The Joe Gross
@joegross.bsky.social
Writer/journalist/editor/filmmaker. @NYTimes, @Rollingstone, @texasmonthly, @texashighways etc. Everything interests me. Venmo @Joe-Gross-65. Big tsundoku.
A++++++++
You still got it, Onion.
You still got it, Onion.
February 12, 2026 at 10:24 PM
A++++++++
You still got it, Onion.
You still got it, Onion.
Reposted by The Joe Gross
Pam Bondi Thought That Went Pretty Well
February 12, 2026 at 6:56 PM
Pam Bondi Thought That Went Pretty Well
Reposted by The Joe Gross
THE MOON HAUNTS YOU 🦅🌙🦅🌙🦅🌙🦅🌙🦅🌙
February 12, 2026 at 9:04 PM
THE MOON HAUNTS YOU 🦅🌙🦅🌙🦅🌙🦅🌙🦅🌙
It’s on.
A new 500 Songs episode is now up! Bruce Johnston! Jan and Dean! Rod Stewart! Questions about gender identity! Getting booked to play New York by accident! Herman's Hermits! Masturbation! Heinz baked beans! Aliens with trousers unlike our own! It can only be the Who, and part one of "Pinball Wizard"
Song 183: “Pinball Wizard” by the Who, part 1: Always Playing Clean
Apologies for the delay in posting this episode — I had a chronic illness flare-up and a frankly awful January. With luck, part two of this story will be up before the end of February. For th…
500songs.com
February 12, 2026 at 8:02 PM
It’s on.
Very possibly me. Or John Pamer. Or Alex Behr. Probably Molly Henneberg?
Who's the most famous alum of your high school?
I'll go first: David Draiman of Disturbed
I'll go first: David Draiman of Disturbed
guys i just found out i went to the same high school as howard lutnick. please respect my privacy at this time.
February 12, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Very possibly me. Or John Pamer. Or Alex Behr. Probably Molly Henneberg?
Ah, youth.
Today I finally learned what that "99 Luftballons" song is about and I must say I liked it much better when I didn't know this!
February 12, 2026 at 5:23 AM
Ah, youth.
Reposted by The Joe Gross
Single best description of consumer use LLM tech yet
it tells users what they want to hear, and they stop wanting to hear anything else. they promise us unleashed creativity, and give us only diminished possibilities, the history of human creation fed into itself over and over. a rancid tech culture demanded a way to make more rot, that’s all
February 11, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Single best description of consumer use LLM tech yet
Reposted by The Joe Gross
pretty gorgeous soundboard of solo acoustic marc ribot. spacious clang, extended technique disruptions, noise pedal freakouts, a john zorn etude from “book of heads,” & a few slices of beautiful inside playing.
Marc Ribot Live at Schubas Tavern 2002-10-18 https://archive.org/details/ajc01212_marc-ribot-2002-10-18
Marc Ribot Live at Schubas Tavern 2002-10-18 : Marc Ribot : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Marc Ribot2002-10-18SchubasChicago, ILRecording generously loaned from the Aadam Jacobs Audio ArchiveRecorded by: Aadam JacobsTransferred by: ...
archive.org
February 12, 2026 at 4:24 AM
pretty gorgeous soundboard of solo acoustic marc ribot. spacious clang, extended technique disruptions, noise pedal freakouts, a john zorn etude from “book of heads,” & a few slices of beautiful inside playing.
Also: the game itself was a snooze.
Average viewership for this year’s Super Bowl fell 2% from Super Bowl LIX, when the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.
Super Bowl LX Viewership Falls Short Of Record
Average viewership for this year’s Super Bowl fell 2% from Super Bowl LIX, when the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.
www.forbes.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:57 AM
Also: the game itself was a snooze.
Reposted by The Joe Gross
This is a pogrom
More than 400 people, including hundreds of citizens, were “sorted” at gun point into racial and ethnic groups by 200 ICE agents who fired flash-bang grenades into cars with people inside, pointed guns at children & demanded their zip tied parents not comfort them. apple.news/Ausdx6kWtT0e...
Idaho families sue over immigration raid that swept up hundreds, including U.S. citizens — NBC News
About 400 people, including children and U.S. citizens, were detained for four hours while they were denied food and water in the raid, according to the lawsuit.
apple.news
February 12, 2026 at 2:19 AM
This is a pogrom
Spectacular idea
One thing lit journals with even modest security can do is beef up/launch online crit sections. for print quarterlies/biannuals it's a great way to drive traffic between issues. Budget 10k/yr for 25 pieces at 400/per--a decent albeit not awesome rate. Tweak those numbers as needed but it's a start
February 12, 2026 at 4:16 AM
Spectacular idea
Reposted by The Joe Gross
One thing lit journals with even modest security can do is beef up/launch online crit sections. for print quarterlies/biannuals it's a great way to drive traffic between issues. Budget 10k/yr for 25 pieces at 400/per--a decent albeit not awesome rate. Tweak those numbers as needed but it's a start
February 5, 2026 at 5:45 PM
One thing lit journals with even modest security can do is beef up/launch online crit sections. for print quarterlies/biannuals it's a great way to drive traffic between issues. Budget 10k/yr for 25 pieces at 400/per--a decent albeit not awesome rate. Tweak those numbers as needed but it's a start
Jfc this is so depressing.
For those of you who were keeping up with the mass market mess, here is a more informative article.
Trade paperbacks cost only 30c more to make and are priced $18-20 now, where mass market paperbacks didn't sell at $12. So... there's your answer. It's about margins.
boingboing.net/2026/02/10/t...
Trade paperbacks cost only 30c more to make and are priced $18-20 now, where mass market paperbacks didn't sell at $12. So... there's your answer. It's about margins.
boingboing.net/2026/02/10/t...
The mass market paperback is vanishing
The mass market paperback — born in 1935, boomed after WWII — is vanishing from airports, drugstores, and groceries.
boingboing.net
February 12, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Jfc this is so depressing.
Reposted by The Joe Gross
For those of you who were keeping up with the mass market mess, here is a more informative article.
Trade paperbacks cost only 30c more to make and are priced $18-20 now, where mass market paperbacks didn't sell at $12. So... there's your answer. It's about margins.
boingboing.net/2026/02/10/t...
Trade paperbacks cost only 30c more to make and are priced $18-20 now, where mass market paperbacks didn't sell at $12. So... there's your answer. It's about margins.
boingboing.net/2026/02/10/t...
The mass market paperback is vanishing
The mass market paperback — born in 1935, boomed after WWII — is vanishing from airports, drugstores, and groceries.
boingboing.net
February 11, 2026 at 8:35 PM
For those of you who were keeping up with the mass market mess, here is a more informative article.
Trade paperbacks cost only 30c more to make and are priced $18-20 now, where mass market paperbacks didn't sell at $12. So... there's your answer. It's about margins.
boingboing.net/2026/02/10/t...
Trade paperbacks cost only 30c more to make and are priced $18-20 now, where mass market paperbacks didn't sell at $12. So... there's your answer. It's about margins.
boingboing.net/2026/02/10/t...
Reposted by The Joe Gross
NEW: “CBS Evening News” producer Alicia Hastey sends a bombshell farewell note:
Stories are “evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations.”
Stories are “evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations.”
February 12, 2026 at 3:22 AM
NEW: “CBS Evening News” producer Alicia Hastey sends a bombshell farewell note:
Stories are “evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations.”
Stories are “evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations.”
Fight Club, which was a bit eye-rolling even then
Trainspotting
Boogie Nights/Magnolia
Boys Don’t Cry (still shattering)
Happiness
Se7en
Bound
Empire of the Sun
Bamboozled
Superman 78
Batman 89
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
The Eighth Day (nobody remembers this one; cried the whole time)
Trainspotting
Boogie Nights/Magnolia
Boys Don’t Cry (still shattering)
Happiness
Se7en
Bound
Empire of the Sun
Bamboozled
Superman 78
Batman 89
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
The Eighth Day (nobody remembers this one; cried the whole time)
Have asked this before and always like the responses. What are your biggest “I saw that in the first run cinema” flexes? Couple of mine:
Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Office Space (1999)
Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Office Space (1999)
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 AM
Fight Club, which was a bit eye-rolling even then
Trainspotting
Boogie Nights/Magnolia
Boys Don’t Cry (still shattering)
Happiness
Se7en
Bound
Empire of the Sun
Bamboozled
Superman 78
Batman 89
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
The Eighth Day (nobody remembers this one; cried the whole time)
Trainspotting
Boogie Nights/Magnolia
Boys Don’t Cry (still shattering)
Happiness
Se7en
Bound
Empire of the Sun
Bamboozled
Superman 78
Batman 89
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
The Eighth Day (nobody remembers this one; cried the whole time)
I think about this a lot. We are living in a world he helped create, but when was the last time you heard anyone discussing the intellectual and political legacy of Rush Limbaugh?
Charlie Kirk (and other conservative talking heads) the moment they die.
February 12, 2026 at 3:40 AM
I think about this a lot. We are living in a world he helped create, but when was the last time you heard anyone discussing the intellectual and political legacy of Rush Limbaugh?
Reposted by The Joe Gross
I'm watching old The Muppet Show and Sam the Eagle just asked Kermit why, if Elton John is such an important musician, does he dress like "a stolen car".
February 11, 2026 at 9:14 PM
I'm watching old The Muppet Show and Sam the Eagle just asked Kermit why, if Elton John is such an important musician, does he dress like "a stolen car".
Reposted by The Joe Gross
11 February 1977 - David Bowie released 'Sound and Vision' as a single, taken from his latest album Low. 'Sound and Vision' was used by the BBC on trailers at the time, providing useful exposure, which was much needed, as Bowie opted to do nothing to promote the single himself. #BowieForever
February 11, 2026 at 8:28 PM
11 February 1977 - David Bowie released 'Sound and Vision' as a single, taken from his latest album Low. 'Sound and Vision' was used by the BBC on trailers at the time, providing useful exposure, which was much needed, as Bowie opted to do nothing to promote the single himself. #BowieForever
The array of proportions going here is near-psychedelic. Or the robbers are 20 feet tall.
February 12, 2026 at 3:04 AM
The array of proportions going here is near-psychedelic. Or the robbers are 20 feet tall.
I’ve always been very fond of “that motherless fuck”
I think this label is one of those that only we smug bitches can call ourselves.
February 12, 2026 at 3:02 AM
I’ve always been very fond of “that motherless fuck”
Reposted by The Joe Gross
Reposted by The Joe Gross
The person photographed here who is in their bathrobe filming armed, masked federal agents in St. Paul is MPR News journalist @samstroozas.bsky.social @mprnews.org . She is an incredible journalist and person. We do not deserve her.
A high-speed car chase involving a federal agent in St. Paul ended with a multi-vehicle crash and injuries to the fleeing driver, who was taken away in an ambulance. bit.ly/4kvJo0M
📸: Leila Navidi
📸: Leila Navidi
February 11, 2026 at 9:26 PM
The person photographed here who is in their bathrobe filming armed, masked federal agents in St. Paul is MPR News journalist @samstroozas.bsky.social @mprnews.org . She is an incredible journalist and person. We do not deserve her.
Reposted by The Joe Gross
Amazing. ✊
February 11, 2026 at 11:52 PM
Amazing. ✊
Reposted by The Joe Gross
There is literally no better example of textbook fascistic thinking than "Who cares about human rights when the rich are doing so very well"
Bondi crashes out over Epstein: "The Dow is over 50,000 dollars! I don't know why you're laughing. You're a great stock trader as I hear, Raskin. The Dow is over 50,000 right now. The S&P at almost 7,000, and the Nasdaq smashing records. That's what we should be talking about."
February 11, 2026 at 5:26 PM
There is literally no better example of textbook fascistic thinking than "Who cares about human rights when the rich are doing so very well"