The psychology of the fade out at the end of a song

A "fade out" in music is when when volume of the song decreases gradually until the listener hears nothing at all, and is a common way songs are ended. There's a lot of hate for the fade out, as many people think it's a lazy way to end the song. Critics will say "I guess they couldn't come up with a good ending so they just turned the volume down".

Perhaps in many cases it is the result of laziness but often times it works well to create a feeling that the song is continuing on forever. But why would gradually turning down the volume create a vibe that something is continuing on forever?

One thing I've noticed is that the songs seem to sound their best during the fade out. Technically it probably doesn't really sound any better at all, but it's the point where you're like "goddamn this song is awesome, I wish it would keep going and going, I don't want it to stop". It's the point where you really start to appreciate the song and realize how good the vibe is. You've already heard the chorus several times by now at this point, but you took it for granted. Now you're realizing that this isn't going to last forever, and you're trying to hold onto it for as long as you can and cherish the moment.

You've heard the phrase "You don't know what you've got until it's gone", which can apply to many things in life like relationships and your health. When you're in the moment you don't quite realize just how good you have it, it's not until it's over or gone that you really appreciate it. Well, the fade out gives us the unique opportunity to have each foot on a different side and see both perspectives at the same time. On the one hand we still hear the song and are still in the vibe, but the other side of us sees it slipping a way and is in the perception of the song being over. We're able to experience both being in the moment and seeing the moment lost at the same time - which enables us to appreciate the song in the way we appreciate things in life after they're gone - only this time we have the benefit of getting to do that while we're still in the moment, if only for a brief amount of time.

KEYC anchor slurs her way through the news

Mankato Minnesota's KEYC started off the news segment as usual but something seemed a bit off with anchor Annie Stensrud. See if you notice anything odd:




Slurring words? Check. No Bra? Check. Fucked out of her mind? Check.

mediabistro.com reports that Stensrud is still employed with the station and KEYC has issued this statement:

“Even though we work in a very public business, personnel issues need to remain private–and that’s exactly what this is."

We kinda feel bad for the woman. We checked out some of her previous broadcasts and she's actually a really good anchor & reporter. Was she a little intoxicated during the latest news report? Probably. Does that make her a bad person? No. There may be more to the story here and we shouldn't be so quick to judge, and at this time her employer seems to be sticking by her side. Let's hope she's able to work through this and get her shit together.

Life In Pictures: A Real Life Scientologist

Well we've certainly gotten a lot of response and feedback from our entries on Scientology and their Volunteer Ministries (Not to be confused with Vulture Ministries, although both phrases refer to the same organization). Many of you that e-mailed us said you had never actually seen a Scientologist before. I'm sure many of you have, you just didn't realize it because they were in their normal street or business attire. I mean you're really not going to know someone's a Christian, for example, unless you talk to them. But we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to show a real life Scientologist.


This picture was taken yesterday in downtown Hemet California, we're told. Not all the background details of this photo are known at this time but this fellow appears to be very proud of the fact that he's a Scientologist and doing his darnedest to get the word out. It reminds us of some of PETA's demonstrations, where naked women are put on display locked up in cages. You definitely have to respect someone that dedicates his life so much to a religion, no matter how cooky it may appear on the surface. I know it won't be easy for many of you to accept the lifestyles of the Scientologists, but they're people too just like everyone else, and we share many of the same moral systems and cultural upbringings. If we can break down the barriers that separates us, we can work towards opening up a dialogue that leads to mutual respect and cultural harmony.