Vinceland

I put these two forms of music in the same category: Crap. Bad. Worthless. Fad.

Both are created without instruments and mostly by digital methods. Both are overly hyped and marketed through cheesy methods. Both make for terrible, terrible live performances. Both will burn out in due time.

Some of the most popular examples of both swipe style, content, melody from other genres and artists under the guise of “sampling”. Now, I realize the plenty of rock musicians “borrow” from and sound a lot like other rock musicians. But in rock’s highest form, they try not to.

I am perpetually concerned about the ignorance of most of society over what is good, and what is crap music. I’ve been listening to a lot of jazz and classical in my car too and from work, and that’s good. Most of the music I listen to at work is good. Most of “pop” music is bad, and not created from a genuine desire to make good music for people. When the desire behind a person’s creativity swings over to money-making or pimping your ride, the credibility of the creative output hits the crapper.

It’s the motivation behind the music that I look for in good music. Why’d you record “My Humps”? Probably not for the same reason Ian Mackaye recorded “Waiting Room”. It’s not hard to see the difference. One is cheesy and fraught with bad intentions of ripping people off for as much money as possible. The other was created from real emotion and with no other motivation than to express true feelings with musical talent. One song deserves ridicule, and the other deserves praise. But instead, one gets massive airplay to the point of brainwashing people into humming the crap they hear. And the other is respected within tight circles for it’s complete purity.

Some music straddles the line, and this is the line of purity. It’s the line between making music for fun and making music for money. Modest Mouse now falls in this category as money becomes as bigger motivator than creative credibility. Some bands quit when they arrive at the line of purity, some take it much much further. Two examples of taking it too far are the bands Aerosmith and Pearl Jam, continuing to play with no other motivation than milking past success. When your past success is clearly the best you’re ever going to do, hang up the road show and take up knitting. And don’t fool yourself into thinking your last album pushed the limits again. Don’t lie to yourself, it’s embarrassing.

I am positive that reading this will piss a bunch of you off. “Hey, I like rap, and I buy ringtones every once in a while. Why is he making me feel bad?”. It’s not about you, or your feelings. It’s about the music and it’s about building a broader awareness of crap. Everyone needs a reminder every now and then that we’re constantly being brainwashed by marketing and media to believe in crap, to listen to crap, to eat crap and to buy crap. Don’t do it.

There’s nothing better than the loud rock purity of Butt Pie. And there’s nothing worse than Ringtones and (c)Rap. Don’t be afraid to change your mind when you know it’s right.

I think the line, “Look Out, Look Around” is from a Fugazi song, or maybe it’s just my horrible translation of a misinterpreted lyric. I think it was Guy that sang it, I’ll have to go through my songs and see if I can find the reference.

Someone should make an Itunes plugin to view and search lyrics. I found one that searches your Itunes music library and maps out all of the local live shows for the bands in your Itunes: IConcertCal. It even lets you set the zip code so if you’re in a different place, you can still find out where bands are playing.

Sweetness. Live, loud music always gives me the jitters in my stomach, that’s when I know it’s good. Got tickets to see old SHP/ Jersey alumni Ted Leo and his boys at the Hawthorne Theater in a few weeks. Guaranteed to be great.

First time I seen Fugazi was in the cafeteria at UVM with Rik and Letterman. I had no idea what to expect nor had I had much experience with their music at the time. It was around 1992 and Rik had been listening to “Repeater” a ton in the dorm and got Lett and I hooked. Kids who could not get in to the show were clamoring on the windows and banging and dancing outside the place. I’ve never seen Letterman let go of himself like that, not even while bass fishing. He was throwing himself around within the crowd and had a crazy look in his eyes. Good times.

The point of all this may be that I bet I spend more time staring into space than I do staring at things I am supposed to. Sometimes I am staring at something and sometimes I am staring at nothing. It does not matter. But during all of those times, things are happening in my head. Somehow, I’ve noticed a new element, realized a new insight, understood a foreign concept. I might be aware of something new, previously unknown, totally worthwhile.

Awareness is only possible if you look harder, or at least look at all. These days, it’s getting harder to find the time to just look at things. And when you do, you’ll probably take some shit for wasting time or not doing something more important. Don’t worry about those comments, make sure you take time to just look out and look around. Otherwise, how will you know where you really are?

Through fishing, I realized that just sitting and looking is most of the battle. How will you know what the fish are feeding on? How will you know if fish are swimming anywhere near you? You need the time to look, watch and become aware of what’s happening around you. It’s the most valuable time on the water and good fisherman spend time just doing that, without rods and reels and lures. Great fisherman spend as much time looking, watching and realizing new things as they do casting lines. It’s what separates the floggers from the fishers.

I never believed all this crap either. I went out to the rivers, brand new rod in hand, fully Orvis-taught in the ways of casting. I had read the books, checked the maps, gotten the inside info on the rivers. I jumped in the water, plodded around and started casting. Can’t catch fish without your line in the water, right? Consequently, my line spent more time caught up in branches above me than in the water, but it was fun time and everyone goes through the same thing.

Not until I returned to those spots and stood back and watched, just waited and looked for fish, did I realize that YES, the fish were truly there and feeding. My appreciation for looking at a river for at least a half-hour before casting grew, and sometimes I never cast a line, until I noticed a fish, a bubble, some flies hatching. Who would have known what was going on without spending the time to look, to watch, to become aware? How would I have known there were fish swimming right around my legs?

The principle works for everything, most notably, the ability to continue learning as a working adult. The worst thing about finishing up college was the feeling that my brain was no longer absorbing new, worthwhile, intellectual information. I had a hard time reading books after work, I still do. Not until I started my own business did I feel naturally intellectually stimulated again, and that took almost 10 years after graduation. Most of my learning took place on the water, which really became the ONLY place where everything else disappeared and just one thing mattered. It was amazing to be able to focus purely on one enjoyable task that employed years of learned skills, good equipment, and the ability to just watch and learn.

Sometimes, I wish people would take the time to look, watch, learn and become aware. Imagine the sights you could see, the daily dramas unfolding in front of your eyes, if your job was just to walk around and look at stuff and realize new things. There’s a lot going on along a sidewalk under your feet, don’t waste it. Looking around is not a waste of time.

Everyone should compose, understand, clearly articulate and publish their own Dos and Donts. Here are a few that have come to me. The double “D’s” are not just for Vice Magazine. (Note: apostrophes intentionally omitted for speed)

Dont: Ever, ever slap me on the back. I will retaliate with the utmost force and without hesitation.

Dont: Encourage me to do things. I’m all set, thanks.

Do: Slide through life seamlessly, without hindering other’s ability to do the same.

Dont: Get aggressive when you play pool at a bar.

Do: Return the favor of a free beer(s).

Do: Hug.

Do: Remind me sometimes.

Dont: Speak to me immediately when the movie ends. I need time to get through it before we can discuss.

Dont: Talk about my mother in any way.

Do: Let me know if something embarrassing is going on somewhere on me.

Do: Critique my work honestly.

Do: Bring beer.

Do: Take the back of the boat unless offered the front.

Dont: Toss anything out of your car window.

Dont: Leave your dog’s/ cat’s shit around.

Do: Offer respect first.

Do: Listen. Learn. Understand. Then get involved.

Dont: Start a website of any kind without plans to maintain it.

Dont: Ever perform a wet willie on me. I swear it will be your last.

Dont: Offer more information than is necessary.

Do: Try painting, writing and playing music…at least once a year.

Dont: Think that I am thinking something.

Do: Believe that you’re better than people let you think you are.

Do: Feel free to be a vegetarian, vegan, or meat wuss.

Dont: Ever vibe me for eating animal products or ask me to try tofu.

Do: Stay on top of shit that affects other people close to you.

Do: Use the Internet more.

Do: Read more.

Dont: Offer me anything without my expressed written, recent permission.

Do: Leave me alone when it’s obvious I want you to go away.

Dont: Drive without a clear destination and fairly clear sense of direction.

Do: Offer suggestions.

Dont: Suggest the same thing more than twice in a week’s time.

Do: Clearly ask when you need something from me.

Dont: Go away bitter because you’re a pussy.

Dont: Ever leave water on my bathroom floor.

Do: Think ahead.

Dont: Waste anyone’s time but your own.

Do: Read, think, comment, add to the stories.

Do: Oh yea, if I owe you something, ask for it sooner than later.

As a follow up to my last post, our perception of reality here is changing ever more quickly. Here is an explanation of the ongoing experiments that inspired Robert Lanza to expose his theory.

Check: Ready, Set, Be Confused.

So much stuff is being researched and figured out by smart people that I think we should all be prepared to embrace the opportunity to change what you thought you knew yesterday, today, for a better tomorrow. I often think about the capacity of our society here in the US to fathom, embrace and deal with scientific findings that will rock the foundations of our reality. I wonder if scientists are limited either by their own similar worries or by artificial pressure from government officials, to limit their findings or at least announce them over a longer period of time to help temper the effect on society.

Is it better to break big news to people in one, harsh blow or let them down easy? Can we handle it without freaking out?
What effect would you feel if it were proven beyond a doubt and universally accepted by scientists and philosophers that the past, present and future are happening all at once, and our experience does not live on a linear timeline that’s easy to understand? See: String Theory.

Our lives, laws, morals and traditions are built on the idea that the past and future exist outside of the present and that which we have control over is only the future. We record and remember the past. We look forward and work towards a better future. But we live teetering on the thinnest edge of good and evil that we consider NOW, now, now.

I am not sure the level of education and open-mindedness that I perceive in our society allows for the general population to deal with huge changes in the notion of our earthbound reality in a positive way. I’m worried that people will freak out and be unable to grasp the most important parts of the results of these experiments. It worries me because there seem to be deeper divides on our society between those who are able and willing to learn and accept new truths and those who refuse. They might refuse to learn for different reasons: religion, tradition, laziness, fear.

What bothers me even more is that those 4 things: religion, tradition, laziness and fear may be the same four aspects of society that keep me from learning and accepting some life-changing truths. They may also be the handcuffs that hold scientists back from pushing the limits of their work.

It’s all pretty scary to consider and easier to ignore today, in favor of dealing with it tomorrow. Or…was that yesterday?

One way to gauge our level of knowledge as people on Earth is to understand what we still don’t know. When tons of people around Earth disagree and argue about a specific topic, there’s a pretty good chance it’s something we haven’t quite figured out yet as a species. Global Warming, anyone?

One thing we don’t really know yet is the effect that space and time have on our existence. In fact, we’re not even sure that space and time exist! Lot’s of people think they know, and they’ve convinced lots of other people, but new theories come up all the time.

One stem cell biologist, that we’re building a website for, has published his own theory. His view puts Biology before everything, including Physics, in the search for a unified theory. Read Robert Lanza’s Theory of Everything.

Wired Magazine covered the Lanza story too.

Here’s what I know: Spring is sprung at our house.

And the only unified theory I hold closely is: “Keep an ear out for the next, best unified theory.”