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Sample in Jar: Drop in, Drop off and Drop out (TMI Alert)
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A few years ago my wife an I were traveling in India. We were at the start of a three week jaunt from a visit up north to the very touristy "Golden Triangle" that would lead us down through Mumbai, Hampi and much further south to Kerala. One of the cities in the Golden Triangle is, Jaipur. There is much to see in do and In Jaipur: the Pink City itself, the Nahargarh Fort and, if you are so inclined as my wife, the many, many jewelry stores.
That part of India is widely knows for the fantastic gems, stones and ornate jewelry that is mined and produced there. We walked up and down the street until my wife felt the right vibe from the right store. No sooner did she find her shop were we inside, shoes off, drinking aromatic teas, incense swirling all around us and staring at a fantastic pile of gold and gems laid out on the desk before us.
The owner of the store saw the that my wife had the "I'm here to buy" look in her eye; he had his "A" game on for sure. While my wife was looking through all of the earrings, rings and bangles, our friendly shopkeep set his sights on me: the money man. He started to ask us how long we had been married (at that point: 6.5 years). He then asked us if we had kids: "No", was my reply. As soon as I said that, you could see his suit coat start to bulge out due to the his large, growing shark fin that was beginning to emerge from his back.
Him: "No children, you say...how come?"
Me: "We just aren't ready yet."
Him: "Well not to worry...not to worry at all, my friend.
Me: (chuckling) "Now why would you say that...my friend"
Him: "Because(!), I can tell just by looking at you that you will have no problem having children. You...YOU...have GREAAAAT Power. Yes, you have great power in you and your first child will be a son".
Me: Oh really? How can you tell?
Him: I know things my friend, I know things...and I know that your wife admires those earrings she is trying on. They look stunning on her".
Ah...the nature of the shmooze and sell. Like I said, he had his "A" game on. What he didn't know is that my wife was hell-bent on walking out of there with something stunning. After a couple hours of her having the time of her life, she nabbed her booty.
I was thinking of our Indian jeweler friend today as I was on my way to the women's clinic to give a semen analysis (yes, you read that correctly). I hope that guy was right. Yep, the wife and I are officially ready to have that kiddo he was asking about. We have been giving it the old college try, but we haven't graduated to the next level yet. We have the books and the calendars and the will and the planets and stars on the ready...but, thus far, no dice.
Better safe then sorry as they say...we both decided it would be a good idea to see if all the plumbing worked. The wife checked out AOK...supreme health and all systems go. My turn. Today I went in and proudly procalimed that I was there to do what I spent the better part of my early puberty years trying to hide from others. It is a funny thing to do actually. You show up, stare the nurse right in the eye and tell her, I am ready for my cup: drop in, drop off and then drop out.
I got in there and there was an array of, ahem, material to assist me in my efforts. Just in case, I had my ipad and a strong 3G connection at the ready. I was looking at the stack of magazines they had in there thinking, "where the hell is the hazmat suit"! I started laughing at myself until I turned around to see a second, but smaller, collection of mags hanging on the wall (see pics). I stopped laughing. Hey, desperate times can call for desperate measures, I guess.
Enough said. I think you are with me at this point...and if you are, I suggest you might want to leave the room.
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OK. That wasn't so bad. Cheap thrills come easy...but, this one wasn't that cheap, actually. It cost me quite a few pounds for that sample; I had no idea I was worth that much on the open market. Hmmm, "great power", indeed...
I find out my results in the next couple of days. Hopefully they are more careful with the lab work then they were with the handling of the sample. The woman behind the desk dropped mine on the floor and almost stepped on it. Again, nothing left to do but laugh.
I walked out of there singing this song:
Hopefully tomorrow I will be singing this one:
p.s. how about that sign on the front door of the clinic?! Can you imagine the poor bastard who was a walk up and had not received the email? Yep...he's on his lunch break, he's not too hungry and he figures, "hey, I might as well go earn a few bucks, check out some free porn (that IT blocks at work) and score a cheap thrill. And what about that "extensive" inventory audit. Did they mix up some samples? Have to color code them? Is the freezer on the fritz? Whew...that must be a real humdinger of an after hours party.
p.p.s. That last photo is not my assistant at the clinic...that is our friend from India. I hope you are right, buddy, or I'm returning that stuff my wife bought.
Am I man enough to take on Bettye LaVette Twice In One Night? Yes I am.
The High Preistess of emotionally drenched, gut-punch, way-down-deep-inside soul and R&B singing, Bettye LaVette is playing The Purcell Room in London on Thursday night. Actually, Bettye is playng two shows: one at 8pm and 10pm. I'm pulling double duty and going to both. There is no way that I could allow myself to leave the venue knowing that Bettye was coming out to deliver the (more) goods.
My love affair with Bettye started when my good friend, The Kingfish, turned me on to her album, "Child of the 70's". After that I latched on to "I've Got My Own Hell to Raise" (check our her version of Lucinda William's "Joy") and "Scene of the Crime". This last album was recorded with the Drive-By Truckers and Spooner Oldham backing her up. Patterson worked with Bettye to write the song, "Before the Money Came: The Battle of Bettye LaVette". Are you unfamiliar with Bettye's story? Do you want to find out about her in under five minutes? Just hit play, brothers and sisters. (all those album links I gave you are to reviews...worth the read)
Here are the songs I mentioned plus a few others that make my water boil:
Now, I am flat out hooked on her new album, "Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook". To everyone of the artists that she covers on this set...sorry, Bettye owns these songs now. This video is her rendition of The Who's, "Love Reign O'er Me", performed at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2008. Surely you have seen this, right? If not...buckle up.
I'll post my review of the night's two shows. Bettye is my fave female singer of all time. I won't sacrifice her at the Alter of Unmet Expectations (assuming I set them too high)...I am just happy to get the chance to see her...twice.
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My concert going is about to pick up a mighty head of steam. I have already seen Winwood/Clapton and Willie Nelson...and now, Bettye on Thursday. After that I take off in an all out sprint until I hit the Wilco gig in September. Here is what is on the menu (for now):
- The Hold Steady
- The Black Keys
- Stevie Wonder / Alejandro Escovedo / Carinne Bailey Rae / Florence Rawlings (festival)
- Jackson Browne
- Jeff Tweedy (solo gig)
- Buddy Guy
- Leon Russell
- Kris Kristofferson
- Wilco
Yeah...LOTS of concert reviews coming up.
Whatever gets you through the night: I got dem ol' working late blues again...
Four nights in a row slamming away at the keyboard until at least 8:30pm. That's all I can stand and I can't stands no more! Time for a quick run to the local grocery to pull some 16 oz. Good Ol' Boys (as we call them in New Hampshire) off the shelf.
Fortunately I am not alone. Just had a killer four-fer offered up by Spotify (replicated here with the help of Groove Shark):
Rave on, indeed.
- Posted from Camden Town, United Kingdom
10 lbs. of Shit in an 8 lbs. Bag: A request for keeping music simple in 2010
"Too much of anything is too much for me. Too much and everything gets too much for me". - The Who
That is a line from the chorus of the song of the same name, "Too Much of Anything". Strangely enough, this was a bonus track off the 1995 reissue of the always-delivers Who album, "Who's Next". I say "strangely" for two reasons: one, the original version of this album was nine songs of bow-down material and two, the fact that this song was a bonus track is fucking ironic.
Too much of anything, indeed.
Why the hell did we need bonus tracks for this masterstroke? We didn't. Pete & The Who made a brilliant, time-tested album that consisted of nine crowd pleasing, beer hoisting tunes. Nine. Here we go again...gorging ourselves on a great meal; bloated and reaching for the bicarbonates. Too much.
I am fed up with "too much". This year I am bringing it all back home: keeping everything as clean and simple as I need it to be. Near the end of 2009 I started to think about clarity: eliminating variables; reducing clutter; focusing on less to enjoy more.
I am not preaching purely simplicity for simple's sake. I am talking about clarity. Clarity doesn't sacrifice depth at simple's alter. "Focusing on less to enjoy more" is about clarity; lucidity. It is a concept that I am (forever forward) latching on to and enveloping myself in...including my music listening habits.
I find myself gravitating to music that is much more lucid and clean of complexities...but, not lacking depth. Case in point: the Black Keys' "Chulahoma: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough".
I am a Black Keys fan. They aren't always on my playlist, but I enjoy them from time to time. I did not own this album prior to my hearing it. Recently I was in a crowed and very loud bar. Nothing on the juke box was cutting through the din until I heard this album being played. Whoever was at the controls, decided that they need to play this album in its entirety. The groove was so pronounced and clear, it drowned out the noise in the room and filled all the spaces like a welcome mist. It felt calming and clean to me (even amongst all the clutter in the bar). I went out and bought it the next day.
Lucidity, clarity and depth are full frontal on this set of six songs. The straightforward, two-fisted, Corsican Brother drum and guitar approach of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney lends itself to the clarity/simplicity + depth credo. There is no gratuitous flutes or overdubs or 16 track recordings...just two dudes, two instruments and a half a dozen of a simple bluesman's simple blues songs. By simple I mean uncomplicated, not simpleton or unsophisticated or naive. No, these songs have depth and sagacity.
Junior Kimbrough didn't make it on the blues scene until the 1990's, but he'd been cutting tracks as early as 1968. Junior was a Mississippi Hill Country native and legend. His blues is a hypnotic, sauntering groove that preaches a knowing simplicity and bares warts, proudly. This blues holds you in it's vibe and makes it hard to pull away. Every time I put it on, I know it is going to be a happening. I know I need to dedicate at least 20-30 minutes to it's gravity.
Here is a clip from Robert Palmer's brilliant expose on the raw, country blues: "Deep Blues". If you have not seen this, you MUST do so soon. More-so, read the book that preceded the movie. It is widely thought of as a classic in the genre; a career high for Robert Palmer in career filled with tall peaks.
(Junior also had the coolest album titles: "God Knows I Tried" & "Most Things Haven't Worked Out")
The Black Keys decided they needed to have a go at Junior's music. They gave it a richer, thicker sound...while keeping the ethos of it intact. They added to it without complicating it: less is more. This is my fave track of the set:
What do you think? Does that feel like less is more to you?
_____
Nine songs. I like that. "Who's Next" wasn't the only great album with nine songs: "Let It Bleed" had nine songs, too. That is my favorite album of all-time (a post for another day). Conversely, the Stone's 2005 Masterplunk, "A Bigger Bang", had 16(!) songs. Too much.
I'd like to make a request of all music makers in 2010: please, don't try to cram ten pounds of shit in an eight pound bag. Focus on reducing the clutter on your albums. Just because you can crowd16 songs on a CD doesn't mean you have to. I don't want more from you, I want less...and I want depth.
Excuse me while I go off to listen to some Charlie Patton...
_____
Regarding my personal thoughts on "too much":
Too much of my time was being wasted worrying about things I manufactured or labeled as important. Whether they were tasks or audacious (unattainable) goals or simply over thinking decisions or situations, the importance that I gave these things, put undue emphasis on them; one more thing I had to worry about.
Here is a bit, from a larger mindmap (on my 2010 thoughts), on "reducing the clutter"
The CD Conundrum: Coasters or Collectors Items (What the hell should I do with my 1,000+ CDs?!?)
Images of me unpacking and resorting my CD collection in my new London flat.
For those of you who do not know, I have been on my own World Tour of sorts as of late. In 1996 I lived in Newport, Rhode Island. In 1998 I moved up to Boston, where I met my wife (at a Tom Petty concert: find out how here). In 2002 we moved from Boston to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. In 2005, we made the big move around the globe to Sydney, Australia. This past September we relocated to London; ironically we now live on Sydney Street.
There are two things I have always traveled with no matter where I have rambled: my wife and my music collection. Arguably these are the two most important things in my life; I couldn't do without either. Funny though, I have had a longer relationship with my music collection than my wife (she and I have been together over 10 years). My wife is not the jealous type, nor should ever have reason to be: I am an extremely loyal and dedicated man. Which is why she shouldn't be surprised at my resistance to want to shed my vast collection of CDs.
My collection is 1,419 albums and box sets strong, consisting of both CDs and downloads. Recently I have converted back to vinyl (75 albums and growing) after decades of turning a deaf ear on their sonic brilliance. You can read through it all here in a live-list I created in a Google Doc: Judd's Juke Joint. I update this whenever I add to it. There is also a tab for my music related DVD material as well.
Before I go any further, let me say this: as far as I am concerned my collection is 99% fat free. While I do think that size matters, quality is of most importance.
As you can see in the spreadsheet I am in the process of highlighting which albums are physical CDs and which are downloaded bits and bytes. In my rough estimate, just under 1,110 of my collection is in CD format (including box sets). That is a quite a load to haul around the world with me. I am thinking of making a move that scares the shit out of me: junking all of my physical CDs.
I am entertaining this thought for a few reasons:
- The sheer volume of CDs is cumbersome to move (around the world or otherwise)
- The majority of the CDs are on my two Macbooks. One of which is dedicated to just play music wirelessly around my flat.
- Because of #2, I hardly ever go to pull a CD off the racks to play it...I do only if I haven't already ripped it to my laptop
- My taste for vinyl.
Why am I keeping all of these CDs? I don't know, really. Part of it is that it is tangible. I love seeing this tower of CDs everyday. A lot of work and play (and $$$) went into amassing this collection. Yes, I am emotionally attached to all of that polycarbonate plastic.
Conversely, I LOVE sifting through my vinyl collection and physically playing and flipping records...which is not easier nor is it more convenient. This of course, is because the sound and the experience from vinyl is worth the effort. The CD experience in comparison is shit. Having to get up and move across the floor to flip the record is exciting...I am actively participating in the music. Yes, I am now emotionally attached to all of that beautiful black lacquer.
So, what is poor music fan to do, 'cept to play some ol' rock and roll bands...899.html">heh heh.
Here is what I am thinking about doing if I decide to do anything at all:
- Rip my entire physical CD collection to hard drives. I would put as much on my Macbooks as I can and the rest, in its combined CD and download glory, would be stored on external drives. I would back it up to as many as necessary until I feel secure. I could keep two on hand, get a safe deposit book for one and send one to my parents in New Hampshire for extra safe keeping. And If all fails, I can bury one under a rock in Buxton, Maine for Red to dig up when he gets out of prison.
- I would then take all of the CD inserts/liner notes from each case and store them in a photo-album or something similar. This way I can have the info if I ever need it (this sounds like madness, doesn't it...).
- I could hook up my external drive to the computer and play everything and anything through my wireless network set up throughout my flat. This is also very convenient for mobile-music
- I would find some young, deserving music fans and donate my CD collection to them. I would divvy it up into assorted chunks so that the recipients would get a good mix of blues, soul, country, etc. If I do this, I might have to forgo keeping the CD inserts.
This would leave me with all digital files, vinyl and box sets (I would keep those in physical form). I think...think...I could live with that. But how would I buy music?
Let's use the last Bob Dylan album, "Together Through Life", as a test case. I bought that on vinyl and it came with a CD of the tunes sans CD packaging fanfare. This is best of both worlds: my preferred vinyl in 180 gram goodness and a CD to rip to my digital collection...and I get to give the CD to a deserving music fan/friend. If the album had come with a code for download that would have been just as good.
Anyhow, this is where I am at with my collection. I am not in a hurry to decide. All I know is that my collection will only grow. While I LOVE the thought that it will get out of hand, it could get physically unmanageable as I move from place to place.
Are any of you in the same situation? What are your thoughts? How have you/would you act on this...if at all? How do you buy your music? What are the holes in my potential plan?
Tune Tags
I chose "Sparks" by The Who as the tune tag for this post. This was the song playing in the movie Almost Famous when a young William Miller was flipping through the vinyl collection left to him (...to liberate him!) by his sister.
- Posted from Kensington, United Kingdom
