Author

Scott Gordon

Scott Gordon co-founded Tone Madison in 2014 has covered culture and politics in Madison since 2006 for publications including The A.V. Club, Dane101, and Isthmus, and has also covered policy, environmental issues, and public health for WisContext.

Profile pic by Rachal Duggan.

Scott's Latest Articles

An illustration shows a paper folder flying out of a filing cabinet. The folder has butterfly antennae and is marked with the Tone Madison logo. A card on the filing cabinet drawer reads "archive."
Behold, Tone Madison’s December 2024 print edition
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Print
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December 6, 2024

We made a zine to commemorate our 10th anniversary.

An abstract painting on a white canvas shows two shapes with dismayed faces, one of them in a box labeled "POLICE" and emitting a red speech bubble that surrounds the other figure. Around it are black and red smudges and an email icon.
Between the lines, MPD’s body-cam study is kinda about redaction fees
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Act 253
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December 4, 2024

A report estimates the cost of processing footage, but who will pay it?

A photo shows a male police officer in patrol uniform, wearing a green mesh vest that reads "MADISON POLICE," standing outside a door and holding it open. Visible on his shirtfront are a body camera and various weapons and devices.
Madison’s police body-camera report didn’t disclose a researcher’s connection to Axon
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Politics
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November 26, 2024

The researcher serves on an advisory council for a leading body-cam vendor.

A graphic shows a yellow T-shirt depicting lighting hitting a domed capitol building, in a parody of Bad Brains' 1982 album cover. The square image is framed in red and green borders, and accompanied by text reading "Cool Building, Madison, Wisconsin."
Cool Building Day will never die, but you can wear it out
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Music
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November 24, 2024

Mark this wondrous day, and maybe win a shirt.

A photo shows the exterior of Madison's Overture Center building, as seen from the intersection of State, Fairchild, and Dayton Streets. Above a broad, historic facade, a more recently built, bubble-like skylight can be seen rising above the roof.
Finally, more details on Madison’s largest arts subsidy
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Microtones
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November 22, 2024

How the Overture Center uses its annual chunk of City money.

A close-up image of a completely band-stickered bar that Gamma Ray Bar restored from The Frequency, with the number "10" appearing in large text in the center in white. Below it are logos for Tone Madison and NewsMatch.
 10 (more?) years of Tone Madison
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Misc
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November 1, 2024

Our crucial year-end fundraising campaign begins.

Someone's left hand holds a cutout piece of paper in the shape of a penis and testicles over a table with a small tray and conical vessel. The name "Phil Hands" is written on the shaft of the paper.
From the archives: A witch cursed Phil Hands’ dick
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From The Archives
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October 24, 2024

As Tone Madison's 10th anniversary approaches, we look back at some highlights from the past decade.

An illustration shows classical columns on the exterior of a courthouse building. A giant chisel is shown shaping one of the columns into a figure of a police officer in riot gear, with a heavy vest, baton, and helmet.
Breaking down a Wisconsin police group’s absurd interpretation of Act 253
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Politics
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October 23, 2024

An open-records attorney's closer analysis of this "hasty and confusing attempt to restrict access to public records."

A photo shows two informational postcards pinned to a bulletin board, each one inviting the recipient to a "lunch and learn" session about funeral planning options.
Death forever, sandwich now
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Microtones
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October 18, 2024

The joys of stupid postcards inviting people to informational cremation luncheons.

A photo shows a stack of books dealing with various art-related subjects, stacked vertically on a surface with their spines facing the camera. Titles include “The Hand Decoration of Fabrics,” “Drawing with Pastels,” “Authentic Indian Designs,” and “Dynamic Airbrush.”
Wisconsin prison officials furtively changed a library book donation policy while dodging questions
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Politics
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October 14, 2024

The state's Department of Corrections scrambles to get its story straight, and book donors don't know how to proceed.