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[AngelV]

This is now on Pitchfork's homepage:
(and Brent is still listed on their Staff page, fwiw)

>> RETRACTION

Last Tuesday, June 15th, Pitchfork published a review of the Beastie Boys' To the 5 Boroughs by Brent DiCrescenzo, a frequent and trusted contributor. In his review, Brent detailed experiences with the Beastie Boys' public relations firm Nasty Little Man, and its president Steve Martin, over the course of several years. Pitchfork has since determined that a number of DiCrescenzo's assertions were false, based on corroborated statements from the two parties he claimed were participating in the chain of events referred to in the review. With apologies to Steve Martin and Nasty Little Man, we have retracted the original review in its entirety, and would like to make the following known publicly, to correct any and all falsities perpetrated by Brent's review:

1) Radiohead were never in Milan in June 1999.

2) Radiohead never moved a concert from Villa Reale in Milan to Monza in 1999, 2000 or otherwise.

3) Steve Martin never "forgot to tell" Brent that the concert was moved, as it was not.

4) Neither Steve Martin, nor anyone working for Nasty Little Man, ever confirmed a Radiohead interview with Brent DiCrescenzo or Pitchfork.

5) Brent DiCrescenzo's declaration that Steve Martin had not gotten back to him or Mean magazine about a possible Beastie Boys interview after six weeks is untrue: Martin was in constant contact with Mean publisher Kashy Khaledi and editor Andy Hunter throughout that period.

6) Mean magazine never "delayed their publication to accomodate [Martin's] procrastination." Kashy Khaledi did so of his own volition in order to keep the Beastie Boys cover story Martin had confirmed and saw through with him every step of the way.

7) Steve Martin has never, to Brent DiCrescenzo's knowledge, "dangled [his] major artists... like carrots to the media in an attempt to blackmail press for features" on less established artists or bands.

Sincerely,
Pitchfork Media

[rva]

Here's the original review, in its full Lester Bang wannabe glory:

http://www.esselle.org/blog/lepage/fullpitch.html

So essentially 1/2 the review was based on lies that had absolutely nothing to with the cd or the Beastie Boys.

[SteelTown Boy]

when i write reviews,i try and get to the point and not pull some shite like that...

sad that...

[Jonathan]

OK, so I read it. I'm not sure what it is, but I don't think it's a review. Just a bunch of rambling. If only someone had tried to submit that to me when I was still a copy editor. I would have ripped it to shreds.

[Juliana]

That is the worst review I've ever read.

That's horrible.

[Butter]

Looks like ol' Brent wanted to go out with a bang, but instead decided to make shit up and then rail against the fictional world he'd created.

But that's not the WORST review I've ever read.  I think the worst review I've ever read was the review of Ben Kweller's new album in the Dayton Daily News several weeks ago.  I'll see if I can dig that up for you guys.

[Butter]

Here's that Ben Kweller review.  Maybe actually reviewing the album might've helped it.

Rock

Rating:   D
Ben Kweller
ON MY WAY
ATO/RCA

Ten important music-industry lessons to be learned from Ben Kweller's second album, On My Way:

1. Sell a few records once and it doesn't matter what the sophomore project sounds like.

2. Pop stars don't have to be gifted singers to get a record contract. They don't even have to be able to hold a steady note.

3. Pitch is a thing of the past.

4. "Harmonizing" just means a couple of people singing together — they don't even have to sound good.

5. Strong instrumentation can carry an untalented singer a very long way.

6. An album with a "live" feel really sounds like an underproduced demo tape recorded in the basement.

7. The key to success is mimicking the styles of successful musicians, even if it's done poorly.

8. Oh, yeah: Strong instrumentation can carry an untalented singer a very long way.

9. Despite what they say, guys do think whiney and nasally are attractive vocal qualities.

10. Silence really can be music to the ears.

— LISA KNODEL

[bmxer43]

Go to Pitchfork.  They have a letter at the beginning refuting the lies.

[Jonathan]

I can't believe that Ben Kweller review actually made it into a newspaper. The Pitchfork thing, I can understand...it's a specialized media site. But a daily newspaper...what that review was isn't anywhere close to journalism.

[LanneyD]

that ben kweller review is horrible.  Clearly, the author is interested in the corporate aspects.  Even if she didn't like it, at least she could have said why, instead of some banal "commentary" that really didn't tell anyone anything at all.

Thats the one thing I always worry about in my reviews.  Often, there are antedotes that I want to convey to explain why I am interested/attracted/detested/etc by the media being reviewed, but I try to limit them, and focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the media.

If I want to read an entertaining story, I'll pick up one of my favorite authors.  If I want an informed, knowledgeable, levelheaded (for the most part) opinion about a product, then I will go look at reviews.

Thats the problem with Pitchfork often.  They tell a story, but don't say a damn thing about the album.

[AngelV]

Agreed. When I write reviews, I try to stay away from using the word "I" or any other identifier. Ideally, I want the user to read my opinion, but leave it up to them to decided whether or not they would want to check out the CD, etc.

[Nate]

I think P-Fork does a good job with news coverage, but their album reviews for the most part are lacking.  It seems that there needs to be some sort of indie cool factor involved with a band to get a high score, and has nothing to do with the music.

Of course, it's hard for me to find a magazine or website that I agree with on the majority of their reviews.  Maybe that's why I write my own.