Tag Archives: music

Paul Simon: Old

Posted on by

The first time I heard “Peggy Sue”
I was 12 years old
Russians up in rocket ships
And the war was cold
Now many wars have come and gone
Genocide still goes on
Buddy Holly still goes on
But his catalog was sold

First time I smoked
Guess what – paranoid
First time I heard “Satisfaction”
I was young and unemployed
Down the decades every year
Summer leaves and my birthday’s here
And all my friends stand up and cheer
And say man you’re old
Getting old
Old
Getting old

We celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas day
And Buddha found Nirvana along the lotus way
About 1,500 years ago the messenger Mohamed spoke
And his wisdom like a river flowed
Through hills of gold
Wisdom is old
The Koran is old
The bible’s
Greatest story ever told

Disagreements?
Work ’em out

The human race walked the earth for 2.7 million
And we estimate the universe at 13-14 billion
When all these numbers tumble into your imagination
Consider that the lord was there before creation
God is old
We’re not old
God is old
He made the mold

Take your cloths off
Adam and eve

Apple TV: The price of simplicity

Posted on by
Reply

Apple TVI spent part of the weekend playing with Apple TV. George came over Saturday and we had the thing up and running within 15-20 minutes. I won’t try to “review” this device because a) I don’t have the technical chops, b) I’m not a videophile or power user by any stretch and c) lots of websites and blogs have provided professional reviews.

And just for the record: Windows Media Center is light years ahead of Apple TV. Superior in every way. A different league. Cheaper, better, faster, taller… you name it. I have no experience with Media Center but happily stipulate to the above.

George described Apple TV as “your iPod on steroids.” A pretty good description. I liked this from a review in PC World:

“The basic rule of Apple TV content seems to be: If you can play something in iTunes, you can play it on Apple TV. That puts some limitations on users, but then, that’s the price of simplicity.”

The price of simplicity. Yes, I will pay that price. Gladly. And Apple TV does everything I wanted to do. And just those things. And does them beautifully.

When we turned it on, all of my photos and all of my songs and podcasts immediately transferred (wirelessly) to the Apple TV.

So I can now play my music through the TV speakers or the sound system speakers.

I created a couple of slide shows in iPhoto (with music from iTunes) and shoved ’em over to Apple TV. So easy that I’ll do this a lot more now.

Probably as much fun as anything was to put the music on shuffle and let Apple TV shuffle images from iPhoto. And, as you might expect, Apple does this in a very cool and visually interesting way. You’d have to see it.

Navigating the Apple TV menu is as easy and intuitive as… well, the iPod. No learning curve. Which also describes the Apple remote [far right in photo below].

Apple Remote

Bottom line for me: I will do a lot more with my music and my photos than I have in the past. Just as the iPod changed the way I listen to music (and podcasts)… Apple TV is going to change how I use my TV. Like the box says, “Now there’s always something good on TV.”

“Science Fiction Punk Psychedelia”

Posted on by
Reply

“I google-image searched “Hippy Witch” and came across this picture. I think it’s a fantastic image!!

Halloween 1974

Anyway, I’m a musician and I wanted to use it as the sleeve for a single I’m doing for a label called “HoZac.” The name of my “band” is Blank Dogs, it’s a home-recording thing and this picture fits the sound perfect. I guess I’d describe it as “Science Fiction Punk Psychedelia.”

It wouldn’t be used ironically, or poked fun at, I just think it’s a super-great photo and I was wondering if I could get your permission to use it. It’s an indie label and they wouldn’t be able to pay anything for it’s use, but maybe you think it’d be cool!”

For sale to the highest bidder

Posted on by

The Wall Street Journal reports: Former Attorney General John Ashcroft approached XM Satellite Radio in the days after the merger was announced offering the firm his consulting services, according to a spokesman for XM. The spokesman said XM declined Mr. Ashcroft’s offer to work as a lobbyist for the company.

Mr. Ashcroft was subsequently hired by the National Association of Broadcasters, which is fiercely opposed to the merger. On its behalf he conducted a review of the effects on competition if the two satellite radio companies were allowed to merge and concluded the merger would have a significant negative impact on competition in the market and urged the current attorney general to withhold approval for the merger.

That tells you just about all you need to know about our former Attorney General.

Why no new Al Green songs?

Posted on by
Reply

Scott Adams wonders why great musicians can’t keep cranking out the hits every years?

“Consider Neal Diamond, for example. He wrote and recorded some of the greatest songs ever. But then the hits stopped coming, despite the fact that his talent probably improved with experience.”

I wondered the same thing a year ago, but Mr. Adams offers a reasonable explanation:

“They can do more of the same sound, and consumers will think it sounds too much like the last album. Or they can try something different, and be unfavorably compared to their own hits. The public won’t be patient while the musician develops the new sound. It’s an almost impossible challenge.”

What your iPod reveals about you

Posted on by

Podcasting News: Psychologists Jason Rentfrow of the University of Cambridge in England and Sam Gosling at the University of Texas at Austin, have found that strangers can accurately assess another person’s level of creativity, open-mindedness and extroversion after listening to his or her top 10 favorite songs.

While I had no data to support it, I theorized about this a year ago. Anyway, two of the conclusions in the new study caught my eye:

“Whether you can study or work efficiently while listening to music may depend on how outgoing you are. Background music can help extroverts focus but tends to torment introverts.”

I’ve always thought of myself as an extrovert but I can NOT listen to music while I’m trying to concentrate.

“Fans of energetic music like dance and soul are more likely to impulsively blurt our their thoughts, compared with fans of other styles.”

Guilty. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut.

Sheryl’s gonna tell us how it’s gonna be

Posted on by

Ann Morren (our only Belgian reader) reminds us to watch for Sheryl Crow’s Revlon ad in the Super Bowl (sometime in the 3rd quarter)… and then head over to iTunes and purchase Ms. Crow’s cover of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.” Proceeds going to aid breast cancer research.

Update: Purchased/listened to the song. Okay. Liked Rolling Stones & Buddy Holly versions better. Would love to know what Revlon is paying to have SC as spokesperson.

While pinging back and forth with Ann Morren, I learned she is a photographer and persuaded her to let me share a few here. I’ve noticed that a disproportionate number of smays.com readers (Henry, Bass) take great photographs.

 

John Mayer on Sheryl Crow

Posted on by

John Mayer and Sheryl CrowSheryl Crow and John Mayer recently toured together and during the next-to-last date, John Mayer come onstage during SC’s set, dressed as a bear. The following night, Ms. Crow interrupted his set, wearing a bikini and waving around a baton (I’m pretty sure she was a twirler in high school). Based on this post from Mr. Mayer’s blog (10/12/06), they had a good time:

“Sheryl – I hope you realize, even if for a fleeting moment just once a day, that everything you’ve ever hoped you would be, you are. I’ve never heard you sing a sour note, your record collection could freeze a Lower East Side hipster dead in his tracks and you have one of the hardest to find traits in a musician; you believe that nice isn’t the opposite of bad-ass. Add to that the great people you surround yourself with, and it’s no wonder I walk away from every conversation with you feeling like I expend twice the energy but say half as much as you do.”

Ms. Crow looks pretty good (for any age). There’s no permalink to the specific post on the Mayer blog.