As printed in issue Matrix #91: Mixtape.
The fall of modern culture: #DeathToWisdom © 2011-2012 all rights reserved
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Thing to Read: #DeathToWisdom
Posted in Life, Music Industry, Recording, TV, Writing
Tagged free reading, free writing, matrix, modern culture, science fiction, scribd
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The Me Party After-Party
Since my last post, I have been beleaguered (via Facebook) by some armchair psychoanalysis from a hen keeper in West Yorkshire:
On one hand, I’m impressed I am able to portray such a complete image of myself through my blog. What I write here is personal, but it’s only part of the picture. The “real deal” stuff I hold like a poker hand: close to my chest, for few to see.
On the other hand, I am frustratsed: (1) With the presumptuous-ness of some people (e.g. the way we talk about celebrities like we know them personally; or how I am constantly defending my close personal friend Tom Cruise to other people). (2) How did I get so tangled up in this mess of self-imposed rules? Where does this complicated music-industry-world-view stem from? Am I on my way to shattering in all? I must, at least, be capable of that.
So many questions, most of which I don’t care to have direct answers for.
My moment of zen, in this instance, comes (also via Facebook) from one of my oldest acquaintances, one of those people in your life you have known for decades, and who you may not see for decades, but you know you will always be friends:
I “liked” that one.
So I thank you all for your kind words, your encouragement, your criticism. While I wish I was one of those people who didn’t “read their own reviews,” I am sadly one of those people who is incapable of living an ostrich-inspired life.
Me Party
I spent the latter half of 2011 with my head out of the music industry cloud. I’ve been luxuriating in a stress-free world of science fiction and artificial intelligence. I’ve been reading and writing more than anything else. But then the year turned to 2012 and I realised I would soon have to remove my head from the clouds and return to planet Earth.
With this came an odd realisation: Should I spend so much time on writing fiction? Or should I try to make music? The logical side led me to a classic dead end: “Well, Natalia, whatever you choose, it will be a terrible way to sustain yourself.” Which I naturally shrugged off. I am in too deep to worry about something as stupid as money.
Instead my head floated off into another cloud. A creative cloud, wondering how to preserve my dignity but still have fun with it. I’m no songwriter, and therein lies the problem. I have no confidence from being surrounded by actual songwriters. In fact, shoddy songwriting is one of the things that maddens me the most about popular music. And by popular I don’t mean only Pop, rather all the inescapable musicians, the stuff in the “press.” It adds to the argument that there are too many bands, too much mediocre music, everybody wants to be a star but they rarely know why.
A bonafide songwriter knows. They know because they have no other choice. They aren’t rebelling against their parents or doing it because they can (i.e. rich kids). They are doing it because they have to. I know, you guys are reading this saying: “Oh, whatever. As if.” But it’s true. Or at least it used to be true. What is popular these days, what comes up through the ranks, is not based on good songs or incredible inspiration. It is half-assed and financially backed. And all that is fine. It’s cute. I guess it is what people need in an age where great marketing rules the roost.
But this rant has been ranted before. Which is why I keep my head elsewhere: this is wasted breath. Wasted bandwidth. I’m exhausted by it, by the rules, the gatekeepers. I know. I get it. I’m not getting in.
So then, why not make something frivolous? I ask myself. Why not fall in line and further saturate the music world with more gratuitous art? Should I do something I firmly believe that I have no business doing? I wouldn’t make it for primarily for you, but for me first and you second. Would that offend you or interest you? Would you download it? Would you pay for it? Would you want to hear it?
And PS: don’t panic. These sentiments have nothing to do with The Dears. The Dears are alive and well. We’re just staked out in a bomb shelter living off of rations and bottled water.
Posted in Life
Tagged marketing, music, popular music, rant, reading, recording, science fiction, Writing
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Matrix Mixtape: An Antithetical Shout Out
Consider picking up a copy of the Winter 2011 edition of Matrix Magazine. A literary mag out of Montreal, this issue was guest edited by Rob Benvie. It includes a piece that I wrote called #DeathToWisdom, which I would describe as a danse macabre with cloud computing. I’ll eventually put it up on the Scribd, but for now will allow the print issue some shelf life.
I would also include a link to the magazine website, but it has been down for weeks. I shall restrain myself from making any editorial comment on this matter.
Lucky Number 13! Also inside: Litpop Winners!
Posted in Canada, Life, Music Industry, Writing
Tagged cloud computing, danse macabre, matrix, montreal
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This Asimo Guy Is Freaking Me Out
…but (s)he’s so cute.
Why?
This month I started an online course in Artificial Intelligence. I also recently met, quite randomly at a bar, a gentleman much more technically minded than myself, who is also taking the course. He asked me recently:
I’m curious, what’s gotten you interested in following this class? Is it your apparent love of scifi, or something else?
To which I replied:
Hmmm….what’s gotten me interested? You realise my answer to this question is going to become a blog post…
Last night I went to see Daniel Clowes and Seth, two comic book illustrators, speak at their joint book launch. My daughter asked me: “Why are you going?” and I had to actually think for a moment: why, indeed? I had one of Daniel Clowes earlier books, and knew little of Seth, yet I was still making an effort to go to this reading. I’m a casual illustrated book reader, hardly hardcore, and then I realised, simply, that I enjoy immersing myself in things I know nothing about.
The most often asked question to me is: “Who is your favourite band/musician?” or “What are you listening to?” And my answer is invariably: “I don’t listen to music.” I don’t. And I don’t mean to sound presumptuous or pretentious or holier-than-thou, but being immersed in the music industry for the past decade has made me a non-believer in music. Only a tiny margin of music is real anymore, the rest are just feeble attempts at fame, fortune, or worse, relevancy. I rarely listen to new music because all I hear is…dishonesty.
But it *would* be pretentious so live a life without culture, so I’ve turned my focus elsewhere. I’ve started reading books again, and writing fiction. And I enjoy these two tasks immensely. As I write, especially, I learn: my choice to write “genre” fiction is no accident. In speculative and science fictions I see open space, pure freedom, a world without restraint. I fold in to my work things I read about technology, computing, medical advances, space exploration and robotics. I feel that in researching this stuff and reading about it, a new frame of mind is being revealed. A fresh perspective of the world spurts forth, a new community of people working and thinking… not to be “cool” but to be, essentially, creative.
I miss that about music, which is why I’ve taken this step in the opposite direction. It doesn’t mean I’m done with being in a band or making records at all. If anything I will only return with resolve and a fervent dedication that should be feared by the entire hipster set.
So….does this answer the question? Kind of. I’m really digging the way my brain is being pulled by being in the ai-class, forced to think pragmatically and logically. Embracing new terminology and honing mathematical and deductive skills. My past will reveal that I was a big nerd. My dad is an electrical engineer. I was in “Gifted” in grade school. I took Computer Science class in grade 11. I took enriched math and wrote nation-wide math competitions. I was never the “cool” kid, and I never felt threatened by the “in” crowd. I made friends from strangers through BBS‘ and the first computer I bought was the first generation clamshell iBook…dare I say…before it was cool. If I hadn’t decided to move to Montreal at the age of 18, I would have been in “New Media” at Ryerson. A technical school. One of my favourite movies OF ALL TIME is Terminator 2.
I guess with this free, online course from a reputable university came up I just said to myself: “Why not?”
Posted in Kids, Life, Music Industry, The Dears, Writing
Tagged ai-class, artificial intelligence, learning, mathematics, robotics, science, science fiction, speculative fiction, university
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Covers
What to do on a rainy Saturday afternoon? Why, design some cover images for my short stories! I just added a new cover for Final Fridays, in anticipation of “publishing” the two other stories I’ve been working on. So, this is kind of a non-post, or a post showing off my non-Photoshop skills. Either way, happy weekend!
