The old man rants

 Did somebody say equinox?

I don't know.  I don't think Old Dog and I are getting the same internet.

Don't know nuttin about this pitch correction or auto tuning.  I wonder if this is the same thing as remastering.  I remember when CDs first came up and there was a minor tempest about how they were fucking with the ones and zeros in order to get more songs on the disc.  This caused a diminution of sound quality that sharp ears claimed to hear.  But I didn't notice it.  Come to think of how could I?  I never go to concerts so how would I know anyway?

I'm certainly not going to YouTube to investigate some music critic I never heard of.  I use YouTube to learn how to tell if an egg is hard boiled or not. or to play a song, but I know people who have become enveloped in the YouTube fog and never came back.  I'm sure Old Dogs is strong enough to stand up to the siren song, but not sure if I am.  

Jesse Welles does not appear at all in my internet world.  I did stick my toe into sticky YouTube to check out him playing a regular song and two political songs.  The political songs were quite clever, but were they music?  Not to my ear, nor was the regular song anything special.

Not that I know much about music, but you know, I know what I like.  When I was younger I scoffed at that phrase as ignorant.  Anymore I am perfectly fine with it.

There is something about Jesse.  He sings like he is reciting his ABC's.  Does not even allow himself to give a little smirk at his better lines, and I admit he gets in several.

But also you know, he is young. How can anybody so young know anything?  We oldsters remember when we were young how full of shit we were, so why should we listen to some snot nosed kid?

We boomers were into our music.  It was like our musicians were leading us, and even at the time I thought sure this guy can play a mean lick, but what does he know that I don't that makes him a leader?

Anymore I can brave YouTube enough to see Mick play an early Rolling Stones tune, and Boy, that guy is cool, and smart, and with it.  But if I see some whippersnapper like that Jesse singing all I see is a snot nosed kid.

Since I have moved back to Chicago, about forty years ago I have not been to a concert.  I have taken a couple tours of The Auditorium, my hero, Louis Sullivan's, masterpiece, but have never been to a performance there.  

Well Wednesday I have put down a hunnert bucks to see Gillian Welch at The Auditorium. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkS6rgmwwLc&list=RDIkS6rgmwwLc&start_radio=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkS6rgmwwLc&list=RDIkS6rgmwwLc&start_radio=1

I listen to her a lot when I am painting, but it's with kind of a half ear.  Now I will be sitting there giving her my total attention.  I expect it will be a mind blowing (should I drop some acid?  maybe not) experience.

I will keep you informed.

Equinox

For some reason I thought that the Autumnal Equinox was on the 21st of September but not so, maybe it shifts a bit during the dance of the celestial spheres.  For the last couple of weeks I've been observing the color shift of the tree tops, from full green slowly fading to patches of yellow.  Something tells me it's going to be a long winter.

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Lots of things to ponder during this bizarre timeline we share; used to be a hell of a country, didn't it?  I'm keeping my mouth shut, no telling how the algorithms or AIs will interpret any unfortunate turn of phrase of mine.

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There is some curious revisionism (is that a word?) going on in the music business.  Ever hear of "pitch correction" and "auto-tuning"?  These processes are used to "improve" past live recordings but I call it cheating.  Check out Fil at the Wings of Pegasus YouTube channel; his musical analyses are quite thorough.  You may find it interesting, or not.

I've been seeing a lot of Jesse Welles online lately, apparently a folkie in the Woody Guthrie/Pete Seeger/Bob Dylan tradition.  Some good stuff but there's something a little off about the guy, not sure of what it is.  Any thoughts?  Quite a lot of buzz has been developing, if you follow that sort of thing.

 

 

Writing longhand

do you type or write longhand?  

 Interesting that you should ask.  I always write on the computer, it's faster for me and I like being able to do things like cut and paste.

You know going to these senior citizen things always gives me pause.  A lot of the people who show up are just people who are lonely or bored and they just want to go somewhere and natter.  They haven't ever written anything and never will, they just want to talk about writing in some vague way and they quickly turn the talk to talking about  themselves and blather on and on.

The first writing class was like that.  One person talked about some play they wanted to write about social problems from their personal experiences in such and such.  And then they went on to talk about themselves.  I asked her what she had written so far, Oh nothing.  Well for fuck's sake, and then the conversation went on to how  important writing is, and how vital writing is and how it is the  window of the soul and blah blah blah. 

I never went back.  Then I heard about another class from one of my improv buddies, so I tried that.

The first thing the teacher did was hand out these little composition books and pens and said the first thing we were going to do was just write for twenty minutes and then she went out to grab a cup of coffee.  Kind of rinky dink I thought and my handwriting is terrible.  But I started in, and to answer Old Dog's question, yes there is something to be said for writing longhand.  It is so immediate, you just keep going.  You don't pause to edit or find the perfect word, you just keep going, even if it occurs to you that what you are writing is not that good, just keep going.  Later on you can edit, just keep writing, and at the end of twenty minutes you have something down on paper.  Later on you can edit but for the nonce you have something down on paper.

Yes I can see where writing longhand has a place.

Even as I was writing that thing about putting in links to make it easier on the reader, I was wondering if I wasn't being too persnickety and bossy.  But I left it in because, well, I had already written it, let's see what the Fellows will think of it.

And I think Old Dog had the right response.  In so many words, I'll do as I please.  

I read the news today, oh boy.

Me too.  

9/11 again

My, how time flies!  I remember that Beacon story and I didn't realize how long ago since it was posted, about four years.  I also recall giving Uncle a hard time about needing an editor and literary agent to get that writing to the next level but it's never too late.  But here's a question: do you type or write longhand?  I like a bit of cursive once in a while as long as I can make it legible; usually but not always.

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Note how easy it makes it for others when you use the link tab when posting links.

True, and I used to do that but I've gotten a hair up my ass about things being too easy, much to the detriment of society.  It isn't about being lazy (well, maybe a little) but about being disengaged in the task at hand.  Easiest isn't always best but that's a rabbit hole for a different time.

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I read the news today, oh boy.

Not good for my blood pressure, I tell you what.