things and other things
What opened my ears to jazz? Funny you should ask. Hard to pin down exactly. But in an effort to oversimplify the unquantifiable, I think having the Minutemen and Sonic Youth in heavy rotation for years and then getting into the chord changes in drum and bass songs and then hearing Squarepusher’s Music is Rotted One Note when it came out helped.
Bonus Squarepusher cuz it’s so good –
i just saw this little documentary about one of my favorite musicians, kalaparusha maurice mcintyre, on the guardian’s website. i’ve been wondering what he’s up to. i guess it goes without saying to go buy his records if yr at all interested.
hello friends. i got tagged by missy kulik so i have to follow the rules. or else she’ll kick my ass. i best get on this.
here are the rules, if yr someone i tagged:
• Link to the person who tagged you.
• Mention the rules.
• Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
• Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.(sorry in advance!)
• Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged.
and now here’s some boring shit about me
1. pretty much the only records i buy anymore are jazz or jazzish experimental records. this also extends to cds. very few cd purchases these days. cds are so 90’s. as a matter of fact our cd collection is quite the snapshot of when we first got into music. lots of 90s indyish alt stuff, big runs of bands we were way into. and that’s about it. a few patches of newer stuff we’re into but can’t get on record. that’s boring, right?
2. i’ve been a vegetarian for seven years now. i’m pretty strict about it. but i can admit when things i can’t eat smell good. like this barbecue place a little ways from our place. that place smelled pretty awesome. what did i eat? mac and cheese, fries and a salad. all delicious. i even got to try the barbecue sauce. success!
3. if i stay up much past midnight, i get sick. i blame the 9 – 5 schedule, and my general wuss stomach fortitude.
4. the first music i actually paid for with my own cash was the second living colour album. time’s up. it was a casette. it was that or faith no more’s “epic.” one of those two. but either way, casette.
5. one of my biggest regrets in life is that i stopped skating early in high school. all my friends who skated switched to basketball for some reason. boring! i was not up for the lonely world of skating by myself as a 13-14 year old in woodstock, il.
6. i used to be intimidated by taking the cta by myself when i first moved to chicago. i was 20. for some reason i view the bus as being more of a pain than the train. why is that? it’s really not more of a drag, but it is in my head before i go somewhere. weird. and boring! total success!
i am gonna tag these poor suckas. prolly just these three. cuz i don’t know too many people that are rocking blogs.
maybe they’ll play, maybe they won’t. we’ll see.
5/25/05
Cloudy out now. It was sunny. A few fluffy spring Chicago clouds warm sun filling the porch sitting on the stoop wearing sandals feeling good in the early evening sun setting sun. Rain clouds now wind in trees people heading home hurrying before the water breaks. Cars headlights squealing brakes as they hit the speed bump in front of my apartment their sensitive metal underparts scraping along the top of the hump as they inevitably bottom out. A skater with a backpack slowly cruising by with his skateboard overstuffed huge backpack strapped to his back. Street lights on.
Mexico. That’s a big one. But it lacks emotional depth. It’s not like Costa Rica at all. Selected high lights only please review tape. Highlight reel. Playing shows with the rories. Shit job extravaganza paper source. Unemployment. Depression. Therapy. Not getting a job at borders. Library school? Current events. All the new people I know. How underwhelming and alone it was to come back to Chicago. How much I love Chicago. Interview people? Put jrnlsm to use? About what? Research? Exciting possibilities. Jazz zines? How sexy is yrs? Does it get anybetter than don cherry? No. it doesn’t.
All these possibilities. Of course none of them call me. Maybe I’ll just go with the unstated and most seductive one. Just write for a while. Seemingly unrelated bits and pieces and construct them later into something greater. Just write and through structure create the new – create meaning bring a sleight order to the chaos. Not chaos but random. Find the thematic link later. Be jazz.
Be jazz.
But not like Kerouac mythology. Be free now. Be free for now and reign it in – form formless later.
Jazz editing to follow jazz writing.
Jazz editing.
Free jazz is energy. Falling in love every time a new record comes on. Falling in love with every song. Energy. Energy. Action. Change politics freedom protest liberation. It’s all there w/in the energy w/in the skronk the smooth the beat the rhythm the bass the piano.
Collections of invocations.
Notebook collection
Am I allowed to do that
Something so raw and dumb
Just me talking w/out reason
w/out a point
I suppose it’s the attempt. This discipline thing. To just write and write everyday regardless of whether or not it’s good or usable. Just write. Keep in the habit. Flex that muscle. Keep that shit toned.
So here I am writing just to write to make myself write. Sun ra on the stereo before that, art ensemble. I love this shit so much. Jazz my new rock. Something new to obsess about. Nerd.