Last week I mentioned how disappointing, albeit unsurprising, it is that Live Nation had recently gutted the staffs of the internet’s few remaining music websites. I don’t know what the future of music journalism will be. Maybe something important can rise from the ashes. But here in the present moment, the state of things is a disjointed scattering of stray writers off doing their own show and dance for their own audiences.
And even though it’s frustrating to have everything spread out across the internet, I do actually enjoy waking up to a bunch of new missives from the little freaks I follow in my inbox. So today I thought I’d rattle off a list of some people in music worth following. This is not a complete reading list. Just a few off the top of my head.
And while I’m at it, [Jay Z in 2003 voice] allow me to introduce myself my name is Dan Ozzi. I’m the author of a few books on music like SELLOUT and last year’s co-authoring of Mark Hoppus’ FAHRENHEIT-182. I’ve been running this here publication ZERO CRED since 2019. Seven years in internet time is like several decades in the real world. I’m basically the Odysseus of music newsletters.
I’ve published many longform interviews with musicians, authors, and artists (all free to read!). Every Sunday I send out a whatever column to my paid subscribers full of new music, book, and movie recommendations or just rants about the news of the week. I also use this space to launch new books, zines, and merch I’ve made, because newsletters are cool and all but what I really love is shipping people crap in the mail. Consider upgrading your subscription for only $2.50 a month! It really helps A LOT. Plus you get a membership card and sticker.
Andrew was the first person I thought about when I heard the recent news of the layoffs. For 16 years he has been the driving force behind BrooklynVegan, tirelessly working as indie rock’s official record keeper. I can’t overstate what an invaluable resource his work at BV has become for me. Every time I’ve had to do research and needed to look up dates, times, tours, releases, etc, I’ve seen his byline at the top of the page. After getting laid off last week, he took his talents to Unhappy Place. He also has a new book, Emo Revival, out next month and I have an interview with him about it set to run here very soon.
Former Clarity is the occasional newsletter by my friend(?), podcast cohost, and former music editor of The AV Club, David Anthony. A good resource for hardcore demo recommendations, extensive Fiddlehead coverage, and updates on his own band, Ritual Cross.
Emma is my former Noisey counterpart in the UK. Gabrielle is a newsletter that mostly collects her horny writings about sex and desire but she also occasionally covers music, like this interview with Ethel Cain. Emma also has a cultural history of emo coming out next year called Tell All Your Friends which I’ve been reading an advance copy of and enjoying. I’m sure there will be updates about it on Gabrielle soon. Writing about emo should require some sort of legal permit you can only obtain by passing several written and oral tests. They should only grant one permit every four years. Not only should Emma be allowed a permit, she should be the one administering the test.
New punk and hardcore recommendations from the former news director of Pitchfork Evan Minsker. Plus a weekly podcast with Nina Corcoran. I was their first guest. That’s how you know it’s good!
The author of Corporate Rock Sucks, Do What You Want, and My Damage updates readers on his readings, travels, upcoming books and projects, and, for some reason, news items about Orcas. (Don’t get me wrong, I fucking love the Orca news.)
An alarming number of weekly music recommendations from writer and Chicago man about town Josh Terry. Like, enough recommendations that you find yourself asking where he finds the time to listen to it all.
And of course I have to make mention of my boy Luke O’Neil’s Welcome to Hell, the prototype for the newsletter economy. When I started ZERO CRED seven years ago, Luke was really the main voice in the newsletter game and he gave me a lot of helpful advice. Most dispatches are about How Bad Things Are but he’ll occasionally go deep on music, like his semi-regular artist appreciation posts where he asks notable people for their top five songs by a given artist. (I was invited to contribute to the Weezer edition.) Oh and speaking of shameless self promo, Luke recently let me write about Danny McBride’s new book of short stories. Proud to have my name on Hell World.
Regular essays, demos, and tour updates from the frontman of Thursday, author of Someone Who Isn’t Me, and foremost STAR of my book SELLOUT, Geoff Rickly. Top tier writing here. Sort of infuriating how effortless he makes it seem.
Here’s Sarah from Illuminati Hotties filling the void on tour by sending out road missives. I like getting these in my inbox because Sarah really keeps it positive and most of the things I read for pleasure are mean and fatalistic.
If I’m being very honest, the concept of a newsletter run by a band rubs me the wrong way. Maybe I subconsciously see it as a threat to my livelihood. After all, if bands cut out the middle men by asking themselves stupid questions in print, what future do I have?? But I like what the PUP guys have been doing with their newsletter, like when Stefan revisited their fans’ least favorite record on its anniversary and tore it a new one. Plus they use my photos sometimes which is fun.
Drug Church’s loquacious frontman Patrick Kindlon sends weekly updates about his comic book projects and comic industry gripes and if I’m being very honest I don’t know what he’s on about most of the time. But occasionally he’ll get sidetracked with one of his famous Kindlon Culture Takes and I’m here for it.
Last year I talked to AFI frontman Davey Havok and told him that ever since SELLOUT was released I’ve regularly had readers asking me for a supplemental AFI chapter. He seemed surprised because he didn’t feel like he had any reflecting to do on the subject. “It’s been documented so much,” he said of that time in the band’s career. So I was surprised when he started this newsletter and started waxing nostalgic about his records and moments in the band’s history. But I am surprised at how well he translates to the medium.
Real life: PO Box 11352, Glendale, CA 91226
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