Ever overheard conversations that make you sad to share the distinction of humanity with the individuals conversing? How about the ones that make you wish you didn’t have ears? I thought so. Well, on the way to dinner this evening, I was treated to a doozy. As two St. Thomas girls walked south, their paths briefly intersected my own …
Girl 1: I mean, where was it we were going? esctatic giggling
Girl 2: Yeah!
G1: You know what? I’ve been sooo hungry lately.
G2: Really?
G1: Yeah I mean I’m in, like … pain. I think I’ll call Daddy and get a bigger meal plan.
From memory, this is as close to verbatim as I can recall the conversation, but I know the last part was said for sure. I wept for the future and for the University and its recently relaxed admissions policies (dropping the requirements for admission to all time low levels). I think these girls exist in an utter perversion of reality, where their concept of pain is missing their super energy power booster with guanine shake for lunch. esctatic giggling
Best phone I’ve seen in years - Ok, get this. This MOTOFONE F3 cell phone I linked to a bit ago … it looks amazing in these pictures. It does nothing extraneous … no pictures, no silly color screen; all in a 9mm thin package. It gets a reported 400 hours of standby time … take a quarter of that to make it realistic and you still get over 4 days of standby time.
One more thing. Before cell phone contract, it will cost under $50.
In the central Minnesotan radio market, Clear Channel Communications owns more than one station. Initially, I didn’t think much of this, until I realized truly how many stations it controls: 101.3 KDWB (Top 40), 102.1 K102 (Country), KFAN (AM Sports), KFXN (Sports), 107.9 KQQL (Oldies), 97.1 Cities 97 (Adult Alt.), and 100.3 (News/Talk). If you expand your search across the state, you’ll find 19 stations owned by Clear Channel. Combine this monolithic parent company structure with payola through a third party loophole and non-musical compression techniques, and you have what appears to be a musical wasteland. Grating as it all is, one thing bothers me far more: the capacity to introduce listeners to new music and to provide mechanisms for their feedback is being squandered. The same dang list of songs is being repeated over and over when a simple hour or two per day could be used to facilitate a “we play it and you vote on it online” format. The profits of blaring the same set of songs repeatedly is too attractive to allow for any other methods of playing music.
There used to be a certain organic build up for artists; a DJ would take a chance on a song late at night, people would call in, the song would build momentum, the band would build momentum. All I’m suggesting is a slight return to that format by taking time out of the day for some more obscure music, coupled with the ability for listeners to actually give feedback about it.
Every generation has had its share of good and bad music and the manufactured pop idols, but one thing is different today than it was 5, 10, or 20 years ago.
Clear Channel owns all the radios and MTV doesn’t play music videos anymore.
This means artists are chosen by the media cartels payola system rather than a voting system by the populace.
-vertinox
Now, within a controlled microcosm American Idol returned the ability to “vote” on music to a populace that didn’t realize they lost that ability to huge conglomerates. Then, in a brilliant move, American Idol sold the results of people’s “choices” back to the payolla-ridden sewer of corporate promotion of music on radio and tv. Why do people love American Idol? It gives the illusion of having a voice in determining what is “popular” by aping the feedback system between listeners and musicians that was present before. Before what? Before the deregulation of radio facilitated the purchasing of vast numbers of radio stations by a select few companies.
It’s a sad state. I thought some more people should be aware of it … hence the writing about it. To conclude, this mess makes stations like KCMP, The Current, one of the best “real music” radio stations in the country, extremely important.
While my slides for tomorrow’s lectures are printing, I thought I would update you all (and my future self … while I write, I typically tend to think of “future Alex” reading “present Alex’s” musings) with my current musical enjoyments.
Dashboard Confessional
They’re coming to St. Thomas, and we are treated to an exclusive (St. Thomas students only), free (FREE!) concert. Intimate venue, big band, all going down about two hundred yards from where I’m typing this. The excitement builds.
John Mayer’s ‘Continuum’
Aptly titled, with simple clean slightly retro cover art indicative of the musical stylings within. Try “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.” You’ll note that the best artists in history, The Beatles for one (and no, I can’t think of any other examples), move through musical phases - I think the talented if sometimes “over-popped” John Mayer is continuing on his musical journey, and delighting ears all around. Definite jazz and blues influences make this album more timeless than many.
Keane
Their recent release, “Under the Iron Sea” still needs a better listen by me. Regardless, their song “The Frog Prince” is upliftingly wonderful and a joy to sing along with. Try it, I dare you.
The Weepies
One of my top five new albums of this year. Brilliant. Breathtakingly brilliant. The mesh of lyrical flow and musical line is superb, the voices unique, the production appropriate to the “post folk” (made up word, mine) genre. They sing songs I love. Looking to catch them at the Fine Line in mid October. Very exciting. Try their “The World Spins Madly On” and “Painting by Chagall.” Heart stoppingly great.
Well, that was awesome - Ben Folds cover The Postal Service song “Such Great Heights.” This is nothing short of tremendous. Nils, I expect commentary from you about said video.
What is it about people that makes us always want the season we are coming up on? The long days of summer with their warm dewy mornings and long nights of sunlight were amazing; somehow, though, during the past three days of clouds and rain I’m not hoping for an indian summer, but I’ve come to look forward to the color changes of autumn, the crisp night air, and the sweet smell of a wood burning fire in a cozy house somewhere near.
I don’t think I could live where there weren’t seasons as distinct as in Minnesota. Hawaii: sunny and 80 degrees year-round is great for a visitor … but a complete absence of the rhythm and variety of seasons would drive me batty. Perhaps I’m not old enough to abhor clearing snow after every snow storm. There’s something comforting in the fact that, whatever is happening in your life, the world continues to move about the sun, and the seasons rotate through their usual cycle. It’s a cycle I couldn’t live without.
I was telling Mykala that I have an association of music with seasons. Fall, as people return to school and the weather cools, somehow has become linked to syrupy pop music. I don’t know why - it’s a combination that, to me, works. Winter weekend mornings, with a hot beverage and a cold draft from the windows are perfectly complimented by classical music - again, I do not know why this is the case. My memories are tied up in seasons. In high school there was football in the autumn and bitterly cold mornings waiting for Matt’s car to warm up in the winter. The first 70 degree day in the spring always brought on a feverish desire to be “free” from school.
Perhaps these changing seasons are why I enjoy photography - I like the feeling of being able to pluck a snapshot from the endless parade of life before me and bring it home to stay. Perhaps I just need something more meaningful to write about. Just thoughts for the evening. Good night.
Blunt views from ex-college president William M. Chace - This is, hands down, the best, most blunt, most perceptive look at the increasing cost of college, the university-student relationship, and the changing landscape of collegiate life that I have ever read. And it’s only about 18 paragraphs long.
Carting around a 20 inch Notebook - My screen here at tumbledry headquarters is 18 inches … here, Laptop Magazine tests the social impact of carting around (and using) this Dell twenty inch (20 inch!) notebook. The subway picture is especially funny.