December, 2005

Ah... yes.. .late again. But that's the holidays for you.

Been a bit preoccupied reading a bunch of truly exciting books on startup business and copyright law, bla bla bla, with the result that I'm really not much farther than I thought I'd be afterwards. Not that any of it looks difficult, it's just the bottom line is I need to simply get out and do what needs to be done. Which isn't easy for a natural-born slacker like me.

Speaking of being born... Happy Birthday, Mom!

I did get a few things done, though. I reviewed a few things for publication - that counts for something, right? XTC's Apple Box was a lot of fun to research. And about 2 hours ago, I submitted an article about Peter Gabriel's Still Growing Up - Live and Unwrapped DVD. Those were a lot of fun to write about, although I'm sure my editors would prefer a faster turnaround time for my random scrawlings. However, I am a child of whim, and I can't just sit down any ol' time and listen to just anything. I need to be in the mood... fully prepared to focus my attention upon nothing else but whatever I'm watching or hearing.

Which, of course, isn't easy when you're trying to plan and practice performing dance music live, on the fly. No, I'm not talkin' about DJing, I'm talking about the big plan I hinted at earlier in the year. Still can't tell you more details, but I will say that I've recently met a few veddy kewl hep cats who are mutually interested in working together. This bodes well for 2006 - and hopefully I'll have news of a semi-regular place to come see us manipulate stereos for you soon.

Of course, I could just be using that as an excuse to play with digital sound media. Wouldn't surprise me in the least.

And, uh, that didn't really explain why I suddenly decided to put together a mix disc of old industrial dance tracks. Dunno why I did that, really. It just seemed like everyone around me was going through a harder phase in their music. Must be the weather, but I wound up taking this challenge to heart and tossed together a compilation of stuff from popular to obscure. If you'd like to download this mix, CLICK HERE.

Gosh, I sure am rambling tonight. Must be a little late... oh yes - it's 2:31 Monday morning. Daniel Lanois is playing quietly on the stereo, I'm basking in the glow of the cat sleeping under the Xmas tree, and I haven't wrapped a damn thing, having spent the day deep into music one way or another. Tuned up the hammered dulcimer last night for the first time in months, and, well, one thing led to another... Played with this instrument, and that instrument, and those instruments over there, and so forth for pretty much the whole day. Seems like a perfect way to spend the Lord's day, don'tcha think? I probably could be considered a saint if I hadn't taken 90 minutes away from all that to watch John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness - a true masterpiece of mystery and suspense, marred only by a slightly limp ending. However, it's still a thousand times better than Signs, a movie that ends so disappointingly that I won't even bother to post a link here.

Ahem... all that nonsense aside, I hope y'all have some skippy fine holidays with lots of friends, family and presents. Make sure you get home safely, and stay warm.

Stay tuned.