On One Eyed Men

"In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king" — Tom Waits, "Singapore"

I was around 21 or 22 the first time I heard this phrase, courtesy of Tom Waits on his magnificent Rain Dogs lp. It always struck me for its, I don't know. Mystic zen? Something. It's one of those lines that, when you're young, just plain sounds cool and you don't have to put much thought into it; just file it away and enjoy.

And then one day, 25 or more years later, a day comes when you're trying to figure out why you aren't making any headway in the office even though you're hitting the ball out of the park on a regular basis, and everyone is fawning over the guy who's taking your initiatives and presenting them as their own. Those who learn swiftly, on their own and under their own motivation, have a hard time understanding those who can learn, but won't. And maybe they're a little repelled. Disdaining. Whatever. But that other guy, he doesn't have that problem. He wants to be the guy people turn to for help and doesn't need them to learn on their own so he can go on to other projects. He even has a name: The Go-To Guy. He's got the answer everyone's question, and/or will go searching for it, for them. He may not know, himself, but Google's right there and he will not send them an email link that includes the lmgtfy.com domain.

...

The pressure to be on social media is astonishing in its scope. If you aren't visible for the masses, you don't exist for the masses. And who wants to be non-existent? So I finally gave in and joined, sometime around 2008 but didn't really get active at all for another 5 years, when I was out of radio.

Social media is like work, for me. Only I'm not getting paid. I and others, amateur and pro, alike,  create content for Silly Con Valley information distributors, free of charge. I don't think anyone ever could have come up with a device that's so perfect for forcing creatives and other self-starters to waste their time and get beaten down, mentally, if they'd tried. And once you're there, if you are the highly communicative sort and you have a finely tuned bullshit detector, it's a recipe for antagonism. If the pressure to be there in the first place is bad, that's nothing compared to the pressure to conform to the CW of your peer community — who haven't spent 30 years of their life under the threat of being fired at any given time, if they didn't have their act together and their words chosen carefully and responsibly for the public interest, necessity and convenience. The majority of your FB friends will not thank you pointing out disinformation and the illogical nature of their content. They never had to sit down in an aircheck session.

For this reason alone, I'm finding a huge preference to Reddit these days, although that, too, is a time waster for creatives unless you are deliberately collaborating or otherwise incorporating it into your work. When the worst thing anyone can do is downvote you, life's not bad. It's easy to hide in the crowd; you're under the cloak of anonymity, there's no price to pay. There's an aspect to transparency that, especially as a creative, I find horrifying. It invites ankle-biters like nothing else on earth.

...

I often lead kayaking trips, now, for an interest group on Facebook. Kayaking has been a hobby for 11 years. I started out under the mentorship of two wonderful Middle Tennessee paddlers: Dennis Fulk, and Leslie Dunn. They both saw that I had some smarts and a knack, and gave me tips while we in the midst of river trips.

Now the sport has increased twenty-fold, thanks to the twin engines of poorly designed but newly affordable brands you find at discount retailers, and social media — especially Facebook and Instagram. FOMO is making a ton of greenbacks for someone, that's for certain.

Leading trips for these interest groups is both wonderful and a pain in the ass. Nothing delights me more than turning people on to new things and experiences. I take no small amount of pride that the first trip I ever organized to the Nantahala Gorge area led at least 5 people going on to intense whitewater training; at least two went on to become instructors, another followed his drummer to become a raft guide on the Ocoee. Every summer. Another one of my newbs started up her own Facebook kayaking group and was a board member of TSRA, Middle Tennessee's premier swiftwater training group.

And that's all wonderful. But here's what is happening in the Facebook paddling groups springing up everywhere:

First, you've got those who would be organ donors if they had the ability to purchase a motorcycle for $90, and get it on the road without any kind of instruction or licensing. And they're cheering on equally uninformed newbies and wannabees.

A more personal challenge — because, remember, I used to get paid to research, digest, and share information — are those who, going by their profile pics, appear to be fairly successful people and when I post a paddling event, want to know exactly where is the put in location? and where is the take out (some times it's right in the event info; occasionally I'll arrange another meeting place for a caravan)?, exactly how long will it take? and other items which are specifically addressed in the event information. They may ask how long is the drive? All this, rather than do their own web/maps search. I've gotten to the point where I just don't/won't answer those questions anymore. 85% of the time in the past, when I have, they ended up cancelling out, anyway. Others have no intention of signing on to go with strangers, at all. They just want the details so they can go with their own crew. I don't think it occurs to them, the amount of time it takes people to master some types of knowledge, but the internets have trained them to expect to be spoonfed.

So yes, of course they love the one-eyed man. They love the go-to-guy and gal, who will happily answer their questions for the ego boost, alone. Hopefully the go-to-guy will find some way to benefit, beyond that.

I just can't do it anymore.

Rumblings ...

      Dang, four years. I'd apologize, for abandoning this little project, but to whom? At best, you could say I got dragged into the social media hole. At worst, I just got dragged.

     2012-2014 were horrible years. The worst. My Program Director committed violent suicide, via handgun, in February of 2012, after having been undermined for years. Over the course of the next few months, depression and cognitive dissonance set in as I came to finally understand that I was never going to be anything more than window dressing there, and for people who wouldn't have lasted more than six weeks with my previous employers. That's an arrogant thing to say, I suppose. That kind of knowledge breeds hubris, and it didn't endear me to anyone. Especially the station accountant who was set to become the VP of programming, a background move which was set in early 2102 and never even announced to the rest of the station until .. well I don't know if there ever was any kind of memo, I just know that the rest of the air-staff had no clue, even a year later when I got canned. And so from April or May of 2012 and for the next two years, I spent most of my non-work related time in bed, with the comforters pulled up over my head.

      Should I manage to find any discipline, to return to writing in general and this blog in specific, the topics won't be contained to entertainment. Just fair warning.

     In recent years, I repeatedly find myself returning to a thread of thought, about how the atmosphere around the 1970s anti-Disco movement has re-emerged in social media and politics. In coming times, I hope to fully articulate my feelings, thoughts, and opinions in a coherent narrative. I think a massive chunk of what's going on in our political divisions, is at least partly — and a pretty huge one, actually — the result of how the emergence of rock radio dovetailed with business interests, and how the advertising/marketing industry was engaged to assist in carving out a cultural identity for rockists. I believe we are in a societal arena that's very similar to the anti-disco backlash, due to social media, and now that we are all thrust back into a cultural marketplace with few massive communities instead of tons of smaller ones, the battle is on for whose culture or subculture will be dominant. And the people running for various offices are using it.

So .. if I can find and hang onto the necessary discipline, you'll see more on that.

- MB

January Sounds (or, I'm stumped for a pithy title)

    What's become an interesting year-end / year-beginning ritual for music lovers is the BBC's "Sound of" lists, something they started doing in 2003 when they chose 50 Cent as the act to watch. Their record hasn't been 100%; often, it goes like American Idol in that the runners' up are the most interesting, and have the better careers. In that first year the rest of the top 5 included Electric Six, The Thrills, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. #6? Interpol.

     2004 was another successful class, with Keane topping a poll that included Franz Ferdinand, Joss Stone, and Scissor Sisters. 2005? A bit of an off year. The Bravery came in first, Kaiser Chiefs at 5, and KT Tunstall at 6. And it's not that they were lacking, but lasting chart power wasn't a factor in that year's list. 2008. Now there was a class. Adele, Duffy, Ting Tings, Glasvegas, Foals, Vampire Weekend, Joe Lean & The JJJ, Black Kids, MGMT, and Santigold — only two of those ten haven't gone anywhere since.

     So, there're some good calls and bad. Some with shit-tons of artistic merit, and some pure bubblegum. This year's top pick is a kid named Sam Smith and his voice is heavenly, but the arrangements are the stuff pop confection is made of. Listen to him on Disclosure's "Latch" for a less RickRoll-worthy experience.

    California's BANKS and Chicagoan Chance the Rapper comprise the interesting Americans on the list. What's really got me worked up at present, though, is a young Bristol kid named George Ezra. #5. Little skinny blonde kid with a voice that would make Mississippi blues and Dave Wakeling fans, alike, blink. Twice.

      Ezra got early support from a local BBC outlet, started doing open mic nights, found himself at Glastonbury in the summer of 2013, and is now signed to Sony and working with Class of 2009 graduate Lady Gaga's publicist. Already, people are looking for a repeat Jake Bugg phenomena, or is it just the deservedly cynical UK press? You can't blame them/us. So many times, we've been hyped on some piece of schlock with a too-good-to-be-true origin story. Ezra sounds like he's got the goods, regardless. Let's just hope he can stay away from the producers-du-jour.

      One thing, a little disquieting, is the marketing agreements that are already in place. Apparently there's some kind of Burberry fashion connection. Kind of reminds me of how a Nashville Americana band had a Stetson endorsement before their album even came out. Can't anything stand on its own, anymore?

       Speaking of the home team, among Nashville's newer residents is guitar slinger / songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan. Originally from Ohio, Tasjan landed in NY in the aughts, in the original lineup of Semi Precious Weapons. The band was hot on the glam scene and destined for great things, but they weren't the kind of great things Tasjan wanted, and so he walked away from Gagaland (yes, two Gaga connections in one post. Dig it) into the decidedly more rootsy and down-to-earth Madison Square Gardeners. Even though that band wasn't very long lived, it put him in the same scene as people like Kevn Kinney and Todd Snider, who talked Tasjan into moving to Nashville. Between playing with SPW and bringing his solo act here, he's managed to share stages with the likes of the NY Dolls, Golden Palominos, Tim Easton and Drivin' n' Cryin'. In the latter case, he's their current guitarist.

       Like all the hard-working kids in town, Aaron Lee Tasjan's been out on the road almost since he got here. Keep your eyes peeled for his next local gig. This was at the Stone Fox, in December.

   

Brand New Single From Foster the People - Coming of Age

I don't think I've ever heard of the Direct Lyrics website, but a lot of people are about to. Foster the People have released a new single and they've got it up and streaming.

2013 Countdown Finish ... and the Top 5 Songs Are

5. Vampire Weekend - Diane Young

     This became a song people either loved or hated. I fell on the love side; it was like Elvis on steroids.

        

4. Macklemore & Lewis - Thrift Shop

    Backlash over this song, but particularly the video, developed over the song's send-up of commercial hip-hop culture. More on that further down the list but the important ingredient here is thrift shopping has long been the province of young, creative people in low-paying jobs. And $50 t-shirts deserve all the ridicule they garner.

3. Disclosure - When a Fire Starts to Burn
     
      UK brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence have been called 2013's stealth success. They were still living in their parents' home and taking festivals by storm last summer and hypnotizing people with the likes of ...

     

2. Lorde - Royals

     So ... about that backlash over criticism of hip-hop culture. Between "Thrift Shop," Lily Allen's "Hard Out Here," and "Royals," hubcaps and gold overlays took a minor stabbing. Are the complaints valid? I don't know. Perhaps. If so, they are no more (or less) valid than womens' complaints about 25 years of bitch/ho.

1. Kanye West - Black Skinhead

      And then there was this. Did someone say "bitch"? Why yes, actually.

Quick Take on The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

       I saw the flick this afternoon. If you're a JRR Tolkien purist, you probably won't care for it — unless you're also a huge action fan and maybe a whitewater enthusiast. Peter Jackson has um ... Jacksonized the flick and turned it into a Lord of the Rings prequel that threatens the suspension of disbelief for the latter.  As a result, some of the best things about Hobbit 2 are also the things that also make it kind of dodgy.

Highlights: 

     Visually it's a 3D-elight, if you decide to view it in that media. The movie opens with a dark orc chase that quickly gives way to a sun-filled, airy meadow, with bumblebees flittering around the screen.

      The Mirkwood elves' hangout. Of the three elf kingdoms, Mirkwood Hall is a little more decadent than Rivendell or Lothlorian. But it's also more tree-ier and looks more like a place you'd expect to see elves. (Did I really just type that?)

      Bilbo above the treetops. It's funny how such a simple scene was such a memorable passage, in the book.

      Bilbo and Smaug and Holmes & Watson. As UK tv's current Sherlock Holmes (and the most stylish man in the universe, since Bowie) Benedict Cumberbatch is making a lot of people his bitch these days. As Smaug, he gets outwitted by his Watson, Martin Freeman as Bilbo. Cute, huh?

    Gandalf gets attacked by formless, black smoke Sauron, who turns into Burning Slit Sauron as a result of Gandalf's defense spells (I think). 

    River Barrel Chase. As a kayaker, this may be the result of some bias on my part, but that looks like one badass run.

    Bard!

    Legolas! 


Not so much

    Legolas! I know, right? Orlando Bloom is always a welcome sight, but there's something that's just wrong about a scene with a Legolas that looks 10 years older than he was in the LotR movies, meeting Gloin, father of Gimli, several decades before LotR takes place.

    Mirkwood Spiders. That whole business was kind of a let down, compared to the book.

    The Sauron reveal is another instance where you wanna go, 'hey gee, cool,' before you wonder, if they knew this cat was out of the bag this early in the story, why didn't they start coming up with a Destroy Sauron plan much earlier?

   No emotional connection to the story. Or very little of it, anyway. There's an elf/dwarf (Legolas, Kili, and the newly introduced Tauriel) love triangle that got added into the mix, but even that doesn't seem to hold up as any kind of sweepstakes. Considering what we know of LotR, it's a safe bet Legolas is going to wind up single, anyway.

  
    Overall: It's a good popcorn movie; the craft that went into it was superb. On the down side, its soul is missing. You don't get the feeling the movie makers love these characters the way they did in Jackson's other Tolkien trilogy. When you consider that was a much shorter book, and it's getting three installments, you'd think someone would have taken a little more time for that.

2013 Countdown Continued (15 Songs)

At this point it starts getting hard, with self-second-guessing as the new hobby. At this point, almost any of the next ten songs could get my vote for #1, depending on what day it is and what I'm doing.

But ...

10. James Blake - Retrograde

            White soul doesn't get much whiter or much more soulful than this. Blake evoked early '80s UK acts, but traded out the fromage for some knob fiddling, taking home the Mercury Prize as a reward. 

9. Volcano Choir - Byegone

     Justin Vernon's other band, or one of them, has been kicking around since 2005. This summer saw their second release, Repave.  If the Bon Iver chorals put you off, you can relax. The guitar does the soaring on this one.

8. NONONO - Pumpin Blood

          What is it with the Swedes? They were all over the place this year, in pop, rock, and post-rock all.  In NONONO's case, it's pop of the infectious kind.

           

7. Valerie June - Twined and Twisted

          There are an unlimited number of gorgeous songs on the debut of Brooklyn-via-West Tennessee's Valerie June. Though initial hype focused on June's collaboration with Dan Auerbach, the ageless, deep-South, soulful country songs are the ones that leave an imprint long after the player has moved onto the next song in the shuffle.

6. Phosphorescent - Song for Zula

      And another from a deep South native, gone to NYC. Alabaman Matt Houck  made the album of his life, in the aftermath of that life falling apart. "Song For Zula" not only stood "Ring of Fire" on its head, it also became an anthem for anyone with a tired-of-love gripe to whine about.