"No one cares about your garage band" on Wikipedia... WTF?

[b.kult]

WHO HAD DONE THIS ?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_one_cares_about_your_gara...

[swt]

I had one embarrassing experience with Wikipedia in my other life as a political reporter. 

Back in 2008, I had an interview with then U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who was doing a fund-raiser for a local Congressman. (This of course was before he was Obama's chief of staff or mayor of Chicago.

Before the interview, I read Emanuel's Wikipedia entry just to get some basic facts. Here's one of those "facts":

"He was in a one-man Klezmer band called Rahmbunctious Eman."

How could I not ask him about that? It had a linked footnote and everything.

So I asked. And he looked at me like I was crazy.

"No," he said.

According to the footnote in Wikipedia, the klezmer claim supposedly was in a 2005 Rolling Stone profile. However, looking over the article afterwards, there's nothing about Rahmbunctious Eman or Rahm Emanuel in that article.

The line in Wikipedia had disappeared by the next day.

G. Wood said:

Yeah, anybody can, but they have hordes of no-no volunteers whose hobby is finding articles to recommend for deletion.

James Porter said:

Hell, I didn't even know it took much to get on Wikipedia in the first place. Can't anybody just write anything? Most Wiki articles I see have some outlandishly wrong factoid in the first place!

[Doc Sanchez]

Usually the band is unsigned, has released no albums (or only a self-produced CD), and the article was written by the band.

Damn, that would be us...

[gumbo chaff]

I love the 'CRACKER BARREL BEER AND LOBSTER HOUSE' reference ! 

[John Carlucci]

 There was a a link on a wikipedia page of The Fuzztones crediting the bass player as John Carluccio, & the link took you to a page from some film maker that obviously was not me. So I corrected it, and got a notice that my entry might be "Peacocking" (posting by the subject to advertise) & needed verification! lol. So I wrote an explanation that I was just correcting mis-information & they still have it flagged! lol!! Luckily, someone else linked a NY Times story I was mentioned in, so they left it up. LOL. I mean seriously, they were okay with some idiot putting a link to the wrong person, but not okay with my verification that I was the credited musician?? The other guy wasn't even a musician!

 

[kopper]

Actually, quite a few of our members have found the Hideout because of the GaragePunk.com entry there. So that's not entirely true. It's good for what it is, but you just have to remember to take the information you read there with a grain of salt and always double-check facts (ahem, Steve! haha).

John Carlucci said:

We should name this thread, "No one cares about Wikipedia" lol!

[Steve]

The way I see it John: it's the universe speaking to you through wikipedia, saying you need to expand your artistic medium to include film. Just sayin'.

John Carlucci said:

 ...the link took you to a page from some film maker that obviously was not me. 

[John Battles]

It's the difference between OUR truth and theirs , I think. You or I may know that something they've put up is inaccurate or incomplete , but if misinformation gets past their (Non) filters , it's going to be difficult proving them wrong. Do I still refer to them ? Of course , but , we can't take their word for gold , not when you have to go thru so many hurdles , in effect , to HELP them , by correcting an error or filling in blank spaces.  
 
James Porter said:

Hell, I didn't even know it took much to get on Wikipedia in the first place. Can't anybody just write anything? Most Wiki articles I see have some outlandishly wrong factoid in the first place!

[John Battles]

Also , I don't know if it was Wikipedia , but Sylvain Sylvain once told me he found his name on the internet in association with the group , Japan , because New Rose had put out a Live album from Japan in '75 by the last installment of The Dolls (Pre - reformation.) that said "DAVID" and "SYLVAIN" on the cover, with graphics similar to those seen on David Sylvian (Japan's former lead singer)'s records , or Japan's albums , themselves ......So , Sylvain was listed as having been a member of Japan and having worked with Riyuichi Sakamoto , which , of course , he never had , but , his response was " Hey , I did'nt work with these people , but , thanks , anyway.". There was an Artie Kane who'd been Barbara Streisand's Producer , so , Sylvain also found a listing for Arthur Kane , from The Dolls , as Barbara Streisand's Producer......OK , IT'S FUNNIER WHEN SYL TELLS IT.  James , the floor is yours. Could you tell us , please , the story about the first New York Dolls album cover ? I'm sure it beats Hell out of anything Wikipedia will ever say about it.
 
John Battles said:

It's the difference between OUR truth and theirs , I think. You or I may know that something they've put up is inaccurate or incomplete , but if misinformation gets past their (Non) filters , it's going to be difficult proving them wrong. Do I still refer to them ? Of course , but , we can't take their word for gold , not when you have to go thru so many hurdles , in effect , to HELP them , by correcting an error or filling in blank spaces.  
 
James Porter said:

Hell, I didn't even know it took much to get on Wikipedia in the first place. Can't anybody just write anything? Most Wiki articles I see have some outlandishly wrong factoid in the first place!

[James Porter]

I had to think about it for a while, but NOW I remember...

Okay...Lenny Kaye used to have a column in Rock Scene called "Ask Doc Rock," where readers would write in and ask various questions pertaining to rock trivia.

In one 1974 issue, one reader noticed the huge bulge in the crotch of Syl's pants on the back cover and wondered if he was, ah, "stuffed." Just like that dude from Spinal Tap.

Lenny remarked that he'd asked Syl point-blank what the deal was. He said that was indeed HIM. His manhood. No enhancements necessary.

Much later, I interviewed Syl in '97 or '98 for a local magazine here in Chicago and asked the same question. He told me the same thing he told Lenny, adding (rough paraphrase), "hey, I'm Jewish, Johnny Thunders was Italian, what can I say?"

BTW, all issues of Rock Scene are online now. If you want to see this exchange for yourself, here it is on Page 10: http://www.rockscenester.com/rockscene10book/ 

[John Battles]

 Yeah , as I recall , his exact words were , "Did we stuff? Johnny was Italian , and I'm Jewish , OF COURSE , we did'nt stuff !". In other Schlong Rock NEWS , ALL ARE INVITED TO READ MY REVIEW OF BLACK OAK ARKANSAS' SHOW, IN BEVERLY , ILL. , LAST SUMMER , at www.roctober.com . You'll have to scroll back a ways to find it in the reviews.......