Mirror my malady, transfer my tragedy

Mood: hungry  Music: Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio

Day 01 -> Your favourite song
Day 02 -> Your favourite movie
Day 03 -> Your favourite television program
Day 04 -> Your favourite book
Day 05 -> Your favourite quote
Day 06 -> Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 -> A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 -> A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 -> A photo you took
Day 10 -> A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 -> A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 -> Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 -> A fictional book
Day 14 -> A non-fictional book
Day 15 -> A fanfic
Day 16 -> A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 -> An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 -> Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 -> A talent of yours
Day 20 -> A hobby of yours
Day 21 -> A recipe
Day 22 -> A website

TKO: The Killers Online

Shameless plug time!

I remember the first time I heard about the Killers. It was 2004, and I was mentally steeling myself for my second super hot summer in Las Vegas. I heard the first whispers of “Somebody Told Me” on MTV. It was a blip of a promo but it was enough to catch my eye and my ear. My ears particularly perked up that they were from Vegas. I was desperate for new music, so I decided to download their album from iTunes a few days later.

I heard the helicopter opening from “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” and I was GONE.

I spent an ungodly amount of time online because I was unemployed when I moved to Vegas. I went searching for info on the Killers, but all I could find – besides the official site (which was really crappy at the time) and the Mr. Brightside forums – were UK fansites. So I took it upon myself to make a fansite focused on their conquer of America. I had had a fun little Alias fansite called Alias Revolution a few years before, and I was dying to get involved in a new fandom. I signed up with the Mr. Brightside forums, and found a lot of amazing like-minded people.

I opened TKO as a fansite on September 25, 2004: all the news that was fit to print, scans of photo shoots/live gigs, humor pages, the whole shebang. I remember the date because it was 1 week after my 21st birthday. I practiced making funky layouts in Photoshop, changing it monthly, depending on my whims. I took pictures from all over the internet (credited, of course). It got pretty big. But damned if I didn’t love it!

I got a kick out of interacting with other fans, who were completely dorks about the Killers. I loved sharing what I knew with them, and helping them become fans. It was such a thrill learning about the band, soaking up what I knew. I’m a veritable Killers encyclopedia. BELIEVE it. I dare you to test me.

But my mistake was switching TKO to its current forum style.

We have a long-standing cold war with the official forums (which are actually the Mr. Brightside forums), because they “don’t like how we do things.” I call the instigating incident the “Great TKO Drama.” Without getting into too many dirty details, TKO’s mere existence has been quietly banned from ever being acknowledged on the official forums. I hate that our relationship with them went down like it did. They were a huge supporter of TKO in the beginning (when it was still the Mr. Brightside forums). I happily acknowledge that.

I was bitter for a long time though. I felt like it was my fault that it happened the way it did. I was never allowed to present my case, nor defend myself. I was automatically tarred and feathered, so to speak. And their word is final. But at the end of the day, what happened was not my fault. And I’m not going to apologize for my reactions to it after. It was a response to what I felt was a lack of communication. I fired back, because that’s what I do if you’re not gonna listen to rational language.

I love the band, and that has always been my motivating factor in maintaining TKO. I don’t do it for the money. I pay for everything out of my own pocket, and I wouldn’t dream of begging for money. I accept donations but to this day, I have received $0. lol. And I certainly don’t do it for the fame (The Killers and Destiny is Calling Me).

I want to see Brandon, Mark, Dave and Ronnie succeed beyond their wildest dreams. I want to see them reach their goal of being bigger than U2. I am proud to say that TKO is one of the first – and still active – fan-run forums out there for this amazing group of talented men.

I think of all the sites I’ve owned, TKO is my favorite, and therefore, my baby. I have been through so much with it, but I still soldier on. Because I got soul but I’m not a solider. lolz. You know I had to say it!