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Photo: Cannibal Corpse demonstrating the clutching of invisible oranges

Let’s not make it goodbye, as I’m sure it’s not. But the day has finally come. Cosmo Lee will no longer be writing regularly for Invisible Oranges.

We all knew it was coming, of course. He announced that he was finding people to take over the site in March of this year, and listed some specific positions he was still trying to fill at the end of August. But still, it’s a sad day. Cosmo is probably the best metal writer in the business, and I’ll miss my regular dose of his intelligent articles.

I completely understand his decision. Even when you love doing something, being successful at it can mean that you find yourself trapped by the obligation to keep doing that thing – something I know all too well can happen (it’s part of the reason why I now live in Poland instead of in Australia running a web development business). By his own estimation, Cosmo put a minimum of three hours ofwork into each post, and in March had published 1400 articles on the blog. That’s a serious investment of time and energy for something that doesn’t earn huge wads of cash.

So this post is to say thank you to Cosmo, who inspired me to strive to write better. He also inspired me not to write unless I had something meaningful and insightful to add – and while that doesn’t help the metal sites I used to write for with their publishing schedules, I think it makes the internet a better place.

Another important lesson I learned from Cosmo is that it’s ok to only write about things that you actually like. In the spirit of that ideal, here are some of my favourite posts from Invisible Oranges over the years.

Interviews

• Glenn Danzig
• Tom Angelripper
• Gene Hoglan
• Phil Anselmo
• Tom G Warrior
• Burton C Bell

Reviews

• Megadeth – Rust In Peace
• Megadeth – Endgame
• Maryland Deathfest 2009
• Motörhead – “Ace of Spades”
• Immolation – Majesty and Decay
• Metallica – The First Four Albums (ongoing series – be sure to click “older entries” and read from the beginning)

Opinion

• “I don’t keep up with new music anymore”
• A Guide To Writing About Music
  • Part 1 – Reading
  • Part 2 – Thinking
  • Part 3 – Writing
• Don’t click on things that look like they just exist for you to click on them
• Love the Band, Hate the Fans 
• To Scion or not to Scion: that is the question

 So thanks and good luck, Cosmo. I hope that whatever you do with your new found spare time is rewarding and fulfilling.

~ by goat_admin on September 24, 2011.

Posted in metal, writing
Tags: cosmo lee, invisible oranges, journalism