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Last month, we noted that, despite media outlets from Pitchfork to Paste to USA Today claiming there was a comma in the title of TV On The Radio’s triumphant new record Dear Science, there was no punctuation to be found in the album’s actual name. (He missed MTV, Blender, and AllMusic, all of which showed their commitment to the cuddly clause-container weeks after his expose broke.)
“STOP TAKING YOUR CUE FROM THE PRESS RELEASE. YOU ARE BEING UNNECESSARILY MANIPULATED INTO POOR GRAMMATICAL CHOICES,” the blogger who initially pointed this out wrote, pointing out that the album cover–which leaked in August–had, in fact, “NO MOTHERFUCKING COMMA.”
Actually, no press release at any time had a comma on it. A steady stream of official press releases, official listening party invitations and official tour dates from TV On The Radio’s label, Interscope, had arrived in writers’ inboxes since July, but they were suspiciously comma-free, with the possible exception of the e-mails’ BCC: fields. Seriously, how did this whole mess start?
Turns out it’s yet another case of Pitchfork saying “jump” and everyone else saying “how high.” According to the band’s publicist, TVOTR management had initially claimed that the album’s title would contain a comma, but eventually the band decided against adding the punctuation. A news item about the album–which said “the comma is indeed part of the title”–ran on Pitchfork in July; the first official press release announcing the album went out a week later, and the comma was gone, as it would be on every single press release, MySpace update, and official Web site transmission, as well as, eventually, the album art. There were no commas from the band, its management, or Interscope. But somehow everyone picked up the ball and ran with it, squealing “Yay! Talking points! Potential for hilarious parentheticals!” The New York Times gave our pugnacious punctuation the most shine, in a huge feature that demanded no less than three corrections about non-comma-related things. Even TVOTR’s own Kyp Malone was confused by that point, telling Gothamist, “I don’t know that there actually is a comma in the title. There may have been at some point in the construction of the art work on the cover.”
Point being:
Dear Media, (the comma is intentional)
Stop repeating everything you read on Pitchfork. Seriously, you might accidentally convince people that Titus Andronicus is a good band.
P.S. Here are some extra commas we had lying around: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The boys in TVotR really have Pitchfork totally dickmatized, don’t they.
Good reporting.
BUT, Titus Andronicus is a good band.
@brasstax: Don’t know if they are good, but they are hilarious. Their interview at Pitchfork Fest was gold.
No one cares about TV On The Radio, nevermind whether some writer geeks properly punctuate. Next.
@owenmeany: like, for example, yourself
The PGWP item is misleading, re: Pitchfork: We never used the comma after the press releases started coming and the info from the band’s management changed. We just did it the one time, which I guess punctuates Chris’ point.
Yep!
no pun intended, wokka wokka
@scottpl: all I did was google “Dear Science” “the comma” – and all those, citations came up. I wasn’t, pointing any fingers at pfork in, particular. Nevertheless the, whole turn of events is, hilarious.
Oh but also I would like to take this opportunity to point a finger at pitchfork to just say how thankful I am that y’all described the TVotR album as sounding like it was “ice skating to heaven,” which has become my absolute favorite phrase. I use it all the time now.
(I kid because I love.)
People wonder why music blogs don’t actually have the traffic to back up their hypothetical “influence” and it might have something to do with the fact that the comments section of a piece like this consists almost solely of everyone who’s ever been involved with the story ever
Also, people who post in their own pieces all day to inflate their own hit counts.
Hey y’all–hear it straight from Tunde’s mouth:
What’s the truth behind the comma in the title of “Dear Science”?
“The reality is that said comma does not exist. It was a proofreading error somewhere along the way in the initial press release. We just never took the time to say otherwise once it got out there. I was just talking to Chris Martin and I was saying how we should sell a little vinyl comma on this tour. That could be the extra comma in the title.”
SOURCE:
[losangeles.metromix.com]
I would buy a little vinyl comma.
@Christopher R. Weingarten: I just feel weird that Tunde talks to Chris Martin.
@Halfwit: I made the same comment to Bono the other night and he was all “I know, right?”
@Halfwit: Its like finding out that punk rock chick from your math class that you have a crush on, but can’t get the nerve to talk to, and that jock (he’s a wrestler or some lame sport) who called you “quarterwit” all through freshman year, were at the same party playing quarters and smoking dope together. You don’t know either of them, but hate that they like each other. Its so alienating. What about you??
i was just on the boomkat website looking for the new tindersticks single and saw that the dear science album doesn’t have a comma, but the mp3 download of the album does.
@bcapirigi: I love the tindersticks. How was it?
@Christopher R. Weingarten: My head hurts.
I, also, like, Titus, Andronicus, for, the, record,
@Thesemodernsocks: Yes. This was the most depressing news I’ve heard all day. *Slinks back to the loser table in the cafeteria*
I think they should have called it “Dear Science comma”
@Lucas Jensen: it’s the boobar song from their last album. i love it, but then stuart staples could sing about slaughtering newborns and bathing in their placenta and i’d think it was wonderful.
@bcapirigi: Hasn’t he before? “My Sister” was pretty dark.
Anyway, I’m glad we are on the same page. I feel like a crazy person with how much I love that band.