Who but Tim Perlich would listen to this crap? Nobody. He promotes music that nobody cares about and shit-cans any music that is moderately popular.

Somebody should take Perlich out back and flog his sorry ass.

Agreed. Fire Perlich. Nuke this column, give it to someone who isn't so out of touch.

Actually you should be flogged Rodney and Goon (although I think you might like it) Tim has promoted and supported tons of bands that have become popular, and continued to support them. For example Steve Earl, Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Tindersticks, Black Keys, Antibalas Orchestra just to name a small fraction. You guys and the rest of the Perlich bashers in Toronto are blind, because he happened to not like your favourite band. Get over that and stop hating.

Well at least I now know Tim's mom's Internet username.

according to Chartattack.com - Tim Perlich is no longer with NOW Toronto.

http://www.chartattack.com/interact/forums/meet-me-at-the-front-bar/791766161

I seriously hope he was fired, because he deserved to be. Not just Toronto, but Canada's worst, most out of touch critic. I would look forward to a 'picks' column from Benjamin Boles.

It is a great step towards finally making NOW's section as good as it can be, and I trust Benjamin to do the job right. Looking at the music section of this weeks issue and having actual reviews that actually talk about the music is already a vast improvement.

Goon: To be happy for someone's misfortune is such a lame way to live your life. Tim supported ton's of great music and the fact that he is no longer with Now is a drag. He must've dissed your favourite (was it Britney Spears or Nickleback per chance?) for you to be so angry. Sheesh get over it.

No. He got what he deserved. You do a shitty job, you deserve to get canned. He was a music reviewer who didn't review music at least half the time. He'd favor cheap jokes and unrelated asides to giving things their proper due.

I see this weeks reviews and I already know NOW is better off.

"Tim supported ton's of great music"

As opposed to Benjamin Boles, Sarah Liss, Evan Davies and the many other great Toronto critics? And they at least respect the readers enough to do their job.

If there was a firing or a layoff or whatever - why am I reading about it here in these comments and not in the mag or at least posted to explain in some way why there's no current pic...NOW that is LAME!

For the record I enjoyed Perlich's reviews and columns. He has great taste in jazz and his knowledge of the genre is rivaled by only a few in Toronto. Yeah, he wrote about a lot of weird shit but at least he had a sense of adventure and didn't yield to flimsy hipster trends etc. So what happened to him? I will miss reading his columns but I do agree that his heavy handed music snobbery was detracting from his otherwise informative/enjoyable reviews.

Tim took notice of quality music, whether mainstream or not. By shining a much needed spotlight on relatively obscure but outstanding artists, he opened many ears to some of the greatest sounds ever recorded! He deserves much gratitude for this.

Without flinging mud back at Rodney & Goon above, I think you've both vastly under estimated the positive influence Tim has had on TO's music scene over the years. I really looked forward to Perlich's Picks each week - best music features in NOW by far in my opinion.

Thanks for the years of knowledge sharing you provided us all Tim. There's lots of folks out here who enjoy your work & will miss your insight.

(P.S. hey Goon, this isn't Tim's mom, dad, brother or sister writing ... although your comment above was kinda funny...)

You got it, Uncle Perlich.

I am one of the many people who disliked Tim Perlich's music snobbery, not just towards the latest music trends and top 40 acts, but towards rock music in general. One would think, based on his reviews, that he had an axe to grind with the artist as opposed to being someone who wanted to offer informed opinions on the music itself. His reviews lacked substance and validity in many cases, and this is why so many people disliked him and are now glad he's gone.

However, I will be fair and note that his taste in obscure jazz and fusion music was good, despite the fact that his snobbery towards other genres tainted his overall credibility. Things might have been better if he had stuck to what he knows.

if any comment from this thread ended up in the letters section, I'd vote for the one above. sums it up nicely.

For the record, several people have been laid off from NOW, but i doubt you'll be reading about it in their magazine anytime soon. You can just see it in the poor product they now produce weekly.

I don't live in Toronto but I (used to) read NOW's online music column regularly and really appreciated Tim's column. Yeah, what a horrible thing to do, Tim -NOT review the same stuff everybody else was reviewing.

Great work Tim - glad somebody was paying attention to obscure stuff and not merely reviewing whatever was brand new that week.

For you non-Tim Perlich appreciaters - you'll be happy to know Pitchfork is still reviewing the crappy indie rock, etc. you cherish.

^ Clay, you're only addressing half the picture.

NOW pretty much reviews all the same records everyone else does, and even though its usually not Tim's taste and everyone knows it, they all pass on the mainstream stuff to him anyways, and we end up with shitty reviews, because Tim is too much of a snob to review them properly.

If he only likes certain things, thats fine, but I don't care if you're reviewing some obscure jazz record from Sierra Leone or Motley Crue, you actually REVIEW THE FRICKIN MUSIC and not just pop one liners out, especially if you're not good at it. If Tim didn't like something he became an unreadable ass.

In the end it's not about agreeing or disagreeing with his taste at all (even though I don't share his taste in a lot of ways) - its about doing your fucking job, and Tim failed.

A good article on Perlich's departure:

http://version30.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/rip-tim-perlich-and-now-mags-unholy-union/

This article has a different account of why Tim is probably no longer around

http://www.thelastpogo.net/2009/02/slow-moving-and-creaky-music-critic-hobbles-off-the-stage-of-now-magazine/

Tim P is a dick. Nuff' said. Enjoy obscurity now...

Good riddance... this balding fuck wanted so badly to be a rare groove dj except he was too uncool and unpopular to ever make it. So he wrote a snobby article about records noone cares about and made fun of people he shouldn't have. Loser

I agree with Alby above, NOW seems to be headed downhill quick!

Case in point, removing PERLICH'S PICKS (a great column despite all of the knock's above) yet printing the SOUND CHECK feature is laughable evidence. Asking dweebie hipsters what they thought of some show (arguably that "no one cares about"!!) is COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT DRIVEL. To quote last weeks insights:

- "I used to stalk one of the guys in the band" - "I liked how BL guitarist looked like SC rockin out" - and my favourite..."I'm here because my boyfriend is in one of the bands"

Ha, ha!!! We used to enjoy insight from a WELL INFORMED WRITER who is PASSIONATE ABOUT MUSIC (of ALL types - stop knockin it just cuz YOU don't like it!!)

Now you're getting "USELESS OPINIONS", about "BANDS NO ONE CARES ABOUT" and coverage that provides "NO INSIGHT INTO WHAT THE BANDS SOUND LIKE". Weren't those the same complaints you had before?! Why have you all stopped whining?? Tim's gone but the problems you identified remain...

Perlich had an encyclopedic knowledge of music, but he was a snob, often unnecessarily cruel, and sometimes downright dishonest.

I have seen Perlich attend concerts, leave during the third song, and then days later would see his review of the show in NOW. He'd never mention in print that he caught all of two songs and exited -- his emp-loyers might have been as miffed as the readers -- and he would instead write dismissive reviews focused on things the performers' hairstyle.

I always thought it professionally and intellectually lazy that Perlich never submitted material for outside publications, or wrote a book. Then again, did he have an agent? Maybe publishers simply weren't interested.

'Cos the bottomline is, NOW just isn't a very good newspaper, and arguably the worst major independent weekly of any major city in North America.

As bad as Perlich could sometimes be, he was often the only reason worth picking up NOW.

"and arguably the worst major independent weekly of any major city in North America."

Absolutely not true whatsoever. I've illustrated in countless alt weeklies, they send me comps, and I read them. NOW is actually overall one of the best ones. Its biggest flaw if anything is that it doesnt use even nearly enough illustrators like me and my buddies :P

If Calgary, Edmonton, Madison Wisconsin, Halifax, and countless other midsize cities can successfully budget for illustration, I dont see why NOW cant, especially given the vast amount of local talent.

For the record, the absolute best alt weeklies I've come across are from Seattle and Portland

Tim Perlich has forgotten more about musicology than most people will ever know, and I'm sure he's happy not to have to listen to NOW readers whining about how he couldn't have been at the same concert they attended ever again. Miss you Tim.

I always thought it professionally and intellectually lazy that Perlich never submitted material for outside publications, or wrote a book. Then again, did he have an agent? Maybe publishers simply weren't interested.

'Cos the bottomline is, NOW just isn't a very good newspaper, and arguably the worst major independent weekly of any major city in North America.