I admit it. This blog is NOT consistent. What it is keeps changing.
Right now, it's pretty much a place where I keep photos, videos, and links to websites that interest me.
Before that, I wrote a few blogs myself and still do once in a blue moon. But most of the stuff before the links are just reprints of articles I found interesting.
Email me at OlderMusicGeek(at)yahoo(dot)com.
ABOUT ME
Just your typical middle-aged divorced father (of a teenage daughter)/music fanatic/local bands supporter/nerd-geek-dork/smartass/movie lover/tv watcher/book reader/former comicbook collector/science fiction fan/slob/science buff/casual philosopher/spirituality peruser/ponytail wearer/world traveler/big Lipstick Homicide fan/huge Violent Femmes fan/Sigourney Weaver crusher/rabid Journey hater/liberal/mostly straight former cross dresser from Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.A.
I don't why, but this post is taking me forever to write. Just can't seem to find the time. So I'm dividing into 3 posts. - OlderMusicGeek
We hop off the Peculiar exit, looking forward to seeing what this town, that we had passed many times but never visited, had to offer to us.
We had seen the sign each time we went down to visit my mom in Arkansas. “Peculiar so-and-so many miles”. Okay, it didn't actually say “so-and-so many miles”, but I don't remember the exact figure!
But my daughter and I became fascinated by the idea of a town called “Peculiar”. And I determined that one day we would visit it.
Well, the years rolled by and we never did visit it. If we were coming from my mom's home in Arkansas, we just wanted to get home. And sometimes, I was meeting my mom and her husband at the halfway point between my home and theirs in Clinton, Missouri, to either to drop off or pick up my daughter who was visiting for a couple of weeks. And Peculiar was only an hour or so from Clinton, and we didn't feel like stopping our 8- to 9-hour drive again after so short a time.
So year after year, the town of Peculiar was noticed... but ignored.
Then finally one year, I took down my nephew as I was going down to pick up my daughter.
I have to say, though, he has no understanding of the responsibility of the passenger on a long trip – which, of course, is to talk to the driver and keep them awake. I tried talking to him, but all I got back were monosyllables.
Thank the god, I had a boom box hooked up to my iPod playing all my alternative rock, punk, Cajun, bluegrass, big band, as well as other music. I would have fallen asleep without that music and massive doses of Diet Coke. And unfortunately, all that Diet Coke, of course, meant a number of potty stops. I am in my mid-40s!
Well, we still passed the town of Peculiar on the way down and met my mom, her husband and my daughter in Clinton.
Usually, we just eat at the McDonald's there in Clinton. But my nephew has celiac disease and can't eat certain kinds of food, especially wheat-based products. Turns out there really wasn't anywhere in town where he could eat.
So we said our good-byes, and my nephew headed off with my mom and her husband, and my daughter obviously headed off with me.
And as we headed to the car, it hit me.
“Hey, are you that hungry? Or can you wait an hour?”
My daughter gives me a bit of a look. “I'm not really that hungry. Why?”
I smile. “Well.... I was thinking we could eat in Peculiar.”
If you could only listen to one song for the next month, which would it be?
I actually don't think I could do that. It would drive me nuts. I listen to my 120 gig iPod on shuffle constantly. I'd rather just not listen to music that month!
But if I had to choose a song, right now at this moment I'm really into "Bad Dream" by Violent Femmes. I'd probably hate it - or any song - if I had to listen to it over and over again for a month!
I found this piece on NPR's All Songs Considered blog. It was my NetVibes page that led me to it.
Actually this piece on the death of cd's reminds me of vinyl's demise.
And yes, I know there are still fanatics making and buying vinyl records!
But back in high school, I had read about this format that was suppose to replace vinyl records from a magazine I saw in my electronics class. And the more I read about it, the more I started slobbering, and couldn't wait for these compact discs things.
I knew they were going to be big! And I still don't know why I didn't buy any stock in compact discs companies!
Apparently, there were some kinks to be worked out, because cd's didn't come out until I was graduating from college. So maybe it was just as well I didn't invest in any companies. I'd have probably invested in the wrong company!
Well, I missed the big change of vinyl to cd's, because I joined Peace Corps and went over to Africa. But I kept hearing how fast vinyl was dying. - OlderMusicGeek
I recently came to work with two large tote bags filled with compact discs and dumped them out on a table in the middle of the office. To me, they were garbage. But for the vultures that are my fellow NPR Music producers, it was like finding a mountain of free money. They shuffled through the pile, grabbing everything that caught their eye. At one point, Stephen Thompson held up my discarded copy of Radiohead's OK Computer and incredulously asked, "Why would you get rid of this?"
For about a year now, I've been slowly purging my once-proud CD collection. Twenty-five years' worth of music, from the first disc I ever bought (Pink Floyd's The Wall) in 1984, to more recent releases.
Of course, I'm not really getting rid of them. I'm ripping everything to a massive hard drive hooked up to what has become my stereo: my computer.
This is partly because I don't like having a house overrun with thousands of CDs. Invisible sound files on a hard drive are simply more convenient. You can also do a lot more with digital files and iTunes, like delivering an endless stream of music through the house in any conceivable configuration, by artist, genre, or favorite playlists. Changing out a CD in a player feels as clunky and outdated as flipping a record on a turntable.
But I'm also purging my CDs because I believe they're a dying format. There's never been a more obvious trend. CD sales continue to plummet at a breathless -- and, if you're one of the big labels, alarming -- rate. Meanwhile, digital download sales continue to climb.
None of this is as sexy as having a tangible package of music, with artwork and liner notes. And downloading files isn't nearly as cozy as flipping through the local bands section of a record store. But the truth is, I never listen to actual CDs more than once or twice. After that, they're ripped to my computer -- I put the discs away and never look at them again.
Lately, I've felt a sense of urgency to get rid of the rest of my old CDs before they become as obsolete as 8-track tapes and cassettes.
So, what does your CD collection look like? Is it getting smaller? Do you even buy actual CDs now, or do you just download everything?
Dude! I did the download thing for a while, but decided that nothing beats having those lovely liner notes, in that clear plastic case, and that CD that you can pop into your hi-fi - with no loss in sound quality, and no annoying DRM to hack around. So I'm back to the ol' physical copies, either from a record store or an online outlet.
Yes - it's even worth the shrink wrap, IMHO.
Sent by Tim 2:25 PM ET 04-14-2008
My house sound system is wired to my computer and iPods go everywhere. I mainly purchase downloadable copies. I only by CDs if it is an album that can't be downloaded, but it is quickly ripped and discarded.
I do have about 600 vinyl records left.
Sent by Wayne 2:37 PM ET 04-14-2008
I hear what you are saying, Robin, but I take the opposite view. Despite having a large collection that takes up space, I like having cds. Similarly, I like having books on my shelf. Both books and cds are nice to look at for me, and each item has memories. To be sure, I rip the albums on my ipod, but just because I like having my collection when I'm out an about. Then again, I also make time to listen to an album every night before I go to bed. It is a great way for me to relax and decompress from a long day. I just sit on my sofa with a cup of coffee and magazine or a book while the music plays for about an hour.
That's great, Pablo. Bob was just asking me whether I ever just sat and listened to an album all the way through and did nothing else. I still do it, but not very often.
Sent by Pablo 2:51 PM ET 04-14-2008
I think Pablo makes a great point in comparing CD's to books, but like others have been saying, it's really all about vinyl records. Sure I have loads of music on my computer and iPod (as Pablo said, for convenience), but my "collection" is split between CD's and vinyl (mostly because promoters only send CD's nowadays), and I'll proudly display them on my shelf as long as I still enjoy listening to music.
To me, it's owning the actual "thing" that someone put countless hours of hard work into, and not just having a few sound files on my computer. That's what makes vinyl so nice, it's like having a book. The sound exists on the record, like words in a book; the grooves in the album are the real sound waves, just like the fading ink in my dad's copy of Time And Again (on loan to me for 20 years now) is real ink.
Call it "emotional" or "romantic" but isn't that what real music collectors seek? Isn't that the whole point of still going to record stores, sifting through boxes of unorganized singles?
I do 90% of my listening from my iPod and computer, but when it comes to "owning" music, I have to have it on my shelf, where I can look at it and say "yes, I own that music."
Sent by John Michael Cassetta 3:39 PM ET 04-14-2008
I am only 19 years old but I live in the flat that has shelves with old Beatles and other LPs that were mostly sent from family friends in Sweden (I am from Slovakia and during communism it was almost impossible to simply buy music). We also have shelves of old cassettes with music like Nirvana, Depeche Mode or Cure that belong to my older siblings. And I represent the generation in my family with a shelf of very few CDs.
Though there is something magical about CDs, I guess that my kids won't have any shelf with music. Probably they'll stack three ipods on the shelf and that's the end of it. :) And I like this change :)
The best thing about music downloads is that the artist no longer has to invest so much money into releasing the CD. Thus new great music is produced as an open source every day. Therefore my CD collection is increasingly getting smaller but my music collection has never been so rich and I am just in the beginning of quest for great music.
Sent by Lenka Bliss 4:57 PM ET 04-14-2008
The thing that scares me about the death of the CD and is that with it dies the Album, and in the end, the ability to truly appreciate an artist in all of its subtle detail. There's a whole generation of people who are going to be used to the idea of single song downloads, who find value in three minute pop escapism instead of the art and the artist.
My fear is that this will lead to smaller fanbases, which means less concert attendance, which in turn is going to make it way harder to make a career out of being a musician.
Or maybe I'm just a fatalist and really like the idea of a physical product.
Sent by David W. 5:53 PM ET 04-14-2008
I always buy the CD, and then put it on my computer. Have you ever been screwed by itunes from reformating your computer and losing your albums? Plus, I like the tactile response that CDs bring, a complete package, a solid album. I-tunes just is so seamless (ack). Even though cds might be a dying media, I love my trinquets!
p.s. Robin/Bob, you should analyze some of the coming festivals based on artist composition. With all these festivals springing up, it looks like long time acts like ACL are having problems figuring out who to book to meet their target audience. http://www.austincitylimits.com/forum/tt.aspx?forumid=3
p.p.s. Throwing away OK Computer . . . you should shame yourself.
Sent by hobbesgallo 10:02 AM ET 04-15-2008
well, what can i say?
even in the vinyl days, i made over 20 mixed tapes just for myself.
and in the early days of cd's, i made a few of mixed cd's myself.
but with shuffle and a 30 gig mp3 player - i slobber over getitng a 80 gig one - plus a one tetrabyte external drive, i love my mp3's!
i miss the tactile of the big vinyl record, but i love the experience of not knowing which song or genre will be coming next. could it be could it be a luther wright and the wrongs' bluegrass version of a tune from the wall, some old cajun from clifton chenier, some weird bit from ken nordine, some classic punk from the pistols or the clash, some some south african pop music i picked up when i lived next door to south africa in the 90's, some new electronica, a pop song i picked up from my tween daughter? who knows? and that's the thrill!
Sent by OlderMusicGeek 1:28 PM ET 04-15-2008
Yes, I'm pretty much in the download camp. And it worries me. With so much music at my fingertips, I no longer listen to one album/cd over-and-over-and-over. I no longer sit through songs I don't initially appreciate but later come to love after continued listens. I no longer have every layer and turn in my head.
So many of what we agree to be the greatest albums required a commited courtship. Would Pink Floyd have created the art they did in today's digital, single based environment? Would "Pet Sounds" or "Sgt Pepper" or even "Joshua Tree" had the impact and significance they did? Would we even know about "Kind of Blue?"
I'm definately living my music life via the MP3 file, but I know I've given up a lot in doing so.
Sent by Jeffrey Mason 2:46 PM ET 04-16-2008
So, I have a collection of tapes, cds, and records, and they probably constitute less than twenty-five percent of my listening time. I knew cds were out when I took a long plane ride and brought a rug weaver size spool of cds that i was trying to sort through on the plane and the kid next to me was whipping through his I-Pod while I dropped burned cds on the floor. That said, this post reminds me of the non-problematic post http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/03/30/93-music-piracy/ and I guess the real question for me is kind of like Bob's post about the future of music formats, what's the future record/music store look like? I mean online stuff is okay, but I agree that there's something special about a record store and the conversations/sharing that take place person-to-person, that I don't see recreated in online music blogs, magazines, etc.
Sent by zach 8:15 PM ET 04-16-2008
OlderMusicGeek here. *waves at my, ahem, many readers, all 4 of them!*
Funny enough, I remember having a conversation with a co-worker when cd's had reached their 20th anniversary.
The co-worker was wondering what would replace cd's. I told him nothing.
"Nothing?! What do you mean nothing?!"
I explained how there wouldn't cd's or vinyl records are anything. We would just download our music onto the player.
He thought I was crazy!
Interesting enough, the next post of the All Songs Considered blog asks reader what they want in the next music format.
And there are some good ideas - such as adding a visual element and making them more social.
But the best idea is having the lyrics available and a list of who did what on the song! That is something I can't wait for!
This is from me, and not some reprinted material. - OlderMusicGeek
Well, for the second year, I've continued my Earth Day tradition of turning all my electrical stuff off and even unplugging them, so the clocks and little computers in them aren't sucking electricity too.
I did it last year, and my daughter wasn't too thrilled with it. I thought she would never survive the computer withdraw!
Well, this year didn't go much better.
I didn't even realize it was Earth Day until I got at work. I was going to walk on Earth Day, but it was a little late now!
I still went home at lunch and unplugged everything but the fridge!
And at work, I survived without my mp3 player! It was hard, but somehow I managed through!
Then I walked to my daughter's school to get her instead of picking her up with the car. She had called me and said she would meet me half-way.
When I saw someone down the road, I waved. I didn't get a response. So I jumped up and down and waved my arms wildly. She finally waved back.
Then I was thinking, what if it isn't her?
But it was. I told her what I was thinking, and she said that she was thinking that if that wasn't me, she was really going to be scared!
Well, last year, I agreed to go out to eat if we could go somewhere where they didn't use any power to make the food. My daughter thought of getting untoasted sandwiches at Subway's!
I agreed to do it again this year. So I asked her if she wanted to go straight to Subway's! She did!
So we walked the 2 miles or so that Subway was from her school.
For half the way there, my daughter tried to convince that I should let her on the computer because of all the things she did for Earth Day at her school.
She talked about how she planted a tree and hurt her fingers, how she picked up a park and cut her finger on glass, how they had to learn without overhead projectors and I don't remember what else!
But I held firm.
Well, to fast forward, on the way home from Subway's, my daughter bumped into a school friend at a park and spent the evening playing with there anyway.
And me, not thinking, used the cellphone to talk to an old friend. I thought afterwards, that was using power that I shouldn't be using on Earth Day! Dang, next year, I'll only take emergency calls!
And my daughter did get to get on the computer anyway, because she had some schoolwork to do. But I made her unplug it again once she was finished!
And that was pretty much it! But I did what I could to help the planet for the day!
my shoulders ache. my legs feel like rubber. i'm dying of thirst. i'm getting so old. i just can't handle moving anymore! 08:28 PM July 13, 2008 from web
my zune is still not working! curse you microsoft and bill gates! someday, i will have my revenge! - sorry too many comic books in my teens! 07:55 PM July 10, 2008 from web
i f-ing hate microsoft! i never ever buy a f-ing zune again! v.2 doesn't work half as well as v.1. i constantly am having software issues! 05:20 PM July 10, 2008 from web
i've discovered another way i've become my parents. i'll tell my daughter that joey ramone/kurt vonnegut/george carlin/jesse helms died. 12:57 PM July 07, 2008 from web
when i tell my daughter these people have died, i get a blank look. i'm sure it's the same one i gave my parents! 12:57 PM July 07, 2008 from web
then i try to explain the importance of the dead person-which i get a look of oh-there-he-goes-again -which i probably also gave my parents! 12:57 PM July 07, 2008 from web
@istacie -one of my musical guilty pleasures is "wake me up before you go-go"-hate to say it but gets rotated into my mp3 player a good bit. 11:43 PM July 06, 2008 from web in reply to iStacie
daughter and i woke up late on the 4th-decided to skip the parade. guess we're both getting older. :( 04:07 AM July 05, 2008 from web
going to the parade is not as fun with a gal who goes just for tradition. i miss the little girl excited about thrown candy and firetrucks! 04:07 AM July 05, 2008 from web
sat up close to the fireworks. we both still had to see those. they were great! 04:06 AM July 05, 2008 from web
found my mp3 player! can't do my job checking other's data entry without my music! especially when the school stations are dead in summer. 09:40 PM July 03, 2008 from web
had a fun day yesterday-wanted to say, "thank you mistress god, may i have another?" but god would probably put on leather and gave me more! 09:38 PM July 03, 2008 from web
there are a few nice ones - but they're the exceptions unfortunately. seems you have to think highly of yourself to make it far. 01:35 AM July 01, 2008 from web
joshuabelanger- Watched a doc on Dali today. I was unaware of how much of a pretentious dick he was. And the dada movement wasnt as fun as it looked. 02:14 AM July 01, 2008 from Twinkle
a last bit from the arts festival. i was embarassing my daughter when we were there. i felt people should get excited about art like sports. 01:10 AM July 01, 2008 from web
was shouting things like "whoo arts festival!", "yes, black and white photography!", "all right, wired sculpture", "whoo hoo, mixed media!" 01:09 AM July 01, 2008 from web
i even suggested we paint the letters a-r-t on our chest and do the wave. "yeah, art, all ri-i-i-ight!!!!!!!!! 01:09 AM July 01, 2008 from web
shannonhilson - Flogging Molly, where have you been all my life? Nothing beats discovering a new band to love. 10:17 PM June 30, 2008 from web sushiday - Making banana bread with chocolate chips... mmm it smells good! 05:04 PM June 30, 2008 from twhirl
the arts festival was fun and interesting-saw an all white band play west african drums and a cajun band from st louis! 04:08 AM June 29, 2008 from web
and i finally saw a local bluegrass band, mr baber's neighbors, that i have been wanting to see. and they are good! 04:08 AM June 29, 2008 from web
awww, newborns are so freaking cute! still, i can't believe there are TWO generations after me now! i feel so old! 08:52 PM June 27, 2008 from web
i'm a great uncle! well, i think i was always a pretty good uncle. but my neice had a baby! yay!...but ugh-means old enough to be a grandpa! 06:31 PM June 27, 2008 from web
if you get a car, don't trust jack on arthur street just off s.e. 14th st in des moines - he promised to fix a leak if i paid an extra $100 06:37 AM June 27, 2008 from web
i've taken the car back 3 times - now he claims the leak is from a different spot! 06:37 AM June 27, 2008 from web
haven't had the car last 3 days and have been late each day! ugh! at least getting exercise walking to and from work! 25 minutes each way! 08:00 PM June 25, 2008 from web
yay! my car is supposably fixed. let's hope the third time is a charm. stupid guy was suppose to fix it before i bought it! 07:59 PM June 25, 2008 from web
ugh, my zune software doesn't see my zune hardware! i need new tunes! t 07:58 PM June 25, 2008 from web
the two high school radio stations i listen to are gone for the summer!-and how do i get bored with 5000 songs on my mp3 player in 2 weeks! 06:58 PM June 24, 2008 from web
when i have the two stations, i can last 4 weeks before changing the music! 06:58 PM June 24, 2008 from web
stupid cat! doesn't she know it's the weekend?! what was she doing waking me at 6:30 to get fed?! 11:06 AM June 22, 2008 from web
@amandaadams -i don't know about hot flashes, but the 25 pounds i've put on in the last year i can without. be nice if i wasn't balding too! 11:04 AM June 22, 2008 from web
daughter bought clue with b-day money. she lost pieces for her simpson version. now losing pieces to her new game, making a weird mix 09:33 PM June 21, 2008 from web
i love clue games missing pieces. then you have the white king with a thumbtack in the kitchen or frodo with an eraser in the study! 09:33 PM June 21, 2008 from web
news said fbi wanted to send a message when they arrested those mortgage fraud people. okay...so why did it take until the economy went bad? 09:06 PM June 21, 2008 from web
damn! now i have the powerpuff girls them stuck in my head! blossom, commander and the leader...fighting crimes, trying to save the world... 08:31 AM June 21, 2008 from web
my daughter had a friend over last night -although i have work - cus her dad was going out. i woke to find them on the floor, not the couch! 08:19 AM June 21, 2008 from web
turns out they were kicking and bumping each other on the couch, so the friend went to the floor. then my daughter rolled off in her sleep! 08:19 AM June 21, 2008 from web
oh, in case anyone is wondering, i slept well the last two nights! 08:16 AM June 21, 2008 from web
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