Radiohead on Confidence and Making

One of the big things making the last record was how deeply un-self confident we were […] We didn’t trust in the process. We’ve got to trust more in the ‘it’ll be okay,’ you know, ‘we’re just working through something.’ We’ve got to trust that we’ve done some good stuff in the past and good stuff will still come.”

Ed O’Brien of Radiohead

The Problem With TV According to “Network”

Max: “It’s too late, Diana. There’s nothing left in you that I can live with. You’re one of Howard’s humanoids. If I stay with you, I’ll be destroyed. Like Howard Beale was destroyed. Like Laureen Hobbs was destroyed. Like everything you and the institution of television touches is destroyed. You’re television incarnate, Diana – Indifferent to suffering; insensitive to joy. All of life is reduced to the common rubble of banality. War, murder, death are all the same to you as bottles of beer. And the daily business of life is a corrupt comedy. You even shatter the sensations of time and space into split seconds and instant replays. You’re madness, Diana. Virulent madness. And everything you touch dies with you. But not me. Not as long as I can feel pleasure, and pain… and love.”

[Kisses her]

“And it’s a happy ending: Wayward husband comes to his senses, returns to his wife, with whom he has established a long and sustaining love. Heartless young woman left alone in her arctic desolation. Music up with a swell; final commercial. And here are a few scenes from next week’s show.”

[Picks up his suitcases and leaves]

Network (1976)

Louis C.K. publishes the results of self publishing his comedy special

“The show went on sale at noon on Saturday, December 10th. 12 hours later, we had over 50,000 purchases and had earned $250,000, breaking even on the cost of production and website. As of Today, we’ve sold over 110,000 copies for a total of over $500,000. Minus some money for PayPal charges etc, I have a profit around $200,000 (after taxes $75.58). This is less than I would have been paid by a large company to simply perform the show and let them sell it to you, but they would have charged you about $20 for the video.”

Louis C.K.


In the future we won’t easily remember how big of a shift this was.

Louis C.K. on what he’s learning

I’m learning […] a HUGE amount with this web experiment. This live at the beacon thing (available at louisck.com for 5 bucks) is like that thing in the movie “Twisiter” where they send a bunch of little data collecting balls up into a tornado and just download the lovely results. The whole thing has been like that. From the moment it went online and I saw the result of every decision I made. the last question the web guys asked me before we posted was if I wanted the mail list button defaulted to “opt in” or “opt out” and i said start it at opt out. It’s such a tiny thing but I keep hearing about it from people. So so interesting to watch this grow.’

Louis C.K.

Design is more like farming than art

There are places I go on the internet to get design inspiration.

I go to places like this and I browse and browse.

And I realize: good design feels like a commodity.

Everybody has a well designed site now. If they don’t, they will in the next 5 years. (more…)