[Most Recent Entries] [Calendar View] [Friends]
Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in
muzikman's Blurty:
| Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 | |
| 10:58 pm | At first I laughed, then it kind of made sense... I heard on the radio today that some Blockbuster employee recently stabbed himself just so he could get out of work. He made up this huge story about being attacked and stabbed at a certain location at a certain time. But there happened to be a video surveillance camera at this location, and after monitoring footage, police determined the whole thing was made up. I guess he later admitted to it. This story made me feel lots of different things. At first I thought "what an idiot...if he hates his job that much, quit and find another one". But I must admit in a very twisted and surreal way, after a while I felt like I sympathized with the guy. I certainly wouldn't recommend that anyone stab themselves, but I've certainly known that feeling of having a job that you fucking dread. |
| Thursday, October 29th, 2009 | |
| 9:03 pm | "You can always tell who the film students are". Been reminiscing a lot lately about my days at Ryerson in Toronto. Seems so long ago in one sense, but on the other hand my memories of that time can be very vivid (this was back in 1993). I'll probably write more about this later. Despite some negative memories associated with this time, I also recall some good times. One of my classmates in particular, named Benjamin, reminded me so much of this guy:  Anyway, I have a feeling that a much lengthier blog on this subject will soon be on the way. |
| Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 | |
| 12:16 am |  |
| 12:07 am | Can't get this song out of my head This was a minor hit when I was a lad. I can't find the original version anywhere on the net. I recall it had a lot more synths and vocal harmonies. This more recent version, however, is very pretty. I love this song because from a strictly structural point of view, it's top-notch. There is definitely an A, B and C part. To me, this song does what a great song should do...it takes you on a ride. There are turns and twists, and you can hear the music ascend like it's going up a hill and then a release as it comes down the hill. Again, it sounds like a trip in a car. I love that. Lots of major/minor modulations too...kind of like someone's moods. One minute light and carefree, the next minute rather serious. The lyrics are also very conversational, telling a story along the way. Love it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiRw2ZgjneI |
| Monday, October 19th, 2009 | |
| 10:54 pm | Is it just me..... ...or is this one of the most pleasant, melodically sweet theme songs ever composed? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpvvSI5k7r8 |
| Friday, October 9th, 2009 | |
| 3:10 pm | The first camera I ever owned I was given this as a Christmas gift when I was 12 years old. Loved the thing. It took the old, now deleted 126 size film cartridge. I still have photos I took with this camera way back when, I must try to dig them out. There used to be nothing more thrilling than taking my films to Gem Photo in Parkway Mall and getting the pics developed. I used to eagerly rip open the yellow envelope and tear through the photos, eager to see how they turned out. I recall that the "flip flash" that this camera took was very expensive, even by 1984 standards (about 8 dollars). Quite a price for a 12 year old to pay for something that would eventually end up in the garbage!  |
| 1:22 am | Everything about this is perfect There's something about the sound of Suicide that never ceases to hypnotize me. This video is bloody well sublime. I love everything about it, from the pulsating music to the camera angles, to the dated look, to Alan Vega's incredible stage presence. Yes, I will not lie about it, I have stolen a number of his moves and used them in my own shows. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCRTCqgAkfg |
| Friday, October 2nd, 2009 | |
| 10:58 pm | "The Little Fete" "I take a bottle of wine and I go drink it among the flowers. We are always three ... counting my shadow and my friend the shimmering moon Happily the moon knows nothing of drinking, and my shadow is never thirsty When I sing, the moon listens to me in silence. When I dance, my shadow dances too. After all festivities the guests must depart. This sadness I do not know. When I go home, the moon goes with me and my shadow follows me" Li-Po, 8th Century A.D. Translated by J.C. Cooper |
| 10:55 pm | A downhill slope I listen to some of the stuff I recorded on cassette 4 track years ago, and I am amazed how good some of it is. I have to wonder if I've just been on an increasingly steep slope of creative decay. Seriously though, a lot of this old stuff sounds so crisp and clean. Amazingly clean for a format that most people would consider laughably primitive. |
| Thursday, September 24th, 2009 | |
| 7:24 pm |  |
| Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 | |
| 10:31 am | Overkill Lately I've been thinking a lot about the art of self-promotion, more specifically, how it is used by musicians and bands. I guess what sparked all of this is the fact that when I go on popular sites like Facebook, I consistently see the same people constantly talking about their upcoming show, their upcoming CD, their upcoming tour, etc, etc, etc. And that's all they ever seem to talk about. Just to clarify, I think it's great for an artist to promote themselves and to try and create a buzz about what they are doing. All musicians have done that at one point or another, including myself. But I really think you have to be careful not to inundate people. If there is an artist or a band I really like, I am genuinely excited to get a mass e-mail or an update from them from time to time. In these instances, when I see an update from such bands my reaction is "Oh cool!". But when I see an artist going on and on about their latest release or their upcoming show, mentioning it in their status updates every hour, my reaction tends to be "oh please". A band or artist that I once sincerely liked or respected can really lose me (and alienate me) if they overdo it. |
| Friday, September 18th, 2009 | |
| 2:54 am |  |
| Thursday, September 17th, 2009 | |
| 4:26 pm |  |
| Friday, September 4th, 2009 | |
| 1:48 pm | I met this guy It was back in early 1992. Maestro Fresh Wes came to Saint John to do a show (at Exhibition Park Raceway of all places). Kish was his opening act. Prior to the show, there was an autograph signing at a stereo store. I met Maestro and got his autograph (he was overall a nice guy, but rather detached and trying really hard to be cool). I then went over to meet Kish. I recall asking him if he had any advice for anyone who wanted to go anywhere in the music world. At that time, I had just started writing songs. He said something to the effect of "if you have a demo, and you think it's slammin', it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. If they don't get it at first, keep pushing until they do get it". Simple advice, but ultimately very true. Later on my ex and I were standing in the cold outside of the venue, waiting to get in. Out of the blue this mini van pulled up, and who gets out but Kish, Maestro and their whole entourage. It was actually kind of a wake up call, to see these big stars driving around in a mini van. I think they drove in it all the way from Ontario. Most folks would expect them to ride up in a limousine. Reality tends to be a bit more sobering, I guess. Kish came over and spoke to us again. There were a few teenaged girls also there, and they were all giggly about talking to Kish. Again, he was very nice, and mentioned how cold he found the weather to be out here. I guess he's now working as a voice over artist. The concert was fun, although I remember Maestro getting very political, going off into several rants about how there were only 4 radio stations in Canada that would play his music (this was back when rap was still quite young and still very much a threat, before it went mainstream). The audience was very young...most of the people there were probably 14 or 15. I recall a local kid getting up on stage at one point, going off into a rap, and one of Maestro's MCs staring at him, jaw on the floor, amazed at how good the kid was. Anyway, fun times. Check out this song, which still makes me tap my feet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVyAnbqCCVg |
| 2:40 am | When B. Paisley comes to town.... He hit SJ tonight. Of course, at work all I saw for much of the night were pink cowboy hats and ultra annoying half drunk or totally drunk cougars. We were expecting the worst after the show, but they were mostly well behaved as they made their way through the pedway and back to their cars. Music really does make the people come together. They were proudly displaying their uniforms tonight. Lots of Joe Sixpacks too. You know the type. Cocky as hell, 20-25 year old young guys in baseball caps who speak way too loudly and walk with that arrogant swagger. The kind of "suck your gut in", shoulders open wide walk that says "yeah, I'm full of myself, and I'll fight anything that looks at me sideways". |
| Thursday, August 27th, 2009 | |
| 1:46 am |  |
| Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 | |
| 2:44 am | Lookin' through the archives... Today I spent a good part of the day getting caught up on little projects. I had some stuff that I had been wanting to burn to CD for ages, plus I also dug out some important papers that I have been looking for for quite some time. Anyway, a long time ago I found a cassette at the Salvation Army. It was a very old looking cassette, like something from the 70s. There were no markings on it whatsoever. I mostly just bought it because it simply looked so antiquated. I think I may have paid 50 cents for it. I think I picked it up 3 or 4 years ago. All this time I had been meaning to play it just to see if there was anything on it. There was. I was amazed to hear the voices of two elderly folks coming from the tape. Quickly I realized that this was a tape that the couple had made for their daughter and their grandchild. Sort of an "audio letter". In the days long before webcams, Skype and e-mail, I think this was a popular form of communication. The couple spoke with a very thick, rural, New Brunswick accent. They sounded a lot like my parents, actually. They mostly just told their daughter about what was new, what had been happening in the neighbourhood, all the local gossip. They also spoke at length about a car accident the lady was in, and all the red tape she had to go through as a result of the accident. At one point they mentioned the good looking daughter of one of the local folks. The man said, in his thick country vernacular, "Oh she's got more boys chasing her than the hair on your head!". This made me smile widely. I grew up hearing voices like this. On one hand I felt very much like a voyeur listening to this tape, but on the other hand I just had to hear it...I can't explain why, but listening to these total strangers brought me much comfort. The whole time I was listening, I was dying to know just how old this tape was. I so wanted to know the year that this recording was made. At one point, the elderly man mentioned that it was "Saturday, August 23rd". I did some research, and the last time that August 23rd fell on a Saturday (apart from last year) was 1980. So essentially I was probably the first person to hear this tape in almost 30 years. I wonder why this tape was never sent. I almost feel like I have to take it upon myself to return this tape to the daughter, who would probably love to hear it. I bet there are millions of these types of artifacts from the past, sitting around gathering dust, and the person who would most enjoy them is none the wiser to their existence. |
| Monday, August 24th, 2009 | |
| 4:02 pm | I don't get it I find it very funny that people often insist on adding meaning to song lyrics. You know what I mean. A song can never just mean what it is saying at face value. There always has to be some deep, metaphorical meaning. Well, I'm sure that's true a lot of the time, but not always. Just look at any video on YouTube. If the song has lyrics or a title that is even slightly ambiguous, there will be a ton of comments saying things like "what does this mean?" or "what is this song about?". I guess I'm just not the type to overthink lyrics. I go more for the overall feel of the song. It moves me or it doesn't. I'm reminded of a recent discussion I saw on Facebook. A group of folks spent way too much time discussing the song "Pokerface" by Lady Gaga. One person insisted that "pokerface" was actually slang for a certain part of her anatomy. Seriously though, who gives a shit? I played a show last December, and a group of rather drunk/stoned young men approached me. One of them said "Hey man, your song "Candy" is about cocaine, isn't it?". To which I replied "Uh, no, it's about candy". Cripes! There's not always a hidden, subversive message, folks!!! |
| 3:58 pm | This still gives me chills I love it when a video can perfectly capture the spirit of the song it was made for. In reality, I think this is actually quite rare. There is just something about this song and video that I find so bone chillingly eerie. I think much of it is the camera angles, and the lighting. Plus, this video breaks rules, and I honestly think that when an artist breaks rules and steps outside of pre-determined boxes, greatness can be achieved. When I was a film student for a brief time in the early 90s, I was told by one of my profs that you should never, ever film a part of an arm, or part of a leg, without showing the end of that appendage (that is, don't ever shoot the crook of an arm without showing the hand, etc). I guess long standing knowledge dictated that viewers often find this very jarring and odd. But this video does that anyway. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWvIC3OR7wk |
| Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 | |
| 12:28 pm | Observations of a Security Guard *In this technological age, people are still oblivious to the fact that pretty much everything they do is being monitored by a video camera. It's also disconcerting when a Dollar Store has a better video security system than the rest of the mall! *It's fun to talk to pigeons. *A group of three 12 year old girls should never be asking for directions to a sports bar. *Many folks in uptown SJ have turned "hanging out" into an art form. *Contrary to popular belief, 1st impressions can indeed be wrong. *I'm certainly no fashionista, but shorts and tank tops should only be worn in your house, at the pool or on the beach. This almost seems to be a required uniform for all males who stay in a hotel. Sorry, but it's sloppy. The least you can do is tuck in your tank top! *Many people have a distinct discomfort and/or disrespect with authority. *Never work one shift, then turn around 7 hours later and pull off another. *Why do people have such a driving desire to light up their cigarettes in entryways? *When I become elderly and retired, the last fucking place I would want to spend my day is a shopping mall. *Giving a half hour's notice that you quit your job really inconveniences your co-workers. Thanks asshole! *It's weird, but many of my co-workers resemble characters from "Blade Runner". *Courtesy is optional for most people in retail, especially management. *Yes, everything here does close at 5, and no, we are not open on Sunday. Go east like everyone else. *Some folks don't like to be called "sir". |