Bright Eyes: I absolutely do not get the comparison to Bob Dylan, but I do like the man sufficiently. There is a threshold, however, because I was ready to move on after 45 songs or so. I always think of winter when listening to Bright Eyes because certain tracks of his escorted me through relationship issues one winter.
Britney Spears: Yes, there was one track, which was supposed to contribute to my "Backer" playlist. The song is mislabeled though, and so it's all wrong. I felt dirty and ashamed when she came on at work.
Broken Social Scene: They have moments, but they have anti-moments as well.
Brother Jack McDuff: Hot Barbecue, the classic jazzman helped the afternoon whiz by.
Bruce Springsteen: Each song had a particular association... primarily the Backer. I acknowledge his skill and relevance, but I can't say that I'm a huge fan. I am more of a medium fan.
Bryan Adams: I should have some amazing story about a grade school dance to accompany "Summer of '69" but I don't.
Buckcherry: Few bands have songs that contrast more than "Lit Up" and "For the Movies."
Bush: I think of Gwen Stefani, obviously.
Busta Rhymes: The first time I heard this cat, like many others, was on A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario" and I remembered thinking that he must be partially insane. More significant exposure to him has confirmed that, and I love it. The intro track to his first album, The Coming, cites his birthday as May 20, which happens to be the birthday of one of my best friends, Adam. He was actually with me when I bought the album. Because of this, I remember his birthday each year. I can't say that happens all that often with other friends... this may change now that I have a google calendar.
Cake: Somebody once told me that "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" was about how the band envisioned the Republican party. I have no idea if that's true, but I wonder about it every time I hear them. This is feel-good music, man. I'm almost always in the mood for Cake.
Capercaillie: My roommate Timmy, a big red-headed Irishman, would put this on full blast and ask, "who wants a belfast bomber." So I pretty much Pavlov dog this song to a shot.
Carla Bruni: No idea where this came from, but it was fairly decent.
Cat Power: I love her and her love of Bob Dylan. "Lived in Bars" is always an enjoyable track.
Cat Stevens: I like Cat quite a bit but I always find myself wondering if he's still on the no-fly list because of his Islamic leanings. Then I think that I should look that up and that maybe I remember this wrong because how in the heck could someone who wrote about a peace train be on the no-fly list. I still haven't looked it up though.
Charlie Daniels Band
Chicago: Karate Kid. Big time guilty pleasure, and I was fortunate enough to see them perform live... with the Notre Dame band... that was totally strange.
Chingy: This required an immediate decrease in volume as I was at work. Catchy, but not mind blowing.
Chuck Berry: Despite the fact that many of his songs are strikingly similar, I credit him with starting my obsession with rock and roll. It was one of the few rocking discs that made its way on the family stereo growing up. I loved it then and still do.
The Clancy Brothers: See above note about roommate Timmy.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: One album is the perfect listening duration. I love "The Skin of my Yellow Country Teeth."
Clarence Carter: I despise the song, "strokin'" and will delete it.
The Clash: I bought some Clash because I figured that I should have some if I wanted a respectable music collection. I am really glad that I did.
Cold War Kids: They put on a solid show at ACL... very cool band.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Billy Joel to Bright Eyes
Binary Star: perhaps my favorite hip-hop group that most people haven't heard about. Fantastic stuff although they do recycle some lines but whatever, who doesn't. I know that I do.
Biz Markie: a staple in any ipod.
Bjork: I actually have a ton of her but don't listen to her as much as I should. She makes me think of Iceland and sledding.
Black Crowes: always enjoyable... I wish I had scoped their concert in Detroit last week.
Black Eyed Peas: I think I labeled them as sellouts at some point, but they're pretty good and there's no doubting Will-I-Am.
The Black Keys: I like them a lot, especially their work with Danger Mouse.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: they remind me of law school for some unknown reason.
Black Sabbath: Back in the day, my transmission blew out and I lost my wheels for 42 days... that was completely annoying. It all happened after a u2 show at Notre Dame when some woman from Missouri decided to turn left from the middle lane right into me. She later claimed that she didn't know how the roads worked in Indiana. Obviously, I lost all respect for Missouri drivers. Indiana roads, for what it's worth, aren't entirely complicated. Anyway, the first song that came on when I got my ride back was Ironman. I thought it appropriate given the ordeal.
Black Sheep: I always think of Christmas cookies because in grade school, we'd always go to my grandma's house to bake them. "The Choice is Yours" was stuck in my head so I kept saying, "here they come, yo, here they come" while I rolled out some top-flight Christmas trees. Grandma overheard this, walked to the window and inspected the scene for several moments before asking me, "who's coming?"
Blanche: conjures airplanes because that's when I first read about them. An interesting sound, but I might prefer their fashion sense to their music.
Blind Melon: on my list of tragic music deaths... I think of bees, obviously. More specifically, I think of humans dressed as bees.
Blink 182: they provided a perfect pep to the work afternoon.
Bloc Party: many people like this band but I've never really gotten into them. I enjoyed them more than I recalled, however, and will integrate them more often.
Bloodhound Gang: Discovery channel. Brusznicki.
Blue Oyster Cult: cow bell.
Blues Traveler: just saw them live and man have they fallen off. John Popper took 2 smoke breaks in a one-hour set. I can't imagine that helps the harmonica skillz.
Blur: often overlooked... and unfairly characterized by their Fifa 98 anthem. Great stuff.
Bob Dylan: I could compose a book on his impact. Every time, every occasion, every emotion is captured. He's my clear cut #1. It took about 2 days to get through him.
Bob Marley: the vh1 behind the music on him played "redemption song" when discussing his death. Accordingly, I get sad whenever I hear that tune.
Bob Schneider
Bob Seger: Ann Arbor and the Pistons.
Bone Thugs -n- Harmony: I used to listen to them a lot while shoveling snow, so this is a good time of year to hear them.
Bonnie Tyler: she is one of my great obsessions. "Holding Out for a Hero" inspires me to be a better person.
Boston
Boyz II Men
Brand New
Biz Markie: a staple in any ipod.
Bjork: I actually have a ton of her but don't listen to her as much as I should. She makes me think of Iceland and sledding.
Black Crowes: always enjoyable... I wish I had scoped their concert in Detroit last week.
Black Eyed Peas: I think I labeled them as sellouts at some point, but they're pretty good and there's no doubting Will-I-Am.
The Black Keys: I like them a lot, especially their work with Danger Mouse.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: they remind me of law school for some unknown reason.
Black Sabbath: Back in the day, my transmission blew out and I lost my wheels for 42 days... that was completely annoying. It all happened after a u2 show at Notre Dame when some woman from Missouri decided to turn left from the middle lane right into me. She later claimed that she didn't know how the roads worked in Indiana. Obviously, I lost all respect for Missouri drivers. Indiana roads, for what it's worth, aren't entirely complicated. Anyway, the first song that came on when I got my ride back was Ironman. I thought it appropriate given the ordeal.
Black Sheep: I always think of Christmas cookies because in grade school, we'd always go to my grandma's house to bake them. "The Choice is Yours" was stuck in my head so I kept saying, "here they come, yo, here they come" while I rolled out some top-flight Christmas trees. Grandma overheard this, walked to the window and inspected the scene for several moments before asking me, "who's coming?"
Blanche: conjures airplanes because that's when I first read about them. An interesting sound, but I might prefer their fashion sense to their music.
Blind Melon: on my list of tragic music deaths... I think of bees, obviously. More specifically, I think of humans dressed as bees.
Blink 182: they provided a perfect pep to the work afternoon.
Bloc Party: many people like this band but I've never really gotten into them. I enjoyed them more than I recalled, however, and will integrate them more often.
Bloodhound Gang: Discovery channel. Brusznicki.
Blue Oyster Cult: cow bell.
Blues Traveler: just saw them live and man have they fallen off. John Popper took 2 smoke breaks in a one-hour set. I can't imagine that helps the harmonica skillz.
Blur: often overlooked... and unfairly characterized by their Fifa 98 anthem. Great stuff.
Bob Dylan: I could compose a book on his impact. Every time, every occasion, every emotion is captured. He's my clear cut #1. It took about 2 days to get through him.
Bob Marley: the vh1 behind the music on him played "redemption song" when discussing his death. Accordingly, I get sad whenever I hear that tune.
Bob Schneider
Bob Seger: Ann Arbor and the Pistons.
Bone Thugs -n- Harmony: I used to listen to them a lot while shoveling snow, so this is a good time of year to hear them.
Bonnie Tyler: she is one of my great obsessions. "Holding Out for a Hero" inspires me to be a better person.
Boston
Boyz II Men
Brand New
Thursday, December 4, 2008
audioslave to billy joel
Man, I got behind... my wife and I tripped out to Texas for thanksgiving. Tryptophantastic times.
Baba-E': I scored this from my law school roommate, but it makes me think of my days toiling as program coordinator at Notre Dame. This cat's cd came across my desk and I liked it enough to try to book the guy, but schedules didn't work out. It's actually a demanding task to book hip-hop acts at a Catholic university. This is an indictment of hip hop, not Catholicism. Anyway, even though he never performed, his very name and the distinct orange cover conjurs 20 hour days of trying to square away the club, finalize contracts, and review bunches of press kits. I miss the job more than I ever thought I would.
Badly Drawn Boy: I think of my friend Dawn who gave me my first BDB disc back in the day and promised me a quality BDB story the next time we hang out.
Baltimora: flashback to the linebacker lounge--an absolute pit of a bar in south bend that literally played the same list of songs every night, including tarzan boy. you could never move, much less dance [no doubt a benefit to many], and the whole night usually involves screaming "livin on a prayer" while attempting to best your previous high in long island consumption. Somehow, it was fun everytime.
Band of Horses: love them, and they're great at work. Downside is that the albums are short and they flew by. "Funeral" does some crazy things to my mindset... in a good way. It's a fabulous track.
Barry Manilow: see Baltimora.
Bayside: To be deleted.
Beastie Boys: A true bonding experience. I remember borrowing my sister's cassette of Licensed to Ill and listening to it over and over. They are the first band to impact me in a meaningful way, and I still love them. Also the longest catalog to date.
Beatles: As these cats came on at work, it dawned on me that "B" is a HUGE music letter especially when apple alphabetizes by first name. This really irritates me about apple, and I find myself spending far too much time wondering why they would do that. Total enjoyment throughout another substantive catalog.
Beck: I like Beck, and I know I like Beck, but I realize now that I like him more than I thought I did. What a talent. It's a shame his first hit was "Loser" b/c the dude is very skilled. Guero is better than I remember and Sea Change is deep! Beck ended while my buddy Karl and I played Tecmo Super Bowl on old school nintendo. It just seemed right.
Bedouin Soundclash: nice.
Beirut: There aren't many bands that make you feel as though you live in a different time period and a different geographic region. Beirut does just this. They kicked off my work day on Wednesday and honestly, I didn't feel like I was at work until the ipod moved on. Mentally, I was like a German spy roaming the streets of Russia [and yes, i know that Beirut is actually in Lebanon-- it's just the vibe i get] with a cane that could be unsheathed to reveal a bayonet sort of thing in case i met danger. This weird mental image stems almost entirely from the fact that there is a cane in my office that can be unsheathed to reveal a bayonet sort of thing. It isn't mine, but it's there. I usually use it to reach my highlighter when it falls behind my desk so espionage is a bit of a reach.
Belinda Carlisle: To date, my #1 guilty pleasure. I have one song, "Heaven is a Place on Earth." I loved it and didn't care that I loved it.
Bell Biv Devoe: yes.
Ben Folds: I recall driving around in high school with my boy Andy listening to Jackson Cannery.
Ben Harper: The man drives me to social justice, so I find myself looking to integrate more of that into my life.
*Blind Boys of Alabama: I only have the disc with Ben Harper, which is why they are out of alphabetical order. Wikipedia these guys... totally inspirational.
Ben Kweller: underrepresented. He was a good time at ACL last year.
BG: Memories of dorm parties brightened the work day. We would get rid of all the modular furniture in our room, fill a trash can with beer, invite all of campus, and go crazy. This was before we were all legal and could simplify the plan by going to the bar. "Bling Bling" was hot back then... it was on pretty much every dorm-party play list.
Bif Naked: guilty, guilty, guilty pleasure.
Big Audio Dynamite
Big Punisher: I hadn't listened to him in a long time, probably because I think of his one hit song. He's a better rapper than he gets credit for. I hate myself a little bit for ending the preceding sentence in a preposition.
Billy Idol: This dude moves the day along.
Billy Joel: steady and reliable.
I am still totally intrigued by my pursuit and generally pleased with the collection. I'll update more regularly. Some of my friends are throwing out predictions of completion. April comes up a fair amount. I initially thought that sounded fairly reasonable, but I am already through over 800 songs so think about that.
Baba-E': I scored this from my law school roommate, but it makes me think of my days toiling as program coordinator at Notre Dame. This cat's cd came across my desk and I liked it enough to try to book the guy, but schedules didn't work out. It's actually a demanding task to book hip-hop acts at a Catholic university. This is an indictment of hip hop, not Catholicism. Anyway, even though he never performed, his very name and the distinct orange cover conjurs 20 hour days of trying to square away the club, finalize contracts, and review bunches of press kits. I miss the job more than I ever thought I would.
Badly Drawn Boy: I think of my friend Dawn who gave me my first BDB disc back in the day and promised me a quality BDB story the next time we hang out.
Baltimora: flashback to the linebacker lounge--an absolute pit of a bar in south bend that literally played the same list of songs every night, including tarzan boy. you could never move, much less dance [no doubt a benefit to many], and the whole night usually involves screaming "livin on a prayer" while attempting to best your previous high in long island consumption. Somehow, it was fun everytime.
Band of Horses: love them, and they're great at work. Downside is that the albums are short and they flew by. "Funeral" does some crazy things to my mindset... in a good way. It's a fabulous track.
Barry Manilow: see Baltimora.
Bayside: To be deleted.
Beastie Boys: A true bonding experience. I remember borrowing my sister's cassette of Licensed to Ill and listening to it over and over. They are the first band to impact me in a meaningful way, and I still love them. Also the longest catalog to date.
Beatles: As these cats came on at work, it dawned on me that "B" is a HUGE music letter especially when apple alphabetizes by first name. This really irritates me about apple, and I find myself spending far too much time wondering why they would do that. Total enjoyment throughout another substantive catalog.
Beck: I like Beck, and I know I like Beck, but I realize now that I like him more than I thought I did. What a talent. It's a shame his first hit was "Loser" b/c the dude is very skilled. Guero is better than I remember and Sea Change is deep! Beck ended while my buddy Karl and I played Tecmo Super Bowl on old school nintendo. It just seemed right.
Bedouin Soundclash: nice.
Beirut: There aren't many bands that make you feel as though you live in a different time period and a different geographic region. Beirut does just this. They kicked off my work day on Wednesday and honestly, I didn't feel like I was at work until the ipod moved on. Mentally, I was like a German spy roaming the streets of Russia [and yes, i know that Beirut is actually in Lebanon-- it's just the vibe i get] with a cane that could be unsheathed to reveal a bayonet sort of thing in case i met danger. This weird mental image stems almost entirely from the fact that there is a cane in my office that can be unsheathed to reveal a bayonet sort of thing. It isn't mine, but it's there. I usually use it to reach my highlighter when it falls behind my desk so espionage is a bit of a reach.
Belinda Carlisle: To date, my #1 guilty pleasure. I have one song, "Heaven is a Place on Earth." I loved it and didn't care that I loved it.
Bell Biv Devoe: yes.
Ben Folds: I recall driving around in high school with my boy Andy listening to Jackson Cannery.
Ben Harper: The man drives me to social justice, so I find myself looking to integrate more of that into my life.
*Blind Boys of Alabama: I only have the disc with Ben Harper, which is why they are out of alphabetical order. Wikipedia these guys... totally inspirational.
Ben Kweller: underrepresented. He was a good time at ACL last year.
BG: Memories of dorm parties brightened the work day. We would get rid of all the modular furniture in our room, fill a trash can with beer, invite all of campus, and go crazy. This was before we were all legal and could simplify the plan by going to the bar. "Bling Bling" was hot back then... it was on pretty much every dorm-party play list.
Bif Naked: guilty, guilty, guilty pleasure.
Big Audio Dynamite
Big Punisher: I hadn't listened to him in a long time, probably because I think of his one hit song. He's a better rapper than he gets credit for. I hate myself a little bit for ending the preceding sentence in a preposition.
Billy Idol: This dude moves the day along.
Billy Joel: steady and reliable.
I am still totally intrigued by my pursuit and generally pleased with the collection. I'll update more regularly. Some of my friends are throwing out predictions of completion. April comes up a fair amount. I initially thought that sounded fairly reasonable, but I am already through over 800 songs so think about that.
Monday, November 24, 2008
amelie to audioslave
This proved to be a solid stretch of tunes. Amos Lee came up next, and it brought back visions of seeing them live for the first time when they opened for Dylan in Detroit a couple years back.
Andrea Bocelli chimed in with a random interlude... but provided another positive recall since I danced with my mom to a Bocelli track at my wedding.
Then, Andrew Bird who I had somehow forgotten about.
Aqualung came next and whenever I hear that word, I think about the part of Anchorman when Ron Burgandy plays the jazz flute and then growls, "AAAAQQQUUUAALUNG." I recall buying this album without hearing a track off of it. It was one of those impulse purchases driven by "I heard this was good." Oftentimes, I cannot remember who told me that or where I read it, which results in a risky play. When in doubt, however, you can generally confirm good reviews by the album cover. This album cover was ok, so it passed the test. Very mellow, but very enjoyable.
Arcade Fire chimed in next, and I absolutely love them. It was perfect for a Friday afternoon at work. Seeing them live is a must.
Our friends, Andy and Jess, came over Friday night and although I was hesitant to subject them to my whims, they heard about my plan and immediately wanted in on the action. It's often difficult to predict which artist will come next so I was a bit worried that some terrible guilty pleasure would emerge, but the ipod treated me [and our guests] pretty well. Arcade Fire finished, then the Archies rocked out some "sugar, sugar" followed by Architecture in Helsinki and the Arctic Monkeys.
I met Ari Hest once... solid guy. Arrested Development reminded me of grade school then there was some Art Brut and the Ataris.
I raked leaves to Audioslave on Sunday. That all aligned perfectly. I was actually punishing each leaf individually.
All in all, this was the best stretch so far.
Andrea Bocelli chimed in with a random interlude... but provided another positive recall since I danced with my mom to a Bocelli track at my wedding.
Then, Andrew Bird who I had somehow forgotten about.
Aqualung came next and whenever I hear that word, I think about the part of Anchorman when Ron Burgandy plays the jazz flute and then growls, "AAAAQQQUUUAALUNG." I recall buying this album without hearing a track off of it. It was one of those impulse purchases driven by "I heard this was good." Oftentimes, I cannot remember who told me that or where I read it, which results in a risky play. When in doubt, however, you can generally confirm good reviews by the album cover. This album cover was ok, so it passed the test. Very mellow, but very enjoyable.
Arcade Fire chimed in next, and I absolutely love them. It was perfect for a Friday afternoon at work. Seeing them live is a must.
Our friends, Andy and Jess, came over Friday night and although I was hesitant to subject them to my whims, they heard about my plan and immediately wanted in on the action. It's often difficult to predict which artist will come next so I was a bit worried that some terrible guilty pleasure would emerge, but the ipod treated me [and our guests] pretty well. Arcade Fire finished, then the Archies rocked out some "sugar, sugar" followed by Architecture in Helsinki and the Arctic Monkeys.
I met Ari Hest once... solid guy. Arrested Development reminded me of grade school then there was some Art Brut and the Ataris.
I raked leaves to Audioslave on Sunday. That all aligned perfectly. I was actually punishing each leaf individually.
All in all, this was the best stretch so far.
Friday, November 21, 2008
ahmad to amelie soundtrack
So the bookends that mark the titles of these blog entries are pretty embarrassing, but that's how it goes. The morning greeted me with the rest of the Ahmad album. This put me in a bad mood but it prompted me to fire up the ipod immediately to get it over with. The album concludes with not one, but two remixes of the hit track, "Back in the Day." One of these is just the remix, but the other is the Jeep Mix. It does not bump as hard in a Fusion. Maybe something magical happens when you listen to it in a Jeep. I've spent too much time on this album, but I must conclude by saying that it never should have been made a cd... it should have ended as a cassette.
I only have one Air Supply song. More surprisingly, that fact upset me a little bit because I wasn't ready to move on after just one track.
On to one of my newer albums, The Airborne Toxic Event, and then Al Green. I love Al Green more than I thought I did. Could easily listen to him at any time of any day.
Alice Cooper, Alice in Chains, Alicia Keys, the Allman Brothers Band, and then Amelie. I've never even seen Amelie so it's a mystery as to why I actually have the soundtrack.
I only have one Air Supply song. More surprisingly, that fact upset me a little bit because I wasn't ready to move on after just one track.
On to one of my newer albums, The Airborne Toxic Event, and then Al Green. I love Al Green more than I thought I did. Could easily listen to him at any time of any day.
Alice Cooper, Alice in Chains, Alicia Keys, the Allman Brothers Band, and then Amelie. I've never even seen Amelie so it's a mystery as to why I actually have the soundtrack.
aaliyah to ahmad
It is seriously disappointing that the journey starts with an artist that isn't exactly reflective of my primary musical interests but, hey, when Timbaland laces the track...
Things took a turn for the worse after 3 aaliyah joints as the swedish answer to the beatles, abba, took over the airwaves. I don't like abba. This is my first lesson. I picture carebears high on speed linking hands while sliding down a rainbow. I prefer carebears chilling in a field I guess... otherwise, it's sensory overload. Maybe that's just me. It didn't help that the song was a tricked-out techno version of "take a chance on me."
The day got better with AC/DC and Aerosmith and in between was a blast from back in the day: Acoustic Junction. Hearing them made me think about high school but nothing specific... just high school generally with a little bit of Colorado. Weird.
In the middle of refilling my coffee mug, Afro Man came on, which was a little awkward at work. Then, Aha, which made me think of the always awesome Mega 80s coverband here in the Detroit area.
Terrible hip-hop is no way to end a day, but it happened: Ahmad. I think I scooped this up when I was trying to quench my hip-hop desires back in grade school but had to settle for albums that weren't laced with profanity so I could play them loudly in my room. This will be deleted. It's really not good.
Things took a turn for the worse after 3 aaliyah joints as the swedish answer to the beatles, abba, took over the airwaves. I don't like abba. This is my first lesson. I picture carebears high on speed linking hands while sliding down a rainbow. I prefer carebears chilling in a field I guess... otherwise, it's sensory overload. Maybe that's just me. It didn't help that the song was a tricked-out techno version of "take a chance on me."
The day got better with AC/DC and Aerosmith and in between was a blast from back in the day: Acoustic Junction. Hearing them made me think about high school but nothing specific... just high school generally with a little bit of Colorado. Weird.
In the middle of refilling my coffee mug, Afro Man came on, which was a little awkward at work. Then, Aha, which made me think of the always awesome Mega 80s coverband here in the Detroit area.
Terrible hip-hop is no way to end a day, but it happened: Ahmad. I think I scooped this up when I was trying to quench my hip-hop desires back in grade school but had to settle for albums that weren't laced with profanity so I could play them loudly in my room. This will be deleted. It's really not good.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
alphapodding rules
1) Listen to your ipod alphabetically by artist. Don't do this alphabetically by song; that would allow you to avoid the pain of realizing that you have, for hypothetical example, 7 britney spears's songs.
2) Every time you play your ipod, no matter what the context, you must pick up where you left off. It's sad and embarrassing when the songs don't match the occasion but that's how it goes.
3) Do not skip any track along the way, no matter how painful it may become or how awkward it may be to listen to Frank Sinatra while lifting weights. The only exception to this rule is when you find that your ipod has exact duplicate tracks. This does not mean remixes or different versions of the same song. When the song is precisely the same as one you've already listened to, you may skip to the next track.
4) No updating of the ipod is permitted until alphapodding is complete. This is harsh, I know. I guess you can add artists that start with a letter that you have not yet gotten to, but that's a matter of personal conscience.
5) Start a blog?
2) Every time you play your ipod, no matter what the context, you must pick up where you left off. It's sad and embarrassing when the songs don't match the occasion but that's how it goes.
3) Do not skip any track along the way, no matter how painful it may become or how awkward it may be to listen to Frank Sinatra while lifting weights. The only exception to this rule is when you find that your ipod has exact duplicate tracks. This does not mean remixes or different versions of the same song. When the song is precisely the same as one you've already listened to, you may skip to the next track.
4) No updating of the ipod is permitted until alphapodding is complete. This is harsh, I know. I guess you can add artists that start with a letter that you have not yet gotten to, but that's a matter of personal conscience.
5) Start a blog?
Background
These days, I spend at least two hours each day commuting to and from work. The drive affords me ample opportunity to think about stuff. Generally, I try to think of what I would write if I ever wrote a novel. But, as soon as I have one remotely interesting idea, my thoughts turn to lamenting the fact that I don’t have a Dictaphone to record my ideas. Then I think about whether buying a Dictaphone is even worth it. Then I think about how I should research Dictaphones on my lunch break. Then, I contemplate what percentage of my paycheck would actually be spent on a Dictaphone. Then, it all ties back up nicely because I inevitably think about writing a novel about a character obsessed with Dictaphones. It’s circular and neurotic but before I know it, I'm at work.
I love my job, incidentally. Without getting into it too much, the majority of my days is spent researching, reading, and writing. I generally listen to my ipod all day at work, and with all facets of life, I prefer listening to music than not listening to music. So whether it’s work, working out, kicking it at home, reading, whatever… my ipod is usually on.
On November 19, 2008, I was listening to my favorite morning show, Mike in the Morning on WRIF, and they were interviewing Scott Weiland of the Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver. Immediately I decided that I would begin the workday by playing my entire STP catalog. You see, over the years, I’ve amassed a healthy selection of tunes and it dawned on me that I had grown complacent—scrolling to the mainstays or recent purchases and forgetting about the rest. I decided then and there, that after exhausting the STP catalog, I would listen to my entire ipod—all 7,945 songs—alphabetically by artist without skipping a single track.
The concept certainly is not a novel one and since declaring this commitment, several friends have told me that they have tried but ultimately given up. One way or another, I was egged on. Some were supportive and asked what I would call my quest: I said, “podding,” he countered with “alphapodding.” Thank you for the blog name, Jonathan. Between comments that it was impossible, that it was torture, and that it would take several months or more, my friend Katie, who is often prone to ingenuity, told me that I should start a blog devoted to my cause to share my experience. Thank you for the idea, Katie; here it is.
I'll try to update this daily with where I started, where I ended, and what happened in between. Because this post is long, I'll throw down another with my personal rules and I'll have to catch up on the progression thus far tomorrow, so check back. In the meantime, I will spend my commute thinking about what my alphapodding has taught me.
I love my job, incidentally. Without getting into it too much, the majority of my days is spent researching, reading, and writing. I generally listen to my ipod all day at work, and with all facets of life, I prefer listening to music than not listening to music. So whether it’s work, working out, kicking it at home, reading, whatever… my ipod is usually on.
On November 19, 2008, I was listening to my favorite morning show, Mike in the Morning on WRIF, and they were interviewing Scott Weiland of the Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver. Immediately I decided that I would begin the workday by playing my entire STP catalog. You see, over the years, I’ve amassed a healthy selection of tunes and it dawned on me that I had grown complacent—scrolling to the mainstays or recent purchases and forgetting about the rest. I decided then and there, that after exhausting the STP catalog, I would listen to my entire ipod—all 7,945 songs—alphabetically by artist without skipping a single track.
The concept certainly is not a novel one and since declaring this commitment, several friends have told me that they have tried but ultimately given up. One way or another, I was egged on. Some were supportive and asked what I would call my quest: I said, “podding,” he countered with “alphapodding.” Thank you for the blog name, Jonathan. Between comments that it was impossible, that it was torture, and that it would take several months or more, my friend Katie, who is often prone to ingenuity, told me that I should start a blog devoted to my cause to share my experience. Thank you for the idea, Katie; here it is.
I'll try to update this daily with where I started, where I ended, and what happened in between. Because this post is long, I'll throw down another with my personal rules and I'll have to catch up on the progression thus far tomorrow, so check back. In the meantime, I will spend my commute thinking about what my alphapodding has taught me.
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