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Interview: Prince Campbell AKA Chartreuse

Interview: Prince Campbell AKA Chartreuse

We took a few minutes this weekend to interview Prince Campbell, the editor of Chartreuse (beta), which just celebrated its six month anniversary.

What’s your story? How does a guy like you end up doing this?

Here’€™s the story for those who don’€™t know it. I’€™m doing this because of failure.

My wife finds out I’€™m fucking one of her friends.

Game over.

I’€™m a wreck. I needed a break. I sell my HD-ready TV, buy a laptop and an ameripass.

I ended up in Tampa because my 14 year old daughter lives here.

Started a highly successful but very stressful music promotion business. I have a heart attack and start reevaluating what’€™s important. Trying to collect a lot of keys wasn’€™t important anymore. I love writing and blogging had no barrier to entry.

Your blog seems to have caught on fast with a pretty interesting group of commenters. What do you attribute your success to so far?

Because I know what I am talking about and I use curse words.

I think people are beginning to realize that the world is wide open.

Here’€™s a secret just for your readers. The most important ability to have these days is the ability to learn. Screw what you already know. It’€™ll probably be irrelevent before your lifetime.

Everything is changing so fast that college is a waste of time. We need people who can think, not people who know stuff.

People look at the technological revolution and think that it’€™s about stuff. It’€™s not. The internet is like the wheel. It does more than make travel easier. It changes things socially and economicly as well.

Take something as untechnological as Gay Marriage. Do you know why it can’€™t be stopped? Because of the internet. The internet gives people choices. And once they have control over tv and irrelevent stuff like that how can they not expect control over their own lives?

What’s your inspiration for your posts? You cover quite a wide range of topics…

I really try to look at the big picture. Take little things and look at the ramifications.

Kids not wearing watches because they have cellphones. That means something.

Email use dropping among young people. That means something.

And I also try to make people realize that they can do whatever they want.

There is no such thing as no such thing.

You have a unique writing style that appears to have caught on with your readers – how has that developed?

People are busy, so I try to get to the point or tell a good story. I write like I talk. It makes all my gammar and spelling mistakes easier to deal with.

You’ve been pretty critical of most blog networks – give us your thoughts on what this year will hold for blog networks overall?

What disappoints me about blog networks is that they should be on the forefront of all this new media stuff but they are not.

Do you know why YouTube is a success and Google video is not? It’€™s because YouTube is a bunch of blogs.

People can comment.

Comments create relationships and just like in the real world, relationships give you value.

Google video is just video. Video is TV. And no one cares about TV.

I look for a few video blog networks to launch and turn most blog networks into landlines.

The smart folks are thinking mobile though. Just look at the porn industry and ESPN. Those are the trendleaders.

What are your favorite reads online? (Blogs, newspapers, etc)

The only blogs I read everyday are on my blogroll. I also check out the WordPress top posts and Reddit. And folks who comment on my site. I always read their blogs.

I read a lot of industry specific newsletters (Like WasteAge). I also get google alerts on nanotechnology, and Angelina Jolie.

Where’s blogging headed in the next few years?

Blogging as we know it now will fade. Those making money at it will be bringing a multimedia experience.

Are you ever going to get a design on this blog? And does it really matter?

No design.. No domain name. I want people who love my blog to realize that it was done using tools avilable to anyone. I want to inspire them. And if my blog eventually fail, I have some excuses.

Favorite band(s)?

My favorite unsigned band is Squint. They are righteous. Buy their album.

J-Diggs, who’€™s a hyphy artist in San Fran is fire.

But if you are going to buy one album this year buy the Dixie Chicks Album. Not because it’€™s good, but just because those girls are brave. Really.

View Comments (8)
  • And this is why I love Chartreuse. He’s real. He’s got the freaking truth wrapped up in a package that doesn’t taste like salty balls and his content is real.

    Fuck Yeah. Rock on dude.

  • I’ve been reading Charteuse for months. It is without question the most consistantly interesting blog I’ve ever seen. What people don’t mention when they talk about him though is his influence.

    I know Prince says it’s o.k. to steal his ideas and people do all the time. You see people stealing his writing style, the way he titles posts, the way he uses famous people for examples and his generous use of pictures and video. He was the first to do all of that.

    If there was an award on influence, Chartreuse (beta) would win it hands down.

  • Shit Matt.

    A redesign AND an interview with the thousand pound gorilla of guerilla blogging in one week.

    You’re coming out with both guns firing.

    Well done.

  • Thanks Robert.

    Char, you’re always welcome. If you sucked, I wouldn’t link you. Keep that in mind ;-)

    Matt

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