how are there so many more votes in this poll than most of the others?

Straw man bloc.

shmoo:

1) Did polls.
2) Grew up in Montgomery County, MD.

That about sums it up!

It's always amused me that the CMJ/Obner year-end poll became know as the shmoo poll. At the time, I billed it as an OPA-style poll (the password for the email address I set up for people to send their ballots to was even "opastyle"). Took me a few years for me to start calling it the shmoo poll, and by the time I really started doing that, it required much less work on my part. And the last year or two has required zero, I don't think I voted in or even posted around the time of the 2008 poll. Anyway, OPA has clearly reclaimed his poll mantle now.

Anyway, I guess I should be glad I made some sort of mark on the board. Good luck FT!

Heh, that's pretty funny. I would've thought it would've been due to all that time we spent in the MSN chatroom with Aural, poptart, and go-go grrl. And we spoke on the phone once! Whoowee.

You actually have had a much greater effect on my listening. I believe I have 6 CMJ/Obner-made CDs, and 5 of them were yours. They are a collection of Afghan Whigs doing covers (listened to this quite recently), Castaways & Cutouts (unasked for, during your phase of street teaming for the Decemberists), and a 3-disc collection of world music which I need to dig out and listen to again.

(shmoo is clearly is CMJ nostalgia mode currently)

bobalicious.