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Last week I called out game composer Tommy Tallarico on Cruise Elroy for insinuating that older video game music has less artistic merit, citing passages like this one from his biography:

Tommy Tallarico is a veritable video game industry icon. As one of the most successful video game composers in history, he has helped revolutionize the gaming world, creating unique audio landscapes that enhance the video gaming experience. He is considered the person most instrumental in changing the game industry from bleeps & bloops to real music now appreciated worldwide by millions of fans.

I referred to this viewpoint as “a load of bull.”

Tallarico himself then dropped a line in the comments to defend himself. As it turns out, I overinterpreted him, and we’re more or less on the same page:

I actually agree 100% with you!

I think you’ve possibly misinterpreted my words because of editing. Sometimes when interviews are done they don’t take all the words or parts.

I have always talked about how the “old school” game music was some of the best written because the only thing we really had back then was the melody!

So when I read the Onion A.V. Club’s interview with Tallarico today, I had to laugh at this exchange:

AVC: At that point, it was only programmers who made music?

TT: Yeah, all of the music that was being done was a very simplistic. And don’t get me wrong, some of the greatest videogame music of our generation was written during or before that time. Mario Bros., Zelda, Castlevania…

Anyway, I really recommend the interview. Tallarico is an interesting guy and an important industry figure.

Did you read Minus when I linked it last week? No? Okay, that’s fine. Just, you know, go back to reading Cathy. Philistine.

If you read and enjoyed Minus, though, check out the new blog MetaMinus. It interprets the strip as “a metanarrative of modern thought,” and while it is perhaps a little tongue-in-cheek (“It is significant that the entire comic series begins with a panel of a white ball and Minus. I do not think that I can adequately verbalize the importance of the symbolism found here.”), it’s great fun. Well, it is for me, anyway — this is the kind of thing English majors go apeshit over.

Back when iTunes 4.9 was released in June of 2005, I remarked that podcasts have been “gaining popularity recently, and their integration into iTunes will probably ensure their long-term success.” Naturally, I was right; as you know, I have astonishing powers of clairvoyance.

To be honest, though, I didn’t really get into podcasts until last year, mostly because I couldn’t find a good time to listen to them. I don’t have any long commutes, so I can’t listen then; if I put one on while doing something else, I end up losing track of the discussion. And if I’m out walking around or jogging with my iPod, I want to listen to music, not some dude(s) talking — regardless of how interesting said dude(s) might be.

The solution was to listen to podcasts the way I listen to a new album: lying on my bed with my headphones on and my eyes closed so that I actually pay attention to the damn things. Now that I actually concentrate on them while listening, I’ve found that these podcast things can be pretty enjoyable.

These are the shows I’m currently into:

• MetaFilter Podcast: I think of MetaFilter as my “home” web community; it’s where I spend most of my online time, and where I’ve been hanging out the longest. In the podcast, moderators Matt Haughey and Jessamyn West recap interesting posts from the site, interview members, host call-in segments, and post songs from MeFi Music. It typically runs an hour per episode and comes out once or twice a month. NSFW.
• The Brainy Gamer podcast: The Brainy Gamer is run by Michael Abbott, a theater professor at Wabash College. It’s where all the intelligent and critically-minded gamers trade ideas — the nexus of my corner of the blogosphere, if you will. The podcast features thoughts on games Michael’s been playing, interviews with people connected to the industry, and general discussion of the gaming community. It runs about an hour per episode, give or take, and comes out once or twice a month.
• Downloadable Content: This is the podcast from the Penny Arcade guys, Mike “Gabe” Krahulik and Jerry “Tycho” Holkins. It documents the strip-writing process, which involves reading the news, ridiculing each other, talking about video games, and discussing lunch (and the acquisition thereof). They’re two of the funniest guys around, so it’s frequently hilarious. Episode length ranges from fifteen minutes to an hour, and the release schedule is sporadic. NSFW.
• Play Value: A video podcast about the history of the console video game industry. This is one from the pros, so you’ll see some higher production values here than in the other ones on the list. A decent overview and great source of “Did you know?”-type info from a bunch of designers, writers, and fans (not that I’ve heard of any of them, but they seem to know their stuff). The shows used to be precisely eight minutes each, but are now ten minutes; they come out a couple times per month.
• The Talk Show: A no-frills conversational podcast primarily about Apple, but also covering technology, movies, and general nerdery. Another fine project from the endearingly haughty duo of John Gruber and Dan Benjamin. They go into ostensibly dull topics (e.g., keyboards) with so much enthusiasm and in such detail that you can’t help but enjoy it. Episodes are usually around half an hour, with the occasional double-length show; the release schedule is sporadic, but it usually comes out twice a month.
• You Look Nice Today: An irreverent comedy podcast from internet superstars/Twitter funnymen Merlin “hotdogsladies” Mann, Scott Simpson, and Adam “lonelysandwich” Lisagor. As is common with humor nowadays, the show is rife with inside jokes, so I recommend starting from the beginning. It’s well worth it, if you ask me. YLNT runs 30-45 minutes per episode and new ones are released weekly (or close to it). NSFW.

I mentioned on Twitter yesterday that I’ve been reading about what it’s like to be a video game music composer. My childhood friend Andy and my blogofriend Ben were interested in what I’d found, so here’s a mini link dump:

• An interview with game composer Winifred Phillips on Bella Online.
• An article called “Getting Started as a Video Game Composer” from Bobby Prince. I can’t tell how old it is, but it’s interesting even if it turns out to be out of date.
• Three interviews with game composer/Video Games Live dude Tommy Tallarico:
  • Guinness Book of Records
  • David Perry
  • Gamasutra podcast (haven’t listened to this yet)
• Two communities for game audio professionals, which seem to have some overlap:
  • Game Audio Network Guild (there’s a yearly membership fee)
  • GameAudio Forum (regular ol’ phpBB forum, free reg. required, lots of good info/links)

Ryan North mentioned that the webcomic Minus ended today. I had not heard of Minus before, but went to read it on his recommendation. It’s one of the best comics I’ve ever seen. I read all 120ish strips just now in one sitting.

Take a look.