by Neil McGarry

Daniel McQuade, formerly of The Evening Bulletin, recently became Philadelphia Weekly’s official blogger/puppy maven at Philadelphia Will Do. We took a few minutes of Dan's time at a coffee shop on 12th Street to get his views on blogs and media, which suprisingly aren't exactly the same thing. And, of course, we spoke about Philadelphia as well.

When did you start blogging?
I had a Web site when I was in 7th grade, which was really just a Web page on AOL, and I did some online video game reviews when I was a freshman in high school. In the summer of 2003 I was reading a magazine about blogging (the magazine had been left behind by former tenants), and while I was looking for work I used the blog to keep writing. I started Philadelphia Will Do in May ’04.

You’ve now begun officially blogging for Philadelphia Weekly. How did that happen?
It was kind of random. I wrote an email to a friend about a trip to Las Vegas I had taken, and that friend forwarded the email to Tim Whitaker, the editor-in-chief of Philadelphia Weekly. This was kind of a new thing; I mean every newspaper is looking for younger readers, so they need younger writers. Sometimes they just get an older writer and say, “Write hip.” I also contribute to Philadelphia Weekly, and I did the cover story on August 31st.

In your first post on the Philadelphia Weekly-sponsored Philadelphia Will Do, you state pretty bluntly that you’ve sold out. Do you think so?
Yes and no. I said that sort of tongue-in-cheek. Writing is something I do, but now it’s also a job. I used to give this to people for free, and now I’m being paid for it. I post a lot more now that it’s my job, which is good.

We tried to think of a different name for the blog, but when we couldn’t come up with anything better kept the domain name. The site’s shorter and pokes more fun at the media. The same voice, but not just whiny personal essays.

You insist that Philadelphia Will Do will be a bullshit-free site. Why is that important to you?
Sometimes in media they let everyone have their spin, and that’s OK to an extent. Sometimes, though, when people say stuff that’s bullshit, the media don’t call them on it. I think the prevailing opinion should be challenged even when I agree with it. I like to go against the grain.

Do you think Bill O’Reilly reads your blog?
(Laughing) No!

Do you read his?
I actually interviewed with Fox News when I was interviewing for jobs. I’m not a conservative in any way; I guess I’m sort of a socialist-leaning libertarian. Anyway, the writing for their Web site is really on the ball, very organized, but they kept telling me how fair and balanced they were. “Everyone calls us crazy conservatives, but we’re really fair and balanced.” One guy actually told me that saving the whales was a great cause, but that nobody ever thinks about the whalers. I thought, “Well, that’s kind of understood.”

It seems as though everyone’s got a blog these days; in fact, that trend is called the “new media.” How do you think this fits with the old media?
I’m a big fan of traditional print media. I like holding the paper. Blogs are great, but they’re really just updated Web pages. They do have the ability to build community, whether it’s friends or professionals, and it’s a great tool to mobilize people. On the other hand, some blogs seem to feel like they are too important.

Whom do you wish had a blog?
Mayor Street. I would be constantly clicking on it to see if he’d updated.

What do you want readers to get from Philadelphia Will Do?
I want them to be entertained, and to look at the other side of a story, and to be able to laugh at the silly side of a serious story.

What do you want to get from it?
I haven’t thought of it that way, because now it’s my job. Being paid is a great motivation ‘cause I need money to survive.

You could blog about any place, maybe cities some would say are more interesting. Why Philadelphia?
I don’t think there are cities more interesting, although I’m sure someone in New York would say, “Oh no, this is way more interesting than Philadelphia.” All the neighborhoods in Philadelphia are well defined and yet not well defined at the same time. It’s also a big city with a small-town attitude, and it has some really interesting politicians.

Such as?
Vince Fumo, John Dougherty, and John Perzel, who is…I think he’s the majority leader of the state House of Representatives. During his last campaign he sent out this hysterical flyer that accused his opponent of being a communist. He spent like $2 million dollars on his campaign and took about 89% of the vote. It was crazy.

What do you think about the legislative pay raise?
When I heard about it I thought it was a terrible idea that would get everyone up in arms, so naturally I knew they’d do it.

What would you name this interview, or any interview about you?
I was going to play on “blog”, but I really hate that word. How about “Lone Wolf McQuade”? It was a Chuck Norris movie that was released in 1983 when I was born. Since I signed on to Philadelphia Weekly, though, maybe I’m not a lone wolf anymore.