Rolling Stone: Kirk Hammett Lost 250 Potential Metallica Riffs

Leading up to working on a new Metallica LP, guitarist Kirk Hammett started the habit of recording his song ideas onto his iPhone. By a certain point, he'd amassed what he estimated to be 250 riffs, but then about six months ago – to use his words from a recent interview with Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta (viaBlabbermouth) – "something very unfortunate happened." He lost the phone. Worse yet, he'd never backed it up.

Metallica Kick Off Reissue Project With Early Demo Tape »

"When it happened, I was bummed out for about two or three days," he said in the interview, which was part of Jasta's podcast. The guitarist then went on to explain that he'd "just plain lost it." "I'm still looking for it to this day," he said. "I just set it somewhere and…it still might turn up. I'm hoping it will. To try to remember those riffs? I can only remember, like, eight of 'em. So I just chalked it down to maybe it just wasn't meant to be and I'll just move forward with it."

He also addressed the podcast's listeners: "All you musicians out there who use your phone, make sure it's backed up. Right?!"

Hammett also offered an update on the group's new album, calling it "super riffy" and "super heavy." "It's a lot similar to [2008's] Death Magnetic, but different in certain parts. James [Hetfield] is doing a lot of really, really cool melody stuff these days, a lot of vocal layers. 'Lords of Summer' is a good example of that, the beginning.... There's a couple of songs that remind me of something on [1988's] …And Justice for All, but the album doesn't sound like …And Justice for All."

Earlier this month, Hammett estimated that the group was about 30 percent done with the new record. "We have a lot of good songs [but] the songs are ever-changing at this point," he told Billboard.

The group's bassist, Robert Trujillo, told Rolling Stone also in April that "what we're doing sounds heavy" and, with a laugh, that "it's sounding like Metallica." Meanwhile, Lars Ulrich exclaimed, "We are fucking in it," when Rolling Stone asked him about the record's progress in March. "It's pretty close," he said at the time.

"In our world, there's been a distinct difference between the creative phase and the recording phase," Ulrich said. "With this project, we're trying to bridge the two a little more organically and not have there be such a great divide between the processes. We want to see if we can bring some of the creative curiosity, the impulsive stuff that happens when you're first playing a song into the studio."



Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kirk-hammett-lost-250-potential-metallica-riffs-20150422#ixzz3fTERIshh 

Business Insider: How a Reddit AMA turned a modest vacuum salesman into an internet superstar

Reddit is a goldmine of information and entertainment, where memes are born, celebrities make fun of themselves, and videos go viral. But sometimes the best submissions come from the everyday man (or woman) — one who isn’t a movie star or world renowned athlete. Often it just takes a passionate employee who cares enough to give detailed information about their profession or hobbies.

Meet Brian Driscoll: a vacuum repair technician who now has the seventeenth highest upvoted AMA of all time, thousands of YouTube subscribers, a podcast feature, and a custom branded vacuum named after him. Brian can tell you the best vacuum to buy based on your floor types, budget, and variables like what kind of pets you own or how long your girlfriend’s hair is.

www.donttouchmycoffee.netBrian sitting with his beloved vacuums

 

 

It started on October 27th, 2013 when Brian fatefully answered a simple question: What is a commonly believed "fact" related to your line of work that simply is not true?

Brian’s response was brief, but controversial: the belief that “Dysons are good vacuums.” This triggered some follow up questions from dismayed Redditors who thought Dyson was the be all end all of suction technology. We’ve all seen the fancy ads and used those amazing hand dryers, so it’s no surprise that commoners think they’re hot stuff.  Brian elaborated:

Think of any appliance purchase as you would a car; Pay attention to the warranty, pay attention to repair/parts costs, and ask someone who repairs them about the appliance's quality. A Dyson is like a Kia, as compared to a Miele or Riccar or Sebo, which are like a Mercedes Benz. All are covered by good warranties, which the manufactures honor, well.

But, where you don't expect to have your Mercedes in the shop often, you will have your Dyson (Kia) in the shop, frequently. The latest models are plagued with problems, and many of the repair shops do not yet keep a large enough supply of parts on hand. That, combined with the 2 week wait for parts from Dyson, do not make it a wise purchase.

Is this enough, or shall I actually go into the performance of Dysons? 

Don’t worry, he did continue on to explain the performance issues with Dysons. You can read it here. Users immediately began clamoring for an AMA, where they would have the chance to go into more vacuum-centric minutia than they ever thought was possible. Just a couple days later, he launched his first AMA, in disbelief that anyone would actually care.

But care they did. Part of the success is attributed to the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad that aired the night before. In that episode, Saul Goodman arrives at a vacuum repair shop, in search of a new identity and Walter White. The top comment on Brian's AMA was about the secret code Saul used: "Are you often asked if you have a dust filter for a Hoover Max Extract® 60 Pressure Pro?" Jokes aside, the AMA revealed his preferred brands, Miele and Riccar, and how he is actually a former hair stylist with a background in auto mechanics. 

Just three months later, Brian was back with a follow up, and an amazing catch-phrase. “Hi, Reddit! I'm here to make your day suck better. The Vacuum Guy is back with an updated AMA!”

Reddit user mar10wright fired off a great response, saying “I loved your last AMA, I took your advice and bought a Miele and it really sucks! Thanks for the AMA man.” 

A vacuum review might be the only place where the phrase “really sucks” is a compliment.

It is this kind of banter that has made Brian’s internet fame skyrocket so quickly. You pair a friendly, informative user with an equally witty and encouraging audience, and magic happens.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEJSACjCL2gBrian nervously launching into his first YouTube video, on how to clean a Dyson blade

 

It wasn’t long before Brian, under the username “Don’t Touch My Coffee” started a YouTube channel so he could put all his recommendations and tips into a DIY video format. So far he’s covered the basics of maintenance and care for your vacuums. As one commentator aptly pointed out that he “just watched a guy showing me how to maintain a vacuum for eight minutes at 5am. I don't even own a vacuum.”

For Brian, it just keeps getting better. He was featured on the Reddit focused podcast, Upvoted, two weeks ago in an episode titled “The Surprisingly Complex Life of A Vacuum Repairman”. There,  under the pseudonym Jack, he spoke about how the beloved comic, Cyanide and Happiness, led to his discovery of Reddit in 2012 through a link on the site.

soundcloud.comCheeky "Game of Thrones" style art for the Upvoted podcast

 

 

 

Upvoted host Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, interviewed Joy Petty, the director of marketing for Riccar - one of Brian's favorite brands.

Petty explained how the traffic from all of his referrals actually made their site crash the day of the first AMA, and they saw a huge spike in sales. When they finally traced the server overload back to Reddit, she was impressed with Brian's marketing abilities.

Petty told Ohanian: "I’m a big believer in authenticity, and he’s dripping with it." From there, it was actually Ohanian's idea to bring Brian and Riccar into business together. He asked Petty whether she would consider having a "Don't Touch My Coffee" branded vacuum. The response was immediate: "[Brian] can design his own Riccar if he tells us what model he wants, and what color he wants...He deserves it."

When he heard the news, Brian was floored but prepared: "I already have an existing machine in mind. I’m shocked, flattered, and flabbergasted. I never knew that vacuums were going to be this significant in my life." 



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-a-vacuum-repairman-is-taking-over-the-internet-2015-4#ixzz3fTDuz1gW

Fast Company: REDDIT JUMPS ON THE PODCAST TRAIN, LAUNCHES 'UPVOTED

REDDIT JUMPS ON THE PODCAST TRAIN, LAUNCHES "UPVOTED"

FOUNDER ALEXIS OHANIAN HOPES TO TELL THE STORIES BEHIND REDDIT'S MOST POPULAR CONTENT.

BY AINSLEY O'CONNELL

Thanks in part to the blockbuster success of Serial, podcasts are enjoying arenaissance. Now online community Reddit—home to many a Serial discussion board—is launching a podcast of its own, designed to tell the most compelling back stories from its message boards.

"Usually when something’s been upvoted to one of the thousands of Reddit front pages it’s just the beginning," Ohanian says at the start of "Episode 0," which debuted today. "We’d like to use this podcast to dig a little deeper and hopefully realize that we’re all more connected than we thought."

That mission is admirable, but within hours of Upvoted's launch announcement theNew Republic had already penned a vicious takedown, calling the show "an insult to the very form of the podcast."

[T]he first episode of Upvoted is unsuccessful on almost every level; from its cheap opening gimmicks, to its promotional overtones, and even its content. For anyone still stinging from the disappointment of Serial’s season one finale, this is a healthy reminder: it could always get worse.

Ouch.

It’s fair to say that Upvoted does not share Serial’s investigative stance; if anything, "Episode 0" seems determined to fill listeners with warm fuzzies regarding the redemptive power of Reddit itself. (One highlight: The story of a Reddit user who got a job at the site after serving a prison sentence.) But if you’re looking for a feel-good fix, you can find the episode here.

[via Fast Company]