My Day of Rest

Why do we all only ever seem capable of having unproductive, comatose, and downright lazy days when we get a surprise 'holiday' from work? It's almost as if, all day, we subconsciously protest any action which might require effort. By no means am I complaining about this incredibly divine day of rest(HAHA, GET IT?), but I am curious as to how much we all truly hate our jobs when it seems that these days are just symbolically meant to smite the modern workman's ethos.

I haven't felt the need to leave my room all day. All I did all day was sleep, watch Roger Clemens perjure himself, drink some scotch, and browse teh internets. At the moment, I'm sipping on yet another glass of Glenfiddich scotch while watching Duke rip Maryland a new asshole, I just ordered A LOT of pizza for no apparent reason, season two of Arrested Development is awaiting play from my Xbox, and even if that gets boring, I've got the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition to peruse...

A perfect bachelor night, if you ask me, so Happy Valentine's Day suckers!

Blast From the Past

I wrote this a tad bit tipsy one night back in the summer of 2007, but I still feel it encompasses all that I feel about modern society's response to pop music these days. Sorry if some of you have read this before (who am I kidding, no one reads this blog).

I consider myself a music snob…I hate most pop songs, and most anything on the radio these days. I believe that the music scene in general has embraced popularity instead of quality of the music they create, therefore, the business driven producers only work with musicians who want to create a radio hit that is mind-numbingly simple and repetitive. It takes a true artist to create original, inspired, moving music. Now, 99% of "bands/artists" can't ever come close to musical geniuses like Beethoven, Mozart, or any contemporary composer, however, I find it especially intriguing when someone that is "just in a band" can compose, arrange, or even improvise and bring to life phrases which twist and entwine our emotions in a true religious way.

Now, I've run into many people who say music is one of their hobbies. Now, for 80 percent of you, I'd probably call your selection of music "shit God wouldn't even wipe". Most country, and hip hop have no musical originality or meaning, but that's not even the point. I've found the difference between the 80 percent mentioned above and people like me, for which music is actually a hobby. For instance, when someone with no musical background identifies with a song they like, say, "Friends in Low Places", what they do is relate to the lyrics. They either want to be the person in the song, or just enjoy the lifestyle they wish they were living while listening to the song. They do somewhat get the same feeling of euphoria that I receive when I listen to a mind blowing arrangement, however, for most people, music is just another way to jack off to your ego. Hip hop is a prime example. All I have to do to see insecure, narcissistic people is watch a series of rap videos.

The difference between most individuals and myself is that I ascertain an appreciation from the notes/chords someone blends or weaves together. When I listen to a piece/song I "like", I don't think of any version of myself, any lifestyle I wish I was living, or what clik I am apart of… I completely lose myself in religious ecstasy. It's been shown exactly what your brain's processes are like when entranced by music. Your brain treats music like a game. Subconsciously, your brain loves trying to predict where the beat/phrases of a piece of music will fall. It's tremendously excited when it either predicts what comes next in song or phrase. The ONLY thing more exhilarating for the brain is when it is surprised by the music (assuming it still represents something conventional to the sound you enjoy). Essentially, improvisation is like a female orgasm for the brain, and that is why most of the finest musicians in the world are jazz musicians.

But I'm getting off topic on my original message I wished to make: the reason I don't like "pop" is because, in my opinion, much much much much more emotion and interpretation comes from the collection of notes either in a phrase, melody or chord than can ever come from lyrics. Can amazing lyrics draw me to an artist? Absolutely, however, I've always maintained that this aspect of songwriting is a distant second to the connecting of notes in a song. That's why it's called music and poetry is called poetry. When someone mentions to me, "hey man, read these fantastic lyrics", I always think (but don't always respond), "Yea, why don't you actually read fucking poetry which is a universe times greater than anything that hack just wrote about being sad…….."

Sorry if I offended any of you, but I could give a whimsical fart what you think (don't you hate when someone says sorry, but fuck off?).

PS-have I been drinking? Yes, but it's the only way I can drizzle my thoughts out of my seemingly wired, coked out brain. Sorry if you listen to Hinder…