The End of the Beginning.
Don't get me wrong. I love Fresno. Probably more than your average John R. Toole living up by River Park. I believe Fresno has a lot of unbridled potential, and it puts all of that hope and wishful thinking in the hands of the likes of you and me. A friend of mine has famously called Fresno a "blank canvas" and it's totally true. And that's one of Fresno's greatest assets.
But that's also where the problem comes in.
You see, some people are getting ahead of themselves. They think that because Fresno has had nothing going for it, they can come in and, with little effort, become the biggest thing since Krispy Kreme Donuts. They think they can start a food truck, sell a grilled cheese sandwich with ingredients only slightly better than what you can find in your refrigerator at home, and be on par with the burgeoning food truck business of Los Angeles. They think that, just because they have opened a bar downtown that sells craft brews, they have completely revolutionized the bar industry. They think that their band is going to be the next Arcade Fire just because they have a gratuitous amount of people on stage. And worst of all, they think they can get away with it.
I'm sick of it. I'm sick of being ostracized for thinking it. I'm sick of the candy ass reviews from every other blog in town praising them for it. It's time for a voice to speak out against it. To let them know that they can't expect to own this town without a fight. It's time that we demand quality at the cost of convenience. It's time we raise the bar.
That's where we come in.
This blog will seek to be the critic's voice. To call Fresno out when it's being stupid. There'll be some laughter, some fights, and even some tears. But Fresno will be better off for it.
And, hopefully, people won't take us too seriously. Because we sure as hell don't take them seriously.
As always, feel free to comment, criticize, or make suggestions: goodbadfresno@gmail.com
But that's also where the problem comes in.
You see, some people are getting ahead of themselves. They think that because Fresno has had nothing going for it, they can come in and, with little effort, become the biggest thing since Krispy Kreme Donuts. They think they can start a food truck, sell a grilled cheese sandwich with ingredients only slightly better than what you can find in your refrigerator at home, and be on par with the burgeoning food truck business of Los Angeles. They think that, just because they have opened a bar downtown that sells craft brews, they have completely revolutionized the bar industry. They think that their band is going to be the next Arcade Fire just because they have a gratuitous amount of people on stage. And worst of all, they think they can get away with it.
I'm sick of it. I'm sick of being ostracized for thinking it. I'm sick of the candy ass reviews from every other blog in town praising them for it. It's time for a voice to speak out against it. To let them know that they can't expect to own this town without a fight. It's time that we demand quality at the cost of convenience. It's time we raise the bar.
That's where we come in.
This blog will seek to be the critic's voice. To call Fresno out when it's being stupid. There'll be some laughter, some fights, and even some tears. But Fresno will be better off for it.
And, hopefully, people won't take us too seriously. Because we sure as hell don't take them seriously.
As always, feel free to comment, criticize, or make suggestions: goodbadfresno@gmail.com
A couple things:
ReplyDelete1. I think you may be making some unfounded assumptions. I'm familiar with many of the people/businesses you alluded to and I haven't heard any of them claim to particularly revolutionary. They're just trying to do good stuff and it's their customers who are heaping on the praise. If your goal is to point out areas that can be improved, great. If your goal is to just complain about things not being perfect without offering any real solutions, that's been done before. So, in a sense, you'd be joining the tradition of poor imitators you're decrying here. (Although if that's the case, I'd give you points for irony.)
2. What's with the pseudonyms? You're severely undercutting your credibility right off the bat. It's not like you're exposing government secrets; you're just complaining about stuff. Your namesake Mike Oz routinely makes fun of people's horrible fliers while using his real name. Right or wrong, if you're anonymous it's easy for your intended audience to dismiss you, and it's even easier to forget you once the novelty wears off. Just something to think about.
Best of luck with your blog.
Hello Conlan,
DeleteTo your first point, I would like to say that our goal here is to point out things that can be improved so that they will be improved. Progress is the goal of humanity. The moment we become satisfied with what we have, then we have effectually thrown in the towel.
As for the pseudonym, we have found it incredibly important to mask our identities for two reasons:
1) We have things to protect. Because of our involvements with careers, organizations, etc, we are worried that backlash caused by our opinions in this blog may jeopardize that which is important to us. This fear may be unfounded, but we firmly believe that it is better to be safe than to be sorry.
2) It allows us to be fully honest. If, for example, we have a friend who owns a business that are not particularly fond or is in a band whose music we cannot stand, our identities will not prevent us from saying so.
As for my own name coming from Mr. Osegueda (who is, in a way, using a pseudonym himself) I mean no disrespect to him whatsoever. Post-no-bills, 5 things to do this weekend, and worst fliers of the week are staples if you live in Fresno. I see myself not as a parody of him, but rather a grotesque form of him; perhaps taking it too far at times, but I see this as a necessary function.
If nothing else, I hope to challenge people's perceptions of the things they love so that they may better defend these things for themselves. If Fresno comes away from this with the ability to look at itself more critically, then we have done our job.
To Conlan...you mentioned that Mike OZ makes fun of fliers that valley promoters put out.I actually spoke out against it,because Mike OZ openly invites promoters to send the fliers to him for "Post No Bills".Some are awesome,some mediocre,while others are shitty and the target of "Worst Flier Of The Week".I would find it funny if Mike Oz simply made fun of fliers without the low advertised opportunity of posting in "Post No Bills".Mike Oz has also stated that he keeps "Worst Flier" because it's popular,but it's really off the back of "post no bills" and promoters trusting Mike's shifty invitation of helping the little promoter out.
DeleteWomp Womp
ReplyDeleteFinally some good reading material.Thanks blog guy.If you want this blog to reach further in the valley,in a serious way,call me at 559-397-1475
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteApparently our thumb nail on google+ is a Zebra... that's right .... a Zebra
DeleteAfter a few texts asking if this site is at all affiliated with Dead in 60 Years ... It isn't. We don't know who this is but I see that the site looks fairly similar to www.di60y.com so I get it but it isn't us... not even one of us.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore - If you think that the Dusty Buns grilled cheese is only slightly better than whats in the fridge... you have obviously never seen a Di60y Fridge... it is full of condiments and Tioga Sequoia brew
When you make vague comments about a bar downtown are you alluding to Fresno Brewing ? If I didn't get so much shitty service there the 5 times I have tried to go I would argue. But at least call them out by name.
Why the shit would you get down on Fierce Creatures for believing in themselves? Why is that something you would call out for "being stupid" ? They are just a band that has gotten more popular than your shitty blog or our shitty podcast ever will.
Either way - This isn't us - !!!