Hello and welcome back to our ongoing sexification of current Staff by way of deep-diving casual-reading interview razzle, Sputnik’s very own Meet the Spartans. Allow your jaw to drop as impossible questions are posed and the Staffers you never acknowledged surpass your wildest expectations.

Today’s willing participant is our reformed meanie-head and connoisseur of podcasts, Trebor. Please give him a hero’s welcome; in we go!

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Good afternoon, Trebor. How is your day?

Every day I have to find the motivation to keep going and that usually takes about an hour or so, so I’ll let you know in an hour.

Literally everyone knows who you are, but you’re gonna have to reintroduce yourself to save me writing a bad mini-bio.

I’ve only been banned once, I’ve almost always had a Redlettermedia avatar, I used to be a meaniehead to a lot of newer users, and 90% of my friends no longer use the site.

Red Letter Media. Click the photo for videos.

What kind of role does music play in your life compared to when you first started on Sputnik?

When I first started posting I had a broken knee and foot and couldn’t walk or do much of anything for a month, so I mostly just listened to new albums I found on Sputnik all day and posted about them. Now I can walk and go on hikes so I don’t need to post all day anymore. Honestly, I don’t listen to music very often these days. I’ve gravitated towards podcasts because I’m a white male in his late 20s.

What are the most encouraging and disappointing changes you’ve seen on this site since you joined?

The trolls are a lot worse. I used to post under alts and do funny things and I feel like that era is over. Trolls mostly post really mean spirited stuff or just embarrassing shit. The best thing is definitely the staff, every review I read from a staffer lately makes me jealous, it’s really cool given how rough a lot of those circa 2006 staff reviews are.

You’ve been behind some of the most unforgiving take-down reviews on Sputnik, many of which have inspired me directly. What is your advice to writers struggling to express themselves in non-positive registers? Should more people write negative reviews? Is Sputnik’s critical bias too positive or too negative?

Everyone should write more 1 star reviews. Make them funny, piss people off, write something that in ten years you’ll have to delete because you’re trying to get a serious writing job. I think Sputnik is a lot more balanced with negativity actually. Like you can look up the worst fucking major label released album you’ve ever heard in your life on Metacritic and chances are it’ll have like a 70. Not enough people are upset about this I think, with video games it’s more recognized as a problem, like when Ubisoft releases the same game for the 12th time in a row and IGN gives it an 8. Realistically almost every album you hear is gonna be in the 2.5/3 range if you’re critical enough.

Tell us a little about your process. What inspires you, do you brainstorm, how long do you sit on your thoughts, how long does it take you to write a review from start to finish?

This is a rough one because I’ve only written one review this year. I tend to write about ten reviews a year that I scrap just before finishing. I’ve had this really brutal block for the past few years, I don’t know what it is.

When I did write a lot of reviews I would usually just write as many notes as I could think of while listening to an album, and then turn it off and write a first draft. I used to write first drafts longhand and then type them up which I hated doing but I felt like my writing was better when I did it that way, probably because I type really fast (flex) to the point that before I’ve fully formed my thought I’ve already finished the sentence so to speak.

I usually listen to an album at least five times, write notes one day, do a first draft the next day, and then a second draft the day after that. So it’s a three day process I guess and probably like 1-2 hours of actual work.

What are the best and worst site memes you’ve witnessed in your years here?

Everything KILL ever did was the best, I miss that guy. That Periphery 2 review should be in a museum. I always fondly remember that time Recspecs made a list bragging about running a train on a girl with three other dudes and then almost everyone in the comments was like “That’s kinda weird and gross bro” but he refused to back down about it. Worst meme? There are so many I’ve no doubt blocked out, maybe those lists about how women should listen to better music or whatever if that’s a meme.

You once almost featured on a Black Malachite album. What happened?

I almost met up with him irl one time too lol. He was looking for singers for an album and I sent him this demo I made and he liked it, but when he sent me his track I just couldn’t figure out how to sing on it, like it was kinda ambient and less melody oriented and I was just lost. Also I was too embarrassed to record vocals in my apartment when my roommates could hear me so I recorded these really weak vocals and he was like “nah”.

Your AOTY (or close to) last year was Charli XCX’s How I’m Feeling Now. How has that album aged and what does it mean to you now?

It means a lot to me. I still put it on for late night car rides almost weekly. I don’t know what to say about it that hasn’t already been said.

I’m hopeful that she’ll continue down the PC Music path and working with Dylan Brady, but I’m fearful that she’ll end up making by the numbers pop records.

Who is the most underrated Staffer?

Acad, he just makes me happy.

What makes a good drainer?

To be a good drainer you have to listen to “bladee be nice 2 me indian cover” at least once a day.

What album is the unpatched Cyberpunk 2077 of 2021?

It’s gotta be Donda. It’s unfinished, it’s got way too much content, and it’s kinda funny. Maybe both of these will be good some day?

Recommend me literally anything.

A reasonably priced PS4 with Bloodborne.

Give me a succinct kneejerk on each of the following:

Ashnikko

(had to look this up) She looks like a Matrix character?

China

In the Mood for Love, Lao Gan Ma, my grandma went there for like four months.

Veganism

Was vegan for like a year, some vegans are kinda cringe, but not as cringe as meatheads. Kinda hate that us vegetarians don’t get the spotlight anymore.

Yoasobi

(had to look this up) I’m a 30 year old boomer, you have to ask me about Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

Elden Ring

Feels like I’ve been waiting for it for ten years.

Rina Sawayama

My sister really likes her, haven’t heard a single song.

Death

Without judgement what would we do?

Trebor, thank you for your time!