James Spencer On "Content Production," Money, and Morality

James Spencer is one of the best people I know (so, for that matter, is his partner-in-beer Andy Sparks) -- and he's good at what he does: Producing "content" for his website, dvds, podcasts, etc. (Among other things, he's responsible for what I regard as the single best interview I've ever had, and I've had a lot of 'em.) (*1) So when he speaks, people oughta listen. Taking a bit of a liberty here (hey! It's my website . . . ) to "bump up" a comment he made on an earlier blog entry of mine because it relates (and I hope adds credibility) to my   "ain't no free lunch" rant.

As another independent content producer, I have to make one point. If you don't want to pay $15 to see the movie (and live discussion afterwards), I hope you're not waiting to download a pirated version of the movie somewhere else. I'm not going to see the theater showing, because the nearest theater is about two hours away from me. However, I will put it on my Netflix list when it's available. Just as I am willing to pay a higher price for great beers from independent brewers, I'm willing to go through the proper and legitimate channels to support content from independent producers.

As a fellow "independent content producer," I say: Amen. (And the "Beer Wars" dvd comes out in August.)

____________ *1: You can hear that two-part interview by visiting the basicbrewing website. Click on radiocasts and then the archives for 2006.

Why Things Cost Money; Or, Ain't No Free Lunches, or Free Movies

The whole "Beer Wars" flap (such as it is; again, the realm of beer geekdom is small and insular) is interesting to me for another reason (for my earlier comments see this.)

Namely the money issue. There are a lotta people out there who don't wanna pay no fifteen stinkin' bucks for a film. Ridiculous price! say some. "I'll wait for YouTube" say others. "Prolly be free on the internet somewhere" say others.

Damn, I hope not. And I hope not for the same reason that I hope people buy new, rather than used, copies of my books: it's the ONLY way I make money from them. And the only way Anat Baron will recoup any of her investment is if people see the film.

'Cause you know -- not everything in life is free. It can't be, or, well, you're gonna have a lot of homeless, hungry writers, plumbers, doctors, computer programmers, and filmmakers. Or, alternatively, you won't have ANY writers, plumbers, doctors, computer programmers, or filmmakers.

Moreover, that fifteen dollar admission fee is being divvied up among a lot of people: Anat will, I hope, get some of it. That would be nice, because she's already shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars for her camerawoman, her crew, the film's editor, the lighting and camera equipment, to say nothing of travel expenses (the film took months and months to make and much of it was filmed on the road).

The theater owners will get some of the fifteen dollars in the form of rental fees for the theaters themselves. And some of the moeny goes to pay for the people who work at the theaters, the people running the satellite equipment, and the people who  printed the posters, and created the press releases (of which, yes, I know, you're all sick).

So: Free? Not free? Fifteen bucks? Not fifteen bucks? You be the judge.

And In This Corner: The Anti-Beer Wars Contingent

Rant from frustrated beer person, worth reading, if only to get a handle on the misperceptions about the film "Beer Wars" (because, among other things, the film isn't aimed at the small percentage of people who are into craft beer/homebrewing). (Just as my book Ambitious Brew wasn't "aimed" at beer people; it was written for a general audience.)

As I've said here before, if you view yourself as being on the side of the "little guy," then support Anat's work by seeing her film. (And since it is an indie film, without any studio backing, it's incredibly hard to get the word out. Some may be sick of the press releases, but my guess is that the vast majority of non-beer-geek Americans still, alas, don't know about the film.)

And if you want to see an interesting documentary, then, hey!, here's your chance. Meantime, I think I'll ponder the nature of insularity/blinders that prevent "groups" from seeing the big picture. (No pun intended.)

You're Old? No Sex for You, Toots; Or, Nanny State Run Amuck

This is so astounding, that I can't even think how to respond (other than sit with my mouth hanging open). So I'm turning this over to Tony Comstock, who isn't having a problem responding, thank god. Full disclosure and for what it's worth: Tony sent me a copy of the film he refers to (ya know; the one with the old guy...)

I loved it. In fact, I loved it so much I even commented about it on Amazon, which I don't generally do. But again -- that's not relevant. What is relevant is such a horrifying example of the nanny stateism. Ugh.

An Iowan, and Glad to Be One

Iowa is, in my opinion as a life-long Iowan, perhaps the most misunderstood place in the United States. (

A situation exacerbated, alas, by the every-four-years circus of the caucuses, during which both candidates and media alike persist in using fucking haybales as backdrops for every. goddamn. thing. they do and report. Maddening.)

(Although frankly, it's also okay with me. Far as I'm concerned, the only thing that prevents Iowa from being Nirvana is the weather, and without it, we'd probably be overrun by the rest of the world looking for a great place to live.) So I am pleased but not surprised about today's court decision, and can only echo the words of a local law professor who said:

“What is really stunning is that it’s unanimous,” she said. “It’s a very bold, confident opinion. It affirms a certain notion of what Iowa is and what Iowa means.”

To which I say: Yup.

Just Enjoy the Beer, Goddamnit; Or, the Silence of the Mustard

Okay, this is the best thing I've read all day. (No surprise that it came from Alan McLeod.) (Besides, what's not to like about the word "twee"?) (Plus, I love mustard and am falling out of my chair over the notion of contemplating its silence, to say nothing of pain.) And I had exactly the same reaction to the "money quote":

“Be analytical,” she says. “We don’t care if you like it or not.”

Huh? I'm with Alan: Don't taste your beer near me. (And, no, I'm not gonna bother to be as polite as he and say "please.") Silent mustard, indeed. Ptooey.