Last night, Veronica Mars took its music-nerd references to the next level when Veronica’s maybe-love-interest Stosh “Piz” Piznarski announced that he’d snagged an internship at the “most highly regarded music publication on the Internet”–and no, he’s not talking about the recently revived Crawdaddy (transcription courtesy Save The Robot):
“I have news. I got offered an internship with Pitchforkmedia. Pretty much the most highly regarded music publication on the internet. I’d get to work with the most important critics in the business, see bands when they’re on the verge of breaking … I might even get to do a few reviews myself, so I can get my snob on. Their offices are in New York, which could be cool, right? Twelve weeks in the Big Apple.”
Piz wound up turning down the internship–even though the ‘Fork has already allowed him to get his snob on–to be closer to Veronica, and, presumably, farther away from people who enable him to discuss his “Altavista stalking” in public. (Ah, youth!) But now that Veronica Mars is all but done, we think that Piz should reach for the brass ring–if only because the resulting spinoff could serve as penance for the CW, who are, unfortunately, greenlighting another installment of Fetch Me A Skank.
Säkert!: Säkert! [Pitchfork]
God the character Piz sucks. I’m no lover (or hater) of the Veronica + Logan pairing, but one of the biggest mistakes this season has been the grating Piz. (He would fit in perfectly at Pitchfork.)
Sucks that this show is getting canceled. But at this point, it’s probably for the best.
I overheard this last night while working on the Radiohead tournament (as I have a Veronica Mars-watching lady dwelling with me). Some character in VMars , Stosh “Piz” Piznarski, was fictitiously offered an internship at Pitchfork Media in last night’s episode. Per Idolator…
@GovernmentNames:
I had the exact same reaction.
What sucks about the cancellation is their wrongheaded attempt to make the show more accessible which decreased the quality of the show and didn’t change a goddamned thing.
@graeffufighting: I spent a lot of that episode yelling “Chicago!” at the screen every time he mentioned New York or (groan) “the big apple.” How hard is it to know that they’re in Chicago? This is where they have their festival! They have a an address on their “contact” page on the site! Gah! Why didn’t Idolator call them out on it? You all suck!
Pitchfork’s chief does live in Brooklyn where he ‘runs things’. So at least they aren’t completely off base.
I can’t believe a Pitchfork reference was made on the only Veronica Mars episode of the whole season that both Idolators happened to miss.
@Brian Raftery: that’s it. you guys are out of the fan club.
Wow. I had thought that at least the reviews section of Payolafork had remained sacrosanct. No wonder they didn’t mention this in their ‘news’ section, which they would have most certainly done, had this VM episode’s name-drop been by chance, rather than the coordinated promotion it now looks like.
Those Brooklyn mortgages are a bitch, though.
Jfrankparnell: Payolafork? Are you serious? I am so tired of being the lone Pitchfork defender on this section, but here goes: they do not engage in payola. Look to print magazines or blogs for that kind of thing. Find me an instance of payola. I dare you. Where is your evidence? That a moderately big indie label might advertise in the largest indie rock site on the web and that–gasp–they might review one of their records? I am so sick of this crap. How is the VM mention coordinated at all?
And Pitchfork’s main operations are still in Chicago. You guys are out of control. Impugn their content all you want, but not their character. I can’t think of one instance where one of my clients was sweated for ad sales in exchange for anything. I have seen it happen with blogs and print mags, though.
@Lucas Jensen: How is the VM mention coordinated at all?
*sighs* Do I tell him, or do you guys tell him?
I said ship but meant show.
Not sure why I’m trying to reason with internet conspiracy theorists, but Pitchfork does not engage in any payola of any kind. Some of our staffers saw the episode, which was the first we knew of this, and one of our writers was kind enough to sacrifice his byline on a review running the next day. A “Pitchfork Mentioned on ‘Veronica Mars’” news story would have been pretty crass and totally pointless.
I’m a state-licensed skeptic, and even I think the idea that this was in any way “payola” is pretty absurd.
@scottpl: one of our writers was kind enough to sacrifice his byline on a review running the next day.
Ok, that was the explanation that was missing. Otherwise the coincidence in names looked pretty much staged.
I retire the charges, officer.
MJ: Sigh all you want. The Pitchfork people had no idea about it until it ran. Am I missing something here? Do tell. Who paid for it? Where are the news stories? I yearn to know. I yearn to find out. I love those kind of responses: dismissive, but not providing any proof or information of anything.
There was ZERO payola involved in this. I went to them and asked and everyone there was surprised. Did Ryan Schreiber talk to Veronica Mars? He might have, but I see no evidence of that. That a reasonably hip ship would mention the #1 indie music site out there doesn’t seem that ridiculous.
I can’t wait to get schooled on this. Like I said, I could be wrong, but I see NO evidence of collaboration, and I asked the Pitchforkers straight up.