Now here’s how you do it

September 27, 2018 6:16 PM

Be Better at Listening by Pomplamoose. Pomplamoose previously (which has more previously)
posted by Caduceus (26 comments total)

Be better
Now here’s how you do it

Step 1:
Stop thinking about yourself
Step 2:
Focus on someone else
Step 3:
Ask them a question, like you care
Step 4:
Try to care
posted by Caduceus at 6:20 PM on September 27, 2018 [6 favorites]

Pomplamoose is interesting because of what's going on with them outside of the band. The band came first, the 5% of every Patreon donation came later, so they don't quite slot in to the same slot as something like JD and the Straight Shot and you can't just write them off as a rich person's hobby band.

But it's always there in the back of my head when I hear them. "They are super rich for reason that have nothing to do with the success of their music."
posted by thecjm at 6:42 PM on September 27, 2018 [3 favorites]

I have a friend this needs to go to.
posted by greermahoney at 7:43 PM on September 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Oof.
posted by Joe in Australia at 7:46 PM on September 27, 2018

Yeah, it's always a little weird knowing I discovered Patreon because of a Beyonce cover, but that's the Internet.
posted by feckless at 8:02 PM on September 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

It’s like School House Rock for awkward adults!
posted by vorpal bunny at 8:19 PM on September 27, 2018 [6 favorites]

Pomplamoose is interesting because of what's going on with them outside of the band.

I only know of them for their YouTube videos and that one thing where they went on tour and lost money. What else is there?
posted by Big Al 8000 at 9:03 PM on September 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

So this is the parallel universe where Tina Weymouth got to front Talking Heads?
posted by maudlin at 9:16 PM on September 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

What else is there?

Jack is a co-founder of Patreon.
posted by ckape at 9:52 PM on September 27, 2018 [4 favorites]

Like the song, like the message. Thank you for posting.

Interesting about the Patreon connection with Pomplamoose. I get similarly distracting thoughts when listening to Bishop Allen, a band I really enjoy (Christian Rudder is a co-founder of OkCupid).
posted by Pfardentrott at 10:13 PM on September 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

The verse melody is exceedingly similar to "Bohemian Like You" by the Dandy Warhols.
posted by grumpybear69 at 10:29 PM on September 27, 2018

the 5% of every Patreon donation came later,

He gets FIVE percent of every donation?
posted by thelonius at 5:33 AM on September 28, 2018

The verse melody is exceedingly similar to "Bohemian Like You" by the Dandy Warhols.

Okay.
posted by Caduceus at 5:37 AM on September 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

But it's always there in the back of my head when I hear them. "They are super rich for reason that have nothing to do with the success of their music."

I didn't know that Jack co-founded Patreon until reading it in this thread. So, while your statement is correct, I think it's more like "They are super rich because he developed a widely popular internet platform that has helped to support a huge number of independent artists." And I'm totally ok with that.

Wikipedia says that Patreon (not Jack directly) gets 5% commission on donations and a 5% transaction fee, which presumably goes to overhead and stuff. I'm sure Jack's take-home is a lot less than that, but yeah, he's probably quite wealthy. Good for him.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 6:13 AM on September 28, 2018 [8 favorites]

Animatronics have come so far.
posted by pracowity at 6:17 AM on September 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

I only know of them for their YouTube videos and that one thing where they went on tour and lost money. What else is there?

Well, they first made a name for themselves doing car commercials. Never really dug their music, I'll admit, but Patreon's introduced me more than a few creators I might not have encountered without it, so cheers to them for that.

(And I find that uniquely 21st century career path from YouTube star to commercial media to influencer to tech tycoon a fascinating one. It makes me wish Scott Fitzgerald were alive to write about it.)
posted by octobersurprise at 7:05 AM on September 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

The sentiments expressed in this song kind of suck, IMO.
posted by slkinsey at 7:39 AM on September 28, 2018

Count me as another Pomplamoose fan who had no idea about the Patreon connection. Interesting.
posted by DrAstroZoom at 7:55 AM on September 28, 2018 [4 favorites]

The sentiments expressed in this song kind of suck, IMO.

How so? There are plenty of dudes out there who just talk to hear themselves speak. We could all stand to listen more.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 8:11 AM on September 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

The sentiments expressed in this song kind of suck, IMO.

How so? There are plenty of dudes out there who just talk to hear themselves speak. We could all stand to listen more.

The line if you talk less / you'll get more ass is problematic insasmuch as it reflects the "follow these rules and you will deserve sex" mindset. I'm sure that wasn't the intention - it's a catchy couplet - but you know what they say about intentions.
posted by grumpybear69 at 10:25 AM on September 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

... you know what they say about intentions.

They make an ass out of u and me? Wait, that can't be right...
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:41 AM on September 28, 2018 [4 favorites]

The line if you talk less / you'll get more ass is problematic insasmuch as it reflects the "follow these rules and you will deserve sex" mindset.

Well sure, but I just took that as part of the joke. I don't think it's a binding contract.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 11:13 AM on September 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Wikipedia says that Patreon (not Jack directly) gets 5% commission on donations and a 5% transaction fee

Sure, they're just another rent-seeking internet gate-keeper, with the added irony that this goes to fund this guy's terrible vanity band that got famous from fatuously complaining about how they couldn't make any money on music
posted by anazgnos at 11:54 AM on September 28, 2018 [3 favorites]

I actually heard their cover of "Single Ladies" before I heard the original (I am an Old, what can I say?), and so now the line "Doooon't make me sing this part/the lyrics are so bad" is the canonical version in my head.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:03 PM on September 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Maybe he’s super rich from Patreon? I dunno, that seems to assume facts not in evidence. I know a few people who use Patreon for their podcasts and they seem happy with it, so I’m not sure I’m on board for the “rent-seeking internet gate-keeper“ tag, either. Artists need to get paid. People need to pay. Facilitating that transaction for a reasonable fee seems well within acceptable capitalist behavior, no?
posted by Big Al 8000 at 1:16 PM on September 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

The line if you talk less / you'll get more ass is problematic insasmuch as it reflects the "follow these rules and you will deserve sex" mindset.

For any formulation of "good behavior A leads to desired outcome B," there will be people who go about it in different ways. Some will perform A because it's the right thing to do, and B will come their way because good things come to good people. Others will do it because they're directly reward-seeking.

However, to some degree, it's still desirable if everyone does A even if some are doing it "for the wrong reason." I'm absolutely for no one ever, ever using slurs again, even if 20% of folks were doing it because "using a slur makes you unfuckable."

Positive knowledge of who's a bit ugly in their heart isn't worth the trade-off of an uglier world.
posted by explosion at 1:48 PM on September 28, 2018 [1 favorite]