What's New?

November 2009 update

Here are the most recent additions to the site:

Have You Abandoned This Web Site?
Short answer – no. Check out the latest on Jon’s “creative wrestling match.”

“Jon Goes Off” – Live Twitter Feed
(and interactive Facebook Page)
Follow Jon’s mini-rants and raves about movies, music, crummy advertising and the encroachment of commercialization on culture in real-time, either on Twitter or from his “Resumes from Hell” MySpace page. You can also track his writing and share your own comments on his new ”Jon Reed Goes Off” Facebook Page. Link up with him there!

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Jon braves a community theater production and comes back the better for it.

Life According to Nietzsche:
Applying Nietzsche’s Most Powerful Ideas
to the Problems of Daily Living
A very different, practical take on one of the most important thinkers of all time.

Megadeth Unsung - The Real Greatest Hits
Jon looks at the human side of a legend and winds up with a “best of” like no other.

Free From Corporate America Podcast Series
Jon is now podcasting each week on themes pertaining to his book Free From Corporate America: A Tactical Guide to Success on Your Own Terms.

JR's New Web Logs!
If you like a little fun at the expense of commercialism, check out JR's new topical blogs. There's one that mocks bad advertising, another that tracks all the musical sell-outs and corporate whores who sell their songs on the cheap, and the there's "bad sports", which takes on the big business of sports. These blogs are updated frequently, so keep an eye on 'em.

Alfredo’s Gallery and the Changing Face of Small Town America
Jon and Andrea Burns get the inside story of why Alfredo DiLascia moved his gallery from downtown Northampton, Massachusetts. It’s a cautionary tale for anyone who prefers to see local art instead of corporate doughnut shops and cell phone stores in their towns.

Hoop Master Sass, a.k.a. Megan E. Labonte
Jon and Andrea Burns talk shop with visual artist and hula hooper Megan E. Labonte.

FreeFromCorporateAmerica.com
Jon launches his new site, where you can read his next book as he writes it. Now with podcast updates! The upcoming book, called "Free From Corporate America," is Jon's take on how to respond to "pink slip culture" by taking your economic future into your own hands.

Resumes from Hell.com
The official web site for Jon Reed's book Resumes from Hell is now live, with plenty of funny sample material to check out, and the book is now available for purchase. Co-authors Jon Reed and Rachel Meyers, the webmaster of jonreed.net, team up for this tour of duty through the worst resumes ever created. You can see the book's recent coverage in the New York Daily News and CNN on the web site.

Jon Takes on Metal's Monster Ballads
The Monster Ballads compilations, coming soon to a late-night TV commercial near you, pose a fascinating challenge: How to sort the good schlock from the bad? Jon is up to the task.

Hair is History – Why I Cut Mine
Jon takes a serious look at the relationship between hair, identity, and rock and roll.

Alanis Morissette Has Lost Her Mind
Jon uses Alanis' botched "remake" of Jagged Little Pill as a launching point for a diatribe on the relevance of rage.

In Search of Tori Amos and Lost Youth
In one of his most personal essays, Jon looks back on the night he met Tori and some things that slipped away. Tori fans be warned: this piece is more about Jon than Tori.

Warrior Soul: the Best Band of the '90s
Warrior Soul predicted the corporatization of rock and roll with devastating accuracy. In his annotated liner notes to the best Warrior Soul songs, Jon pays homage to one of the most underrated bands of all time.

Warrior Soul: the Best Band of the '90s, Disc Two
Jon continues his tribute to Warrior Soul with his second disc of liner notes. More classics and overlooked gems are covered.

Metallica Unsung: Liner Notes
In his first Metallica piece in a decade, Jon tackles Metallica's creative highs and lows, their fight with Napster and their quest for re-invention in spite of their own intolerant fans.

How a Band Called Fancy Trash is Saving Rock and Roll
Jon's latest piece of "epic music journalism" is the story of a rising local band called Fancy Trash, in the context of a larger question: is rock and roll a dying genre?

Remembering Dieselmeat
See the piece Webmaster Rachel calls Jon's best work ever. Jon's story of his closest brush with musical greatness and how it changed the course of his life forever. A major new addition to the site, complete with photos.

Musical Sellouts: Single Song Division
JR expands his rants on corporate whores and musical sellouts with his list of the most grievous sales of individual songs in the bastard marriage of rock and commerce. He's also added his dreaded list of the All-Time Corporate Song Whores.

"Jumping the Tracks" Book Preview
Preview excerpts from JR's most ambitious writing project to date.

Signs of the Apocalypse
JR unveils his list of the telltale signs that the end times are drawing closer.

Chris Whitley is God
A reader objects to Jon's scathing review of Chris Whitley's Din of Ecstasy.

The Most Overrated Films of All Time
JR sticks it to two more films that lots of people like…and he gets a smart letter from a reader in defense of Pulp Fiction.

JR's Mixes and Liner Notes
JR rolls out his all-new section of liner notes and track listings, featuring the best overlooked music of the '80s and '90s. The first artist featured was Tori Amos, then the first of the metal mixes was posted, and now there are four more mixes posted – all relating to Hanoi Rocks.

In Search of a Better Story: An Awkward Tribute to Sander Thoenes
Jon's story of how the death of a college friend shook his life up.

Feedback Forum
The comments keep coming in.

Jon responds to a letter from a college student who got a chance to check out Star Parker in person. Star is an arch-conservative activist whose inflammatory column in USA Today prompted one of Jon's most provocative outbursts, "Abortionists, Suicide Bombers, and American Morality."

Camus and Sartre: A Friendship Lost Over the Clash Of Ideas
A break from the rants - Jon finds some meaning in life's absurdities.

Remembering My Grandmother
Hardly a rant, but not your typical memorial service fare either. Jon pays tribute to a proud woman and a problematic relationship.

JR's Top 33 Movies of All Time
Just so you don't think Jon is all about the ranting, here are his favorite movies, with a shocking late arrival to the top of the list.

Webmaster Rachel Meyers on Kung Fu
Rachel lets the world know how Kung Fu changed her life.

Rachel adds some action shots to her photo album,
including some Kung Fu tournament photos, highlights of Dolphin School, and a self-inflicted black eye.

Taking a Long Shot at Twelve Shots: The Return of Hanoi Rocks, by Jon Reed.
In this no-holds-barred review of Hanoi's first record in more than 15 years, which Jon calls "my most ambitious piece of music criticism," Jon assesses this landmark record in the context of larger themes such as the numbing effect of corporate rock, the tension between selling out and paying the bills, and the challenge of being an aging rocker in a genre that thrives on the primal energy of youth.

The Life and Fast Times of Hanoi Rocks: An Interview with Dave Dickson, Music Journalist
A project that started out as a tribute to Jon's all-time favorite band, Hanoi Rocks, became something a whole lot more. This feature combines an historic interview with a series of Jon's personal writings on Hanoi Rocks. A must-read for Hanoi and hard rock fans, this interview's storyline of youthful glory, lost innocence, and the challenge of overcoming/living-up-to your own past might also appeal to non-fans as well. Plenty of "Cliff's Notes" and supplemental links are provided for those who aren't familiar with the band. This special feature, organized into linked chapters for easy web reading, doubles the amount of content on this web site.

JR adds a shorter bio
For those who don't have the time or inclination to read the longer "Who is Jon Reed?" piece.