Breaking: Tea Party Attacks Obama - Kanye Does Not Go Back to Africa

Image from Interwebs

I was totally going to write about a parenthood issue today.  I'd drafted this whole bit about "play dates" in my notebook and was going go all Jerry Seinfeld "what's the deal with?" on that topic. It was funny too. But my focus has completely shifted because a Facebook friend had to go and type the following phrases on the Facebook:

"The only thing that sucks more than SNL is Kanye West...He's a talentless hack with a massive ego and the aesthetic sensibility of a twelve-year-old."

Additionally, the person expressing these first amendment opinions later added, all Sal Frangione style, "Grammys suck, too!" when the discussion turned quantitative (Kanye West's 12 Grammy wins). I guess this coda was meant to even further Swift Boat the accomplishments of one of the hardest working, most self-reflective, self-deprecating artists alive.

To sum: Not only is Kanye West a talentless suck-hack, but he has a "massive ego" and his life's work is childlike. And the quantitative defense of Kanye West's talents--Grammy Award wins and record sales--is just meaningless data like global warming science.

I don't think a peer-reviewed journal would publish these rants without revisions to the methods and discussion sections, right?

Off line, one guitaring rock and roll friend noted:

"Sorry I missed it. I'm no [Kanye] fan, but I'd kill people barehanded to have his production skills and work ethic." 

My spiritual adviser noted:

"I think the reason why a lot of people shit on everything nowadays is because of how easily everyone can voice their opinions without the threat of a critical beatdown...

Someone trying to take the low road in front of me always learns right quick-like that I don't roll that way, and that snark is never something I tolerate. One thing to joke among friends, another altogether to make grandiose sweeping generalizations."

Exactly! I like about 75% of Kanye's output but continually I'm blown away at what an intelligent, risk-taking, productive industry professional he is. Nobody works harder. Maybe Jack White works as hard. I wonder if the good teacher thinks Jack White sucks too or if Jack White is just simply not one of his preferences, without all the vitriol and hyperbole.

------------------------------------------

Then the, how'd-this-become-a-race-discussion retreat begins. Welcome to America, patriots. Sometimes a shovel of shit has to be called out for what it is: a shovel of shit!

You see, these types of comments are just way too familiar to me. I've heard them all my life. Maybe that's what's bothering me the most. It's like all the coded Tea Party race attacks on Obama: Muslim. Socialist. Elitist. Out of touch. Basketballing. Joker. The old, frightened, bitter soon-to-be minority whites throw it out there and await virtual high-fives, amens, and tax cuts. John McCain praised Barack Obama's "eloquence." These same codes have been applied to me all my life. Next person who calls me fucking articulate gets a jab in the puss.

Like the late, great Greg Giraldo alluded, just go ahead and say, "HE'S BLACK!!!" and be done with it. It is my belief that people should possibly attempt to "Quit Fronting" and own their damn racism, I try to.  I've long tired of "the smart quarterback vs. the athletic receiver" and "the black man as man-child" fables. So played out, without a doubt (and horribly offensive).

Shit, liberals and do-gooders should fucking adore Kanye West if only because he was the one person brave enough to tell America the truth about George W. Bush on the TeeVee after the good lord sent hurricanes and floods and frogs and national guardsmen to New Orleans for its sins. Mike Myers is still PTSD about that one.

It's not surprising that an academic would lash out at something outside of their narrow purview, but I'm astonished that a creative would do that. I understand, I've been both.  I cannot stand one sound that Jack Johnson has ever made but you know what? I have respect that Jack Johnson for doing what he does. He works. He give it up for his happy-hippie following. It's not my bag though. Interpretive dance?  Not my bag either but people work it like crazy. Peace out with your jazz hands, show choruses of the world.

I just cannot sit idly by when people appropriate the crown jewels of a culture's creativity, make a living off of it, and then criticize the artists still trying to innovate. I wish I sucked as much as Kanye West then.

I refuse to de-friend my Facebook friend however. I respect the creative arts and the first amendment too much to be petulantly passive-aggressive like that. I value my friend's input into the universe of opinion and I hope he calls me out when I bitterly spout off too. It's so worth it.

But what's next with people? GE Smith poo-pooing Buddy Guy? Violent J criticizing Stephen Hawking? Christian Laettner calling Walt Fraizer flashy? Dane Cook dissing Richard Pryor?

/OUT/

Manniyer Mark's Birthday

So today is Manniyer's birthday.

And we also had our weekly meeting scheduled for today. I guess the manniyer had a meeting or something yesterday and we had to "reschedule our Standing Tuesday" to this morning. Not that I'm complaining. Seriously I am not complaining about any meeting postponement.

You know me and meetings: Oil and water; Jews and Palestinians; Kanye West and Lady GaGa get along better. I cannot stand a goddamn meeting. I'd rather go to the DMV (or MVA or whatever it's called here).

But I had an idea. It came to me during the pre-dawn dread. I told the manniyer that I was taking him "out for breakfast for his birthday to show him how much I appreciate him" and that we could "just hold our meeting over breakfast."

I txt'd him at the crack of dawn so that he'd pass on breakfast with his family.

See? I'm a genius.

So when he arrived to my home I had a birthday card ready and even offered to drive. Usually I'd walk to the diner but I wanted the manniyer to be comfy. But he drove instead and we even stopped to pick up his dry cleaning. I guess he's seen me drive. Or something.

So we went to the diner. We complained that our wives wouldn't let us eat any the Breakfast Animal Food Groups anymore. We shared stories of days-gone-by and I distracted him with tangential riff after tangential riff. And we ate several of the Breakfast Animal Food Groups.

Anyway, it only cost me about $30 to not meet with the only guy on the planet who is actually trying to make me money. Irony piles upon irony in my kingdom. But, shit, I had a western omelette and bacon. Real motherfucking eggs. Seven-grain toast. It's a birthday celebration, no egg whites at a birthday celebration. It's not like we're going to go out for a night on the town all pissin' on bushes and slap-boxing like frat boys.

Lo and behold...not an "action item" was discussed. I kept sending us down tangential pathway after tangential pathway. Dude even went back to his car for his notes. Two words to derail any conversation: Tiger Woods. Can I have a witness?

Bullets dodged! I win! It's like I'm back in the USSR.* See? I'm a genius. A goddamn super motherfuckin' genius of the highest most self-superior kind. I am the King of Leisure.


-----------
* Leisurely Disclosure Note: "USSR" is an inside joke between Rickey Powell and I. Sorry, suckkahz.

The Quit Frontin' Rules

So what is the final word on racism at this symbolic end of the first decade of the 21st century? I mean, we’re all post-racial now, right? We elected that Kenyan fellow to be president so everything’s all right now; at least in terms of silly old race concerns we used to have back in the long-expired days of slavery and stuff. Right? Racism is cured like polio and the AIDS. So now we can move on to more important news like the 12-0 New Orleans Saints, or Tiger Woods or something. Isn't there a war or something?

But unfortunately, we still have racism. Always have – always will. Even looking into the distant future it’s still a topic of hip-hop music concern. Look to the year 3030 via the black time travel machine:

Deltron 3030, Madness

Why should I hate you we ain't that different
We may act different in some ways
But we still grouped together like a fuckin’ survey

A lot of white boys like the style and copy
Dig in something deeper and you'll peep that were not free
It's not about the separation it's about the population

[clicky]

See? Racism is still going to be a concern in the year three thousand and thirty!

It is not going away. How many times can I type that phrase? We’re all racist. Period. Post-racism is something between an overly intellectualized construct and flat-out myth. We’re all human and most of us are just simply normal and susceptible to human behaviors. Sorry to be the dude to speak the tr00f because I know it sometimes stings.

Tops on the normal human behaviors rundown is our predisposition for preferences. We all have preferences, individually and collectively. Some people prefer donuts to bagels, Blackberry to iPhone, and Taylor Swift to Kanye West. Preference is a key human feature. It doesn’t make anyone any better or worse, just…different. It's how natural selection works.

Preferences are learned and acquired through experience and exposure. And preference happens to highly correlate with fear and the perception of what is personally and socially “acceptable.” That is, some of our preferences are based on what we hear—as children, say—in our homes and communities, and some preferences are based on real or perceived fears. It all mixes to a dull beige goo.

Although we “ain’t that different” we’re basically all the same.

Being "not a racist" is simply never going to be a viable goal or aspiration in life as preferences will override. That’s why Political Correctness is so annoying and insincere. But being aware that we are racist is totally progressive. Or to restate, “preference awareness” is a significant individual characteristic to possess and exercise. When in a situation, analyze that situation, come to terms with that situation, and move on. It doesn’t mean you have to be a jerk, but thoughtfulness is a good thing. Yes, we may very well discover that we possess racist attitudes during our analysis, but we may also note that our subsequent behaviors were not based on racism because we were mindful of ourselves. I know I possess racist attitudes. So what? But I'm not gonna harsh anyone because of it. I'm in control like Janet Jackson. Dad Rule #1: Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

It is true that race does stand out as our most salient human feature, historically. The color of skin still trumps most other characteristics including sex, orientation, and socioeconomic status. Unless one is wearing a clean room “bunny suit” or a KKK robe, the color of our skin is preference sort number one; our first-pass filter. Only after the color of skin is processed can we then move on to the other filters. Only obvious physical disability (and sometimes Asiatic eye shape and sometimes sex) can even compete with skin color as first-pass filter. Why aren’t we more honest about that with each other and to ourselves?

So where does this leave us in 2010? Where are we, evolutionarily? Sure, attitudes and laws—at least in the United States—are quite different than, say, a century or even a half-century ago. Hell, I couldn’t fully envision a First Black President just five years ago. So we have realized some advances along race terms.

And while our so-called “racial advances” are neato and all, I predict that as we continue to advance along some equality dimensions, we will not necessarily tamp our overall disposition for preferences.

In twenty years, we will happily and legally marry our same sex lovers. We will giddily smoke our store-purchased marijuana in the safety and comfort of our homes without fear and paranoia of arrest. We will laugh at how naïve we were to have made such a big deal over the election of now former President Obama because of his skin color. What were we thinking in the twenty-aughts?

But we are human and we will have preferences. And we're also hardwired for complete harmony either. We may conquer some of the issues related to race, sex preference, and gender, but we will always find something else to beef over. Weight? Region? Educational attainment? Religion (forever)? National origin? In the short term I believe class nuances will be the new frontier for preference squabbles. As more women and blacks, in particular, attain greater and more equal roles in business and government, class will become the new black. The poor will have greater difficulty advocating for needs and desires. I’m just saying.

The term "post-racial" is meaningless drivel. Sure, we are beige-ing down our color differences. But still—as Sammy Sosa and Michael Jackson would attest—preferences are subtle and nuanced and are moderated by a huge variety of other preference factors. Besides, even as we beige-down our color spectrum, this development will only create entrenched and highly defensive positions on the old bell curve extremes. The Purity Anchors will still vehemently argue that racial purity holds some sort of significance (from their camps up in the hills). Preference, my friend, will survive as a lasting human trait.

When I suggest you quit frontin’, what I'm saying is that we all need to pause on occasion and check ourselves. Sometimes we need to stop leaving our systems on autopilot and actually consider the context of situations. We need to not only challenge others, but we need to challenge ourselves. When was the last time any of us got into the beginning of a situation and pondered, what does skin color really have to do with anything moving forward in humankind? When was the last time we actually took our own advice?

Quit frontin’ means we need to get over ourselves and our ignorant notions from days well past. We need to learn ourselves some new things. You don’t have to necessarily go and immerse yourself in uncomfortable or dangerous situations in order to gain knowledge. Don't go out and hug a crack dealer. But maybe we can sometimes also consider the histories, struggles, perspectives, and shortcomings of others (why a kid is dealing crack). Not everyone has everything so figured-out like us.

Some Simple Rules to Quit Frontin' State:

1. Quit Frontin’.

2. Seriously, quit it because you are totally frontin’. Everybody knows it too.

3. If someone tells you to quit frontin’, then you’re frontin’, so quit frontin’ and don't be all pissy about it.

4. Everyone is a racist, don’t lie to yourself. You are entitled to have preferences. Just be aware of yourself as a human.

5. “The only way to stop being a racist is to die. Die before you die. That goes for everybody. Until then, just keep that shit in check as best you can. Try not to hurt anybody. Don’t freak out.” A direct interwebs quotation I read last week.

6. Situations can be more powerful than your individual attitudes or behaviors.

7. Don’t wreck yourself, check yourself.

8. Just quit frontin’!

Thanks. Happy new year. 2010's gonna be real good. Quit frontin'!

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The End - Ty Hardaway dot com
Quit Frontin' Archive [here]

Ask Ty...September 29 [The Process Question]

It must be Tuesday, Middlespacers, because I'm answering your questions

Q: Dear Ty,

You're such a prolific writer and I have a question for you. How do you write? I mean, what is your process? How do you conceive of a topic and then how do you actually get it all written down? Do you need total quiet or can you work with noise? Are you disciplined or do you sort of write freeform?

I struggle to finish my stuff sometimes, even if I'm really interested in it. How do you do it?

Sincerely,

A fan

Ty: Good question and an even better observation, A-Fan. Ahhh, the process! How it is done. How we do what we do up in this here joint. Magic formulas and magic bullets. How the magic happens! Magic Johnson. Court vision. Visionary. Guru Styley. Blah-blah-blah....

Admire the confidence and
brazen demand
for attention
to
one's unique
and irreplaceable genius.

-KHE

Well, first of all I do not consider myself a prolific writer. Nor do I consider myself a prolific photographer. Nor prolific musician, mentor, Etc. I cannot go there. I do recognize that I have maintained a somewhat steady period of productivity. As an artist, I accept and feel the blessings of heroes and gods, I really do. Diamonds from G-d rain upon my shoulders. But productivity is mostly driven by the FEAR that it will all go away; the inspiration, the motivation, the ideas, and the opportunity. *POOF!* Just. Like. That. Like TGA (I thought that was "it"). I'm always running skured (that's the Maryland dialect for "scared"). So anything I can complete I take one-second's satisfaction before the FEAR pounces upon me like Kanye West on Taylor Swift. Big, black, and so high!

Since my "process" is not about writing, exclusively, I'll try to provide some information about how the I do some things, A-Fan. But what the hell do I know? (nothin', that's what!)

How Does Ty Work?

How a topic is conceived - Luck. Opportunity. I read. I listen. I travel. I talk. I think. People send me emails. I have backings and forthings. People ask me questions. I never know when, where, or how a topic may enter the mind/queue.

Some topics are immediately actionable. Other topics or ideas get jotted down for future consideration. Some ideas are discarded after a while for lack of freshness or just being a weak concept. Believe me, I do feel pains of the work at hand and I feel the pain of others. Hell, Sean just posted this Friday:

"I spend a ridiculous amount of my time throughout the day constructing things that never get completed. Sentence fragments hang in the air like a mist, only to evaporate by the time I actually get home to try and spend time nurturing them and bringing them to life. I sit at my desk at The Job daydreaming."

- Sean H. Doyle

This happens to me too. I'm sure to all of us. It's as frustrating as it gets but I have the comfort of the notebook safety-net. If you can call it "comfort." Because that too can run dry.

Sometimes a "topic" is purely image driven (with or without design embellishments). I will review my photographic backlog and see what strikes me. Some things are easily posted as-is and the guilt comes from a feeling of not achieving. Others fall into natural 3-5 image categories. I see some that fit into already developed categories. Some begin categories anew. Some of the best images you'll never see because most of the material developed for clients is never posted. Cold storage.

Image-driven topics are often easier to produce/publish for me and typically get moved to the top of the Daily Objectives queue.

How to write things down - I typically carry two notebooks in my bag: a composition book and a tiny Moleskine journal. The Moleskine is a place for bullets and brief notes: the ideas. The composition book is a place to begin to develop these or independent ideas: a working book.

I also have a Google Docs account where there are currently 50 pieces in various states of development. Often these are pulled down into a Web log editor and further developed there. A published Web logged piece may represent a more finalized draft of the Google Docs pieces. So most of the Docs pieces forever exist in the drudgery of incompleteness. So sad. Colin-left parenthesis.

Sometimes I just start writing. And I suck at editing. I am often told about typos and edit needs when my wife reads the pieces. But I just go. Like here. Sorry.

A music project, on the other hand, will typically begin with a pining. This deep pining will become full-blown appendicitis-like pain. That is, my mind/body leaves me no choice but to do it. Like an exorcism. I become fully obsessed with project fulfillment and music projects are the very worst. Not only the pain before, but the pain during the process of creating a music project is nearly unbearable. It takes time off of my life. But, just as the pining so suddenly begins, at some point during a music project, it all goes just away and I know it's time to finish. Weird, huh?

Is quiet necessary? - No, quiet is not required, in fact far from total quiet, I listen to my radio friends Elliot In The Morning every morning from 8:00 until ten. I've been listening to these kooks since 2000 or 2001 or whenever they started. Love 'em. And not just because they sent me to Raconteurs and Dead Weather all VIP style. That has nothing to do with it.

Weekly I will load up Tom Scharpling's The Best Show On WFMU after Elliot. Three hours of mirth and mayhem and whatever. Other than that (and here's a big key to productivity) I'm listening to music on headphones. I do not want quiet. My brain needs to be doing multiple things.

Sometimes I'm here in the kitchen (down in the studio only if I'm printing, making music, video, or the like - or in the darkness of winter) and sometimes at one of the coffee shops. So you can probably deduce that I require sound while I work. Always with the headphones.

Audio/music projects require absolute silence during the project, however. The ears require a lot of TLC during a music project.

Discipline vs. Freeform - I do not know. I guess there is some of both: discipline to follow-up on urges and fulfill a thing or two. But there is a free form element that is both relieving and wholly madness-inducing. Which is why I continue to search and create so many constructs and definitions to make the work fit (force the work) into places where they make some sense. To me!

I just do my work. I love to do my work. But I never know where my work will take me. And, again, that's the frightening part. Maybe I'm just on a lucky streak?

How To Finish - One must push oneself to finish what they have begun. To not fulfill something started is to demonstrate a lack of discipline and a slack mind. Sure there are the so-called "non-starters." I have a million ideas that get nowhere. And a million others that get well into development and have to be, as Rich says, "Burned down in order to start over." And there are others that should have been burned down or just shot before sunrise.

All of it is about deconstruction-reconstruction. Middlespaces. Pitter-patter, the world shatters, nothing matters.

You finish projects because what separates artists from hobbists. And do not every let anyone tell you the definition of "artist" is based on selling shit. Ever been to a craft show? Please! Artists have an ability to somehow complete. A smart, creative, genius talent who is full of ideas and never makes a damn thing is nothing. A smart, creative, talent who is full of ideas and helps others fulfill is a producer. A dog with a Sharpie who cannot stop making things and the only reason is "because that's what I do" is good in my book.

Don't try. Do. That's what Ralph told me in 1985.

What is my process? I do stuff then I sleep. If I didn't have a family I'd do it 25/8/366 and die an early death. So thank you family for providing me with balance. Thank you friends for helping with the inspiration and idea side. My process: pure fucking luck!

Not enough information, A-Fan? Well, queue up and fill out a complaint form (the complaint form I designed, by the way--and I trademarked it too).

Just a guess,

-ty

That's So American - Part 2

That's So American

Part 2 of an occasional series

Middlespace Cadet, Betsy Lou says,

"You know what I think is so American? National collective-relief outpourings-of-generosity we-are-one movements.

Tsunami relief. Katrina relief. 9-11 Red Cross relief. Farm Aid. Band Aid. Comic relief.

All whipped up, then so unbelievably over.

Popular relief fashion. It could be a column in Us or People. Donate this! What's hot, what's not.

I say, "Goddamn great!" That's actually what I wrote back to Middlespace Cadet Betsy Lou via the emailings typewriter, MC Betsy Lou can attest, I am sure.

"National collective-relief outpourings-of-generosity we-are-one movements" is the genius that is America, no foolin'. U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A! But let me add one thing to this orgy: The celebrity benefit concert is the icing on this tear-shedding cake. No shit, "We Are the World," 1985. We fixed that starving Ethiopian problem...forever...because Lionel Ritchie and Kim Carnes sang a song. Farm Aid? Historic! This, my friends, is why the terrorists hate us!

I remember the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami disaster film thingy like it was only four years ago. The company I worked for at the time made a huge deal about it. Huge! A "South Asian Affinity Group" quickly and magically formed to petition the CEO and the board of directors to "not just sit there but do something!" Like six kids white-guilted a whole company into giving money to the poor kids who got washed away by a tidal wave. The "corporate effort" was all over the intranet, the website, and burning up all the emails for days too. Updates every few hours. Donation totals by division. Guilt! Guilt, I tell you! I think someone even wrote something like this in the company's "virtual guest book of grief from the other side of the planet" or something, "...the real shame is it happened just after Christmas." Dang! Kids in Somalia and Bangladesh all losing their Xbox systems to some water. Whaaaaaaaahhh!

I think that the Tsunami propaganda even stayed on the company website (even though the sentiment was completely over by February) until...until the great hurricane, flood, and debacle that shook the world: Her name was, "Katrina!"

Dang! Kids in the New Orleans Lower Ninth all losing their Xbox systems to some water. Whaaaaaaaahhh!

Oh, shit! Remember when Kanye West said, "George Bush doesn't care about black people" and fucked up Mike Meyers' mind on live TeeVee celebrities for Katrina victims? That was so brilliant. And I'm not getting whipped up about how those words fell upon the saintly ears of America but how that shit warped Mike Meyers. You saw the video, he was fucked, big time [clicky]. Look at Mike Myers. Just watch it all while listening to Kanye but watching Myers!

Katrina brought us, "Heck of a job, Brownie" too. Katrina was the beginning of the end for president Bush, blah-blah-blah. Not the bogus war, not torture, not the economy, but a natural disaster. G-d is so good a gentle mist of the finest diamond dust lights gently upon our bare shoulders.



But the observation that Betsy Lou makes may very well sum today's That's So American moment is, "All whipped up, then so unbelievably over."

In America, you cannot be 50 years-old and deliver hormone-induced quintuplets, you cannot let your baby fall into your well, and you cannot be a celebrity who accidentally shows your vulva to tabloid photographers without people getting all whipped up. Problem is, and this is specifically so American, everything is so unbelievably over just like that. No gradations, just present. Only. No past. No future. U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!

But before I go, I want to return to getting all whipped up at work again because it's salient. And this is the very best we have to offer as the American workforce (the greatest workforce in the world); the degree to which people at work will go to to demonstrate how much they care about a thing. From wearing a dismal " Livestrong" rubber bracelet for years (because they can't fully figure when it's an appropriate time to take it off anymore) to posting a stern (or sarcastic) political message on their cubicle wall: Save Mother Earth!

But, if Mr. Livestrong really cared about cancer shouldn't he not eat a steak burrito every day? Don't get me wrong, I personally enjoy a good steak burrito but I'm neither publicly accessorizing to warn-shame people about the tragedy that is cancer nor am I clueless enough to eat that good steak burrito every damn day. Because I don't want cancer. And shouldn't I feel entitled to noting (and sharing with everyone I know) the hypocrisy that is Ms. "Save Mother Earth!" if I see her driving an automobile or leaving her office lights and computer on all night? Am I just wrong?

Lastly and in the spirit and joy of Betsy Lou's statement, "Popular relief fashion. It could be a column in Us or People. Donate this! What's hot, what's not." I give you America's most perfect-est example of popular relief as fashion:

President Barack Obama

Now it all makes sense.

---------------------------------
That's So American thread [clicky]
WTF? Contact: ty[at]middlespace[dot]net
That's So American photography by ty.

Today's Playlist

A Hazy Day in 'Phones

Forrest Sykes
Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Ranconteurs
Dead Meadow
DJ Shadow
Sufjan Stevens
Notorious B.I.G.
Andres Tibbs
MC 900 Ft. Jesus
Surrender to the Air
Ben Harper
The Beatles
Madvillian
Mirah/Ginger Takahashi
John Lennon
Jane's Addiction
SCV
Radiohead
Tom Petty
Kanye West
Radio Makes Me Mad
John Coltrane
Wilco
Guns N' Roses
Flying Lotus
Trey Anastasio @ The Warfield
Nirvana

A good, but overcast turning to rain, day.

Music 2007

Nothing really changed for me since this late October post: [clicky]. Add Jay-Z's newest "joint," and that pretty much wraps it. Ween was good. White Stripes were good. Fiery Furnaces came close to shifting paradigms. Jay and Kanye were very polished. Yawn, right?

What the hell? 2007 was pretty weak in big music. There wasn't even much in little music that moved me. Person Pitch won the Pitchfork derby (good). And, Burial topped Metacritic (good) where nothing from the past two years even cracked the all-time top-10 (not good). Like I said, what the hell?

Me? I think I made two albums this year; maybe an album and an half. Was Free Milk Seminar '06 or '07? Maybe 2007. I know that OSSOFG was this autumn, that I remember. But that remains incomplete. At least until inspiration drives it onward. Right now it's a collection of songs. But, it'll mature...Panda Bear (and Priceless Banter) saw to that.

I guess we'll see what leap year brings.

Or, to clarify, we'll see what we bring to the leap year. Clear?

Records Order So Far

So far:

Icky Thump by the White Stripes

Widow City by the Fiery Furnaces

Graduation by Kanye West

La Cucaracha by Ween

Kala by M.I.A.

The Mix-up by the Beastie Boys

In Rainbows by Radiohead

Friend Opportunity by Deerhoof

Tones of Town by Field Music

Widow City (w/Update)

[Update: Just a thought. Eleanor should get tons of credit and props. I've heard Matthew's solo stuff; not nearly as strong yet you'd instinctively give the "creative" nod to him. But, it's like that first Beggars Trail record...you don't feel the RJ vibe upon early listens, but you sure as hell miss it when it's not there.]

You take inspiration where you can get it, right? And, the siblings Friedberger continue to deliver. There are great records for listeners (the Rolling Stones) and there are great records for producers (Kanye West). And, there are both. This is both (7/8ths, anyway) right here.

OK, this is not a record review, this is a reaction to Widow City (blah blah, the new Fiery Furnaces record released just this week by Thrill Jockey blah blah).

Good shit, man! No, that's selling it way too short. What's good about it? Firstly, this is what's bad about it; the mix. I'm not usually one to tic on somebody else's mix (since I SUCK at mixing myself) but I'm finding myself fiddling with the the mids and trebles to get some separation between instrumental voices, but it ain't helping too much, stuck in the mud (like I Like Smartbomb). So I just make it louder. That kind of helps. Maybe it's a crappy download issue, but since I already bought it, I'm stuck with it. I'm not buying it again. Blueberry Boat, Gallowsbird, and Bitter Tea were much clearer to me.

Anyway, the content is great. If I didn't know better I'd've swore that the siblings/offspring Zappa were making this, given the lineage. But, no, it's the Friedberger kids. Conceptually, there is so much going on that I couldn't quite describe all the voicing and instruments and polyrhythmic nuances. I do know that it's thick, way too thick to get all right now. I also know this: there is years of mining to do on this. I mean Blueberry Boat was made in, what, 2004, right? Still mining (and it's not like I don't know the nuances either).

Sequentially, Widow accomplishes what you'd want a good record to accomplish: begins with scene/tone setting, takes you on a trip, and then beats the shit out of your senses and sensibilities. And, it's definitely not for everybody, thank god. Kanye has no worries.

So, out of ten stars, I give it an, "I LOVE IT!" Or, to be honest, "I'M SURE I WILL SOMEDAY LOVE AND APPRECIATE THIS RECORD." That, my friends, is a high-order compliments. The highest compliment for me (which applies here) is: I'd like to play in that band.

Assignment 2007 - Part II

Assignment 2007 - First Installment

Most important here is the listing of influential recording artists, roughly ranked. I am deeply moved by many of these artists and many have shaped my craft as a recording artist and producer (and wannabe engineer).

The songs – and I debated whether to do this or not – are samples, examples, memories. Song samples herein are either entry points, the song that convinced me that there was more, songs that just got my attention, or where I “got it.” In some cases, these songs were remnants in my brain that I revisited and enjoyed and explored more. Basically where religion was caught.

As far as “rankings” are concerned, this is simply an exercise. These lists could be different on any other day. And, as far as influence and love, it’s all so close. But, it’s a rough order because Americans love order.

But, there’s so much more either under-explored or newly introduced to me. This is in no way an exhaustive list. But, it’s how I answer the question re: major historical.

This is the chronological list, as I remember being introduced to the music. It’s not perfect. Again, there’s so much more and I’m cheating so many artists. Plus, I’ve added some notes. Whatever.

Of course, I could do the same exercise for other media – design, photography, etc. – but I won’t. It’s too grueling.

1970s

1. Sly and the Family Stone – “Family Affair” – One of my earliest music memories.
2. Aerosmith – “Uncle Salty”
3. Marvin Gaye – “Got to Give It Up” – The bassline? Are you serious?
4. Stevie Wonder – “I Was Made To Love Her” ” – Perhaps my earliest music memories.
5. Parliament – “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof of the Sucker)” – Bigger than Jesus.
6. War – “The World Is a Ghetto”
7. The Jackson 5 – “Dancing Machine”
8. James Brown – “Say it Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” – Exactly.
9. Curtis Mayfield – “(Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below, We’re All Gonna Go
10. Gary Numan – “Cars”
11. The Rolling Stones – “Emotional Rescue” – Still, the world’s most under rated rock band. Seriously.
12. ELO – “Don’t Bring Me Down” – Growing up.
13. Devo – “Jocko Homo” – Pop music doesn’t have to be in 4/4.
14. Al Green – “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?” – Made me sad as a child, so powerful.
15. Richard Pryor – “When Your Woman Leaves You”
16. Queen – “Fat Bottomed Girls”
17. David Bowie – “Fame”
18. Ray Charles – “Georgia on My Mind”
19. Maynard Ferguson– “La Fiesta”
20. Johnny Guitar Watson – “A Real Mother for Ya”

1980s

1. Wolfgang Mozart – “Don Giovanni” – Oh, this is music.
2. Johann Sebastian Bach – “The Brandenburg Concertos” – Oh, this is perfect music.
3. Ralph Hardimon – Arr. Of “Capriccio Espagnol” by Rimsky-Korsokov – Oh, I can play this?
4. The Beatles – “A Day in the Life”
5. Led Zeppelin – “The Battle of Evermore”
6. Jimi Hendrix – “Are You Experienced? – Oh. Just, oh.
7. The Police – “Voices Inside My Head”
8. Miles Davis– “Splach” – Classic entry point.
9. Talking Heads – “Burning Down the House” – Obviously.
10. Hector Berlioz – “Symphonie Fantastique” – Good god!
11. Yes – “The Revealing Science of God – Dance of the Dawn”
12. Frank Zappa – “The Torture Never Stops”
13. Dimitri Shostakovich – “Festive Overture”
14. Ludwig van Beethoven – “Fifth Symphony”
15. Van Halen – “Hot For Teacher” – How to rock, 101.
16. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Sweet Home Alabama”
17. Tom Petty – “Don’t Come Around Here No More”
18. Tower of Power – “What is Hip?”
19. Cheap Trick – “Dream Police”
20. Prince – “Darling Nikki” – How to get laid.

1990s

1. Beck – “High 5 (Rock the Catskills)” – I get it, let’s do this shit.
2. Soundgarden – “Limo Wreck”
3. Richard Walkling – “I’m Coming Home – File under, duh!
4. The Flaming Lips – “Lightning Strikes the Postman”
5. Lenny Kravitz – “Fields of Joy (Reprise)
6. Public Enemy – “Anti-Nigger Machine”
7. Beastie Boys – “High Plains Drifter”
8. NWA – “Fuck the Police” – I wanna fuck you too!
9. Phish – “Billy Breathes”
10. Nirvana – “Rape Me”
11. Ben Harper – “God Fearing Man”
12. Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Hollywood”
13. Ween – “Roses Are Free”
14. Guns N’ Roses – “It’s So Easy” – It’s so fucking easy.
15. Jane’s Addiction – “Three Days”
16. Ice Cube – “The Wrong Nigga to Fuck Wit”
17. Ice T – “Midnight” – I’ve seen all of this story.
18. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – “Bellbottoms”
19. MMW – “We Are Rolling”
20. Anthrax – “Now It’s Dark”

2000s

1. Firey Furnaces – “Chris Michaels” – Yep, it all comes together. They made this for $30k.
2. The White Stripes – “The Denial Twist”
3. Kanye West – “Gone” – Ph.d. in production. Million dollar production.
4. OutKast – “Ghetto Musick” – Ph.d. in production. Million dollar production.
5. Marilyn Manson – “The Dope Show” - Just genius.
6. TV on the Radio – “Dirtywhirl” – The album I would have made.
7. Deltron 3030 – “Virus” – The concept album.
8. Radiohead – “Creep”
9. Dizzee Rascal – “Fix Up, Look Sharp”
10. Arcade Fire – “Crown of Love”
11. The Roots – “Water”
12. Eminen – “The Real Slim Shady”
13. Sufjan Stevens – “The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself In the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience But You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, "I Have Fought the Big Knives..."– All around, WTF?
14. Manu Chao – “Promiscuity”
15. D’Angelo – “Chicken Grease” – I'd fuck him.
16. Will Oldham – “After I Made Love to You” – Shit. Makes me frisky and sad.
17. Clipse – “Hello New World” – Best album of the decade so far.
18. Sigur Ros – “Svefn-G-Englar”
19. The Wiggles – “Eagle Rock” – The most sexual children’s song ever.
20. Oasis – “Rock and Roll Star”

The next installment is the two to three CD track listing of this influence arc. Whew.

Lastly, remember - before you start buggin' - this isn't the "best of" list in any way. These are not my favorites either. It's the "most influential, historically." And, my god, are there hundreds of songs that I never explored the album or artist more - esp. the history of what's now called "classic rock." I grew up with KMET ("little bit of heaven, 94 point 7"), remember?

I'm grumpy, huh?