What fresh hell is this?

Caretaker’s note: Like I said, not much to see here but like Peter Quill said, ‘If you had a black light, the place would look like a Jackson Pollock painting.” There used to be some parties here back in the day. I remember one time when…nah, we better not get into all that.

 

“…the same rowdy crowd that was here last night is back again…” — “Sharon” by David Bromberg

The Same Rowdy Crowd is a bunch of folks who combine idiot idealism, a hairball or two of cynicism and an irresistible urge to shoot our mouths off about communications and other topics – good, bad and stupid.

We’ve been doing it for years in boardrooms, classrooms, newsrooms, bars and the op-ed pages; amazingly, each of us has made a living in communications for decades. Some of us have worked for the media, some for government, some for universities, some for companies large and small. We’ve worked for ourselves and others, but regardless of who signs our paychecks or how we put food on the table, we’re pretty much one or two standard deviations past normal.

We teach communications or counsel organizations on how to communicate effectively in calm seas and in storms. We’re all writers, and we’d like to think we can make some smart observations about how people and organizations say things. We take the subject very seriously, ourselves not so much at all. We don’t all agree on everything; part of the fun of doing this, in fact, comes from the back-and-forth. And, as you’ll soon see, we wander into other areas of society, politics, culture, technology and more as the mood hits us.

We want to make a difference, spark clear communication, have some fun and raise some hell. Since starting this gig, we’ve been lucky to attract a smart, opinionated group of visitors who do – and don’t – think like us, believe as we do or see the world in our colors. That’s most of the fun.

Thanks for giving us a read. See what you think, yap back at us if you’re so inclined. We’re eager to mix it up.

Jon Austin
Bruce Benidt
Tony Carideo
Mike Keliher
Brian Lambert
Joe Loveland
Ellen Mrja
William Souder