KARMA’S ON THEIR SCENT LIKE A BOUNTY HUNTER
Karma’s gonna track them down
Tonight we stand, get off our knees / Fight for what we’ve worked for all these years / And the battle was long, it’s the fight of our lives / But we’ll stand up champions tonight
On MTV’s Video Music Awards last night, Taylor Swift won her fourth Video of the Year Award (along with eight other awards) for her biggest hit yet, “Anti-Hero.” While fast-forwarding through that frenetically cacophonous show to see those rare moments of relatability, I got a text from a friend telling me that USA Today is looking to hire a reporter whose entire beat will be Taylor Swift — a position that, sadly, requires many more qualifications than just being in awe of the subject. [Beyoncé, USA Today quickly announced, is also getting a dedicated reporter.]
I found much derision of this development in a Facebook group comprised mainly of music’s “old guard.” “If one was still looking for the end of western civilization…,” one huffed. “Thus, music journalism arrives at its apex…,” snarked another. And of course someone asked, “Is this the Onion?” I don’t know, it makes perfect sense to me.
In the past year, thanks to her ongoing breaking of Billboard chart records and the unprecedented hysteria surrounding her one-of-a-kind Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has been in the news pretty much…