Copper


When Is It Time For the Next One?

Issue 44HOBGOBLIN

The most famous line about making comedy gets quoted a lot. Lorne Michaels says, “Saturday Night Live doesn’t go on at 11:30 because it’s ready. It goes on at 11:30 because...

The Pleasure of Buying Bad Records

Issue 43HOBGOBLIN

One doesn’t generally expect a bargain at a Brooklyn flea market. After all, if it were any good, some hipster would have gotten it before I even got a chance....

MQA Just Ruined My Stereo

Issue 42HOBGOBLIN

[Please note: this piece was originally run in Copper #6,  when distribution of MQA and MQA-encoded files was still very limited. Seth wrote in anticipation of things to come, and was looking forward to not...

Right on the Edge of Disaster

Issue 41HOBGOBLIN

Here’s a simple question: which is more fun to drive down a winding country road at 30 miles an hour? A new Bentley or a 1969 Jaguar? Most car fans...

My Favorite Tweak

Issue 40HOBGOBLIN

It involves an Eberhard Faber Design Art Marker No. 255, in green if you insist, but you can also use a pencil. While listening to music (it works with analog...

My Stereo Is Broken

Issue 39HOBGOBLIN

It’s not the buzzing of a ground loop or the scratching of a bad stylus. It’s silent. Merely silent, staring at me with reproach, speaking not a sound. Okay, I’m...

Wine and Chocolate

Issue 38HOBGOBLIN

I don’t drink wine, but I’m fascinated by it. The rituals, the industry, the marketing. I do drink chocolate, because I decided I need some sort of vice, and after...