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A Scar No One Else Can See - Max Landis on Carly Rae Jepsen

https://www.ascarnooneelsecansee.com/

Max Landis has seemingly discovered something...well, not sinister, but somewhat dark and mysterious about the music of the much loved CRJ.

Basically, Max Landis thinks Carly Rae Jepsen sings about the same seven overarching themes: not all seven in every song, but the same seven over and over. In every, and I mean EVERY, song she has sung. Not just her two albums, but her EPs and even back before she went on Canadian Idol. Not just her original songs, but also her covers.

It's almost 150 pages long in PDF form. It is crazy, and puzzling, and engrossing. It's going down a huge rabbit hole, but it's pretty fascinating to read. I made it through all of it, having to eventually start skimming because of other things going on, but holy cow it is interesting.

I was most interested in the section from the "Part 2" intro about the things that CRJ doesn't sing about in her songs on EMOTION.

So read it, maybe?
 

Cheebo

Banned
I really don't think I can bring myself to read anything this sexist creep writes, even if it's unrelated to his anti-women comments.
 

hotcyder

Member
I thought he was meant to be working on this American Werewolf reboot - not writing PDFs

Will read it later

edit:

I really don't think I can bring myself to read anything this sexist creep writes, even if it's unrelated to his anti-women comments.

Well you've opened this can of worms now so might as well show some receipts
 
Meh, her music is amazing and she's still the real Queen of Pop regardless.

The article is nothing but positive about Queen Carly.

I really don't think I can bring myself to read anything this sexist creep writes, even if it's unrelated to his anti-women comments.

I looked for some evidence and I'm struggling, help me out. I saw the "Arrival" comments and reaction, but I don't think they were compelling evidence of sexism.
 

Fat4all

Banned
Meh, her music is amazing and she's still the real Queen of Pop regardless.

It's not really a critique of the musics quality, it's more of an observation of themes that she may or may not of knowingly used that connect a lot of her works.
 

Cptkrush

Member
I really don't think I can bring myself to read anything this sexist creep writes, even if it's unrelated to his anti-women comments.

Calling Rey from Star Wars a Mary Sue is not sexist. Unless you're talking about something else, but Landis is pretty progressive in general so I'm struggling to understand what you're even talking about.
 

Razorback

Member
I really don't think I can bring myself to read anything this sexist creep writes, even if it's unrelated to his anti-women comments.

If you're going to come in here to smear the guy's name I think it would be appropriate for you to show some evidence.
 

CloudWolf

Member
What does Max Landis actually do in his daily life and why does he have the time to write a 150-page thesis on Carly Rae Jepson?

Also, more importantly: Why does he think anyone will care?
 

kmag

Member
What does Max Landis actually do in his daily life and why does he have the time to write a 150-page thesis on Carly Rae Jepson?

Also, more importantly: Why does he think anyone will care?

Judging by this 150 page thesis on Carly Rae Jepson, he mostly snorts coke while jacking off to Carly Rae Jepson videos.
 
Meh, her music is amazing and she's still the real Queen of Pop regardless.
If you watch his "analysis" of her song Cut to the Feeling, you'll see that he loves CRJ. This doesn't make her music any less good. It almost elevates it to the level of some sort of super genius or something.

i wish i was rich and had nothing to do 24 hours a day. id get coked up and write some pdfs too.

Judging by this 150 page thesis on Carly Rae Jepson, he mostly snorts coke while jacking off to Carly Rae Jepson videos.
:lol you'd like one of the stories he talks about at the end.
 
Meh, her music is amazing and she's still the real Queen of Pop regardless.
She may be the queen of pop, whatever that is, but her music is objectively bland. It's OK to like bland, but I don't want to drag standards any further down by calling her music "amazing". I mean, it's probably already too late, but I'm gonna keep trying.
 
What does Max Landis actually do in his daily life

He's a screenwriter.

and why does he have the time to write a 150-page thesis on Carly Rae Jepson?
Time flies when you're on drugs. I'm only half-joking.

Also, more importantly: Why does he think anyone will care?
He probably doesn't think anyone will care or even cares if people cares. It's just something he did because he's a manic maniac.
 
I've read some of it. I always thought there was a sadness to many of the songs that seemed outwardly happy. Like she used certain words that really stuck out and were decidedly not words you associate with a good thing.

I'm going in now. See you folks on the other side.
 

Snagret

Member
She may be the queen of pop, whatever that is, but her music is objectively bland. It's OK to like bland, but I don't want to drag standards any further down by calling her music "amazing". I mean, it's probably already too late, but I'm gonna keep trying.
Your personal opinion is literally not objective.
 

WaffleTaco

Wants to outlaw technological innovation.
Meh, her music is amazing and she's still the real Queen of Pop regardless.
She is not! Where are the receipts to back this up? The internet has seemingly latched on to her, yet it hasn't translated into sales at all! Worse is that this narrative is pushed by people who don't even listen to pop music. Her music does nothing new, it is the same stuff we have been listening to for years and to act likes it's some revolutionary concept is absurd at best and insulting at worst.
 
"The first sound you hear on the album of EMOTION is some kind of wailing, low cry; a kind of synth bagpipe. This melodic explosion is catchy and instantly iconic; it brings to mind the opening of Rod Stewart’s “Rhythm of My Heart,” a song I only know because it was used in the end credits of a 1996 Ted Danson movie about the Loch Ness Monster."

What in the hell? It's called a saxophone, you fool.
 

Servbot24

Banned
"The first sound you hear on the album of EMOTION is some kind of wailing, low cry; a kind of synth bagpipe. This melodic explosion is catchy and instantly iconic; it brings to mind the opening of Rod Stewart's ”Rhythm of My Heart," a song I only know because it was used in the end credits of a 1996 Ted Danson movie about the Loch Ness Monster."

What in the hell? It's called a saxophone, you fool.

Lol

Ok yeah I don't need to read this. I'll just say, isn't pretty much every pop song on one of 7 topics? Hell probably fewer than that if you consider the ones on the radio.

Dancing
Sex
Love
Breakups

...?
 

DeviantBoi

Member
150 pages?

Reminds me of..


102621_v1.jpg
 

DocSeuss

Member
Is this marketing for an album? A lot of work went into this site and these videos

He got Elijah Wood and Mandy Moore to help him make a video about Superman.

A bunch more celebrity friends of his helped him make another, similar video about wrestling.

He's weird as hell and I love about half of what he does. iirc that bad ghost show he did was trash, but Dirk Gently was fantastic.

Lol

Ok yeah I don't need to read this. I'll just say, isn't pretty much every pop song on one of 7 topics? Hell probably fewer than that if you consider the ones on the radio.

Dancing
Sex
Love
Breakups

...?

Nope. One of the things he started out with was looking at all the pop themes she doesn't sing about. Then he kind of dives into what she does talk about, and how it's nearly all from the perspective of someone struggling with unrequited love, making it sound like someone who's actually in love. His point, based on what I've read so far, is that she's distinct from everyone else.

It's a good read.
 

Kayhan

Member
"The first sound you hear on the album of EMOTION is some kind of wailing, low cry; a kind of synth bagpipe. This melodic explosion is catchy and instantly iconic; it brings to mind the opening of Rod Stewart’s “Rhythm of My Heart,” a song I only know because it was used in the end credits of a 1996 Ted Danson movie about the Loch Ness Monster."

What in the hell? It's called a saxophone, you fool.

lmao
 

Jonnax

Member
She is not! Where are the receipts to back this up? The internet has seemingly latched on to her, yet it hasn't translated into sales at all! Worse is that this narrative is pushed by people who don't even listen to pop music. Her music does nothing new, it is the same stuff we have been listening to for years and to act likes it's some revolutionary concept is absurd at best and insulting at worst.

Lol. I'm not much into the culture around artists but this is funny. It's like someone saying they think that FFXV or MGSV is the greatest game ever and getting indignant replies on the level of "How dare you? Sacrilege!"
 
Pkp0h9S.gif


Having read a fair bit of it last night, I think it’s a fun little diversion, but ultimately it’s just Max being Max and doing something attention-seeking in a balls-to-the-wall way. Believing it involves a lot of ignoring of details while intensely amplifying others. Like any good conspiracy theory.
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
I really don't think I can bring myself to read anything this sexist creep writes, even if it's unrelated to his anti-women comments.

This is pretty intense language and no one seems to know what you're even referring to. I'll give you an opportunity to respond if you have something to legitimately elaborate on that you feel justifies derailing any thread about Max Landis by default.

Meanwhile, let's not derail this Very Important discussion about the dumb PDF that maybe someone will be bored enough to read.
 

WaffleTaco

Wants to outlaw technological innovation.
Lol. I'm not much into the culture around artists but this is funny. It's like someone saying they think that FFXV or MGSV is the greatest game ever and getting indignant replies on the level of "How dare you? Sacrilege!"
The thing is, both FFXV and MGSV are both incredibly popular games. Emotion is not. It charted at 16 on the Billboard 200 albums, which is very low for a new debut, especially for someone who had a precious #1 and another top ten song. The fact that I am having trouble thinking of comparisons is bizarre, which is why I propose the Emotion test.

Emotion Test: A piece of fiction, work of art or entertainment medium that meets the falling criteria:

1. Average work
2. Not popular
3. Is overrated by fans (specifically saying it's the best thing sliced bread).
 
She is not! Where are the receipts to back this up? The internet has seemingly latched on to her, yet it hasn't translated into sales at all! Worse is that this narrative is pushed by people who don't even listen to pop music. Her music does nothing new, it is the same stuff we have been listening to for years and to act likes it's some revolutionary concept is absurd at best and insulting at worst.

who would be the queen in your opinion
 

Pein

Banned
Eh max land is is alright and I read a bit of this and damn he has some free time lol.

I also just saw American ultra and that was pretty good, I don't think it deserved to bomb like it did.
 

Falchion

Member
Welp going to have to read at least some of this since CRJ is probably my most listened to artist of the last 5 years.
 

AndersK

Member
Max is such a wild card, has has the alt-right, as well as left-leaning peeps hating him. Mostly because he runs at 384474 words a second and inevitably will say stupid shit.

I have no idea how I feel about him, except he's cocaine personified: Entertaining, probably illegal and really. Bad in high doses.
 

WaffleTaco

Wants to outlaw technological innovation.
who would be the queen in your opinion
As of 2017, the Queen of Pop of this decade at the moment could belong to a few artists:

1. Taylor Swift
2. Rihanna
3. Katy Perry

*This is not on the basis of quality, only popularity (in terms of hits), and is also not in any particular order. There could be a few I am forgetting. If someone were to argue on the basis of popularity and quality work, be my guest.
 
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