Look Out, Pitchfork

Newsweek yesterday highlighted Idolator, the new Gawker Media music site, wrapping it up with the punchy line, "Look out, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork." For the former, I had to laugh: people still read Rolling Stone for music news? People still read Rolling Stone, period?

Anyway, here's a sampling of some of the stories on Idolator this morning:

Justin Timberlake
Cat Power
A straight-faced report on Fergie

Precisely what over-lap is there with Pitchfork? The Cat Power entry focuses on her weirdness rather than musicianship. And exactly what is this site bringing to the table if it's talking about Timberlake's awesome new single which I will never ever ever hear (Yeah, it makes me a snob that I put Heineken commercials on mute), Cat Power's weirdness, and who gives a fuckwhat on Fergie?

Stereogum, though hilariously accused by some of its commentors of "selling out", is a better resource than that. I'd rather read about bands I'm not familiar with like (as of now) Grizzly Bear than some more shit about Timberlake. Hasn't he been acting like a dick lately? Or is that just keeping it real? Talking shit about Taylor Hicks, now that's keepin' it real.

And how can you write about Fergie without referring to her freakish man-face or the fact that she pissed herself on stage? That's going to be the initial entry in the "I love the '00s" marathon on VH-1 next month. Expect Michael Ian Black to nail his spot with some wry observation on what it must have been like to be in the audience when it happened.

And why hasn't there been more reporting on Hank Williams Jr.'s trial? He beat the shit out of some waitress, and apparently didn't need any help from his rowdy friends. What about this isn't awesome?

And I got that last link from Rolling Stone. They aren't completely useless, after all!