A few weeks back, Tulip Frenzy asserted not only that Jon Pareles was the worst rock critic in America, but that his continual use of the word “vamp” might be a hint that he is… a vampire. Since then, incredibly, he’s stopped using “vamp” in each and every review.
Then this morning, when the Times’ chief rock critic gave his Top Ten list of the year — and yep, Portishead was numero dos — he left us this incredibly well crafted sentence, this gem of writing, with this further hint: “With a wistful familiarity that’s spookier than most scare tactics, Bradford Cox sings about “dreams that frighten me awake”: woozy visions of murder, confinement and vampires.”
Ho ho ho. If you are a friend of Jon Pareles, stay away during the upcoming full moon…
Tulip Frenzy 