The Manual – How to have a number one the easy way (1988) | Hacker News Reader

The Manual – How to have a number one the easy way (1988)

freshonthenet.co.uk

66 pointsnvr21914 comments

Not sure if this post is a coincidence or not, but this was covered just a few days ago on the "Omnibus!" podcast (which I would recommend): https://www.omnibusproject.com/podcasts/watch-the-k-foundati...

Total coincidence! Yesterday's post here, "What Makes a Hit", is what reminded me of the Manual.

Great read for anyone seeking to make the next "killer app".

Bring Me Edelweiss, a novelty number one supposedly written according to these instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-dyzKKz6sM

And, of course, Doctorin' The Tardis, the number one which formed the basis for The Manual: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdTELokKfCk

Another "interesting" story from these guys: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K_Foundation_Burn_a_Million_Qu...

Knowing a bit more about the KLF helps with the context of this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_KLF

Such a fun read. This was my second ever post to HN back in 2013. Always puts me in a good mood.

It's also amusing to youtube clips from the time they burnt a million British pounds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K_Foundation_Burn_a_Million_Qu...

Justified.

&& Ancient

They like to roam the land.

That's easy?

It's all relative.

Compared to practicing your instruments for 5+ years, getting along with a bunch of people, touring, etc, taking the piss for a few days in a studio is easy.

Perhaps most importantly the Manual explains that you won't get fame and fortune by this route.

Indeed, you almost certainly won't get fame and fortune by any route. Hence Steve Albini's treatise on a similar subject, often called by its last line: "Some of your friends are probably already this fucked".

https://www.negativland.com/news/?page_id=17

A concise and provocative perspective on the value of understanding and projecting cash flow and revenue in new enterprise with experienced suppliers.

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