teacher, songwriter, one-hit-wonder, comedy writer, video director, graphic artist, and researcher. (Note the absence of “chimpanzee wrangler.” Hmm. Maybe time for a ‘B’ list.)

Choosing at random from the above, I remember the exact moment I realized that I was never going to write and record a song, let alone see it on a chart. Like the other fails on my list, I shrug and laugh it off. But privately, it feels like a let-down. I never even tried. It wasn’t just about procrastination. There’s a simpler answer: it was always about a lack of confidence. Who am I to think that I could pull off such a thing, when, as you super-sharp chart-mavens know, there are 200,000 others who have done it with more panache than I could ever dream of? As a totally arbitrary example: I’m lookin’ at you, Carl Douglas.

And then, about three years ago, the oddest thing happened. Whilst wasting a lunch hour online, I clicked on a random banner ad. It led me to this weird and wonderful hang. People were actually conversing and trading opinions, and not directing mean snarks at each other. Actual relationships were built and maintained. Both in real-life and online, this was a new experience for me: people rooting for each other and being encouraging, for the simple reason that it was a nice thing to do. The respectful and welcoming spirit nudged me out of my (dis)comfort zone, and I began to join in.

I found myself doing a few things that I’d never, ever done before. I tried to write, tried to learn how to make videos, and tried to bring the funny, just so you all might have a laugh. With every corny joke and silly bit, I always attempted to keep my stuff here within the context with our “mission.” I hope that I’ve succeeded to some small degree. Let me be clear; I know well that my content is amateur at best, and tedious at its worst. It likely results in more groans than yuks. But, I’m starting to realize: that’s OK. It’s just like my third grade teacher used to say: “…as long as you tried, and tried your best.” Bless her. Here’s hoping that Mrs. MacDougall was right.

I wanted to thank you today for your encouragement and the resulting infusion of self-confidence. It has spilled over into my day-to-day reality, and it pushes me to do things, such as looking for a more fulfilling job, and in general, put myself out there to engage the world like a normal person should. It may be all in my imagination, but it’s an Alanis-worthy example of irony: an anonymous internet comment section inspires me to approach real life with courage, and not be so afraid of bombing. And I like to think that just maybe, some of you have had a similar experience. I really hope so, because never doubt for a second: I’ve been rooting for all of you, too.

So, I definitely won’t be at next week’s SNL table read, or going over last night’s long-division homework with the class. But against the odds, I did manage to bang out one item from my wanna-be bucket list. With virtual Sharpie in hand, I just red-lined one of the entries.

Fun fact: It turns out that Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple, and You Tube will let anyone have an artist account. You just need to, um, get off of your butt and write a song. (This is not shameless self-promotion – believe me, I’m quite ashamed. Maybe just keep scrolling. Or listen at your peril. The genre might be best described as, “Music to fold laundry by.”)

It’s never gonna see the light of day on any chart. But, impossibly, it’s out there; the 21st century equivalent of “releasing a single.” And I have all of you to thank, because I never would have done it without having been a beneficiary of the kindness, friendship, and humanity of this community. Thank you. I hope that I gave as good as I got.

Happy Thanksgiving, kind friends of The Number Ones Comment Section. Be careful, take good care of yourselves and each other…

… and good on you all.

(And suddenly, I’m stoked for the next challenge. Bring on the chimp.)

What do you want them to do, somehow find 6 rap albums from the last year BETTER than Donda?? In a year with no Macklemore? Good luck!

That album art kept you away? You poor flower.

I’m going to assume that Harvey Mason Jr. is no different than CK or Manson based on his logic.

lol this fuckin sucks and the “it’s awful I love it” people have lost the plot completely.

Sounds like it was your problem for listening not his problem for telling you his opinion. Were you a child then?

So here’s a thing I see on stereogum today

Lol Gang of Four up for best packaging, in a hot stroke of irony