Pop Vultures, R.I.P.

December 16, 2004 8:13 PM

Pop Vultures,perhaps the freshest show to grace our radio airwaves in recent years has been cancelled. Host Kate Sullivan and a collection of friends mused on pop music and associated pop culture with passion, a strong does of "um" and "uh, like" and an always great soundtrack. You can listen (for the moment anyway) to the archives . R.I.P.
posted by donovan (21 comments total)

Is that "Prairie Home Productions" a la Garrison Keillor? Never heard of the show.
posted by mudpuppie at 8:17 PM on December 16, 2004

Not to be rude, but I fucking hated that show. Smarmy hipsters argue over pop culture does not make good radio.
posted by VanRoosta at 8:20 PM on December 16, 2004

"Smarmy hipsters argue over pop culture does not make good radio."

it seems to be ok in metafilter though.
posted by tsarfan at 8:28 PM on December 16, 2004

mudpuppie: yes.

VanRoosta: That's not rude, that's just your opinion. I fucking loved the show and felt it brought something to public radio that I missed: a distinct POV and passion. Rather than hipsters, I though Kate et al often came across as obsessive fans or cranky critics. I can personally relate to both categories so it made me happy.

My larger disappointment is that I think they were on to something--a new genre perhaps--and I wish they'd been given more rope to either hang themselves or tie me down to the bed.
posted by donovan at 8:30 PM on December 16, 2004

Smarmy hipsters argue over pop culture does not make good radio.

Especially smarmy hipsters clueless concerning anything prior to the 1990s.
posted by y2karl at 8:44 PM on December 16, 2004

Deactivating knew-jerk reaction mode...

I was actually pretty interested in this show when I first heard about it. I consider myself a music fan and a mild "indie" fiend, so it seemed right up my alley. What started to turn me off was the annoying (to me) hosts and their inability to provide basic bio info on the site without some sarcastic Stryper reference (I think they changed those profile pages, in case you have no idea what I'm talking about). I'm not petty enough to just condemn the show because of that though, what really got me was the terrible show themes. Why do I want to hear about Usher and American Idol on Public Radio? I can see that constantly on MTV/VH1. Yes, I know it's "pop" vultures, but I was hoping that would be more of a clever name and less of a harbinger of its fluff subjects.

P.S. In my opinion, a really fantastic music show on NPR is American Routes.
posted by VanRoosta at 8:47 PM on December 16, 2004

The "uh like totally" style of the show grated on me, but they'd occasionally say something pretty bright, and I was starting to look for it on the dial. Public radio is not giving it enough time, but then they probably should clear the path for another inane quiz show or something, so I guess it all works out.
posted by dong_resin at 8:48 PM on December 16, 2004

Well, it's clear just a few comments into this thread that I'm in the minority, which I can accept.

VanRoosta I agree that American Routes is great.

What I loved about Pop Vultures (and what I can understand can be a turn off in a BROADcast media) was the fanness. The opinion and the conversation--that I sometimes disagreed with passionately--about music. I liked the fact that they put a stake in the ground on topics. I hate mealy mouth reporting and a gravitation to the median opion. Maybe that's it: there was an opinion being expressed which let me calibrate against the media as opposed to a blah blah blah review of an album.

As for the style, I'll admit that at times I felt it was overrought, but I was delighted that there was a chance to hear a differennt, non authoritative voice on the radio. I've had enough of "experts." My blog rant on this topics is here (obviously, self link)
posted by donovan at 9:01 PM on December 16, 2004

The sycophantic ass kissing interviews by old farts of whoever has a new book, movie or record to push on Weekend Edition are far more loathsome than the nepotistic twittery of Pop Vultures. Apart from This American Life, to very little of NPR do I consciously little anymore. Most of the time it's there for a voice in the room.
posted by y2karl at 9:06 PM on December 16, 2004

make that smarmy ex-hipster old farts...
posted by y2karl at 9:08 PM on December 16, 2004

and listen for little where appropriate. God, am I losing it in this thread....
posted by y2karl at 9:10 PM on December 16, 2004

y2kari, there has to be a word for when you spend some time firing out a good, solidly thought idea or concept onto a message base, preview it a couple times, click on the post button with the air of "THIS will make them sit up and notice!" and then you glance over your little lexigraphical work of art and there's an amazing typographical error. That feeling.. it needs a word.
posted by jscott at 10:17 PM on December 16, 2004

I'm not all that wild about the show, to be honest. It's an attempt to beat back corporate culture with hippness but, like many such attempts, ends up being mostly just a commercial for the thing it tries to despise. However, it so happens that Kate Sullivan is actually a pretty darn good writer.
posted by Clay201 at 10:17 PM on December 16, 2004

Kate Sullivan is 30? I was off by 15 years, whaddaya know.
posted by QuietDesperation at 10:32 PM on December 16, 2004

30 is the new retarded.
posted by dong_resin at 11:58 PM on December 16, 2004

As for shows where people sit around and joke about music, I actually preferred My Music to Pop Vultures. Even though I am clueless about classical music and didn't get half their jokes, those British guys were pretty funny. Sorry, just thinking out loud.
posted by Hildago at 12:18 AM on December 17, 2004

The sycophantic ass kissing interviews by old farts of whoever has a new book, movie or record to push on Weekend Edition are far more loathsome than the nepotistic twittery of Pop Vultures.

My god, yes. Did anyone hear that interminable review of I Am Charlotte Simmons? People like her give us fancypants elitists a bad name.
posted by jpoulos at 5:20 AM on December 17, 2004

I get Dan Schorr off the website and ditch the rest. The only worthwhile 5 minutes on that stupid broadcast anymore.
posted by dong_resin at 5:44 AM on December 17, 2004

That feeling.. it needs a word.

Sleepy.
posted by y2karl at 8:51 AM on December 17, 2004

30 is the new retarded.

30 is the new 15--of adultescence.
posted by y2karl at 9:37 AM on December 17, 2004

Like I said.
posted by dong_resin at 9:46 PM on December 17, 2004