I really don’t get sick all that often, but, boy, when i get sick do i get sick. All weekend was spent either shivering or sweating to death, with the periods in-between spent reading the first issue of my Atlantic Monthly subscription. Mmm, highbrow magazines with senses of humor.
I love reading technical descriptions of how musician’s make their music happen, but the mass media isn’t usually too keen about asking about songwriting methods, guitar tunings, and rehearsal processes. Drowned Madonna did a terrific interview with Mike McKnight, Mad’s touring technology director. Even more revealing is an early rehearsal set list.” Some interesting tidbits: “Crazy For You” down a whole step (guess she’s too good of a singer now to wail like she used to), an originally included rock version of “Love Profusion” (the Headcleanr Rock Mix released on her 2004 EP is probably one of my top ten Madonna songs of all time), and “Dress You Up” in Eb (which is, um, the key that it’s actually in). Almost makes me wish i had shelled out $300 to see the damn concert.
Also in this vein, Tori Amos’s Piece By Piece – half biography and half breakdown of her songwriting process – comes out February 8th. “In passionate and informative prose, Amos explains how her songs come to her and how she records and then performs them for audiences everywhere.”
Meanwhile, now that i own an iPod i’m much more interested in the idea of PodCasting than i was previously. Reading some descriptions of the phenomenon shows that it’s essentially just providing audio content in an RSS format so that people can aggregate it with a souped up RSS reader/stripper/downloader for future listening. I suppose i was suspecting something more revolutionary, but in blogland every invention to aid the lazy is a world event. Trio is, of course, perfect material for a venture into PodCasting, as it’s RealAudio format has become a bit of an antiquity. We shall see.
One Good Move is a quicktime video blog, which is great way for persons like myself who have quit the teevee cold turkey to hold their own at the water cooler. The movies don’t last forever, so make haste and watch Michael Moore sharing an “Over the Rainbow” duet with Phantom of the Opera starlet Emmy Rossum. Hilariously cute. Also, Ashlee Simpson being booed at the Orange Bowl, another classic clip in her quickly growing scrapbook of terrific televised moments. The Daily Show clips make me wish you could subscribe to just one cable channel (though, i suppose i’d need a television for that, eh) – anyone out there a Daily Show bittorrent fiend who can point me in the right direction?
Also, reminder to self: Gawker can be funny when i know what the hell they’re talking about.