12.30.2003 | Looking For Something Other
>> (UPDATED 12.31.2003, 12:40 PM ET)
Each year, I make mix CDs with my favorite tracks from that year; last year I made it to five volumes, though I kept working on them until March of this year. So far, I'm up to four discs for 2003. My criteria are fairly strict, but fairly loose at the same time: The song in question has to have been released on an album or single in 2003, either in the US or the UK -- this year was the first time the "in the UK" bit was at all relevant to my life, but I've always used it as a criterion anyway. Artists can only have one song per year, unless the track is a collaboration or remix -- for example, last year Kylie Minogue was on with "Love At First Sight," Fischerspooner were on with "Emerge," and the "Come Into My World" Fischerspooner remix also qualified. Theoretically, I could've put every track on the Richard X album on here, but I restrained myself to "Finest Dreams" and "Being Nobody," the first of which was, at least, a stand-alone single before the album came out. I fudged and qualified Outkast twice, once for Dre and once for Big Boi. I considered qualifying "Ghettomusick" as well, since it's a collaboration between the two, but y'know, why go crazy.
May I repeat once again that I'm not asserting these to be the best songs of any given year; just my favorites. Appleton's "Don't Worry" is not a very good song at all at the end of the day, but I always liked it when it was on the radio in London, and it was on the NOW comp I bought while I was over there, so it's on here. Basically, I want these CDs to be around to remind me what kind of music I was listening to in 2003, and hopefully, my memory will be rich enough to call to mind where I first heard it, what I felt about it, all those little specific connotations. They are rigorously sequenced for optimum flow and playability, so you could make your own at home and it would do half the work for you in terms of how I conceive of each song as relating to the other. (And Disc Four isn't done yet.)
So. Tracklists for 2003 As Curated By Chris Conroy:
DISC ONE
Each year, I make mix CDs with my favorite tracks from that year; last year I made it to five volumes, though I kept working on them until March of this year. So far, I'm up to four discs for 2003. My criteria are fairly strict, but fairly loose at the same time: The song in question has to have been released on an album or single in 2003, either in the US or the UK -- this year was the first time the "in the UK" bit was at all relevant to my life, but I've always used it as a criterion anyway. Artists can only have one song per year, unless the track is a collaboration or remix -- for example, last year Kylie Minogue was on with "Love At First Sight," Fischerspooner were on with "Emerge," and the "Come Into My World" Fischerspooner remix also qualified. Theoretically, I could've put every track on the Richard X album on here, but I restrained myself to "Finest Dreams" and "Being Nobody," the first of which was, at least, a stand-alone single before the album came out. I fudged and qualified Outkast twice, once for Dre and once for Big Boi. I considered qualifying "Ghettomusick" as well, since it's a collaboration between the two, but y'know, why go crazy.
May I repeat once again that I'm not asserting these to be the best songs of any given year; just my favorites. Appleton's "Don't Worry" is not a very good song at all at the end of the day, but I always liked it when it was on the radio in London, and it was on the NOW comp I bought while I was over there, so it's on here. Basically, I want these CDs to be around to remind me what kind of music I was listening to in 2003, and hopefully, my memory will be rich enough to call to mind where I first heard it, what I felt about it, all those little specific connotations. They are rigorously sequenced for optimum flow and playability, so you could make your own at home and it would do half the work for you in terms of how I conceive of each song as relating to the other. (And Disc Four isn't done yet.)
So. Tracklists for 2003 As Curated By Chris Conroy:
DISC ONE
- Blur - "Ambulance"
- Beyonce w/ Jay-Z - "Crazy In Love"
- Outkast - "Hey Ya!"
- Richard X w/ Kelis - "Finest Dreams"
- Basement Jaxx w/ JC Chasez - "Plug It In"
- Justin Timberlake - "Rock Your Body"
- Pink - "Feel Good Time"
- Snoop Dogg w/ Pharell & Uncle Charlie - "Beautiful"
- 50 Cent - "In Da Club"
- Massive Attack - "Special Cases"
- Pet Shop Boys - "Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man)"
- Dannii Minogue - "I Begin To Wonder"
- Benny Benassi - "Satisfaction"
- Deftones - "Minerva"
- Madonna - "Nothing Fails"
- Appleton - "Don't Worry"
- Free*Land - "We Want Your Soul"
- The White Stripes - "Seven Nation Army"
- Radiohead - "There There"
- Richard X Vs. Liberty X - "Being Nobody"
- Jewel - "Intuition"
- Junior Senior - "Move Your Feet"
- Marilyn Manson - "This Is The New Shit"
- Queens Of The Stone Age - "Go With The Flow"
- Panjabi MC - "Mundian To Bach Ke"
- Fannypack - "Cameltoe"
- New Pornographers - "The Laws Have Changed"
- The Strokes - "12:51"
- Liz Phair - "Why Can't I?"
- Coldplay - "Clocks"
- Zwan - "Honestly"
- R.E.M. - "Bad Day"
- The Raveonettes - "That Great Love Sound"
- Dido - "White Flag"
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "Babe, I'm On Fire"
- Elvis Costello - "You Left Me In The Dark"
- Andrew WK - "Never Let Down"
- The Darkness - "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"
- Katy Rose - "Overdrive"
- Hot Hot Heat - "Bandages"
- U2 - "Beat On The Brat"
- Kylie Minogue - "Slow"
- Outkast - "The Way You Move"
- No Doubt - "It's My Life"
- Dave Gahan - "Black And Blue Again"
- Grandaddy - "Stray Dog And The Chocolate Shake"
- Foo Fighters - "Darling Nikki"
- Scissor Sisters - "Laura (Simone)"
- Suede - "Attitude"
- David Bowie - "Pablo Picasso"
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps"
- The Fall - "Theme From Sparta FC"
- Pulp - "Last Day Of The Miner's Strike"
- Sophie Ellis-Bextor - "Mixed Up World"
- Elbow - "Grace Under Pressure"
- The Postal Service - "Such Great Heights"
- Twilight Singers - "Teenage Wristband"
- Tatu - "Not Gonna Get Us"
- Britney Spears w/ Madonna - "Me Against The Music"
- Mandy Moore - "Senses Working Overtime"
- Li'l Kim - "The Jump Off"
- Missy Elliott - "Pass That Dutch"
- Sean Paul - "Get Busy"
- Nina Simone - "Sinnerman (Felix Da Housecat Heavenly House Mix)"
- The Chemical Brothers w/ Flaming Lips - "The Golden Path"
- The Crystal Method - "Born Too Slow"
- Kelis - "Milkshake"
- Voodoo Child - "Light Is In Your Eyes"
- Ryan Adams - "So Alive"
12.29.2003 | Turning Money Into Light
>> So it's the end of 2003, and everyone is posting their "Best Of" lists. People may or may not be aware that last year, my personal "Best Of 2002 Music" list completely hijacked my life. For one reason or another -- probably just avoidance of the various stresses in my life -- I spent three or four months hearing all the 2002 music I possibly could, and laboriously ranking them against each other into a sequenced list. I published what turned out to be preliminary results here, and then spent the first three months of 2003 revising, refining, and rewriting the rankings, adding more 2002 albums as I heard them.
Guess what? It sure didn't matter at all.
I've still got the revised, "definitive" (ha!) 2002 list on my computer somewhere, and maybe I'll post it as a minor monument to obsession sometime early in 2004 (just to underscore its irrelevance). For the next three days, it's a low-key "Best Of 2003" around these parts, more just shout-outs to the things I liked this year than any kind of rigorous critical exercise. I just don't have the time, energy, or inclination to play Music Expert right now, which I'm sure we can all be happy about.
My "Best Ofs," for the record, are not supposed to be a universal aesthetic judgement; they're just lists of things I really enjoyed in any given year. The things I like might be uninspired, cheap, derivative, and clumsily produced, but if I liked 'em, they're on the list. I'd prefer to think I don't often enjoy things that are uninspired, cheap, derivative, and clumsily produced, but who am I kidding (and if you think the same, then who are you kidding)?
So in the vein of low-key shout-outs, today is devoted to the movies I liked this year, not the music. I'd try to make this an all-media extravaganza, but since I read like two books published this year, and saw a handful of plays that were all in London, that would just be silly. My boyfriend published his list as well, if you're interested; he's a real honest-to-goodness film student if you're one of those types who falls for the fallacy of expertise. Unsurprisingly, we agree on very little.
I've found that this year, much like last year, I really just didn't care about the vast majority of the movies I saw. I don't think it was that this year was particularly dire or anything like that, I just think that either I'm moving away from caring about movies as a storytelling medium, or my priorities in what I look for in a movie are shifting, so I can't really predict or understand what I'll like or why.
So. Here are the movies I saw (and considered to be worth noting) this year, broken down into overly specific categories. This list, as originally published, is subject to change, so keep an eye on it for a few hours after it's posted...
MOVIES THAT I PRETTY MUCH LOVED UNEQUIVOCALLY, MAINLY BECAUSE IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THEY WERE TAILOR-MADE TO MY TASTES:
--Lost In Translation
--X-Men 2
--Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl
MOVIES THAT I REALLY, REALLY ENJOYED, BUT HOLD MYSELF BACK FROM SAYING I "LOVED" BECAUSE I HAVE SOME HANG-UP OR ANOTHER ABOUT SOME ASPECT OF THEM
--Big Fish
--Elf
--Finding Nemo
--Kill Bill (Volume One)
MOVIES THAT I RESPECTED AND APPRECIATED MUCH OF THE CRAFT OF, BUT WHICH AT THE END OF THE DAY, I STILL DON'T THINK I GAVE MUCH OF A SHIT ABOUT -- YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY
--21 Grams
--Cold Mountain
--Mystic River
--28 Days Later
--Elephant (Although as I think I mentioned before, it's wrong that it really really turned me on at one point, right? And no, not during any scene involving gun violence)
MOVIES THAT I REALLY WANTED TO LIKE, AND DID INDEED ENJOY MOST OF, BUT WHICH HAD A FEW REALLY REALLY GIMPY ELEMENTS TO THEM
--Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King (My opinion on this one is sort of half-formed; you'll have to come back to me on it)
--In America
MOVIES THAT I ENJOYED AT THE TIME, BUT IN RETROSPECT, WERE KIND OF JUST THERE
--Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
--Down With Love (Most people hated this so much)
--The Human Stain
--Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life (Yeah, I know, whatever)
--The Matrix Reloaded
MOVIES THAT I DON'T WANT TO SAY ATE DICK, BECAUSE I THINK THEY WERE SORT OF ON TO SOMETHING INTERESTING, BUT MAN, WAS I WRITHING IN PAIN DURING THE VIEWING EXPERIENCE
--Hulk
--The Matrix Revolutions
MOVIES THAT I JUST HATED A LOT BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY WEREN'T UP MY ALLEY, OR HELL, MAYBE BECAUSE THEY SUCKED A LOT, WHY SHOULD I PUSSY-FOOT AROUND IT?
--Cabin Fever
--Party Monster
--Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines
MOVIES THAT I WISH I'D SEEN
--American Splendor
--Bend It Like Beckham
--The Good Thief
--House Of Sand And Fog
--In This World
--Laurel Canyon
--Lost In La Mancha
--Spellbound
--The Station Agent
--Thirteen
Guess what? It sure didn't matter at all.
I've still got the revised, "definitive" (ha!) 2002 list on my computer somewhere, and maybe I'll post it as a minor monument to obsession sometime early in 2004 (just to underscore its irrelevance). For the next three days, it's a low-key "Best Of 2003" around these parts, more just shout-outs to the things I liked this year than any kind of rigorous critical exercise. I just don't have the time, energy, or inclination to play Music Expert right now, which I'm sure we can all be happy about.
My "Best Ofs," for the record, are not supposed to be a universal aesthetic judgement; they're just lists of things I really enjoyed in any given year. The things I like might be uninspired, cheap, derivative, and clumsily produced, but if I liked 'em, they're on the list. I'd prefer to think I don't often enjoy things that are uninspired, cheap, derivative, and clumsily produced, but who am I kidding (and if you think the same, then who are you kidding)?
So in the vein of low-key shout-outs, today is devoted to the movies I liked this year, not the music. I'd try to make this an all-media extravaganza, but since I read like two books published this year, and saw a handful of plays that were all in London, that would just be silly. My boyfriend published his list as well, if you're interested; he's a real honest-to-goodness film student if you're one of those types who falls for the fallacy of expertise. Unsurprisingly, we agree on very little.
I've found that this year, much like last year, I really just didn't care about the vast majority of the movies I saw. I don't think it was that this year was particularly dire or anything like that, I just think that either I'm moving away from caring about movies as a storytelling medium, or my priorities in what I look for in a movie are shifting, so I can't really predict or understand what I'll like or why.
So. Here are the movies I saw (and considered to be worth noting) this year, broken down into overly specific categories. This list, as originally published, is subject to change, so keep an eye on it for a few hours after it's posted...
MOVIES THAT I PRETTY MUCH LOVED UNEQUIVOCALLY, MAINLY BECAUSE IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THEY WERE TAILOR-MADE TO MY TASTES:
--Lost In Translation
--X-Men 2
--Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl
MOVIES THAT I REALLY, REALLY ENJOYED, BUT HOLD MYSELF BACK FROM SAYING I "LOVED" BECAUSE I HAVE SOME HANG-UP OR ANOTHER ABOUT SOME ASPECT OF THEM
--Big Fish
--Elf
--Finding Nemo
--Kill Bill (Volume One)
MOVIES THAT I RESPECTED AND APPRECIATED MUCH OF THE CRAFT OF, BUT WHICH AT THE END OF THE DAY, I STILL DON'T THINK I GAVE MUCH OF A SHIT ABOUT -- YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY
--21 Grams
--Cold Mountain
--Mystic River
--28 Days Later
--Elephant (Although as I think I mentioned before, it's wrong that it really really turned me on at one point, right? And no, not during any scene involving gun violence)
MOVIES THAT I REALLY WANTED TO LIKE, AND DID INDEED ENJOY MOST OF, BUT WHICH HAD A FEW REALLY REALLY GIMPY ELEMENTS TO THEM
--Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King (My opinion on this one is sort of half-formed; you'll have to come back to me on it)
--In America
MOVIES THAT I ENJOYED AT THE TIME, BUT IN RETROSPECT, WERE KIND OF JUST THERE
--Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
--Down With Love (Most people hated this so much)
--The Human Stain
--Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life (Yeah, I know, whatever)
--The Matrix Reloaded
MOVIES THAT I DON'T WANT TO SAY ATE DICK, BECAUSE I THINK THEY WERE SORT OF ON TO SOMETHING INTERESTING, BUT MAN, WAS I WRITHING IN PAIN DURING THE VIEWING EXPERIENCE
--Hulk
--The Matrix Revolutions
MOVIES THAT I JUST HATED A LOT BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY WEREN'T UP MY ALLEY, OR HELL, MAYBE BECAUSE THEY SUCKED A LOT, WHY SHOULD I PUSSY-FOOT AROUND IT?
--Cabin Fever
--Party Monster
--Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines
MOVIES THAT I WISH I'D SEEN
--American Splendor
--Bend It Like Beckham
--The Good Thief
--House Of Sand And Fog
--In This World
--Laurel Canyon
--Lost In La Mancha
--Spellbound
--The Station Agent
--Thirteen
12.26.2003 | What Would Fox Mulder Do?
>>
In other geeky news, I just spent an hour or so going through every blog entry on this site deleting comments-spams that I'd missed over the last two weeks of insane busy-ness. Is that geeky, or good? I can't tell...
| You are 41% geek | You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator.
Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend. |
Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com
I feel like that's fairly accurate, actually.In other geeky news, I just spent an hour or so going through every blog entry on this site deleting comments-spams that I'd missed over the last two weeks of insane busy-ness. Is that geeky, or good? I can't tell...
12.24.2003 | Mega Megaphone Thing Mega Mega
>> Following up on my previous link about the Oxford Circus Megaphone Man, which was also stolen from LinkMachineGo as this one is, we've now heard from the man who bought him the megaphone. Grrr. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, buddy... (and I'm sad to say that despite sending five months living just off it, I never spent any time with the "street drinkers" of Gloucester Road. I don't feel any emptier, though.)
12.23.2003 | We're S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G
>> Hurrah, I'm in Florida for Christmas, and I've spent the day at our fair city's two friendly, neighborhood Westfield Shoppingtowns. "Shoppingtown" is easily my favorite new marketingspeak term.
Further entries on hold until I feel like sitting in one place long enough to write one. If that translates as "the next 48 hours," then merry Christmas to all my readers who celebrate it. (And happy Hannukah to everyone rockin' that one as we speak.)
Further entries on hold until I feel like sitting in one place long enough to write one. If that translates as "the next 48 hours," then merry Christmas to all my readers who celebrate it. (And happy Hannukah to everyone rockin' that one as we speak.)
12.20.2003 | Aaaaaaaaarrrrrggggh
>> Thank you, New York Times, for ruining my day:
I am watching myself become a second-class citizen and I am powerless to stop it. I was pretty sure we weren't supposed to have those in America, but hey, as long as the tyrannical majority that the government was created to hold in check says that it's OK, I guess I've just gotta shut up and become less than human, huh?
The latest New York Times/CBS News poll has found widespread support for an amendment to the United States Constitution to ban gay marriage. It also found unease about homosexual relations in general, making the issue a potentially divisive one for the Democrats and an opportunity for the Republicans in the 2004 election.I want to scream. This is a Hydra with a thousand stupid heads of nonsense motivation and blind, selfish hatred and there's nothing I can do to cut one head off, let alone all of them, and there's nothing I can do to stop them growing back... the Hydra doesn't believe in reason, and it's all I've got.
Support for a constitutional amendment extends across a wide swath of the public and includes a majority of people traditionally viewed as supportive of gay rights, including Democrats, women and people who live on the East Coast.
... The nationwide poll found that 55 percent of Americans favored an amendment to the constitution that would allow marriage only between a man and a woman, while 40 percent opposed the idea.
...This poll and other surveys show that as the courts have extended legal rights to gays this year, Americans have become increasingly uncomfortable with same-sex relations. For decades, a majority of Americans have not approved of homosexual relations. That had begun to change, until the Supreme Court ruling in June and the Massachusetts ruling in November. A New York Times/CBS News poll conducted in July found that 54 percent of respondents said homosexual relations should be legal. Only 41 percent of the respondents in the latest poll said they should be legal.
I am watching myself become a second-class citizen and I am powerless to stop it. I was pretty sure we weren't supposed to have those in America, but hey, as long as the tyrannical majority that the government was created to hold in check says that it's OK, I guess I've just gotta shut up and become less than human, huh?
12.19.2003 | They're Haunting Me
>> Oh my God, how frackin' awesome is this? Hampton Court Palace "ghost" caught on camera: Check out that photograph. I'M FREAKING OUT HERE, MAN.
Let's hear it in the comments: Do you believe in ghosts?
Let's hear it in the comments: Do you believe in ghosts?
12.17.2003 | Kitty Pryde And Nightcrawler, Too
>> Extracts from my end of an IM conversation with Josh tonight:
Feeling a little bit better, by the way, though I was still sick enough this morning for it to mess up my critical thinking on the AmLit exam. Sigh. And I did see Return Of The King, which was -- surprise! -- good, though I could've done without some of the heavier sentimentalism. Ah well, it still had a bumper crop of "Holy shit" moments, so it was worth the three and a half hour investment...
Man, if I could devote my whole life to the X-Men, I would. Is that wrong?I LOVE THE X-MEN SO MUCH IT MAKES ME WANT TO PEE.
The X-Men teach children to value their uniqueness! And to hate flatscans! You'd dump me if I started using "flatscan" as an insult in real life, right?
I'm gonna go dream about how much I want to start an online X-Men database. If only jerking off was half that exciting...
Feeling a little bit better, by the way, though I was still sick enough this morning for it to mess up my critical thinking on the AmLit exam. Sigh. And I did see Return Of The King, which was -- surprise! -- good, though I could've done without some of the heavier sentimentalism. Ah well, it still had a bumper crop of "Holy shit" moments, so it was worth the three and a half hour investment...
12.16.2003 | Something Awful
>> Oh my God, this is the worst flu I have ever had ever ever ever. I have a fever and chills so bad that it's difficult to type, I'm shaking so hard. If I feel like this when I wake up tomorrow morning for my 10AM American Lit final, I am so deeply fucked. Not to mention that I've got tickets for ROTK tomorrow, and would have to give them up... aaaaaaargh.
I really really can't stand being sick I hate it so much it deranges me. I never used to get sick in Florida. I want to go home.
I really really can't stand being sick I hate it so much it deranges me. I never used to get sick in Florida. I want to go home.
12.16.2003 | Thou Shalt Not Point Out The Grindingly Obvious
>> Quote of the year: "Folks, I'm a rock, and y'all are dumber than me." Enjoy this excellent cartoon by August on the Alabama Ten Commandments debacle.
12.15.2003 | The Doctor Will See You Now
>> Good News: The trailer for Spider-Man 2 is available on Yahoo!
Bad News: It's in some kind of absolutely ridiculous non-Quicktime embedded format that only allows you to see about five seconds before it has to pause and load in the next five. IT'S REALLY IRRITATING.
More Good News: THE TRAILER IS ABSOLUTELY FUCKING INSANE OH MY GOD. If you watch it and don't yelp at least once, then something's wrong with your yelping reflex and you really ought to see a doctor. AN OCTOPUS DOCTOR, THAT IS!!!1! OMFG IT Rox0RZ
Unrelated Bad News: I've got the flu, hardcore. Really bad timing for it, too -- I've got an American Lit final on Wednesday and a 15-page research paper on James Joyce due Friday. If I don't wake up 100% healthy tomorrow morning, then I'm probably gonna fail the semester. Sigh.
Bad News: It's in some kind of absolutely ridiculous non-Quicktime embedded format that only allows you to see about five seconds before it has to pause and load in the next five. IT'S REALLY IRRITATING.
More Good News: THE TRAILER IS ABSOLUTELY FUCKING INSANE OH MY GOD. If you watch it and don't yelp at least once, then something's wrong with your yelping reflex and you really ought to see a doctor. AN OCTOPUS DOCTOR, THAT IS!!!1! OMFG IT Rox0RZ
Unrelated Bad News: I've got the flu, hardcore. Really bad timing for it, too -- I've got an American Lit final on Wednesday and a 15-page research paper on James Joyce due Friday. If I don't wake up 100% healthy tomorrow morning, then I'm probably gonna fail the semester. Sigh.
12.13.2003 | Sexed Up
>> Please take fifteen seconds out of your day to make me a happy little gayboy.
Please visit Robbie Williams' German site. When they reach one million visits, they will un-blur a naked picture of him. They're currently at 900,000-something.
Thank you for your understanding. (I get the feeling he's got his hand in front of the goodie bits, but there's only one way to find out.)
Please visit Robbie Williams' German site. When they reach one million visits, they will un-blur a naked picture of him. They're currently at 900,000-something.
Thank you for your understanding. (I get the feeling he's got his hand in front of the goodie bits, but there's only one way to find out.)
12.11.2003 | Unh Yeah
>> If anybody reading this attended the Moby DVD screening and Q&A at NYU's Cantor Film Center tonight: I hope you enjoyed your goddamn goodie-bags. Because not only did I and my intern brethren -- but honestly, and I'm not showboating, 60% me since that's just how the scheduling worked out -- make up every one of those bags ourselves, but myself and supah-intern Rob (shout-out! We Friendster buds now, that's like blood tiez!) carried a box filled with something like two hundred and seventy-five of those things all the way from V2's office to Cantor, up Broadway. THEY WERE REALLY FUCKING HEAVY. So I hope you liked your promotional materials, because my left arm doesn't really function properly now. (If you got one of the Moby megamix CDs, you're lucky -- first, because it's great, and second, because less than half of the bags had them. We didn't have that many.)
Anyway, it was a lovely event, and I finally got to exchange a few words with Moby after having worked for him in some capacity for almost a year (and having been a fan for six or seven years now). I didn't really make much of an impression, I'm sure, but ah, whatever -- celebrity-hounding is for suckers. He's a nice guy all told, and if I'm going to work for a soul-sucking megapopstar I'm glad it's him. Thanks to all the people at V2 and MCT, who likely aren't reading this, who helped to make a little boy's dream come true. ;-D
And speaking of messages to people at V2 -- Vanessa! You suck! Way to end the semester without saying goodbye! Grrrrr!
Anyway, it was a lovely event, and I finally got to exchange a few words with Moby after having worked for him in some capacity for almost a year (and having been a fan for six or seven years now). I didn't really make much of an impression, I'm sure, but ah, whatever -- celebrity-hounding is for suckers. He's a nice guy all told, and if I'm going to work for a soul-sucking megapopstar I'm glad it's him. Thanks to all the people at V2 and MCT, who likely aren't reading this, who helped to make a little boy's dream come true. ;-D
And speaking of messages to people at V2 -- Vanessa! You suck! Way to end the semester without saying goodbye! Grrrrr!
12.09.2003 | Blown A Wish
>> This one's a week old, but good to hear about anyway -- if you link to your Amazon wishlist on your site, then you probably need to fix the URL you're using. 'Tis the season to make sure that people can shower you with gifts. ;-D (Mine's inconspicuously tucked away on my About page, so that I don't look like a two-shilling whore, but y'know.)
12.09.2003 | Think About It Seriously, You Know It Makes Sense
>> Rolling Stone interview with Steve Jobs about the next music industry. Extremely compelling stuff.
There are a lot of smart people at the music companies. The problem is they're not technology people. The good music companies do an amazing thing. They have people who can pick the person who's gonna be successful out of 5,000 candidates. It's an intuitive process. And the best music companies know how to do that with a reasonably high success rate.There's more, do read on.
I think that's a good thing. The world needs more smart editorial these days. The problem is that that has nothing to do with technology. When the Internet came along and Napster came along, people in the music business didn't know what to make of the changes. A lot of these folks didn't use computers, weren't on e-mail -- didn't really know what Napster was for a few years. They were pretty doggone slow to react. Matter of fact, they still haven't really reacted. So they're vulnerable to people telling them technical solutions will work -- when they won't.
12.09.2003 | Time Will Crawl
>> I know, I know.
There's just too much to do at this time of year; my academic and personal lives have been a bit of a complete mess recently, so the blog is bound to suffer while I dig myself out.
In the meantime, here's a link, though it'll probably only interest Cameron & Jeremy (and my London readers): What is the Oxford Circus megaphone man all about? (Via LMG)
There's just too much to do at this time of year; my academic and personal lives have been a bit of a complete mess recently, so the blog is bound to suffer while I dig myself out.
In the meantime, here's a link, though it'll probably only interest Cameron & Jeremy (and my London readers): What is the Oxford Circus megaphone man all about? (Via LMG)
12.06.2003 | I'm In Love, What's That Song?
>> Oh shit, I've got a new vice.
Way back in August, when I first connected my laptop to the network in my dorm, I saw that iTunes launched a "Shared Music" playlist: apparently, I had access to the music libraries of two or three other kids in the building, and by default, they had access to mine. Not quite understanding the technical side of this (or the legality), I turned off the sharing feature and went about my business.
A few nights ago, I turned it back on, and ho-lee-shit am I having a blast.
This MacObserver article explains the institution of iTunes playlist sharing (and provides a fairly reasonable view of the morality of it); basically, people can listen to your music, but they can't download it or have a copy of it, so I'm comfortable with it from an ethical standpoint. It's all streaming, essentially just a radio station you control. The two or three playlists I saw at the beginning of the semester has turned into about thirty since the advent of iTunes for Windows. Some people share only a few songs, some people share everything; I've opted to share just about everything (I've blocked access to the music that I have that other people shouldn't yet).
The last couple of nights, I've been grooving to somebody's Replacements records and discovering that I really, really need to buy a couple, and at this precise moment I'm listening to Springsteen's Born To Run -- can you believe I only actually started getting into him this summer? iTunes tells me that four people are listening to my music, but sadly, it doesn't tell me what they're listening to. To build a sense of community into the whole thing, a lot of people put their room numbers into the titles of their playlists. I've opted not to do that, but I have titled my computer library "doyoufeelloved.com" (hoping for a little bit of extra hit action, nothing wrong with that), and the principal playlist is "Commited To The Wax, Tapes, & CDs" (the byline Fluxblog never should've dropped). If you live in an NYU dorm -- obviously I'm not going to publish which one I live in -- you should connect to the shared music in your building (Open iTunes' Preferences, and click "Sharing"). Maybe you'll see my schtuff; if you do, drop me a line and we'll discuss. (And if you've got the new Ryan Adams album, let me know, because I'd like to hear it. Thanks, you're a hypothetical doll.)
Long live the future.
Way back in August, when I first connected my laptop to the network in my dorm, I saw that iTunes launched a "Shared Music" playlist: apparently, I had access to the music libraries of two or three other kids in the building, and by default, they had access to mine. Not quite understanding the technical side of this (or the legality), I turned off the sharing feature and went about my business.
A few nights ago, I turned it back on, and ho-lee-shit am I having a blast.
This MacObserver article explains the institution of iTunes playlist sharing (and provides a fairly reasonable view of the morality of it); basically, people can listen to your music, but they can't download it or have a copy of it, so I'm comfortable with it from an ethical standpoint. It's all streaming, essentially just a radio station you control. The two or three playlists I saw at the beginning of the semester has turned into about thirty since the advent of iTunes for Windows. Some people share only a few songs, some people share everything; I've opted to share just about everything (I've blocked access to the music that I have that other people shouldn't yet).
The last couple of nights, I've been grooving to somebody's Replacements records and discovering that I really, really need to buy a couple, and at this precise moment I'm listening to Springsteen's Born To Run -- can you believe I only actually started getting into him this summer? iTunes tells me that four people are listening to my music, but sadly, it doesn't tell me what they're listening to. To build a sense of community into the whole thing, a lot of people put their room numbers into the titles of their playlists. I've opted not to do that, but I have titled my computer library "doyoufeelloved.com" (hoping for a little bit of extra hit action, nothing wrong with that), and the principal playlist is "Commited To The Wax, Tapes, & CDs" (the byline Fluxblog never should've dropped). If you live in an NYU dorm -- obviously I'm not going to publish which one I live in -- you should connect to the shared music in your building (Open iTunes' Preferences, and click "Sharing"). Maybe you'll see my schtuff; if you do, drop me a line and we'll discuss. (And if you've got the new Ryan Adams album, let me know, because I'd like to hear it. Thanks, you're a hypothetical doll.)
Long live the future.
12.05.2003 | Get A Load Of You
>> Dear Ryan Schreiber, I'm afraid I take offense with this tidbit from your review of Liz Phair's "Why Can't I" (here's a link that works for today only; will update with permalink later -- that's poor design, by the by. Here's the permalink):
And your site's wrong, too: This Is Not A Test actually sucks a bit, which I was surprised to learn after buying it Tuesday night. Sigh. Not that it's all bad, but as I've told a few people, when the intro and outro tracks are better than 60% of the album, you've got yourself a problem.
Unfortunately, there's not much else to say about this tinny, overdigital, pitch-corrected hellsong, except that it's shocking just how much power TRL is comfortable handing over to twelve-year-old girls, the only American force with the time and energy to actually put in votes for their favorite video every single afternoon.As opposed to the only American force with the time and energy to create a massive indierock website devoted to looking down on other people with free time and a passion for some kind of music? What makes you different from them?
And your site's wrong, too: This Is Not A Test actually sucks a bit, which I was surprised to learn after buying it Tuesday night. Sigh. Not that it's all bad, but as I've told a few people, when the intro and outro tracks are better than 60% of the album, you've got yourself a problem.
12.03.2003 | You Had To Ruin It For All Concerned
>> OK, so my web screenplay wasn't very good, except for the ending:
Bless.INT. BILLY CRYSTAL AND MEG RYAN'S WEDDING
DOYOUFEELLOVED.COM is making a wedding toast.
DOYOUFEELLOVED.COM
Initially, she had severe language problems from which she eventually recovered.
WEDDING GUESTS
Hear, hear.
DOYOUFEELLOVED.COM
We're still working on valid HTML, but we'll let you know.
Everybody laughs
BILLY CRYSTAL and MEG RYAN
Hahahahahaha!!!! Oh DOYOUFEELLOVED.COM. You are one of a kind.
12.03.2003 | Planet X-Ray
>> I'll go back to complaining about my personal life and bullshitting about pop music eventually, I promise. But for now, one more politically motivated link.
Actually, no, let's stop for a moment: This link is not politically motivated. It's not a political statement to oppose the existence of the Guantanamo internment camp; it's a statement that you value human life and the fundamental concept of respecting other human beings.
Point is: The Guardian has done a special report on Guantanamo, and I'm pretty sure every single American citizen should read it. (Here's Part Two, the link in the article is small). Even if you think you understand what's going on there, you should read it; it contains details that will surprise you, guaranteed.
I could quote a variety of those details, but I'm going to run the risk of discrediting myself through repitition by highlighting this quote that a part of me thinks would persuade anyone who read it. Maybe I'm falling into that logic trap mentioned in the previous article, wherein the truth does not automatically persuade, but let me be naive for a while longer, OK?
Actually, no, let's stop for a moment: This link is not politically motivated. It's not a political statement to oppose the existence of the Guantanamo internment camp; it's a statement that you value human life and the fundamental concept of respecting other human beings.
Point is: The Guardian has done a special report on Guantanamo, and I'm pretty sure every single American citizen should read it. (Here's Part Two, the link in the article is small). Even if you think you understand what's going on there, you should read it; it contains details that will surprise you, guaranteed.
I could quote a variety of those details, but I'm going to run the risk of discrediting myself through repitition by highlighting this quote that a part of me thinks would persuade anyone who read it. Maybe I'm falling into that logic trap mentioned in the previous article, wherein the truth does not automatically persuade, but let me be naive for a while longer, OK?
'You kidnap people who may be totally innocent, you take them all the way around the world in hoods and shackles, you hold them incommunicado for two years, you don't give them a lawyer and you don't tell them what they're charged with. It's not a matter of what's wrong with it, it's a question of what's right with it. And it achieves nothing.'I know it's been said many times, many ways, but... WHAT IS HAPPENING TO AMERICA?!?
12.01.2003 | Framework
>> You have to read this article right now: a professor of linguistics discusses the formation of Republican rhetoric and strategy, and why it is trouncing the left's application of the same concepts. You absolutely must read this; it's all so blatantly obvious it makes you want to scream through your computer screen directly to the Democratic presidential candidate of your choice: "WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!" It's too quotable to block-quote one section here, so I'll just tell you for the third time: Read this. It puts a solid grounding to this amorphous yet popular idea that "The Democrats don't have an agenda;" if you asked the average person to define that statement, they wouldn't be able to. This guy can and has. (He goes a little overboard in formulating the "strict parent" model of conservative thought, but he is fundamentally right.) And don't miss the link to the second page. Via S/FJ.
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