Tales of the Treadmill
Tales of the Treadmill
We Find Ourselves Fascinating
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
This is the kind of thing that happens when we’re bored.
On Oct 28, 2008, at 10:53 PM, Tony Lee wrote:
Yeah...*&$#@!•@!
Dude, if I thought you really wanted it I would be The Chief to your McMurphy, but it'll be fine. I do not envy you, though.
Have you ever listened to David Byrne and Brian Eno's "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts?"
On Oct 28, 2008, at 10:58 PM, Angelo Gianni wrote:
i hate brian eno. hate. will never get over it. i think he sucks ass. and bach is boring too.
On Oct 29, 2008, at 12:45 AM, Tony Lee wrote:
Why hate Brian Eno?
If your reason is stupid, which I'm guessing it's going to be, I will only be reminded how pointless it is to have these conversations with you. Fun futility...
I'm hoping you have a good reason though.
On Oct 29, 2008, at 8:28 AM, Angelo Gianni wrote:
i dunno. just one of those dudes, like nick cave too- that i know i would be cooler to like them so i've tried, but i just really don't. i'm really and truly not a huge music fan. now all things considered, this american life, the moth etc... i'm a fan.
On Oct 29, 2008, at 9:10 AM, Tony Lee wrote:
Gotcha...honest...I can relate.
So, the npr shows and the moth...you like them because that makes you cooler? I'm not sure I understand what you mean.
On Oct 29, 2008, at 9:15 AM, Angelo Gianni wrote:
nah, it's just that I really don't listen to music. I listen to my pandora jazz station that's like, louie prima, charlie parker, miles, and armstrong - lisen to Aimee Mann, that muse record, treadmill demos, and that's it. i'd much rather listen to spoken word stories like the moth or this american life or old joe frank. not sure why. you know- i have like however many thousands of songs in itunes, and if i turn it on to random, I just constantly click to the next song after 5 seconds. music is kind of boring.
On Oct 29, 2008, at 9:36 AM, Tony Lee wrote:
I know you've had this "condition" for a long time. I think it's too bad, but it's not fatal, so who cares?! BUT the fact that you are attracted to anything is proof enough that SOME things resonate with you; therefore, it's not a big leap to consider the possibility that there are other "undiscovered" things that would elicit a similar reaction from you, no matter how particular your taste/opinion.
So, it's got to be something else. You say you're not sure why you're this way. This conversation boils down to whether you care to know why, I suppose. My cynical perspective is that you pigheadedly refuse stimulation despite the possibility of discovery only to maintain a view that you developed at an early age. The situation seems similar to me as to when someone has a favorite dish at a restaurant that he orders nearly every time he eats there; trying another dish inevitably reaffirms his decision to stick with the favorite dish because he's not really looking to change his mind. Good analogy or not?
Your view is also confusing for someone who creates music. The "impossible to put into words" (I could say "ineffable," but I know you don't typically like it when I use out of the ordinary vocabulary!) quality that you like about the things you mentioned is easy to recognize in other art, but it does take some effort. Maybe that's the issue: you don't like to put "too much" effort into discovering new art, either the effort of looking for the quality in it or the actual looking for the art.
Sorry for going on about this, but I find it fascinating...truly. I'm not indicting you.
On Oct 29, 2008, at 9:57 AM, Angelo Gianni wrote:
i try to stay open and i really do listen to anything anyone recommends, but i just usually just sort of think it's all [explicit swear word removed for the right wing Christian contingency], with like the band of horses record, and the muse record as recent exceptions (not very recent, I know)- and you know- some other things. but also- i know that pretty much anything you listen to enough times, you'll start to like to certain degrees because it becomes familiar- but I like to narrow the field by pretty much deciding on first listen. like the latest radio head record- i just don't like it. that elbow stuff- it's okay, but it just didn't grab my [explicit use of anatomy removed for the right wing Christian contingency],. i'm sure it would if i listened to it a million times, but if i don't like it why would i listen to it a million times? it's a good governor on too much input.
i do know how it started. it started because i didn't want my songwriting to be influenced anymore. of course, that's impossible, but that's how it started. it also came from the clock radio- which i used to always listen to at night. i always found someone talking much more comforting than music.
it also started way before that, at that point that i can remember when I'd learned too much about the making of songs where they didn't sound like songs to me anymore- where i could no longer hear it as one solid thing, but only as the different instruments and parts. so now when i hear music, i hear it in a more analytical way that's not as enjoyable as it was when i could listen to a song as one thing when i was like 10. if that makes sense. the same thing sort of happened with movies too- as i learned the techniques, i could no longer watch a film as a film, but instead have to watch it now and spend my time thinking about what the technicians are doing. thinking about all the stuff i know is going on behind the camera instead of what's being projected. you know? I'm sure it's the same for a plumber- they can never again enjoy the simple pleasures of flushing a toilet without thinking about all that happens after that.
yeah, the restaurant thing is probably a good analogy. i'll try something, but if it sucks on first taste, why eat it?
the other thing is that i take in art for really only one reason- and that's to inspire weird thoughts that I wouldn't have had otherwise. i get much more of that by reading the New York Review of Books or listening to the Moth or This American LIfe- or reading a novel- like WAY more than I do listening to any record I can think of.
new album title contender: Pigheaded Refusal
On Oct 29, 2008, at 10:10 AM, Tony Lee wrote:
Yeah...that's interesting...genuinely. I feel you. Especially the analytical barrier to enjoying art. I found it difficult to watch a movie in a theater for quite some time after my LA life, still do sometimes. I feel like I've finally gotten to the point in my appreciation where I can experience art (music mostly) viscerally, whereas my nature (or so I thought) was to be analytical. It's fun trying to find the balance to me. I recognize in myself when I'm being analytical, sometimes it's a good thing, but a lot of the times it just gets in the way. I'm in no way suggesting that you should do the same thing, just to be clear. This is just my experience.
Let's consider doing a Band medley for our next acoustic show. What do you think about that?
We should talk politics! I'm disappointed whenever I have these conversations with most people.
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