Is it true of only this board or all discussion boards in general that it's impossible not to have a resident troll active at all times? It seems as soon as one obnoxious personality is either banned or eventually tires of continually subjecting others to ridicule, condescension, and/or gutter talk, another soon arises to fill the void. It's as if there are "trolls-in-waiting", or latent trolls -- usually posters who are already here -- just drooling for their chance to step in when the reigning agitator takes his leave -- (but not right away, of course, in case the alpha-troll is only in hibernation and suddenly reappears from under the bridge.)
If the crew from Criminal Minds had the job of profiling the troll, what would the description emerge as? Definitely male. I've yet to encounter a female troll, or at least an openly female one. Older hen-pecked husband or younger loveless geek? That might account for their feeling of powerlessness in the real world, which drives them to enter threads with the sole intention of soiling what others might value. They act somewhat like a graffiti vandal who devalues the walls of others, but in a much more cowardly way since there is real danger in the tagger getting caught while the troll remains safe in his anonymity. So where does the thrill come from, then, for the troll? Does trolling give him a feeling of power in an otherwise impotent life?
Quote from: Szykneij on March 30, 2011, 01:25:58 PM
Definitely male. I've yet to encounter a female troll, or at least an openly female one.
What about Teresa and her Mozart-baiting?
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on March 30, 2011, 01:28:57 PM
What about Teresa and her Mozart-baiting?
True. I forgot about her. There goes one theory, then.
We had a female troll right here on this site last summer. Or at least she claimed to be female...
In general, I agree with your assessment. As a mod here for 6+ years now, I have seen a whole bunch of trolls and wanna-be's come and go. Who can forget... :D
8)
edit: ah, I see Scarp beat me to it!
There don't seem to be any active at the moment, actually. I thought this thread would be a celebration of the comparative quiet. 8)
I've never been on a forum that didn't have a troll. I think it's rather reflective of human nature: there is always an extreme end of any spectrum, and if you take personality to be distributed along a bell curve, there will always be extreme personalities. The extreme apathetics, or people extremely devoid of opinion, tend not to join discussion boards at all. The extreme advocates, or people who have rather too many opinions, are on the whole I'd guess more likely to want to share. So I guess the constant presence of trolls is something that does not surprise me in the least. 200 years ago, Rob Newman would be the guy starting fights in the lobby of the concert hall...
EDIT: Just realized I completely ignored the category of troll who intentionally stakes outrageous positions for the pure thrill of pissing everyone off. I don't understand those folks, but imagine a similar bell-curve principle must be at work, at the opposite end of which are those "soft" folks who will agree with anything anybody says just to be nice.
There's always the ignore list function you can activate if a certain troll becomes too annoying, then they just magically disappear off the forum :P however, certain threads might not make so much sense if they're posting heavily on them, and being quoted by others.
Quote from: Octo_Russ on March 30, 2011, 01:56:15 PM
There's always the ignore list function you can activate if a certain troll becomes too annoying, then they just magically disappear off the forum :P however, certain threads might not make so much sense if they're posting heavily on them, and being quoted by others.
Yes, that's true. I'm not really complaining about them as much as wondering what makes them tick.
Quote from: Brian on March 30, 2011, 01:35:48 PM
EDIT: Just realized I completely ignored the category of troll who intentionally stakes outrageous positions for the pure thrill of pissing everyone off. I don't understand those folks, but imagine a similar bell-curve principle must be at work, at the opposite end of which are those "soft" folks who will agree with anything anybody says just to be nice.
That is the definition of a troll. The other characteristic you described have nothing to do with trolling. The term "troll" is a play on words on the verb to troll (i.e. to catch fish by towing bait) and the noun troll (i.e., a troll from Norse mythology).
Also, if you think there no trolls on the board, you clearly haven't visited certain threads lately. :-\
Actually some of the trolls are quite entertaining in a way :D, as long as you stay a fly on the wall and watch, and don't get sucked into the verbal vortex ???
Obvious trolls are harmless — at least on this forum, where the moderation is vigilant: Anyone starts blatantly abusing members or spouting hateful views, their posts get deleted and they're banned pretty quickly.
The real trolls, the ones who are the most insidious and also the most poisonous to the atmosphere of the board, are the ones who operate just "below radar", who hide behind "objectivity" to loftily shit on anyone's opposing view — every post says, in so many words: "shut up". These are the worst.
I'm on another board where moderation is partially up to the members — there is a "suggest ban" function that was intended to keep away spammers, but has also been useful to keep discourse relatively friendly. If 51 people suggest a user be banned, they're banned. It's a great system as long as the ban suggestion doesn't stem from mere disagreement.
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on March 30, 2011, 02:04:30 PM
Also, if you think there no trolls on the board, you clearly haven't visited certain threads lately. :-\
Well, then, I certainly hope that I continue not to visit them.
What a bunch of idiots!!!
Jim Morrison?
Quote from: Mn Dave on March 30, 2011, 04:22:52 PM
What a bunch of idiots!!!
Sorry, Dave, not convincing. You just don't have an ounce of troll in you.
Quote from: Szykneij on March 30, 2011, 04:26:08 PM
Sorry, Dave, not convincing. You just don't have an ounce of troll in you.
:'(
The incredible Saul was a "nice" troll with his Mendelssohn fetish and his attempts at compositions using bizarre, avant-garde techniques e.g. he used a scale called C major!
Then there was Rob Newman :o :o :o and his Mozart Is A FAKE, I Tell You!!! obsession!
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?topic=10960.540 (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?topic=10960.540)
I sometimes wonder how much Asperger's sydrome is to blame...
Quote from: Cato on March 30, 2011, 04:40:30 PM
The incredible Saul was a "nice" troll with his Mendelssohn fetish and his attempts at compositions using bizarre, avant-garde techniques e.g. he used a scale called C major!
Then there was Rob Newman :o :o :o and his Mozart Is A FAKE, I Tell You!!! obsession!
Not to forget the highly malignant
M forever, almost the paradigma of a troll.
Quote from: premont on March 30, 2011, 05:36:02 PM
Not to forget the highly malignant M forever, almost the paradigma of a troll.
As I understand the definition, I would not call M forever a troll. Abusive and contemptuous of others, yes, perhaps a bit sadistic (in the way he would use personal information that people disclosed on the site to ridicule them later). But I believe M forever mean't what he said. The essence of "trollness" is saying things to push peoples buttons or get people to respond, just for the joy of being the center of attention.
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on March 30, 2011, 06:33:34 PM
As I understand the definition, I would not call M forever a troll. Abusive and contemptuous of others, yes, perhaps a bit sadistic (in the way he would use personal information that people disclosed on the site to ridicule them later). But I believe M forever mean't what he said. The essence of "trollness" is saying things to push peoples buttons or get people to respond, just for the joy of being the center of attention.
More like sado-masochistic. He seemed to want to be ganged up on so he could play victim. But believe in his opinions he did.
Quote from: MishaK on March 30, 2011, 06:37:35 PM
More like sado-masochistic. He seemed to want to be ganged up on so he could play victim. But believe in his opinions he did.
In any case, he had some interesting ideas and experience in music to express, too bad it couldn't be separated from the sociopathic personality.
Some may consider me a troll, but I'm okay with that. I'm on this forum way too much...
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on March 30, 2011, 06:33:34 PM
But I believe M forever mean't what he said. The essence of "trollness" is saying things to push peoples buttons or get people to respond, just for the joy of being the center of attention.
Disagree with this definition. I think most trolls believe what they say. What defines them is their blindness to basic social niceties, complete lack of capacity for self-criticism, and repetitive repetitive repetitive assertion of their opinion as Fact.
They may also type vast paragraphs of pseudo-logic in defense of their position.
Why is there only one troll? It's a little like the 3 mental patients in Michigan who claimed to be Jesus. As an experiment they put them in a room and encouraged them to interact. For some reason they didn't like to be in each others company. (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/Smileys/classic/tongue.gif)
Of course by some criteria there are always trolls, usually more than one. But I say no, a real troll is not a monomaniac about Mozart. Real trolls don't believe what they say, nor do they disbelieve. For a genuine troll words are weapons. Nothing they say has truth content. The point of hardcore trollery is the disruption they cause. The several trollish types that may inhabit a forum at once will frequently interact normally, or nearly so, when their particular obsession is not offended by a stray opinion. Real Trolls find it hard to engage in normal communication, perhaps because it diminishes them and prompts them to envy of other members.
Quote from: Mn Dave on March 30, 2011, 04:22:52 PM
What a bunch of idiots!!!
Not even close. (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/Smileys/classic/smiley.gif)
Quote from: eyeresist on March 30, 2011, 08:21:19 PM
Disagree with this definition. I think most trolls believe what they say. What defines them is their blindness to basic social niceties, complete lack of capacity for self-criticism, and repetitive repetitive repetitive assertion of their opinion as Fact.
They may also type vast paragraphs of pseudo-logic in defense of their position.
There really are 2 kinds.
The kind that defend themselves and their theories are the trollish, near normal kind. The full-on Troll may not bother. This character wants to do damage. The truth or falsity of what they say is incidental.
M forever wasn't a troll. Just slightly insensitive and a little bit rude, His posts always made sense even when he rubbed some people the wrong way, whereas the essence of trollness (trolldom?) is senselessness, stupidity and provocation.
Speaking of trolls, we haven't seen
Sean in a long while. He fits this definition perfectly:
Quote from: eyeresist on March 30, 2011, 08:21:19 PM
What defines them is their blindness to basic social niceties, complete lack of capacity for self-criticism, and repetitive repetitive repetitive assertion of their opinion as Fact.
They may also type vast paragraphs of pseudo-logic in defense of their position.
Quote from: Cato on March 30, 2011, 04:40:30 PM
The incredible Saul was a "nice" troll
Saul was nice? :o As I recall he was constantly attacking people as "schmucks" and also pushing his own bizarre ideas on religion, particularly Judaism. Or maybe he was nicer at this particular site (he misbehaved greatly over at CMG, where for some reason he was indulged by the moderators there).
Quote from: Velimir on March 31, 2011, 12:55:33 AM
Speaking of trolls, we haven't seen Sean in a long while. He fits this definition perfectly:
He was the classic definition of a troll. He used the site as a mirror to his own ego, and couldn't care less about anybody, anything, or any subject, other than himself.
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on March 30, 2011, 06:33:34 PM
The essence of "trollness" is saying things to push peoples buttons or get people to respond, just for the joy of being the center of attention.
This is also how I "understood" M forever. But generally I stayed away from him. You may know him better.
Quote from: eyeresist on March 30, 2011, 08:21:19 PM
I think most trolls believe what they say. What defines them is their blindness to basic social niceties, complete lack of capacity for self-criticism, and repetitive repetitive repetitive assertion of their opinion as Fact.
M forever in a nutshell IMO.
I like that forever in a nutshell image . . . .
Quote from: drogulus on March 30, 2011, 08:51:24 PM
Quote from: Mn Dave on March 30, 2011, 04:22:52 PM
What a bunch of idiots!!!
Not even close. (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/Smileys/classic/smiley.gif)
Pffffff.
Quote from: Apollon on March 31, 2011, 05:14:07 AM
Pffffff.
Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it... ;D
Quote from: Apollon on March 31, 2011, 05:11:54 AM
I like that forever in a nutshell image . . . .
"I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself king of infinite space." --Hamlet
Quote from: Velimir on March 31, 2011, 01:02:58 AM
Saul was nice? :o As I recall he was constantly attacking people as "schmucks" and also pushing his own bizarre ideas on religion, particularly Judaism. Or maybe he was nicer at this particular site (he misbehaved greatly over at CMG, where for some reason he was indulged by the moderators there).
I do not recall reading much or any of his extra-musical essays: he seemed just anachronistically stuck in 1840 or so, when it came to music! $:)
For real "Trolling" you should see the e-mails we get here at school from manic, micro-managing, and incredibly gullible parents, who have just heard the latest lies about Teacher X from their lazy and hyper-mendacious child, and then send off nasty, bruising insults to Teacher X, which are all based on the lies from their lazy and hyper-mendacious child.
Quote from: Cato on March 31, 2011, 06:48:05 AM
For real "Trolling" you should see the e-mails we get here at school from manic, micro-managing, and incredibly gullible parents, who have just heard the latest lies about Teacher X from their lazy and hyper-mendacious child, and then send off nasty, bruising insults to Teacher X, which are all based on the lies from their lazy and hyper-mendacious child.
Why are those people even given their kid's teacher's email address? That's what parent-teacher meetings are for. To maintain a professional distance. ;D
Quote from: Grazioso on March 31, 2011, 05:33:01 AM
"I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself king of infinite space." --Hamlet
Yes, I thought right away of that response to Rosencrantz (or was it Guildenstern?)
Personally, I tend to find trolls very entertaining, as I'm fascinated by circular logic. If you view them as a form of entertainment, and assume they won't change, they become a moveable feast. I've been on some lists were their behavior was so predictable that people set up Troll Bingo. The trick is to realize the opportunities for entertainment that a troll in one's midst can provide.
Although, I haven't seen anyone on this forum who I'd call a full-fledged troll-- I'd say its a much more educated bunch than I've encountered in the past.
I do miss Theresa-- but remember, she wasn't a troll, she was a pure energy angel that did not want flouride to sap and contaminate her precious bodily fluids.
Quote from: jowcol on March 31, 2011, 07:56:10 AM
Personally, I tend to find trolls very entertaining, as I'm fascinated by circular logic. If you view them as a form of entertainment, and assume they won't change, they become a moveable feast. I've been on some lists were their behavior was so predictable that people set up Troll Bingo. The trick is to realize the opportunities for entertainment that a troll in one's midst can provide.
Yes! Whcih is exactly why James does not provoke any ill vibe. I mean: No one cares about or is waiting for your opinion, meathead. What's not to like?
Quote from: jowcol on March 31, 2011, 07:56:10 AM
Personally, I tend to find trolls very entertaining, as I'm fascinated by circular logic. If you view them as a form of entertainment, and assume they won't change, they become a moveable feast. I've been on some lists were their behavior was so predictable that people set up Troll Bingo. The trick is to realize the opportunities for entertainment that a troll in one's midst can provide.
Although, I haven't seen anyone on this forum who I'd call a full-fledged troll-- I'd say its a much more educated bunch than I've encountered in the past.
I do miss Theresa-- but remember, she wasn't a troll, she was a pure energy angel that did not want flouride to sap and contaminate her precious bodily fluids.
I do not fear women, Mandrake,... I just don't give them my essence. Nothing wrong with that logic. All we ask for is a country of our own. 8)
Quote from: The new erato on March 30, 2011, 11:29:28 PM
M forever wasn't a troll. Just slightly insensitive and a little bit rude, His posts always made sense even when he rubbed some people the wrong way, whereas the essence of trollness (trolldom?) is senselessness, stupidity and provocation.
Nah, he was a troll. He went out of his way to offend and cause mayhem and, however knowledgable he was about some things, on others he was clueless and clearly only spoke to create trouble and disrupt threads. When he made errors - which happened more often than he'd have liked - he got particularly nasty.
OTOH
Quote from: Velimir on March 31, 2011, 12:55:33 AM
Speaking of trolls, we haven't seen Sean in a long while. He fits this definition perfectly:
I really don't feel Sean was a troll. Maddening, at times, with those huge, dense posts, those long lists, plenty of more questionable opinions and tastes (and not just musical ones) - but he really meant all that stuff, genuinely, it was thoughtthrough and consistent even if perhaps rather crazy. He was also self-deprecating and self-deflating in a way that Pinkie or Saul or Newman or M never, ever were. I got on with him well, in fact, and as time went on I found plenty of common ground with him, even if there were certain subjects it was best not to even think about broaching!
Quote from: Luke on March 31, 2011, 12:39:47 PM
I really don't feel Sean was a troll. Maddening, at times, with those huge, dense posts, those long lists, plenty of more questionable opinions and tastes (and not just musical ones) - but he really meant all that stuff, genuinely, it was thought through and consistent even if perhaps rather crazy.
Umm... NO! Thought through? Thought through what? Consistent? Maybe consistent in making the same logical errors over and over. Logically consistent most certainly not. He was a troll according to the definitions above regarding self-centered obsessive posting of large amounts of text and lack of willingness to absorb an incorporate viewpoints different from his own.
Quote from: MishaK on March 31, 2011, 12:44:30 PM
Umm... NO! Thought through? Thought through what? Consistent? Maybe consistent in making the same logical errors over and over. Logically consistent most certainly not. He was a troll according to the definitions above regarding self-centered obsessive posting of large amounts of text and lack of willingness to absorb an incorporate viewpoints different from his own.
'Thought through' in the sense that he'd thought about it all a great deal and driven things along to some sort of conclusions; consistent in the sense that he always said the same thing, or variants thereon - his thoughts about Hinduism were reflected in his thoughts about music, for example. And yes, those thoughts may have been odd ones, he may have made many logical errors - hell, I argued about stuff with him a lot, especially in the antimodernist threads we used to have so many of (I almost miss them!) - but at least they attempted to go a little deeper than Pinkie's 'it's all slushy and pwiddy, so it's good' or Saul's 'it's by a Jewish composer, so it's good.'
I don't really go along with that definition, either - trolling is more than that to me, it involves aggression or the attempt to cause upset, or a deliberate wish and plan to provoke. I don't really recall Sean doing any of that, not in what seemed a deliberate manner, though undoubtedly what he posted was often provocative. And more than that, as I said, though he was unshakable in his beliefs, he at least had the decency to laugh at himself for it, and to bemoan his own limitations frequently. Hell, when I first encountered him he annoyed me more than anyone else had around here. But he lacked the mean-spiritedness of an M, or the lack of sense of humour of a Saul, and that's why in the end I warmed to him quite a lot.
Quote from: Luke on March 31, 2011, 01:32:14 PM
'Thought through' in the sense that he'd thought about it all a great deal and driven things along to some sort of conclusions;
Though through tends to mean to consider various approaches to a problem, to consider all possible criticisms of one's chosen approach and to take an idea to its logical conclusion. Sean tended to fail on all three of these, mostly on the latter two.
Quote from: Luke on March 31, 2011, 01:32:14 PM
But he lacked the mean-spiritedness of an M, or the lack of sense of humour of a Saul, and that's why in the end I warmed to him quite a lot.
That is very true.
Quote from: MishaK on March 31, 2011, 01:35:32 PM
Though through tends to mean to consider various approaches to a problem, to consider all possible criticisms of one's chosen approach and to take an idea to its logical conclusion. Sean tended to fail on all three of these, mostly on the latter two.
I agree - except that, as far as I understood Sean (and I had quite a few PMs with him about this stuff as well as reading what he wrote here) he was aware of the 'various approaches to a problem' but he would tend to dismiss the ones he didn't agree with more readily and angrily thn a cooler head might. For example, the issue of the validity of atonality, if I can call it that, which was a discussion I had with him early on, it was something he felt strongly about, it was mixed up for him with his hatred of academic music and university music; he was conditioned, by his own experiences maybe, or by some other tendency, to dismiss these other approaches, but that doesn't mean he wasn't aware of them. And then, yes, he took his ideas to their conclusions. Whether one could call those conclusions logical is another matter (!), but he still reached them by a process of thinking-through, however logically flawed it may have been.
Quote from: Luke on March 31, 2011, 01:42:32 PM
I agree - except that, as far as I understood Sean (and I had quite a few PMs with him about this stuff as well as reading what he wrote here) he was aware of the 'various approaches to a problem' but he would tend to dismiss the ones he didn't agree with more readily and angrily thn a cooler head might. For example, the issue of the validity of atonality, if I can call it that, which was a discussion I had with him early on, it was something he felt strongly about, it was mixed up for him with his hatred of academic music and university music; he was conditioned, by his own experiences maybe, or by some other tendency, to dismiss these other approaches, but that doesn't mean he wasn't aware of them. And then, yes, he took his ideas to their conclusions. Whether one could call those conclusions logical is another matter (!), but he still reached them by a process of thinking-through, however logically flawed it may have been.
Oh, I am quite aware of his thought processes. I had quite a few contentious debates with him. I think rather the issue is that he has some psychological reaction against knowledge delivered to him through some sort of recognized educational authority of whatever kind. Any information of such a source is automatically suspect and to be discarded, according to Sean, even if the preponderance of the facts clearly supports the official story. That's not really thinking as it is emotional reaction with subsequent rationalization of a pre-selected desired outcome. It is only through consistently rejecting information from higher authorities or official sources that he can brand himself a "free thinker". ::)
Dude! Don't Go There!
Quote from: MishaK on March 31, 2011, 01:50:09 PM
Oh, I am quite aware of his thought processes. I had quite a few contentious debates with him. I think rather the issue is that he has some psychological reaction against knowledge delivered to him through some sort of recognized educational authority of whatever kind. Any information of such a source is automatically suspect and to be discarded, according to Sean, even if the preponderance of the facts clearly supports the official story. That's not really thinking as it is emotional reaction with subsequent rationalization of a pre-selected desired outcome. It is only through consistently rejecting information from higher authorities or official sources that he can brand himself a "free thinker". ::)
Oh yes, that sounds a fair description - and what I was trying to say was that Sean's theories were 'thought through' against that anti-authority (specifically anti-academics) backdrop. So, as you say, very far from unbiased, and in fact almost always fairly clearly misguided. But arrived-at with a kind of Seanian logic within the context of their own misguided premises. Whilst I almost never agreed with him, I sneakingly admired him for something of that - that instead of throwing his toys out of the pram and simply rejecting the academia he was so ambivalent about, he still patiently tried an academic method (those long essays and abstracts...! :o ) to present his own theories.
Quote from: Apollon on March 31, 2011, 01:59:07 PM
Dude! Don't Go There!
Why? Is free-thinking trollish now? ;) ;D pffff
Don't worry, I'm steering away from that one. I sense some bad vibrational fields around it....
Quote from: Luke on March 31, 2011, 01:32:14 PMI don't really go along with that definition, either - trolling is more than that to me, it involves aggression or the attempt to cause upset, or a deliberate wish and plan to provoke. I don't really recall Sean doing any of that, not in what seemed a deliberate manner, though undoubtedly what he posted was often provocative. And more than that, as I said, though he was unshakable in his beliefs, he at least had the decency to laugh at himself for it, and to bemoan his own limitations frequently. Hell, when I first encountered him he annoyed me more than anyone else had around here. But he lacked the mean-spiritedness of an M, or the lack of sense of humour of a Saul, and that's why in the end I warmed to him quite a lot.
I generally agree with your definition of trolling, it is the incessant posting of material where the goal is to provoke, cause upset, and remain the center of attention. That was not Sean, he really believed he was giving us the benefit of his genius. If I had to characterize Sean with a phrase (I can do this now, it's not against the rules of use to insult a non-participant in the board) it would be "narcissistic moron." I found his philosophical musings adolescent at best, unworthy of a 13 year old, yet he pontificated as though he was the long awaited successor to Aristotle. Then there were the conspiracy theories, 9/11, etc. The most sorry sight in the world is a mediocre person who mistakes himself for a genius. Then there was the sexual degeneracy.
Quote from: The new erato on March 30, 2011, 11:29:28 PM
M forever wasn't a troll. Just slightly insensitive and a little bit rude, His posts always made sense even when he rubbed some people the wrong way, whereas the essence of trollness (trolldom?) is senselessness, stupidity and provocation.
Well he did troll that one guy who always extolled the virtues of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Heck148. Those were such awesome threads.
I don't think there is a single troll, in the classic sense, on this board.
Quote from: Luke on March 31, 2011, 01:42:32 PM
I agree - except that, as far as I understood Sean (and I had quite a few PMs with him about this stuff as well as reading what he wrote here) . . . .
My dear fellow, how ever did you manage it? : )
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on March 31, 2011, 02:31:32 PM
Then there was the sexual degeneracy.
Dingo: And after the spanking, the oral sex.
Galahad: Well, I could stay a bit longer...
Quote from: The new erato on March 30, 2011, 11:29:28 PM
M forever wasn't a troll. Just slightly insensitive and a little bit rude, His posts always made sense even when he rubbed some people the wrong way, whereas the essence of trollness (trolldom?) is senselessness, stupidity and provocation.
Dude! How long did it take you to put so many modified euphemisms into one gigantic crock of a sentence like that? I'm figuring an hour at least! :D
I liked M as much as anyone here, but I'll stand at the head of the line when I say that despite his virtues (such as they were) he was an asshole of the first water. He trolled sometimes but he wasn't a troll. The 2 chief trolls we've ever had here were Newman and Teresa. The balance were mere dilettantes comparatively. :) I say this from being in that corps who had to deal with them behind the scenes. Believe me, they were our resident icebergs; only the tip showed above water... :D
8)
----------------
Now playing:
Christine Schornsheim - Hob 16 07 Sonata #2 in D for Keyboard 2nd mvmt - Menuet
I liked M too, but he was a total dick. Theresa was just painfully stupid and absolutely crazy.
Quote from: Corey on March 31, 2011, 05:21:04 PM
...Theresa was just painfully stupid and absolutely crazy.
No, I think that had to be part of her
shtick. No one gets to be beyond a teenager without getting over some level of sheer idiocy. Hell, if she was genuinely that stupid, I don't think she would have been able to feed herself, for example... ::)
8)
----------------
Now playing:
Christine Schornsheim - Hob 16 12 Sonata #12 in A for Keyboard 3rd mvmt - Finale: Allegro molto
:) I did love her "my posts are IMHO [ha!] brilliantly intelligent!" quote — all time, that one
Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on March 31, 2011, 05:06:14 PM
. The 2 chief trolls we've ever had here were Newman and Teresa.
8)
I'm sad that I never got to experience Newman. I feel as if I've missed something-- like that guy in the Rad Bradbury story who kept arriving at different planets right after Jesus left them, doomed forever to also just being in is presence.
The most memorable trolls on other lists Ive been on was:
- The one guy who kept threatening to bring a motorcycle gang over to your house to personally kick your ass.
The person who kept treatening to commit suicide on line.
The teenage con-man with 6 identities that kept trying to borrow money and trade nonexistent music.
THe psychotic woman who, if you crossed her on line, would try her best to mess up your life-- she was better than Glenn Close on fatal attraction-- I know that she got three people fired from their jobs (they used corporate email accounts for a listserv) and also broke up two marriages just with phone calls.
The person that kept getting all sorts of treatments on his urethra and needed to give us frequent updates. Worse yet, he kept referring it to his problems with his pee hole. And he was very sensitive (in all senses of the word) if you asked him to take it off line.
I guess I didn't see what went on behind the scenes, but this is, despite everything, a far more genteel forum.
My take on Theresa was that it wasn't all drivel-- I know we shared some tastes in common. But she would just spout out anything once someone disagreed with her.
Maybe she's decided to run for politics...
Whatever happened to Newman? Is he active elsewhere or was he offed by Mozartians?
Does anyone here think I'm a troll?
Quote from: drogulus on March 31, 2011, 06:52:43 PM
Whatever happened to Newman? Is he active elsewhere or was he offed by Mozartians?
AFAIK he's been banned from all the major boards for being disruptive, so there isn't much for him to turn to. Perhaps he will take the time to finally write his book (which really really has a real publisher, really).
Quote from: drogulus on March 31, 2011, 06:52:43 PM
Whatever happened to Newman? Is he active elsewhere or was he offed by Mozartians?
He's wearing sunglasses being awesome. 8)
December 2010 - Robert Newman
http://www.arcticbeacon.com/greg/headlines/the-manufacture-of-mozart/
One of the greatest internet threads ever:
http://www.topix.com/forum/who/mozart/TKV7LQLQFV593LJKP
Quote from: Corey on March 31, 2011, 05:21:04 PM
I liked M too, but he was a total dick.
I know what you mean. What's that term for someone whose assholism is extreme but unpredictable, resulting in one being pathetically grateful when they're nice to you? ... What little psychology I knew seems to have gone right out the window today.
@Mirror Image, there was that one time I thought you might be a sock puppet for James - a "mirror image", if you will. No offense intended!
Quote from: Philoctetes on March 31, 2011, 07:16:55 PM
December 2010 - Robert Newman
http://www.arcticbeacon.com/greg/headlines/the-manufacture-of-mozart/
lol "Mainstream" coverage!
Other headlines on that site:
"University of Arizona, Vatican and Jesuits Name New Telescope 'Lucifer' "
"Obama's Jesuit Connections Surface"
"Bible Warns George Washington's Family Crest Is Sign of Babylon And Mark of the Beast"
"Were Washington and Papist Bishop John Carroll Good Buddies?"
"Was George Washington Baptized Catholic? "
But from the "About" section, I'm not sure how serious they are about this stuff. It might be an elaborate satire.
Quote from: MishaK on March 31, 2011, 01:50:09 PM
I think rather the issue is that he has some psychological reaction against knowledge delivered to him through some sort of recognized educational authority of whatever kind. Any information of such a source is automatically suspect and to be discarded, according to Sean, even if the preponderance of the facts clearly supports the official story.
What is ironic about this is that, shortly before his last disappearance from the board, he announced that he was embarking on a Ph.D. in musicology. For a guy who supposedly hates academia, he couldn't stay away from it.
I do admit that I found fascinating the combination of his loudly self-declared genius with the various glimpses of his sad-sack existence. He had a tendency to wallow masochistically in the latter, which made his posts entertaining even if unsavory. If it's true that
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on March 31, 2011, 02:31:32 PM
The most sorry sight in the world is a mediocre person who mistakes himself for a genius.
I would have to say that doesn't completely apply to Sean, since he was quite aware of his mediocrity.
Quote from: eyeresist on March 31, 2011, 09:03:24 PM
lol "Mainstream" coverage!
Other headlines on that site:
"University of Arizona, Vatican and Jesuits Name New Telescope 'Lucifer' "
"Obama's Jesuit Connections Surface"
"Bible Warns George Washington's Family Crest Is Sign of Babylon And Mark of the Beast"
"Were Washington and Papist Bishop John Carroll Good Buddies?"
"Was George Washington Baptized Catholic? "
But from the "About" section, I'm not sure how serious they are about this stuff. It might be an elaborate satire.
Sad really, when all you achieve is having your life's work (as it is) published on a site like that.
Trolls don't bother me and they are easy to deal with. If you go to any self respecting wild life park you will see signs that say "Don't Feed the Animals". Well the same applies to forums and the sign reads, as you've guessed it, "Don't Feed the Trolls".
You feed them by responding to their posts and starve them by ignoring them. That said, as someone else has mentioned there is the ancient and honourable art of Troll Baiting which is a great sport and one I have to confess I occasionally indulge in. I encountered Saul over on CMG where his rabid anti-islamist views marked him out as a troll that any Norwegian village would have been proud of. I never responded to any of his own threads but he would leap onto one of your threads and try to hijack it.
Sensing a bit of a giggle I then organised a fundraising thread along the lines of "let's contribute a few dollars each so the brave Saul can be flown to Israel where he can continue his vital battle against Saladdin's hordes up front and personal". (He did claim he was a poor student.) Unfortunately, the CMG staff weren't happy with this thread which was a pity as many of us wanted to see if Saul would put his money where his mouth was. We never got to find out.
Quote from: Mirror Image on March 31, 2011, 06:56:58 PM
Does anyone here think I'm a troll?
No, your opinions are far too often congruent with my own for them to anything other than enlightened editorializing... 0:)
8)
Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on April 01, 2011, 04:18:09 AM
No, your opinions are far too often congruent with my own for them to anything other than enlightened editorializing... 0:)
8)
Hah!
Sometimes just a bit brusque, perhaps, MI, but never a troll.
Quote from: The new erato on March 31, 2011, 11:14:15 PM
Sad really, when all you achieve is having your life's work (as it is) published on a site like that.
The great thing about Newman is that he didn't just believe his own Mozart conspiracy theory; he believed every other conspiracy theory - the moon landing never happened, Shakespeare didn't write his own plays, 9/11 was an inside job.
Yes, for Newman, "Mozart" was really just a sidebar . . . .
Quote from: Mirror Image on March 31, 2011, 06:56:58 PM
Does anyone here think I'm a troll?
You auditioning to fill the "void"? Sorry, you can't compete with some of the people we've mentioned.
Cor, and this would be just the perfect day for Newman to re-surface . . . .
Quote from: The new erato on March 31, 2011, 11:14:15 PM
Sad really, when all you achieve is having your life's work (as it is) published on a site like that.
If you looked at the other link, it seems to indicate that he is getting that book published.
Dude, everyone has to know about the Jesuit conspiracy.
Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on April 01, 2011, 04:18:09 AM
No, your opinions are far too often congruent with my own for them to anything other than enlightened editorializing... 0:)
8)
Gah... you guys are so sickly sweet sometimes. MI is simply a tool. He's not interesting enough to be a troll.
Quote from: Velimir on April 01, 2011, 04:59:20 AM
The great thing about Newman is that he didn't just believe his own Mozart conspiracy theory; he believed every other conspiracy theory - the moon landing never happened, Shakespeare didn't write his own plays, 9/11 was an inside job.
I'm starting to think we need Newman back ASAP. Not only to help us see the ugly truth about Mozart, but also to help lift the veil of Illiuminati subliminal programming that surrounded Elvis Presley (orchestrated by none other than Col. Tom Parker), Jim Morrison, and Joan Baez. More frightening is how deep this conspiracy has infiltrated the country scene, using pawns such as Wilie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and . yes, even Glenn Campbell, whose Rhinestone Cowboy was a trojan horse for mind control.
(http://img-cdn.officialmp3s.mobi/art/233171-15205-200/glen-campbell-rhinestone-cowboy.jpg)
It's time for us to take action, first fold your dollar bills in half so the eye in the pyramid cannot see you.
(http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/241836/2/istockphoto_241836-the-eye-of-the-pyramid.jpg)
Next, stop wasting time on this forum and visit this site so you can shake free the shackles of mind control.
http://www.illuminati-news.com/art-and-mc/field-of-art.htm (http://www.illuminati-news.com/art-and-mc/field-of-art.htm)
Please Newman, come back!
(http://www.movieprop.com/tvandmovie/Seinfeld/newman.jpg)
Quote from: Philoctetes on April 01, 2011, 05:21:29 AM
Gah... you guys are so sickly sweet sometimes. MI is simply a tool. He's not interesting enough to be a troll.
I'm way too subtle for you, Philo. But speaking of tools... ::)
8)
(* munches caramel-covered popcorn *)
Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on April 01, 2011, 05:42:55 AM
I'm way too subtle for you, Philo. But speaking of tools... ::)
8)
Way too.
I'd call myself an ass rather than a tool. I don't have the patience to be a tool.
Quote from: Mirror Image on March 31, 2011, 06:56:58 PM
Does anyone here think I'm a troll?
Slightly impish at times, but far from a troll.
Quote from: Velimir on April 01, 2011, 04:59:20 AM
The great thing about Newman is that he didn't just believe his own Mozart conspiracy theory; he believed every other conspiracy theory - the moon landing never happened, Shakespeare didn't write his own plays, 9/11 was an inside job.
Yes, but the pathetic thing is that his own Mozart conspiracy theory didn't even have the basic elements of a decent conspiracy theory. The best conspiracy theories are persuasive because they have a really good answer to the question of cui bono? Most of them are follow-the-money lines of reasoning. Newman's concoction failed even that. It doesn't really matter to the classical music "industry" (which doesn't really make all that much profit anyway), whether or not Mozart in fact wrote all his works himself. The core twenty or so works of his would continue to be played whoever the author simply on the quality of the works themselves. It doesn't matter whether the Jupiter was written by Mozart or by Dittersdorf's left buttcheek. Nobody's career depends on the authenticity of Mozart these days, at least nobody who makes any money meaningful enough to put up the resources to manufacture and maintain such a complicated conspiracy.
Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on April 01, 2011, 04:18:09 AM
No, your opinions are far too often congruent with my own for them to anything other than enlightened editorializing... 0:)
8)
Lol...thanks Gum. You're a nice fellow. A good moderator as well. :)
Quote from: Apollon on April 01, 2011, 04:19:23 AM
Sometimes just a bit brusque, perhaps, MI, but never a troll.
Yes, I can be incredibly blunt sometimes, but I often do apologize to those I have wronged.
Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on March 31, 2011, 05:25:29 PM
No one gets to be beyond a teenager without getting over some level of sheer idiocy.
Have you ever watched
Cops? ;D
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 01, 2011, 07:02:21 PM
Yes, I can be incredibly blunt sometimes, but I often do apologize to those I have wronged.
Then you're not a troll. Trolls never apologize to anyone for anything.
You guys have not mentioned the greatest CMG troll of all time, one who made even the many-talented Saul look like a rank amateur. I refer to none other than the great Mark Anstendig, the great might-have-been conductor and photographer, whose rantings and ravings against digital sound and defense of the LP were the most obsessive and bizarre collection of pseudo-thoughts I have encountered anywhere on the Net or off. One of Mark's pet theories, for example, was that Fiordiligi in "Per Pieta" was experiencing a female orgasm at the end of that aria, and that this could only be heard properly by Schwartzkopf on the Boehm recording, but only in analog, because when it was transferred to CD all the "expressive nuances" were lost. When I asked Mark if the soprano was actually supposed to frig herself on stage, and pointed out that nothing in the text or music supported such an interpretation, he got on his high horse and commenced an even ravier set of ravings than ever. They don't make 'em like Mark anymore. But once he was banned from CMG, he seems never to have resurfaced anywhere else (thank God). Good times, good times.
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on April 02, 2011, 06:17:52 AM
You guys have not mentioned the greatest CMG troll of all time, one who made even the many-talented Saul look like a rank amateur. I refer to none other than the great Mark Anstendig
A quick google search reveals... he has his own institute (http://www.anstendig.org/mainpage.htm)! :D >:D
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on April 02, 2011, 06:17:52 AM
Then you're not a troll. Trolls never apologize to anyone for anything.
You guys have not mentioned the greatest CMG troll of all time, one who made even the many-talented Saul look like a rank amateur. I refer to none other than the great Mark Anstendig, the great might-have-been conductor and photographer, whose rantings and ravings against digital sound and defense of the LP were the most obsessive and bizarre collection of pseudo-thoughts I have encountered anywhere on the Net or off. One of Mark's pet theories, for example, was that Fiordiligi in "Per Pieta" was experiencing a female orgasm at the end of that aria, and that this could only be heard properly by Schwartzkopf on the Boehm recording, but only in analog, because when it was transferred to CD all the "expressive nuances" were lost. When I asked Mark if the soprano was actually supposed to frig herself on stage, and pointed out that nothing in the text or music supported such an interpretation, he got on his high horse and commenced an even ravier set of ravings than ever. They don't make 'em like Mark anymore. But once he was banned from CMG, he seems never to have resurfaced anywhere else (thank God). Good times, good times.
I agree with most of what you say about Mark, but would not label him a "Troll" because a Troll (as I understand it) is motivated by the desire to be disruptive. Mark Anstendig sincerely believed it was his god-given mission to save the world from the compact disc. His technical claims were complete nonsense (he would sometimes post equations in which the units didn't even match) but when you got him on the subject of the music itself he could be very interesting. It was extremely annoying that if you ever let slip that you did not enjoy a recording he advocated he would claim it was because you were not listening on LP with his custom made phono cartridge!
He also claimed that all photographs were not focused correctly because they did not use his focusing method, or because they did not use some obscure Leica lense, which was the only lens that focused properly. ::)
He even has his own institute.
http://www.anstendig.org/
Oh God, the great Anstendig. How could we ever forget...I don't think he was at this site, though.
Stuff I'll always remember: the name "Morel," as in "Morel always told us to [do something or other]," the spelling "time domaine" (and general mangling of the English language), German gov't grants, super-strong magnets from the Soviet space program, doing yoga and meditating before listening, wearing earmuffs to concerts, the superiority of reel-to-reel tape, bisexual adventurism in urban parks, and of course the Anstendig Institute, which as far as I know was just his house in SF, plus a few hippie guests.
Quote from: Velimir on March 31, 2011, 10:24:55 PM
I do admit that I found fascinating the combination of his loudly self-declared genius with the various glimpses of his sad-sack existence.
Further on the subject of Sean, this thread exemplifies the above self-quotation:
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,5579.msg134118.html#msg134118
Note how he traces his hatred of organized education to the following incident:
Quote from: Sean on January 24, 2008, 05:52:30 AM
Primary school 1974-81: was doing really well until about seven when was drawing a tree one day the teacher asked me to do something with it without explaining properly. From then on hated the school with a special vengance that I only understood years later- came to see that many other people's minds work in terms of patterns or normative systems whereas mine just works in terms of understanding, and if this isn't available I have difficulties, the tree being one of the first examples.
Yeah, it was the "tree incident" - screwed him up for life, apparently.
Quote from: Velimir on April 02, 2011, 06:40:20 AM
Stuff I'll always remember: the name "Morel," as in "Morel always told us to [do something or other]," the spelling "time domaine" (and general mangling of the English language)
Hehe, speaking of ridiculously anachronistic language, Sydney Grew was fun while "they" lasted.
No, Mark never made it over here. I believe he was so shattered by his dismissal from CMG that he simply gave up fora altogether.
I agree with Scarps though; I don't think he was a troll because he sincerely believed everything he said. As I understand trolling, there is an element of selling out ones personal convictions in order to create more disruption. But Mark really believed all that shit. Well, I learned more than I ever wanted to know about Nadia Boulanger from him. :)
8)
----------------
Now playing:
Palmer Chamber Orchestra / Palmer Harris / Garrison / Fortunato / Guyer - Hob 28 02 Opera buffa in 2 Acts "La Cantarina" pt 04 Act I. Accompanied Recitative: Che dici
Quote from: Lethe Dmitriyevich Shostakovich on April 02, 2011, 06:52:14 AM
Hehe, speaking of ridiculously anachronistic language, Sydney Grew was fun while "they" lasted.
(http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/Kerfoops/Grew120x.jpg)
We would be most inclined to agree.
Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on April 02, 2011, 06:54:27 AM
No, Mark never made it over here. I believe he was so shattered by his dismissal from CMG that he simply gave up fora altogether.
I agree with Scarps though; I don't think he was a troll because he sincerely believed everything he said. As I understand trolling, there is an element of selling out ones personal convictions in order to create more disruption. But Mark really believed all that shit. Well, I learned more than I ever wanted to know about Nadia Boulanger from him. :)
Perhaps we're only debating semantics here. No question he believed fervently all he said. But he endlessly disrupted discussions and tried to bend them to his idées fixes. That's troll enough for me.
Quote from: Velimir on April 02, 2011, 06:40:20 AM
which as far as I know was just his house in SF, plus a few hippie guests.
Not even his house, as I understood it, but the house of some elderly lady who was his "patron" and took him in. The address is on his "institute" page and I see that ironically I walked right past it on a recent visit to San Francisco. It is near Alamo park, where the painted ladies of San Francisco reside.
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on April 02, 2011, 07:31:56 AM
Perhaps we're only debating semantics here. No question he believed fervently all he said. But he endlessly disrupted discussions and tried to bend them to his idées fixes. That's troll enough for me.
No question about that. Since I rarely took part in the same discussions as he did I could read and laugh. If I had done though, I would have probably wanted to strangle him. :)
8)
----------------
Now playing:
Palmer Chamber Orchestra / Palmer Harris / Garrison / Fortunato / Guyer - Hob 28 02 Opera buffa in 2 Acts "La Cantarina" pt 05 Act I. Quartet Finale: Scellerata
Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on April 02, 2011, 06:54:27 AM
Well, I learned more than I ever wanted to know about Nadia Boulanger from him. :)
And Klemperer, don't forget. The most infuriating thing was when you would try to agree with him, and he would feel the need to point out that your opinion was still worthless because you didn't have his custome tweeked Wadia phono cartridge. >:(
Quote from: Velimir on April 02, 2011, 06:48:13 AM
Further on the subject of Sean, this thread exemplifies the above self-quotation:
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,5579.msg134118.html#msg134118 (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,5579.msg134118.html#msg134118)
Note how he traces his hatred of organized education to the following incident:
Quote from: Sean. . . Primary school 1974-81: was doing really well until about seven when was drawing a tree one day the teacher asked me to do something with it without explaining properly.
Yeah, it was the "tree incident" - screwed him up for life, apparently.
God, not without explaining properly! The horror, oh, the horror!
It does sound like this fellow (not Sean) really was someone to experience!
Sadly, my non-GMG experiences of forum trolls mostly amount to people whose inflammatory rhetoric hardly goes beyond 'stfu nub', or at best the term 'elitist', employed as a single-word indictment. Though like Scarpia, I don't include venomous quasi-educated egotists in my definition of 'troll'.
(Not to say any one of the former GMG members brought up qualifies as all three.)
Quote from: Szykneij on March 30, 2011, 01:25:58 PM
Is it true of only this board or all discussion boards in general that it's impossible not to have a resident troll active at all times? It seems as soon as one obnoxious personality is either banned or eventually tires of continually subjecting others to ridicule, condescension, and/or gutter talk, another soon arises to fill the void. It's as if there are "trolls-in-waiting", or latent trolls -- usually posters who are already here -- just drooling for their chance to step in when the reigning agitator takes his leave -- (but not right away, of course, in case the alpha-troll is only in hibernation and suddenly reappears from under the bridge.)
If the crew from Criminal Minds had the job of profiling the troll, what would the description emerge as? Definitely male. I've yet to encounter a female troll, or at least an openly female one. Older hen-pecked husband or younger loveless geek? That might account for their feeling of powerlessness in the real world, which drives them to enter threads with the sole intention of soiling what others might value. They act somewhat like a graffiti vandal who devalues the walls of others, but in a much more cowardly way since there is real danger in the tagger getting caught while the troll remains safe in his anonymity. So where does the thrill come from, then, for the troll? Does trolling give him a feeling of power in an otherwise impotent life?
This pretty much explains youtube comments and bullies in general.
Quote"When you are miserable, you need someone even more miserable than yourself."
http://www.youtube.com/v/heLjTX1VksE
Quote from: Velimir on April 02, 2011, 06:48:13 AM
Further on the subject of Sean, this thread exemplifies the above self-quotation:
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,5579.msg134118.html#msg134118
Note how he traces his hatred of organized education to the following incident:
Yeah, it was the "tree incident" - screwed him up for life, apparently.
That thread also has some vintage M. ;D
Quote from: Lethe Dmitriyevich Shostakovich on April 02, 2011, 06:52:14 AM
Hehe, speaking of ridiculously anachronistic language, Sydney Grew was fun while "they" lasted.
But we were not a troll, were we, what?
Re Sydney Grew - I found him deeply annoying at times here, until I stumbled upon another forum of which he is webmaster, it seems (I haven't explored enough to know, precisely). Here's the thread I found; it goes without saying that Gerard
has to be our own Mr Grew
http://artmusic.smfforfree.com/index.php/topic,59.0.html
Reading through this my confusion and annoyance turned to hilarity and a certain admiration. Turing up here, as he did, out of the blue, with that pretentious persona, just put the hackles up. But on the other site, it is very clearly understood that the persona it is all, literally, a joke, and that understood, it's a very funny one.
Reading that thread again now, and chuckling merrily... e.g.:
QuoteTwo items to-day; first a Stravinsky lollipop: the first British performance of his Elegy for J.F.K. dates from 1964. (The initials J.F.K. are those of a Northern American politician.) ...
The second item is Schönberg's Six Pieces for Male Chorus...for some unstated reason they omitted the fifth song of Schönberg's six. A year or so later I managed to hear it; its name is "Landesknechte," meaning farm-boys or agricultural labourers, and there certainly are a lot of animal noises to be heard....
To-day I would like to discuss in quick succession three items from northern America, that far-away land of which we know so little...
The admiration comes from the fact that on that thread he shows himself to be knowledgable, well-listened, and generous, with both his posts and the links he provides.
Quote from: Luke on April 03, 2011, 12:43:57 AM
Re Sydney Grew - I found him deeply annoying at times here, until I stumbled upon another forum of which he is webmaster, it seems (I haven't explored enough to know, precisely). Here's the thread I found; it goes without saying that Gerard has to be our own Mr Grew
http://artmusic.smfforfree.com/index.php/topic,59.0.html
I just checked that forum out. I never knew it existed. I was the "one guest" visiting with "0 users". :o
It was a bit scary being there alone, so I'm glad to be back here with good company. :)
Quote from: Luke on April 03, 2011, 12:43:57 AM
Re Sydney Grew - I found him deeply annoying at times here, until I stumbled upon another forum of which he is webmaster, it seems (I haven't explored enough to know, precisely). Here's the thread I found; it goes without saying that Gerard has to be our own Mr Grew
http://artmusic.smfforfree.com/index.php/topic,59.0.html (http://artmusic.smfforfree.com/index.php/topic,59.0.html)
Reading through this my confusion and annoyance turned to hilarity and a certain admiration. Turing up here, as he did, out of the blue, with that pretentious persona, just put the hackles up. But on the other site, it is very clearly understood that the persona it is all, literally, a joke, and that understood, it's a very funny one.
Reading that thread again now, and chuckling merrily... e.g.:
The admiration comes from the fact that on that thread he shows himself to be knowledgable, well-listened, and generous, with both his posts and the links he provides.
Thanks for this enlightenment, Luke. What fun! Goes to show once again that context is everything (or if not everything, such a great deal).Quote from: Szykneij on April 03, 2011, 04:29:17 AM
I just checked that forum out. I never knew it existed. I was the "one guest" visiting with "0 users". :o
It was a bit scary being there alone, so I'm glad to be back here with good company. :)
Gosh, Tony, we like you, too! (And how about that Scotch sometime?)
Quote from: Luke on April 03, 2011, 12:43:57 AM
Re Sydney Grew - I found him deeply annoying at times here,
Frankly, I don't know how anyone could find "Sydney Grew" annoying. He was an infrequent poster; he never went out of his way to antagonize people (at least that I saw); and his whole shtick was so obviously a put-on persona that the only appropriate reaction was to laugh and play along with him. (FYI, my favorite Sydney-ism was the way he insisted on distorting names - Stravinsky becomes "Strawinsci," for instance. That, and his use of the royal "we".)
BTW, who was that bearded guy in his avatar? (Looks a bit like Brahms, but I wasn't sure.)
Quote from: Velimir on April 03, 2011, 05:55:25 AM
Frankly, I don't know how anyone could find "Sydney Grew" annoying. He was an infrequent poster; he never went out of his way to antagonize people (at least that I saw); and his whole shtick was so obviously a put-on persona that the only appropriate reaction was to laugh and play along with him. (FYI, my favorite Sydney-ism was the way he insisted on distorting names - Stravinsky becomes "Strawinsci," for instance. That, and his use of the royal "we".)
I still can't dislodge from my mind his claim that RVW's 1st symphony was a better choral piece than anything Mahler wrote :)
Probably because it's in English
Quote from: Lethe Dmitriyevich Shostakovich on April 03, 2011, 01:52:21 PM
I still can't dislodge from my mind his claim that RVW's 1st symphony was a better choral piece than anything Mahler wrote :)
Our Pluralness cannot agree that the Seas Symphonies outshine the mighty Symphonies of Two Thousands.
(http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/Smileys/classic/rolleyes.gif) (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/Smileys/classic/rolleyes.gif)
I can't help but feel that limiting the definition of "troll" to "one who is deliberately provocative" excludes a great many nut-jobs who rightly deserve the term, but don't have conscious intent. What other epithet is there for these people?
Quote from: eyeresist on April 03, 2011, 08:07:47 PM
I can't help but feel that limiting the definition of "troll" to "one who is deliberately provocative" excludes a great many nut-jobs who rightly deserve the term, but don't have conscious intent. What other epithet is there for these people?
Nut-jobs. Specificity is the cornerstone of an effective vocabulary.
Quote from: Lethe Dmitriyevich Shostakovich on April 03, 2011, 01:52:21 PM
I still can't dislodge from my mind his claim that RVW's 1st symphony was a better choral piece than anything Mahler wrote :)
If I invert that and say that all of Mahler's Choral pieces are worse than RVW 1, it sounds sensible to me. 0:)
Quote from: eyeresist on April 03, 2011, 08:07:47 PM
I can't help but feel that limiting the definition of "troll" to "one who is deliberately provocative" excludes a great many nut-jobs who rightly deserve the term, but don't have conscious intent. What other epithet is there for these people?
Forum kooks and cranks :)
High in this list would be Contrapunctus, who constantly praised Glenn Gould in every context he could find (including using ridiculous honorifics such as "high lord"), until disappearing, briefly returning and announcing that he liked other pianists just as much now (possibly the most surprising u-turn I've ever seen on this or related forums). He didn't seem to have a bad bone in his body, nor malicious intent - he was just obsessed with that pianist and brought it into as many conversations as he could, derailing things severely ;D
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on April 03, 2011, 08:10:55 PM
If I invert that and say that all of Mahler's Choral pieces are worse than RVW 1, it sounds sensible to me. 0:)
I definitely think the piece is highly underrated for many reasons, both musically and technically.
Quote from: Lethe Dmitriyevich Shostakovich on April 03, 2011, 08:15:01 PM
High in this list would be Contrapunctus, who constantly praised Glenn Gould in every context he could find (including using ridiculous honorifics such as "high lord"), until disappearing, briefly returning and announcing that he liked other pianists just as much now (possibly the most surprising u-turn I've ever seen on this or related forums). He didn't seem to have a bad bone in his body, nor malicious intent - he was just obsessed with that pianist and brought it into as many conversations as he could, derailing things severely ;D
Oh Lord, CP was just
incredible, wasn't he!? The amount of time and energy expended by him on his Gould fetishism, and by some of us trying to convince him that e.g. Chopin might just be a half decent composer despite the insuperable barrier of not being the honorable GG or the GG-ratified Bach... wish I'd kept some of his posts!
Whatever happened to Pelleas et Melisande monomaniac Pink Harp/Operahaven (and various other pretentious names)?
PH never annoyed me as he did many here. I felt that off the Forum he was lonely and probably quite kind. He would occasionally make forays into non-musical topics. Prostitution was one where David W and I went 15 rounds against his opinion that it was always merely a career of choice. Eventually this brought out some strange revelations. There had been an encounter in Europe and a legacy from it of the regular arrival in PH's post box of almost warm soiled underpants in a jiffy bag from a tart with a heart.
Reading through this thread took me to the Mozart Fraud thread and the external one linked by Philo. A guilty pleasure.
Sydney Grew used to annoy me with his bizarre locutions; the invented word 'Homosexualist' clearly made him smack his lips.
There was also a mysterious member called ' who, though not a troll; had a deeply irritating habit of making perfectly good and sound contributions to involved discussions, then to disrupt them by deleting all his posts. I often wondered what prompted that behaviour.
Finally for now, Michel. He shot across the board like a comet. Although he believed a lot of what he said, he definitely tried to find the most offensive way of expressing it. He also went for specific posters who annoyed him. He had to go. A shame; as I got to know him well and am still in good contact with him. He is busy with his career and gets married next year. Pursuits include ice-climbing. But music was a passing pleasure for him and the staggeringly large CD collection he assembled in double quick time was suddenly junked.
Mike
Quote from: knight66 on April 03, 2011, 09:26:37 PM
PH never annoyed me as he did many here. I felt that off the Forum he was lonely and probably quite kind.
He was both of those things. He sent me a book and Karajan's ring.
He was also some kind of social worker or care worker; if you could believe anything he wrote. He once posted a photograph of himself; he looked so normal it was a bit unnerving. He had registered under a female persona for a while until his P&M fetish surfaced through the invented identity.
Mike
Quote from: knight66 on April 03, 2011, 09:45:24 PM
He was also some kind of social worker or care worker; if you could believe anything he wrote. He once posted a photograph of himself; he looked so normal it was a bit unnerving. He had registered under a female persona for a while until his P&M fetish surfaced through the invented identity.
Mike
Yeah, when I first saw what he looked like; it definitely wasn't what I expected. He was a genuinely nice person, who just had some queer obsessions. I thoroughly enjoyed him.
Although, I like pretty much everyone.
Quote from: Lethe Dmitriyevich Shostakovich on April 03, 2011, 08:15:01 PM
High in this list would be Contrapunctus, who constantly praised Glenn Gould in every context he could find (including using ridiculous honorifics such as "high lord"), until disappearing, briefly returning and announcing that he liked other pianists just as much now (possibly the most surprising u-turn I've ever seen on this or related forums). He didn't seem to have a bad bone in his body, nor malicious intent - he was just obsessed with that pianist and brought it into as many conversations as he could, derailing things severely ;D
Glenn Gould was a funny guy to begin with, so it is not surprising a lot of mileage was gotten out of spoof and counter-spoof. Personally, while dodging the bullets, I did come to appreciate Gould more and more...
ZB
Quote from: knight66 on April 03, 2011, 09:26:37 PM
He is busy with his career and gets married next year.
:o Wow -- many of his posts were so misogynistic, good luck to the (I assume) girl!
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on April 02, 2011, 06:17:52 AM
Then you're not a troll. Trolls never apologize to anyone for anything.
You guys have not mentioned the greatest CMG troll of all time, one who made even the many-talented Saul look like a rank amateur. I refer to none other than the great Mark Anstendig, the great might-have-been conductor and photographer, whose rantings and ravings against digital sound and defense of the LP were the most obsessive and bizarre collection of pseudo-thoughts I have encountered anywhere on the Net or off. One of Mark's pet theories, for example, was that Fiordiligi in "Per Pieta" was experiencing a female orgasm at the end of that aria, and that this could only be heard properly by Schwartzkopf on the Boehm recording, but only in analog, because when it was transferred to CD all the "expressive nuances" were lost. When I asked Mark if the soprano was actually supposed to frig herself on stage, and pointed out that nothing in the text or music supported such an interpretation, he got on his high horse and commenced an even ravier set of ravings than ever. They don't make 'em like Mark anymore. But once he was banned from CMG, he seems never to have resurfaced anywhere else (thank God). Good times, good times.
Do you have any links to this? That would be an amusing read.
Quote from: Greg on April 04, 2011, 04:28:36 AM
Do you have any links to this? That would be an amusing read.
CMG keeps all their old posts archived back to the beginning of time. If you can get an approximate date from Poco (and I'm thinking this was around 2005) then you can search their archive. It is (was?) divided up into quarters of the year. :)
8)
Well at least i'm still around. Ok i'm sick and everything but i can still pull out a good trolls every now and then, right?
Quote from: Josquin des Prez on April 04, 2011, 04:48:22 AM
Well at least i'm still around. Ok i'm sick and everything but i can still pull out a good trolls every now and then, right?
Yeah, OK, I'll grant you that. But I don't think of you as sick, so much as.... well, OK, sick it is (I know what you really mean, but...). :D
8)
Quote from: knight66 on April 03, 2011, 09:26:37 PM
. . . Sydney Grew used to annoy me with his bizarre locutions; the invented word 'Homosexualist' clearly made him smack his lips.
Hmm . . . FWIW (who knows if SG knew), that is a transliteration of an actual Russian word (itself, an adaptation of the English, to be sure).
A bit of research reveals that the original Sydney Grew was a writer on music, born in 1879, and was associated with Gramophone magazine. And indeed, he wrote in a rather pompous and affected style, as we can see from this article, can we not:
http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/December%201929/29/766786/THE+YEARS+RECORDS
As to whether the original Mr. Sydney Grew was a "homo-sexualist," we are not in a position to know.
On obsessions: I once knew a Latinist in Germany, who was obsessed with Silesia. A very nice avuncular man, but EVERY conversation ultimately was twisted to touch, no matter how illogically, "Schlesien."
I recall the following dialogue quite well:
"Ah Herr T ! Nice to see you after a year! What are you doing in Advanced Latin these days?"
"The usual: but did you know that the weather in Silesia is most excellent today?" :o
And he was off mentally and spiritually to Silesia! 0:)
The obsession began when he discovered that an ancestor was born in Silesia, which had been part of Germany. For some reason, this teacher's brain latched onto that, and Everything Silesian became a ne plus ultra for him suddenly.
So the Berliozian idée fixe transcends music quite easily.
Quote from: knight66 on April 03, 2011, 09:26:37 PM
There was also a mysterious member called ' who, though not a troll; had a deeply irritating habit of making perfectly good and sound contributions to involved discussions, then to disrupt them by deleting all his posts. I often wondered what prompted that behaviour.
I completely forgot about " ' ". ;) Maybe because he erased his own history.
Quote from: Josquin des Prez on April 04, 2011, 04:48:22 AM
Well at least i'm still around. Ok i'm sick and everything but i can still pull out a good trolls every now and then, right?
Sorry, but you don't come close, as there are documented cases of you actually doing research, providing examples and more detail on topic, and having a sense of humor.
Here's to hoping you feel better.
Quote from: knight66 on April 03, 2011, 09:26:37 PM
There was also a mysterious member called ' who, though not a troll; had a deeply irritating habit of making perfectly good and sound contributions to involved discussions, then to disrupt them by deleting all his posts. I often wondered what prompted that behaviour.
DavidW has done similar things, nobody commenting about it. He may know.
Mr. Grew is still a forum member--and here just two days ago although he hasn't posted since last August. Never a troll but one of the eccentrics (like Mr. Pink and Mr. PaulB). His posts were usually amusing...well, his language was anyway. On the philosopher Santayana:
Quote from: Sydney Grew on June 08, 2010, 04:55:44 PM
Let it not be forgotten that he was also, as has been the case with nearly all truly great men, a homo-sexualist.
And without Grew I wouldn't have known this about Claudio Arrau
Quote from: Sydney Grew on August 27, 2010, 05:09:04 PM
What a pity it was that Arrau got into such trouble in that public lavatory in Sydney! We remember the publicity very well as it happened at a time when we ourself were a youth coming to terms with homo-sexualism. On the night of Arrau's first appearance on the stage of Sydney Town Hall following his arrest, the sympathetic audience gave him a standing ovation even before he had time to seat himself at the pianoforte, which was encouraging to ourself as well as to Senor Arrau.
Richard Adeney that fine flautist relates in his recent autobiography "Flute" an amusing anecdote: "The LPO played several concerts with Claudio Arrau, the famous pianist. He was a quiet and self-controlled man, but, perhaps because of Pritchard's relaxing presence, during a rehearsal Arrau became entranced with one of the first violins, a blond young man. Because he was gazing so adoringly to his left away from the keyboard, he seemed to be hitting any old note, quite unlike his usual style of playing."
(http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/Kerfoops/Violinist.jpg)
"The violinist, a conventional married man, was acutely embarrassed. 'What shall I do?' he asked me after the rehearsal. 'What's going to happen?' 'Well,' I said, 'don't do anything. He can't rape you on the platform in the middle of the concert. Don't be such a worry-guts.' There was no rape, but there was more gazing - and an awful lot of wrong notes."
Okay...maybe I really didn't need to know that ;D
Sarge
Here's another semi-troll: Rod ("the Corkster") Corkin. A man who claims to love classical music but only listens to 2 composers; and is only capable of building up one composer (Handel) by putting down another (Bach). Lather, rinse, repeat....for 800+ posts >:(
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on April 04, 2011, 08:09:18 AM
And without Grew I wouldn't have known this about Claudio Arrau
Okay...maybe I really didn't need to know that ;D
According to Wikipedia
In 1937, Arrau married the mezzo-soprano Ruth Schneider, a German national, and they had three children: Carmen (1938–2006), Mario (1940–1988) and Christopher (1959).Now, I know of many homosexuals who married a woman to save the appearance, but I've never heard of any who engendered three offsprings. ;D
Mr. SG had the annoying tendency of seeing
homosexualists everywhere... maybe even where there was none.
Quote from: Apollon on April 04, 2011, 06:20:25 AM
Hmm . . . FWIW (who knows if SG knew), that is a transliteration of an actual Russian word (itself, an adaptation of the English, to be sure).
I'm sure Mr. Grew knew. After all, he was the fellow who continually developed his own Russian transliterations, most memorably
Skryabine.
Quote from: Il Conte Rodolfo on April 04, 2011, 10:18:00 AM
Now, I know of many homosexuals who married a woman to save the appearance, but I've never heard of any who engendered three offsprings. ;D
I know one with two offspring. It's completely possible, though I certainly wouldn't want Mr. Grew as my only source of evidence. ;)
Quote from: Il Conte Rodolfo on April 04, 2011, 10:18:00 AM
According to Wikipedia
In 1937, Arrau married the mezzo-soprano Ruth Schneider, a German national, and they had three children: Carmen (1938–2006), Mario (1940–1988) and Christopher (1959).
Now, I know of many homosexuals who married a woman to save the appearance, but I've never heard of any who engendered three offsprings. ;D
Leonard Bernstein?
Quote from: Sydney Grew(http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/Kerfoops/Violinist.jpg)
can't say I blame Arrau, but chasing married men is not a good angle for anyone, regardless of sex/orientation.
Quote from: knight66 on April 03, 2011, 09:45:24 PM
He had registered under a female persona for a while until his P&M fetish surfaced through the invented identity.
Can't figure out what P&M stands for (Google filter is on).
Seigfried Wagner had four children.
Pelleas & Melisande
Quote from: eyeresist on April 04, 2011, 07:03:26 PM
lol That's disgusting!
I jotted off an email to him. The last time I heard from him, he sounded distressed. I hope all things are well with him.
I dislike trolls but I dislike ideologues and elitists even more. Ideologues are people who see most things through the lens of a particular ideology or dogma. Often, their views lack commonsense, although they can be quite knowledgeable in other ways. Elitists tend to imply that unless you own 1000+ recordings and go to dozens of classical concerts per year, your knowledge of classical is zero and your views on music are practically worthless...
Quote from: MishaK on April 04, 2011, 10:28:29 AM
I know one with two offspring. It's completely possible, though I certainly wouldn't want Mr. Grew as my only source of evidence. ;)
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on April 04, 2011, 10:44:19 AM
Leonard Bernstein?
These are examples of
bisexuals, not
homosexuals. :)
I'm surprised no one mentioned a currently up-and-running GMG troll who fits the definition better than Sean, M, Saul or Teresa ever did: he never ever offer any rationale for his controversial views, he never ever answers any question and his favorite mode of expressing himself consists mainly of interjections, onomatopoeia and childish ad hominem attacks...
Pffffffff
I'd thought of posting the selfsame thing, Karl, but...y'know....whatever. Blah blah blah
Quote from: Il Conte Rodolfo on April 05, 2011, 01:09:35 AM
These are examples of bisexuals...
Surely you mean bi-
sexualist. ;D ;)
Sarge
Quote from: Apollon on April 05, 2011, 03:30:24 AM
Pffffffff
"...still wasting time on that retard? HOLY SMOKES!"
;D
Quote from: Grazioso on April 05, 2011, 04:54:38 AM
"...still wasting time on that retard? HOLY SMOKES!"
;D
"No one cares quite frankly ... you're blathering on & on, so wordy & self-important."
hehe
Quote from: Il Conte Rodolfo on April 05, 2011, 01:15:26 AM
I'm surprised no one mentioned a currently up-and-running GMG troll who fits the definition better than Sean, M, Saul or Teresa ever did: he never ever offer any rationale for his controversial views, he never ever answers any question and his favorite mode of expressing himself consists mainly of interjections, onomatopoeia and childish ad hominem attacks...
I believe you may be referring to my personal idol, and the wind beneath my wings.
I will naturally have to defend against any attacks or defamations launched against his person.
Quote from: Velimir on April 04, 2011, 09:34:58 AM
Here's another semi-troll: Rod ("the Corkster") Corkin. A man who claims to love classical music but only listens to 2 composers; and is only capable of building up one composer (Handel) by putting down another (Bach). Lather, rinse, repeat....for 800+ posts >:(
Rod's gradual descent to madness as documented in the ominous Handel vs Bach thread was somewhat fascinating, although it left me wondering – was that elaborate trolling or was it sincere? The latter option seems rather scary.
Quote from: Rinaldo on April 05, 2011, 05:24:50 AM
was that elaborate trolling or was it sincere?
The most skilled trolls are the ones who make you ask this question. So the Corkster was a skilled troll...or maybe he
was just nuts. Round and round we go :-\
Quote from: Rinaldo on April 05, 2011, 05:24:50 AM
Rod's gradual descent to madness as documented in the ominous Handel vs Bach thread was somewhat fascinating, although it left me wondering – was that elaborate trolling or was it sincere? The latter option seems rather scary.
I've known him since Y2K and his message has been totally consistent that entire time. So if it IS trolling, then it is sincerely elaborate and elaborately sincere. :-\
8)
Quote from: Il Conte Rodolfo on April 05, 2011, 01:09:35 AM
These are examples of bisexuals, not homosexuals. :)
Those definitions are hazy. And in any case you don't know the individual I am talking about (I wasn't talking about Lenny), and I assure you he's gay, yet has two kids. It's not unusual at all for men of an older generation, who grew up when homosexuality wasn't tolerated at all, to have had a proper bourgeois family in order to be accepted in society, while in fact they were very much homosexuals.
Quote from: MishaK on April 05, 2011, 06:41:40 AM
Those definitions are hazy.
Agreed.
Quote
And in any case you don't know the individual I am talking about (I wasn't talking about Lenny), and I assure you he's gay, yet has two kids. It's not unusual at all for men of an older generation, who grew up when homosexuality wasn't tolerated at all, to have had a proper bourgeois family in order to be accepted in society, while in fact they were very much homosexuals.
That's exactly what I had in mind when I first posted. But from what I know, a genuine homosexual(-ist) can hardly find any incentive to have one single intercourse with a woman, much less as many of them as required to make her pregnant. ;D
Anyway, it was just a rather tongue-in-cheek comment. The subject doesn't raise my interest more than that. :)
Quote from: Il Conte Rodolfo on April 05, 2011, 06:49:32 AM
That's exactly what I had in mind when I first posted. But from what I know, a genuine homosexual(-ist) can hardly find any incentive to have one single intercourse with a woman, much less as many of them as required to make her pregnant. ;D
Define "genuine"? Being ostracized by society for the rest of your life if your homosexuality is revealed might just suffice for that bit of "motivation". Remember, older generations still insinuate homosexuality by pointing out "soandso has no children and he's 50 years old!" (In fact, I was just shopping for Persian rugs last month, and one rug dealer used that exact line to try to discredit one of his competitors.) Things aren't nearly as clear cut as you'd like to make them.
Quote from: Apollon on April 05, 2011, 03:30:24 AM
Pffffffff
I must disagree completely with your assessment. A more detailed refutation is available here.
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,18249.msg503335/topicseen.html#msg503335 (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,18249.msg503335/topicseen.html#msg503335)
You owe it to yourself to find yourself, and get a grip.
More stuipid quotes . . . yah, whatever . . . .
Quote from: jowcol on April 05, 2011, 07:14:08 AM
I must disagree completely with your assessment. A more detailed refutation is available here.
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,18249.msg503335/topicseen.html#msg503335 (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,18249.msg503335/topicseen.html#msg503335)
You owe it to yourself to find yourself, and get a grip.
On most other forums that I've been on, that would definitely count as trolling.
QuoteThe Pfff transcends languages, cultures, and civilizations. It just is.
(http://www.chatsmileysemoticons.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/12-facebook-emoticons.gif)
You don't have to be homosexual to be an homosexualist. Most homosexuals probably aren't.
The truth about trolls:
(http://i37.tinypic.com/2njc68.png)
Quote from: Josquin des Prez on April 05, 2011, 11:23:30 AM
The truth about trolls:
(http://i37.tinypic.com/2njc68.png)
Pretty well nails it... :)
8)
On a purely artistic plane, I sort of worry that someone spent time at that. And, that that was what they spent that time doing.
Quote from: Apollon on April 05, 2011, 11:33:47 AM
On a purely artistic plane, I sort of worry that someone spent time at that. And, that that was what they spent that time doing.
You may be overestimating how much time was required.
Quote from: Apollon on April 05, 2011, 11:33:47 AM
On a purely artistic plane, I sort of worry that someone spent time at that. And, that that was what they spent that time doing.
I dunno, in terms of time spent vs. attention received, that image has to be one of the all-time over-achievers- it's one of the most quoted and plagiarised (http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&q=coolface&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1440&bih=734) images on the web.
I didn't mind P&M (or Pink Harp), he was just a little bit obsessive about that one piece. Oh, and didn't he have some weird fetish too? It was underwear, socks or stool samples.......can't remember.
Quote from: Apollon on April 05, 2011, 11:33:47 AM
On a purely artistic plane, I sort of worry that someone spent time at that. And, that that was what they spent that time doing.
The style is intentional. It emphasizes the irony of it, or something. My favored troll meme is the troll science though:
http://trollscience.com/troll/top_pics/
I'm embarrassed to say i actually considered a few of these in my time.
Quote from: ChamberNut on April 05, 2011, 12:01:03 PM
I didn't mind P&M (or Pink Harp), he was just a little bit obsessive about that one piece. Oh, and didn't he have some weird fetish too? It was underwear, socks or stool samples.......can't remember.
I think it was sniffing...
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on April 05, 2011, 11:35:55 AM
You may be overestimating how much time was required.
Or, I have an even lower artistic estimation of the result ; )Quote from: Lethe Dmitriyevich Shostakovich on April 05, 2011, 12:00:28 PM
I dunno, in terms of time spent vs. attention received, that image has to be one of the all-time over-achievers- it's one of the most quoted and plagiarised images on the web.
Oh, that it is, in its way, a great success, I do not deny.
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on April 05, 2011, 12:22:07 PM
...and not glue.
And my dog has the same fixation... maybe he was part dog?
He was all dawg.
Ha, I remember him including "sniffing" (solely, without explanation) in a list of ways to sexually gratify someone, as if it were totally normal.
Quote from: Corey on April 05, 2011, 02:24:33 PM
Ha, I remember him including "sniffing" (solely, without explanation) in a list of ways to sexually gratify someone, as if it were totally normal.
Oh dear, recognizing facts about one's self that other people do not need to know about is certainly important.
Quote from: Corey on April 05, 2011, 02:24:33 PM
Ha, I remember him including "sniffing" (solely, without explanation) in a list of ways to sexually gratify someone, as if it were totally normal.
It is, actually...
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on April 05, 2011, 03:05:36 PM
Oh dear, recognizing facts about one's self that other people do not need to know about is certainly important.
And then there is that. This is certainly info that should only be available on a 'need to know' basis. :D
8)
----------------
Now playing:
Das Wiener Philharmonia Trio - Hob 05 18 Divertimento á tre in Bb for 2 Violins & Bass 1st mvmt - Moderato
*gurning*
Quote from: toucan on April 05, 2011, 03:16:35 PM
The morons who run" talk classical," have managed to do worse in just one week-end than you have in what seems like many years of posting too much. That should make you feel better about yourself. Much better.
In fact, if only you'd learn to live peacefully with the fact that not everyone will ever agree with you on any subject, you'll be just fine.
That's probably true. My time spent on TC wasn't a highlight for me. Yes, I need to learn to how to be more accepting of other opinions. Good point. My apologizes to you if I had angered or belittled you in the past.
I guess those who have to ask if they're a troll aren't really a troll. If anything, it was a desperate cry for attention on my part. ;) I wasn't on my medication when I posted that anyway. :P
You see this is the difference between me and alot of other people on forums, I can laugh at myself and do it quite often even in real life. Life's too short to take oneself so seriously all the time.
P.S. Yes, I do post a lot, but when you don't have a life, like myself, it sure helps things go by a bit quicker. It's either this forum or check myself into a mental institution, so I'll definitely keep posting here. :D
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 05, 2011, 04:21:38 PM
It's either this forum or check myself into a mental institution, so I'll definitely keep posting here. :D
Sometimes, it seems, there really isn't a difference ... ;)
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 05, 2011, 04:21:38 PM
That's probably true. My time spent on TC wasn't a highlight for me. Yes, I need to learn to how to bP.S. Yes, I do post a lot, but when you don't have a life, like myself, it sure helps things go by a bit quicker. It's either this forum or check myself into a mental institution, so I'll definitely keep posting here. :D
That's odd, I assumed you were posting from a mental institution. (Remember what you wrote above about being able to laugh at yourslef.)
Quote from: toucan on April 05, 2011, 03:16:35 PM
In fact, if only you'd learn to live peacefully with the fact that not everyone will ever agree with you on any subject, you'll be just fine.
That's true, often we are so busy trying to convince other people of the "rightness" of our own opinions, that we don't properly listen to what they're saying to us. It becomes more of a rant than a proper dialogue...
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on April 05, 2011, 04:39:51 PM(Remember what you wrote above about being able to laugh at yourslef.)
That's odd, I assumed you were posting from a spelling institution.
Quote from: Brian on April 06, 2011, 12:35:27 AM
That's odd, I assumed you were posting from a spelling institution.
Only there for a spell I suppose.
Quote from: toucan on April 05, 2011, 03:16:35 PM
The morons who run" talk classical," have managed to do worse in just one week-end than you have in what seems like many years of posting too much. That should make you feel better about yourself. Much better.
In fact, if only you'd learn to live peacefully with the fact that not everyone will ever agree with you on any subject, you'll be just fine.
I'd never heard of Talk Classical until I saw this post. Heresy though it may be to discuss a rival site, is it any good? Or at all useful? Or at least vaguely entertaining? I only stumbled across GMG after PaulB mentioned it on the Gramophone forum, and whatever my disagreements with him were (forget now; probably something to do with religion and/or Ligeti), I'm grateful to him for that. Even if my productivity at work has taken a bit of a nose dive.
Quote from: MDL on April 06, 2011, 08:37:01 AM
I'd never heard of Talk Classical until I saw this post. Heresy though it may be to discuss a rival site, is it any good?
I don't think it is.
I mean, I don't think it's heresy. No site can rival GMG ; )
QuoteYou're out of your depth on this im afraid, and it's quite transparent
Ah! Paradise! ; )
Quote from: Apollon on April 06, 2011, 08:49:16 AM
Ah! Paradise! ; )
You must be listening to the music of the spheres..
http://buy-for-cheap.com/spare/funny/mcdonalds.swf?text=HENNING+EATS+HERE.+
Have you ever felt that there's not enough nothing? Me neither. (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/Smileys/classic/smiley.gif)
Oh, I do not! (to jowcol's pic)
I read and post at both GMG and Talk Classical. I enjoy my time at both forums and find both "good", informative, and entertaining. It's possible to do so, no matter how hard it may be for you to imagine.
It's true that a lot of us miss you there, Toucan.
Quote from: Apollon on April 08, 2011, 05:27:33 AM
Oh, I do not! (to jowcol's pic)
Now, what's wrong with McDonalds?
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-j6MHe90g34Y/TXkLuTFthII/AAAAAAAAC_o/MCMH9RD05AQ/s1600/anti-mcdonalds-ads.jpg)
;D
Quote from: Apollon on April 08, 2011, 05:27:33 AM
Oh, I do not! (to jowcol's pic)
Lies. Where else did Henning's "Happy Meal Concerto" and "Big Mac Suite" come from? Two of the most famous works in the Henning Repertoire? We see through your deception, it's quite transparent.
Quote from: jowcol on April 08, 2011, 11:42:34 AM
Lies. Where else did Henning's "Happy Meal Concerto" and "Big Mac Suite" come from? Two of the most famous works in the Henning Repertoire?
I'm crying here.
Quote from: Apollon on April 08, 2011, 11:51:00 AM
I'm crying here.
And my personal favorite, Variations and Fugue on a theme by the Hamburgler.
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on April 08, 2011, 11:54:57 AM
And my personal favorite, Variations and Fugue on a theme by the Hamburgler.
Of which, don't forget the great mad song for countertenor, banjo, and electric kazoo: "Robble, robble!"
http://buy-for-cheap.com/spare/funny/mcdonalds.swf?text=HENNING+COMPOSES+HERE.+
Word on the street is he is working on an epic Choral work, St. Ronald's Passion, where the last supper consists of super-sized Value meals.
But I've also heard some VERY disturbing rumors that Henning also wrote the score for this very lame horror movie, probably under an assumed name.
http://www.youtube.com/v/RIRmcpgT1Ic
Quote from: jowcol on April 08, 2011, 01:39:38 PM
Word on the street is he is working on an epic Choral work, St. Ronald's Passion, where the last supper consists of super-sized Value meals.
It's not over until the fat ladies sing:
(http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Business/images/mcdonalds-fat-women.jpg)
Quote from: Szykneij on April 05, 2011, 04:31:14 PM
Sometimes, it seems, there really isn't a difference ... ;)
So true....
Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on April 05, 2011, 04:39:51 PM
That's odd, I assumed you were posting from a mental institution. (Remember what you wrote above about being able to laugh at yourslef.)
:P Also true!
Quote from: premont on April 04, 2011, 07:57:03 AM
DavidW has done similar things, nobody commenting about it. He may know.
OCD for me. But I think that there is also a feeling that you can some how erase the history as if it never happened and start again. But eventually you realize there is no point, because at least for me, I will always be a hot headed son of a gun!!
Quote from: Rinaldo on April 05, 2011, 05:24:50 AM
Rod's gradual descent to madness as documented in the ominous Handel vs Bach thread was somewhat fascinating, although it left me wondering – was that elaborate trolling or was it sincere? The latter option seems rather scary.
:-*
Quote from: Rod Corkin on January 06, 2012, 01:43:19 PM
:-*
Oh my god...the return of the Corkster! We thought you were dead, dude ;D
Sarge
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on January 06, 2012, 01:45:43 PM
Oh my god...the return of the Corkster! We thought you were dead, dude ;D
Sarge
You know fine well where to find me, at my site. I just make occasion rounds of the other forums to see what amusing slander has been written about me. Alas not so much now compared to the good old days. ;D
Quote from: Rod Corkin on January 06, 2012, 01:52:34 PM
You know fine well where to find me, at my site. I just make occasion rounds of the other forums to see what amusing slander has been written about me. Alas not so much now compared to the good old days. ;D
You have to drop by and
poke the lazy beast...then it'll rear its belligerent head and attack 8)
Sarge
An instance of Trolling-lite, which we can easily absorb into the weft and weave here.
Mike