Sunday, November 11, 2007

I guess that makes me Esther

I heard two opinions about blogging yesterday, which both kinda suprised me with their narrow view.

1. The blogosphere is the saddest place on earth.
- Entertainment Weekly.
Since when does Livejournal count as the blogosphere?

2. Blogs, etc. are for Lester the Molester, Chester the Molester, and Esther the Molester.
- an acquaintance.
Only if you're stupid.

Many qualms about blogging are about a much more specific aspect of our culture and blanket statements about blogs just can't really be accurate given the range of their topics and the purposes they serve. Man people who don't love the internet really get me going.

So, I've been tagged. I managed to avoid the blogging chain letter when this blog was less personal, but now thanks Mr. President for the forced self-indulgence. The thing is, I'm changing the rules:

  • I will be sharing music related facts since half of the time that's what this blog is about.
  • When you are tagged, you get to make up your own rules about what kind and how many items about yourself to write.
  • If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged--but only if you want to be--and link to yourself in the comments. I'd be interested to read about anyone who reads this blog but I'd rather not force you. This is based on the KST Theory of Tagging:
"Getting tagged should be like in elementary school. If the kid who's IT is ugly, you run faster. Or maybe you have a crush on them so you slow down and let them tag you. Whether or not you get tagged should be up to you."

Here we go.

1. The first song I can remember ever being obsessed with was "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees. I was maybe 5 and I listened to it over and over especially at bedtime. My exposure to this is credited to my Aunt Stacie who is just a few years older than I am. Part of my intense love for Paul Simon can also be attributed to her and her twin sister Stephanie because on one visit to Grandma's I overheard Graceland being played every morning in the bathroom while they got ready for school. Oh and speaking of Paul, the longest book I ever read, Conversations With the Capeman about Salvador Agron, I read because of his musical The Capeman.

mp3: Shonen Knife - Daydream Believer (Monkees cover)
mp3: Manfred Mann - Last Train to Clarksville (Monkees cover)
mp3: Jens Lekman - You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon cover)
mp3: Grizzly Bear - Graceland (Paul Simon cover)

2. I have always been fairly shy but for some reason I'm bolder at shows (though sober--remember I'm a good Mormon girl). I once got into an argument with a large Black bouncer at Roseland Ballroom in NYC after seeing The White Stripes that ended in Amy and me getting in for a second night of Jack and Meg for free. I've yelled at and shoved Dance Bully, this guy who frequents the SLC shows with violent and self-obsessed dancing, for dancing on top of me. And I don't think twice about glaring at the annoying kids (do NOT sing in my ear). But in the rest of life I think I'm quite kind.

mp3: The White Stripes - Death Letter/Motherless Children (live)

3. The first concert I attended was Garth Brooks with my parents. This was not my musical choice and I'm not too proud of it. But I was young and all I remember is watching the beer bongs.

4. I've played the euphonium since age 10 and the piano since age 3. And the guitar since college just a little bit. I'd like a really old piano or any piano, and a shiny new silver marching euphonium so I don't have to look at the dents anymore and can stand with it more easily. I will learn the accordion next, since my dad is a virtuoso.

5. I've never sent fan mail, but once wrote, kept, then tossed a letter to David Gray.

mp3: David Gray - This Years Love

6. One of my roommates is one of The Moz Twins, sisters who maybe are the biggest Morrissey fans ever and maybe are famous among the fan community. Their devotion to "The Man" is fascinating. I'd like to make a documentary about them but haven't asked. If you guys read this, consider the offer.

mp3: Morrissey - Everyday Is Like Sunday

7. I always think I'll write music but I don't. The only thing I've ever written was a Tarantella that my piano teacher made me play in a competition. It wasn't good or anything.

8. In college a friend taught me to do something called Music Appreciation. Music can be very moving, especially when you lay down touching your feet or whole body to a large speaker and let the vibrations move your innards.

Oh and also I've now been to Abbey Road. Oh John Lennon's birthday. But that's not number 9 cause we gotta keep things even around here.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah, Paul Simon covers. Good post. It's not from Graceland but check this cover of Paul Simon's 50 Ways to leave your lover...
http://www.agkmusic.com/AGK.html

Mr President said...

Excellent post. I actually agree with you about generalisations when it comes to blogging.

Most of my news comes from blogs I read, political, sports or entertainment. Personally I find them a much more "honest" form of media than mass media. They're "real".

I hope you didn't find my tag too forceful. It wasn't intended as a "You must do this or you'll grow boils in places you'll really wish you didn't have boils in" scenario.

My thinking was, with NaBlo being quite unforgiving of writer's block (and we all suffer from that from time to time) memes can often alleviate that and keep you on track to complete the month.

That and I hoped to send some traffic around (I know at least one of my readers visited every blog I tagged). One of the best aspects of NaBlo is discovering new blogs so I hope I enabled more people to discover yours.

As a final note I love your unique take on the meme. That, I've always thought, is what they're for. You take the "ball" and run with it and in so doing expose new facets of our social dynamics. Great answers and I love your new rules!

Jo said...

Mr: no not too forceful, if i didn't want to do it i wouldn't have. Plus by saying "forced self-indulgence" i'm justifying talking about myself for such a length because it was requested. It was a fun exercise and I appreciate the traffic sent my way. Plus i liked your randomized method. And thanks for the comments. Music bloggers can be fairly cold and elitist by nature, so I always like seeing a warm (but not lolzy) approach to blogging interaction.

aikin said...

that's odd someone would make such broad generalizations about the blogosphere. Maybe they don't get it - I dunno...

Anyway, I'm a music blogger and don't think I'm cold and elitist. I try to be nice to people (online, anyway!) and try not to make my musical tastes seem like they're better than yours. Generally, I think my readers more or less share my musical tastes or they'd be looking at something else. So that part is easy.

That said, I just found your blog while looking for something, liked what I saw, and thought I'd offer my two cents!

Jo said...

you're right, now there I go making generalizations. they aren't all cold and elitist, but a few. and a few readers too. hey, i am too sometimes.

Birdy said...

Have you looked for the child molester from the boog swamich post? Are you sure he doesn't have a blog?

Anonymous said...

have they looked out their windows lately? beyond the blog and onto the saddest planet in the universe.
at the very least, the blog-world
has no physical contact and shares music, ideas, and individual assessments, as opposed to sharing and spreading, say, the next human viral flu.

(independent artist here -
if it strikes your fancy,
i have various covers beyond the album that are posted and downloadable on the MUSIK page
here:
( http://www.thepeptides.com )

keep on bloggin' bro.

cheers

Jo said...

i know! i learn more via blogs than the news. and i keep in touch with more people through blogs and technology than i ever did before. it makes for closer not more limited connections.

thanks for the url. love the look of the site!

wildberries said...

I can't help but notice how you talk about you complain about people who stereotype the wide world of blogging--- and then turn around and do the exact same thing to livejournal.

anyway, i came here for the shonen knife, so thanks. :)