I spent a part of last spring interviewing participants in and observers of mash-up culture for an overview piece that appears in Now Playing’s current issue, which went into distribution about a month and a half ago. I structured the piece as a history, beginning with Mark Gunderson’s recollections of developing the Whipped Cream Mixes with the ECC in the 90s. The issue includes at least a glancing look at the new Gorillaz release as well.

So you might say I found the new cover of Wired unusually compelling.

Neil Gaiman interviews Gorillaz, for Pete’s sake.

This bit of creative copy – “The History of Mash-Ups, by William Gibson” – was especially entertaining. Gibson’s piece relates the avant-garde creative method that William S. Burroughs dubbed the ‘cut-up,’ to the current fooraw over sampling and borrowing to deep Western historical roots. It’s a cogent observation.

Understandably, that’s not what I thought I was about to read when I flipped to the piece. Still, I laughed heartily upon seeing the cover. It’s just not credible that Now Playing is prompting competitive moves from Wired. At best, I think maybe I channelled some aspect of Wired’s editorial decision-making when I pitched this story – and others – to Now Playing.

Now, if I can do it again next issue – well, that would be success of a sort, I think.