FredS

16 think pieces
4
FredFilms Substack·essay·MTV·Fred Seibert
The Art of MTV - by Fred Seibert - The FredFilms Substack

MTV's co-founder reveals how he invented the iconic shape-shifting logo in 1981—designing a brand for a channel with no shows and almost no audience.

Score: 68Read at fredfilms.substack.com
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Open Culture·commentary·Film
How Fritz Lang's Metropolis Created the Blueprint for Modern Science Fiction (1927) | Open Culture

Fritz Lang's 1927 *Metropolis* invented sci-fi's core vocabulary—AI, class war, dystopia—and its vision of 2026 feels uncomfortably current.

Score: 52Read at openculture.com
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The Hollywood Reporter·YouTube
YouTube Lays Claim to Another Crown: The World’s Largest Media Company

YouTube surpassed Disney to become the world's largest media company in 2025, with $62B in revenue and a $500B+ valuation.

Score: 45Read at hollywoodreporter.com
Bypass Hollywood·feature·Culture
They Built a Kids Franchise Without a Studio, a Network, or Permission and Pulled in Millions Doing It – Bypass Hollywood

Claynosaurz built a million-follower kids dinosaur franchise—no studio, no network—using digital collectibles, social media, and direct fan community. Millions made independently.

Score: 72Read at bypasshollywood.online
NPR·review·Music·Martin Johnson
'Strasbourg 82' shows that Art Blakey never stopped pushing the envelope : NPR

A newly unearthed 1982 concert recording reveals Art Blakey's overlooked post-Marsalis Jazz Messengers lineup—featuring a young Terence Blanchard—as genuinely great.

Score: 76Read at npr.org
KNKX·feature·John Coltrane
Reviving Joe Brazil's vision for jazz, mutual aid and collective joy

Joe Brazil shaped Seattle's jazz scene through community education and mutual aid. His great-niece now works to revive his Black Academy of Music legacy.

Score: 72Read at knkx.org
LAmag·profile·Music·Bobbi Murray
Rhino Records Helped Create a Reissue Boom—Now One of Its Founders Is Starting Over - LAmag

Rhino Records co-founder Richard Foos walked away after Time Warner absorbed the label and launched Shout! Factory to recapture that original fan-obsessed magic.

Score: 72Read at lamag.com
In Sheep's Clothing·feature·Music
Now Jazz Now: Thurston Moore, Byron Coley and Mats Gustafsson Map the History of Free Jazz | In Sheeps Clothing

Thurston Moore, Byron Coley, and Mats Gustafsson finally publish their decades-in-the-making guide to free jazz's 1960–1980 golden era — obsessive, personal, essential.

Score: 72Read at insheepsclothinghifi.com
USA TODAY·interview·Music·Kim Willis
Monkees' Micky Dolenz tells band's inside story, 60 years later

Micky Dolenz, the last living Monkee, gives a rare three-hour deep dive into the band's full 60-year story.

Score: 72Read at usatoday.com
Jazz Journal·review·Music
Reviewed: Miroslav Vitous | Harry Christelis | Don Scott & Jean Martin

Three new jazz releases reviewed: Vitous's ECM chamber-jazz odyssey with Spalding and DeJohnette stands out; Christelis offers atmospheric, guitar-led soundscapes.

Score: 58Read at jazzjournal.co.uk
Artnet News·feature·Music·Min Chen
Sun Ra’s Legendary Album Art—Sometimes Handcrafted, Always Otherworldly—Has Been Compiled Into a Book for the First Time

*Sun Ra: Art on Saturn* collects 70+ handmade, psychedelic album covers from jazz visionary Sun Ra's Saturn label—the first book dedicated to this overlooked art form.

Score: 58Read at news.artnet.com
Open Culture·Music
Herbie Hancock Explains the Big Lesson He Learned From Miles Davis: Every Mistake in Music, as in Life, Is an Opportunity | Open Culture

Herbie Hancock recalls how Miles Davis turned a wrong chord mid-performance into inspiration — reframing mistakes as creative fuel, not failure.

Score: 52Read at openculture.com
Open Culture·Music
Rare Video: Vince Guaraldi’s First Televised Performance of “Linus and Lucy” (1964) | Open Culture

Vince Guaraldi's first-ever televised "Linus and Lucy" performance, filmed in 1964 — a year before *A Charlie Brown Christmas* made it iconic. Rare and worth watching.

Score: 52Read at openculture.com
uDiscover Music·Blue Note Records
Kenny Dorham Joins Blue Note Tone Poet Series

Kenny Dorham's landmark 1956 live trumpet sessions get premium vinyl treatment in Blue Note's audiophile Tone Poet series, dropping April 24.

Score: 48Read at udiscovermusic.com
Fast Company·feature·Music·Anni Layne
Give It Away, Now - Fast Company

Rhino Records built genuine philanthropy into its DNA from day one — 167 employees log 10,000+ volunteer hours yearly, driven by soul, not strategy.

Score: 42Read at fastcompany.com
Yahoo Autos·Culture
Driving One of These Cars Gets You Automatically Judged

12 cars and the instant judgments they trigger — from BMW's turn-signal-avoiders to Subaru's trail-obsessed outdoorsy types. Mostly lighthearted, low stakes.

Score: 38Read at autos.yahoo.com