...I swear it. There is either a real person inside my Apple-branded MP3 player or I am slowly going a bit Syd Barrett? As far as I'm concerned my shuffle isn't really shuffling. Song randomisation it is not. It is a very sophisticated taste-maker being, lurking deep within the electronics.
I'll give you an example. The other day I was wandering through New York and I bumped into the drummer from Elbow. I knew this because above him was a big sign saying ELBOW. Anyway, I like Elbow but I've only just got the new album. So when I got back to my hotel room I put the iPod in the dock next to the bed and pressed play. The shuffling pod shuffled up 'Friends Of Ours'. This is my favourite Elbow song because on a previous morning the pod dealt it to me just as I reached the crest of the hill on my run through the park. Coincidence?! I think not. The shuffle has never played me another Elbow song since.
I found the deepest shop in the world. Old TVs, radios, amps and my favourite... microphones. I hate memorabilia shops normally. A few flashing Coca Cola signs and an old Dansette does not interest me normally. No this shop is buff. The real shit. I picked up a reem RCA 77. Vintage ribbon microphone technology. Amazing sound but with a story. A news story. For this microphone was previously owned by CBS. When I touch it I can almost hear the Cuban missile crisis being announced to the American nation or maybe the assassination of Kennedy or even perhaps a sponsored announcement for tinned meat. My music is basically news. News from inside my head. I am a news reader reading the conflict and unfolding situation live from top of my dome.
The album is almost done. I just need to get through the weather report and it's yours. It's just a pity there's a ten week gap between me telling the news and it being available to you, though. I hope my news hasn't become tomorrow's chip paper by then.
On deciding that the album might sound a bit smoother if we mastered the whole thing onto analogue tape, I purchased a reel to reel tape player. Ebay based.
What is best, old or new? Motown is definitely better than Stock, Aitken and Waterman, but I have to say Cockney Thug by Rusko is a CHOON and was only made this year (I was demonstrating my grasp of old by using the word CHOON, a fine term from 1998, I believe).
Taking from the ways of the old masters is what we are doing, though. The orchestra has definitely benefited from a bit of third harmonic distortion but this traditional approach is very hard. I want to click a mouse and instantly recall my whole life. Physical things in the real world also smell funny. A reel to reel tape recorder has a mechanical, electrical and stale steel smell. My G4 laptop smells like 2008, which I like very much.
Magic is struggling with around 100 foot of magnetic ribbon as I write this. It's not looking good. George Martin would never have stood for that. The good news, though, is that mum now likes the album. She hasn't liked it up til now and when mum likes it, it means it's probably listenable. I'm excited that the sentence may soon be over. I can go back to the computer and software and the real world rather than the reel world.
SkinnerBlog 11.04.08 - Hooded up when it’s bait inside
From the birthplace of Christ to the bustle of Ireland's historical streets. From Israel to Ireland. I definitely know whose weather I prefer, but at least I'm now as brown as Jesus. The religious undertones here in Dublin are a nice decompression before the harsh, sinful nature of London's Kings Cross where our bus will leave me in a few short days.
I'm learning to play this wonderful concertina that I bought from an equally charming Irish man. I can now play 'Nite Nite' after struggling for an hour to find anything resembling a minor chord. This thing only seems to want to play happy music.
Hope the weather is better tomorrow to all that are coming to see me. I had a bit of practice in Tel Aviv so hopefully I'll know what the fuck to do when I get on stage.
SkinnerBlog 6.04.08 - The official drink of Beat Stevie...
...is Campari. The Order of the Kings of Beat Stevie has ordained Steve Zissou of The Life Aquatic as being a higher power. His holiness Steve Zissou of the Belafonte has said that all shall drink Campari and be happy. I’ve just had a hard long evening with Beat Stevie, without Mayhem as he is in the desert in a tent. Thou shalt drink Campari.
Today I visited the birthplace of Christ. I will probably never again be able to say that of my day. It has a certain ring to it in western European culture. Possibly one of the most famous stories ever told unfolded in the streets we padded today. The olive groves of shepherd hill, the nativity church, the manger, the streets of old Jerusalem where the man like JC carried the cross. All these things might not make you religious but definitely make you go, ’F*ck... I am walking where Christ walked’. The Beat Stevie crusade marches ever onward like Christian soldiers.
I was left feeling like an April fool yesterday. For some reason me and Ted were talking about ’The Shining’ all day yesterday and he couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it (particularly since Dawn Shadforth’s amazing video for ’Prangin Out’ was based on it). Anyway, I decided late last night to put it on (I had it on DVD from when we made the video). So it’s pretty tense stuff and I well liked it, but then just as Jack Nicholson said "here’s Johnny!" the DVD ground to an absolute halt and said something like "unrecoverable fault" or something.
So, if anyone can tell me what happens in ’The Shining’ just after he says "here’s Johnny", I would be greatly appreciative.
And still remember to check Beat Stevie on Channel 4 at 0:55am on Friday night...
I have been keeping a secret from you. The new Beat Stevie will explain it all. It hasn’t distracted me too much that my music didn’t get made, which was the most important thing. But I could have told you about it ages ago. Anyway, I’m telling you now...
SkinnerBlog 23.3.08 - Snow business like show business
It feels like Christmas this Easter. London couldn’t be more different from LA right now which, outside of my little musical box, seems to be the place we are focusing on at the moment. There is a surprise in the next Beat Stevie concerning HOLLYWOOD. Happy Christmas.
Certain generations do certain things well. I think that’s because humans will always take the path of least possible resistance and in any given generation the competition will vary. Painters were better before photographs came along. Velázquez is a good example. If he’d had a Hasselblad, I’m sure the King of Spain wouldn’t have been so impressed with the fact that his paintings looked so lifelike. Although I have to say, his Pope Innocent X has an emotion to it that is fucking BIG DOG and probably not achievable by a photo.
In order to get some inspiration I decided to go to Rome to get to know Bernini a bit more. The way he squeezes all that passion into the rolls of the Ecstasy of Santa Theresa’s dress was inspiring. So I decided to squeeze a double bass into the booth....
In general I have an attitude that less is more. The more I can take away from the song the more simplistic its beauty might be (to varying degrees of success, I'm sure you'd agree).
The tambourine shakey shakey has been an important sound to get right. It rides out any imperfections in the groove very successfully, if well executed. I own probably 30 pieces of this kind of percussive hardware. I could start a Harry Krishna band. In fact, the first band I ever had was called 'Harry and the Krishnas' with my brother on drums, who now drives a lorry and has 'never went to church' tattooed on his arm.
Anyway I'm rambling. Every piece of percussive hardware has its own sound but none has ever had the true weight of the kind of 'SH SH SH SH SH SH SH' that I've secretly yearned for. Until I woke up this morning with the idea to gaffa a load of them together!
DON'T ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR INNER RULES.
The violin practice moves ever on. I can now play 'Bittersweet Symphony' in a drowned cat style. I'll post a short video when I'm ready.
Check out Example's new video as well. He is no longer anything to do with me so I can be really honest. I love it. Here it is.
In a bid to write and only write for a few days, I decided to ride a train. To Austria. Pretty much two days on the open track is a beautiful thing. The British countryside becomes northern France before a few moments in Paris turns to French then Germanic trees and nature.
The devil came back to my album. I mean Lucifer as a character in a story, rather than just a sense of rebellion. I also wrote a very long section about sand castles. It was quite sad but will no doubt be binned with the alien and the donkey songs.
As I was finishing off my fleisch in Munich I imagined releasing all the alternative wacky versions of these songs that were rejected. I've written more words on this album than probably all the others combined. I could make an album of the binned things. The sillier lyrics. The discarded bars.
Anyway, we put in a date for the real album's release, which can change and I'm not sure I'm allowed to tell you it yet. Even though it's AGES away, it's really exciting to know things are firming up.
MayhemBlog 4.2.08 - NME herald new dawn of band’s presence on the internet
Because Mike is so busy trying to finish his album, he seems to have failed to have noticed that his blog is nominated for Best Blog in the NME. It used to be both our blogs together but with the demise of The Beats it seems as though I have been cast aside like Amy Winehouse's bleach. It's just me me me now. And he can't even be bothered to do his own blog to tell you about it.
So, yeah, in order to vote for this you have to register, which is a bit of a pain in the arse, but it does mean that NME will get all your details and be able to email you the latest exciting news on the Kaiser Chiefs's new shade of corduroy underpants.
But vote anyway, if only because it'll be funny to force Mike into coming up with an excuse as to why he can't pick up the award...
