Ghosts In Our Machine
I think I did something wrong there and lost a post while trying to edit it. We’ve been having a lot of weird things happening lately, which has been driving The Hobbit up the wall. So sorry about that. The link to the story that I mentioned is here if you want to read or bookmark it.
There seems to be a lot of ghosts in the machine lately. For one thing, my iChat on my new iMac is completely screwed and I have absolutely no idea why. I have tried everything that I, and a host of others (including friends at Apple), could think of with zero results. Basically, the chat function works fine, but once I try and video chat with someone the application crashes. Another bizarre thing is that every time I open it up, an empty chat window appears that is linked to the last person that I was talking to, even though I closed the application and the window. I have to admit, for all its advances, Leopard is becoming a bit of a pain in the ass.
Plus, my fucking caps lock key is still screwed.
Music Crap
I have been doing a lot of demoing recently and have completed half of my next release. I most likely won’t step into a studio until the fall, at the earliest, so you just know that I’m going to forget 90% of the guitar parts and have to spend two weeks figuring them all out again.
Damn it!
My DVD War With John Amato
John Amato, owner/operator of Crooks & Liars, and I have been engaged in an all out contest to see who can watch an entire television series on DVD in the shortest amount of time. And while that might make us sound like slackers, the reality is that John has been rather ill, and therefore bedridden, and I just haven’t been able to sleep for two weeks.
So far, John is ahead, though I did recently watch all of Ken Burn’s ‘The Civil War’ (for the 400th time) in one sitting, so I might have stolen the crown. I’ll have to wait and see what he comes up with next. Of course, he has the ever-evolving Presidential race to cover, among other things, so his time is going to be limited.
An Observation Regarding One Of My Favourite Blogs
It’s no secret that one of my favourite daily reads is Hot Chicks With Douchebags. Why, you ask, given the altogether serious nature of my own website? Well, probably because of the altogether seriousness of my own website.
That said; if you spend some time looking at the photographs on the site you’ll begin to see an eerie pattern emerge. 98% of the girls in those pictures look identical. The same blonde hair, the same wavy extensions, the same facial expressions, the same clothes. Is there a handbook out there that details this stuff? Come to think of it, given my past, I suppose I should be able to answer that question, now shouldn’t I.
Shit, my coffee’s cold.
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January 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Completed half of a new album or the EP release you were pondering?
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Not going to do the EP now. Have moved on to writing for the next release.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Sounds great, can’t believe how fast you release material.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Must be the coffee and lack of sleep !
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Cold coffee? I think Perpetual Kid sells a little USB powered heating/cooling plate. Might be just the thing.
And watching a Ken Burns doc of that size in one sitting? Good lord. I don’t want to know what could possibly top that.
Everybody that I know who jumped on Leopard as soon as they could are having the same kind of love/hate with it that you are. I’m thinking of waiting until summer to upgrade–let the Apple boys & girls develop a few fixes.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Are you with a label now or still shopping around?
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:37 pm
as per “Is there a handbook out there that details this stuff?”
yes, i believe that handbook is in the Do-it-Yourself aisle and it is called
“Whoring it up for Dummies”
(which is, notwithstanding, a post-modernist title if i ever read/created one)
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Writing for the next release? ARE YOU KIDDING US? Studio in the fall? no way.. That is around the corner… Use it or lose it, I’m sure you’ll get it back no problem, Matt.
p.s. This is funny, I put my coffee in the microwave right before I read this post, cuz my coffee was cold too damnit
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Matt, there is a manuel.. its called.. How to snag a incrediably hot rockstar.. There is this class we take when we are young and its so instructive…how to walk to make your chest look bigger, how to maximize your figure by standing in certain stances..Its all in there..Im playin, kindof.
And I am so excited got my tickets to my show here in Philly and am getting my new gear tonight!!
Havent been this excited since I met David Gilmour!
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Leotard is a pain in the ass too. God, why do I keep thinking you are talking about Leotard, and not Leopard?
I need help.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
My iChat has been a bit flaky too, and I definitely see that last chat window problem on my iMac. I haven’t been overly thrilled with Leopard either. I still can’t even connect my laptop to my wireless router at home using Leopard. I can hit every neighbors in the building, but refuses to connect to mine ever since installing it.
Thankfully my neighbor has great bandwidth.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Based on what I’m reading here, I will delay upgrading to Leopard. Sounds risky.
See Matt, you were right about the HGP island. They are mass producing the same woman over and over again… one for every douchebag in the land!
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
We’ve got -30C windchill today. Nothing stays hot. :p
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
The biggest issue I have with HotChicksWithDouchebags is how easy the writer is on the girls. But if I suggest that these girls are encouraging this behaviour, is that blaming the victim?
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Any chance you installed a new version of Quicktime? I just read a few forum posts from people who report the same behavior with iChat after going to a new Quicktime. Reverting to the old one fixed it.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Ha hope! Thats awesome.
Though back when I was a bouncer, I saw many such women myself. It was like someone threw this one blonde girl with big breasts and a plastic smile in a copy machine and just kept makin’ copies. But it must work, because 9 times out of 10, they would end up on the tourbus or in the green room or I would have to throw them and their paramour for the evening out of the ladies room. I am not sure what that says about them. If anything at all. Its not my thing personally, but I am rambling now. (And doing that whole meandering thing)
MY POINT in this response was, the force told me that I should not install Leopard. And though it has been failing me of late, I decided it may just be best to skip the whole installation. I have been getting sh** for it ever since, but I hear a lot of people complaining about its bugginess, so I think I’m going to stick with….I am such a mac novice…whichever release came right before it….
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
nice remotely personal blog, i like it!
two things, 1) why would u let urself forget the music? at the risk of sounding lame, why don’t u use music sheets? 2) i am pretty sure that there is a manual for pic taking, and i want to know where it’s stashed :)
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
“The Hangover” photo on the Douchebags web site is quite something, watch your eyes tough, mine still hurts !
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
[quote comment="37180"]We’ve got -30C windchill today. Nothing stays hot. :p[/quote]
I’m with you Eva !! Gotta love livin in the province of Québec !
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
the guys in these pics are just embarrassing, the girls are standard. too much makeup and fake tans, but someone’s gotta be into those kind of chicks; the douchebags.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
They say insomnia is just a symptom of a bigger problem. And I hope you’re exaggerating the amount of time you’ve been without sleep, or perhaps you should give Guinness a call.
My girlfriend and I both have MacBooks, and she recently got Leopard. Now her CPU seems to go haywire(the fan turns on) not even 30 seconds after she boots it up, and it won’t stop. It overheats if she’s on it for too long, now. So screw Leopard; I’m not getting it. But now I can’t watch the movie trailers at Apple.com. curses.
That hotchickswithdouchebags site is great; I check it daily. But, that post about John Mayer is quite hateful. Whoever wrote it seems to have something personal against him.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:13 pm
1. I think yesterday I was reading comments and had the option to edit ones I hadn’t written…heads up.
2. Yes, there’s a manual - it’s called every fashion/entertainment/lifestyle magazine and tabloid and every Hollywood movie and every “news” item about Paris and Britney and…..etc.
3. Hot Douchebags With Chicks - now that would be right up my alley.
4. I was too lazy to get Leopard and now I am glad.
5. MG recording new material = very exciting!
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
The whole new Apple keyboard is a piece of shit. First it was just the caps lock, then random keys decided to stop working on mine. It also pisses me off how they use the F6 -F12 keys for music controls, because those are Flash shortcuts
Regardless, I threw the damn thing out
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Matt is gone. And here we all are talking about 4 different subjects all at once.
Drop another bomb dude, it’s fun.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:42 pm
My 4 month old MBP has blue screened twice since installing Leopard a month ago. I also used to have the iChat window problem, sounds like you might need to do an erase and install and make sure your updates are up to date, there have been several iChat ones.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
All right, so this is a little weird, I’m reading the post and then the comments.. and for some reason it was saying that I could edit carly b’s comment… I’m not carly b and I don’t know why it would say I could do that.. not to mention it was posted over an hour ago. Weird, eh?
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I enjoyed this post. Funny.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
you might have clicked ‘quote comment’, tracy
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Darn. That was the post talking about oil prices and sound financial practice versus voodoo. And I think I saw that it may or may not be Pitt’s birthday.
Music: Cool
DVD: I watched “The Bridge” this morning. A fascinating documentary on the Golden Gate Bridge suicides. Google it.
HCWD: You forgot same tits.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
You’re funny.
iChat is weird. Once I made a friend contagiously yawn in Belgium and I find that pretty impressive.
All those chicks look the same but I know that not all of them are tools because of people I (and we) know.
I love demos. I want to hear them.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
[quote comment="37197"]
HCWD: You forgot same tits.[/quote]
Some however might have Apple technology and are glitching out right now. And I don’t think they have Mugford to help them out… but it might be an interesting endeavor on his part.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
[quote comment="37196"]you might have clicked ‘quote comment’, tracy[/quote]
Nope.. it was as if I was going to edit a comment of my own.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Sorry for my english…
Demos are // here put that word in english which mean something extraordinary, and something you loved from first chords// (okay, maybe there’s no such word but it should be XD)
And I hate cold coffee :)
Especially working in coffee shop at weekends. Bad, bad cold coffee…
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:34 pm
[quote comment="37197"]Darn. That was the post talking about oil prices and sound financial practice versus voodoo. And I think I saw that it may or may not be Pitt’s birthday.
Music: Cool
DVD: I watched “The Bridge” this morning. A fascinating documentary on the Golden Gate Bridge suicides. Google it.
HCWD: You forgot same tits.[/quote]
The Bridge is a fantastic movie, considering the subject matter. The guy who was held up by the seals… wow…
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Can’t wait to hear your new stuff!!
I know a few hot chicks with douchebags in real life. I also know a few douchebags with slightly unattractive chicks.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Ever since Matt posted that site I see the “douche face-pout” everywhere.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Great to see a new record coming along in the writing stage.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Dude, why don’t you video-tape yourself playing the guitar parts now, so at least when you need to re-figure them out, you’ll have a self-instructional video???
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Matt, I have the exact same problem with my friggin iChat on my iMac… the window reopening the failing video and even audio… *sigh*
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:10 pm
[quote comment="37185"]“The Hangover” photo on the Douchebags web site is quite something, watch your eyes tough, mine still hurts ![/quote]
I shouldn’t have looked.
I wonder where you buy a little number such as that.
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:15 pm
If you’re after ideas for new shows to become heavily addicted to, I can’t recommend http://www.outrageousfortune.co.nz/ <–this little beauty enough.
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:37 pm
As excited as I am to hear that you’re planning another full-length, I can’t help but lament the death of the EP and continued physical unavailability of such gems as Tidal Wave and Breath Of A Nation.
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Yes Mattie, you should be able to answer that question.
*grin*
T.V DVD was made for insomniacs. I just finished Law & Order, Season 5. Good stuff, bye bye Chris Noth :(
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
- friggin’ cold out east in the Maritimes too. -24 tonight before you even think fo the windy chill. And it’sbeen mighty windy.
- hot chicks? Yeah, it starts early. Check out the Barbie aisle and especially hte Bratz dolls.
- I think half the world had a bad day today. Mine wasn’t so hot either.
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I can see the new PC and Mac commercials now… Two old warped dorks complaining about how crappy they both are.
Back to the studio in the fall?? ….And the most prolific Canadian artist award goes to…
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I was addicted to Oz.. now its the Tudors, Brotherhood and Dexter..I wub Dexter
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Is Dexter the show about the serial killer that kills people who killed others? or was that just one episode?
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:24 pm
For me it was all about Deadwood and stargate…..odd combo….
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
[quote comment="37210"]Dude, why don’t you video-tape yourself playing the guitar parts now, so at least when you need to re-figure them out, you’ll have a self-instructional video???[/quote]
You are amazing and probably the only one that thought of that today!!!!
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:31 pm
[quote comment="37219"]Is Dexter the show about the serial killer that kills people who killed others? or was that just one episode?[/quote]
That would be the one.. I love the books.
[quote comment="37220"]For me it was all about Deadwood and stargate…..odd combo….[/quote]
Loved Farscape..
[quote comment="37221"][quote comment="37210"]Dude, why don’t you video-tape yourself playing the guitar parts now, so at least when you need to re-figure them out, you’ll have a self-instructional video???[/quote]
You are amazing and probably the only one that thought of that today!!!![/quote]
What else would he do with said video camera, T?
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I guess I could try to think of a few things..
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Oh me too hope, i have all of those on dvd too….and *blush* xena and firefly OH and the golden girls…
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Jeez, I’m stuck in the 90s. All I watch is Kids in the Hall dvds. I have no need for others.
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
1) I can’t read or write music, never have been able to in any form or fashion. When i compose strings I use a keyboard.
2) I played a lot of the parts in different tunings using a capo on high frets.
3) I should have wrote that shit down or taken pics.
4) I am an idiot.
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:42 pm
1), you remind me of Jann Arden on some show last night when she said she can’t sing , but no one else will sing her stuff.
2) I’m not sure what that is.
3)… video tape, dude.
4) we all disagree.
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
[quote comment="37227"]Oh me too hope, i have all of those on dvd too….and *blush* xena and firefly OH and the golden girls…[/quote]
I would never admit to the Golden Girls.. give me hell now.
[quote comment="37228"]1) I can’t read or write music, never have been able to in any form or fashion. When i compose strings I use a keyboard.
2) I played a lot of the parts in different tunings using a capo on high frets.
3) I should have wrote that shit down or taken pics.
4) I am an idiot.[/quote]
In regards to #1.. Eric Clapton cant read it or write it either.. but he is still super kick ass.. Much like you. Reading and writing music is one of the hardest things.. I play clarinet and can read and write music, but I trained for a long to do that.. and I still fuck it up.
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Don’t be knocking the Golden Girls. They make growing old cool! :)
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Capo is a board , a clamp if you will, that is placed over the fret.. so in essence he is playing his guitar with a shorter neck..So all the chords played are in a higher key.
A fret is the lines you see on the neck of a guitar.. the stock as some call it.. its what you place your fingers over in order to play chords..
Matt, if I am messin this up, please tell me.
So when you are holding the guitar, your one hand is over the neck ( fret board)..the other is placed over the strings on the body of the guitar..
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
[quote comment="37231"]Don’t be knocking the Golden Girls. They make growing old cool! :)[/quote]
Hey Blanche was sexy in her time, I guess.
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:06 pm
[quote comment="37231"]Don’t be knocking the Golden Girls. They make growing old cool! :)[/quote]
Does that mean I’m cool???
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Jann’s much cuter T
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Yea she is..
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
matts an idiot
oh well shit happens, no ones perfect
atleast you’ll learn from your mistake
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Having a damaged short term memory, and absolutely no idea how to play a guitar, I often forget most riffs within a half hour of playing them. Give me a week, and I can play it no problem straight away (if my fingers can reach…I should get a capo). Same with keys.
Where sheet music is concerned, I prefer to not play with it on piano since you’re reading treble and bass clef simultaneously. I find trusting my ears to be more reliable than my bass clef reading skills. However, when I play trumpet I absolutely love sheet music. Not so much for actually playing since it’s always better to hear and learn rather than whip out the ol high school site reading lessons, but because it’s fun to follow what your fingers are doing…
well, and cuz B flat treble clef is simple… although sheet music can complicate shit quite well…all the technical crap always confuses: for instance, what one would normally consider looping is called a DC al coda, and then maybe the end of the song has only a three or four bar variation on the loop, well then they put a cute little section at the bottom that’s got an al fine symbol and after playing the stupid coda three times you hit the symbol and go down to the bottom of the page to play the last three bars… Also it can be a pain in the ass if you’re actually writing multiple parts for multiple instruments because you have to transpose shit (oh my god, I hate transposing shit).
hahahaa Now that you’ve read my comment you already know more than you wanted to.
EDIT: On hot chicks and douchebags: I am proud to be a brunette, and super proud that I have never dyed my hair blonde, and I figure that if some dude doesn’t want me because I’m not Barbie’s long lost sister, well, oh well, I’m sure I’ll get on fine without the lame ass kissy face hanging off my shoulder in the background of all my pics. I’d rather a guy smell like juniper and books than coconut oil, brill cream, and booze.
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Oh gosh.. I love the smell of books. Sheesh. And I find writing music and reading it to be a pain if I am drunk
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:17 pm
IF you are looking for a good DVD series, go Firefly. Its only 13 episodes, but it is 13 of the best episodes that should have been 54 episodes on the planet.
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:21 pm
[quote comment="37244"]IF you are looking for a good DVD series, go Firefly. Its only 13 episodes, but it is 13 of the best episodes that should have been 54 episodes on the planet.[/quote]
Own it twice over Dale :)
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:21 pm
[quote comment="37244"]IF you are looking for a good DVD series, go Firefly. Its only 13 episodes, but it is 13 of the best episodes that should have been 54 episodes on the planet.[/quote]
Then watch Serenity. :)
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Got that too. But Dale’s right, that show should never have been cancelled.
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:39 pm
What are all these shows people are talking about? we have 372 channels, and I have never heard of these shows… I’m missing out..
One Tree Hill starts next week…anyone?
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I’m so mad. I have missed out by being on Facebook since April.. crap.. I love the new Calista Flockhart show.. I never miss that one!!!! I can’t believe how much tv I don’t watch though since becoming an addict of certain sites that shall remain nameless?
p.s. Matt , I see you are on.. In the age of email, is there still a fan club where fans mail things to you?
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:42 pm
[quote comment="37197"]Darn. That was the post talking about oil prices and sound financial practice versus voodoo. And I think I saw that it may or may not be Pitt’s birthday.
Music: Cool
DVD: I watched “The Bridge” this morning. A fascinating documentary on the Golden Gate Bridge suicides. Google it.
HCWD: You forgot same tits.[/quote]
Yes “The Bridge” was fascinating and rather well done considering the subject matter. It could have been all about the morbid gore of the subject but it wasn’t. It is definitely one of the most haunting films I have watched before and since.
And I find tits a funny word. Always have, always will. Along with ascertain but that goes back to The Kids in the Hall.
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I’ve always laughed at T and A.
for those just joining us tonite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2sFRUhgOFQ
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Aah yes T and A.
Except I don’t find ass funny in the same way as tits.
Tits is funny because while they are called that and I am the proud carrier of a wonderful pair, I never actually consider them that. They are boobs then.
Ass, well I have an ass. Perhaps I should come up with another inward term.
Caboose it is.
Shit, save me, I have that deplorable “my milkshake etc etc” song stuck in my head.
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I love my chest.. hehe
How did this turn into a talk of chests and ass?
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:02 pm
[quote comment="37253"]Aah yes T and A.
Except I don’t find ass funny in the same way as tits.
Tits is funny because while they are called that and I am the proud carrier of a wonderful pair, I never actually consider them that. They are boobs then.
Ass, well I have an ass. Perhaps I should come up with another inward term.
Caboose it is.
Shit, save me, I have that deplorable “my milkshake etc etc” song stuck in my head.[/quote]
You mean this one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ-FAV9fBII
Hehehe!
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:06 pm
‘My milkshake brings all the boys to yard!”
Your awful.. this is going to be in my head all night long.. along with this:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=m3ceCMpPJgc
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Yes that is the one.
Perhaps I need an intervention because that song will not leave me head. That and “Nothing Compares To You.
“[quote comment="37254"]I love my chest.. hehe
How did this turn into a talk of chests and ass?[/quote]
That was me. I take full responsibility.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:10 pm
[quote comment="37256"]‘My milkshake brings all the boys to yard!”
Your awful.. this is going to be in my head all night long.. along with this:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=m3ceCMpPJgc/quote
Wow, that’s just simply unfortunate.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:17 pm
[quote comment="37256"]‘My milkshake brings all the boys to yard!”
Your awful.. this is going to be in my head all night long.. along with this:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=m3ceCMpPJgc/quote
Owww!! Mommy! Make it stop!!!
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
[quote comment="37256"]‘My milkshake brings all the boys to yard!”
Your awful.. this is going to be in my head all night long.. along with this:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=m3ceCMpPJgc/quote
In my head now…. will be shakin my booty in my sleep
Edit:
NOOOOOOOO not Britney…. shame on you hope….
“I’ll tell you what I want what I really really want” god now that too… it was just on Leno sorry.. not my fault
Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:40 pm
[quote comment="37188"]That hotchickswithdouchebags site is great; I check it daily. But, that post about John Mayer is quite hateful. Whoever wrote it seems to have something personal against him.[/quote] Did you read Mayer’s blog entry about douchebags? I used to think he was alright, but to be honest, as more of his personality is revealed through that blog… the more I dislike him.
“In the case of Pete Wentz, whom I can comment on personally, I think the guy’s got the job description of musician down pretty damn well. … Big, bold, colorful ideas. They’re ideas that have never once had their edges sanded down, and for that reason some people might find him or his band too much to swallow. You know who else had that going for them in their day? Frank Zappa. And David Bowie. And Peter Gabriel. And Elton John. And the Doors.”
Yeah? Gabriel, Zappa, David Bowie, Elton, The Doors… and Fall Out Boy. Way to go, John.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
[quote comment="37228"]1) I can’t read or write music, never have been able to in any form or fashion. When i compose strings I use a keyboard.
2) I played a lot of the parts in different tunings using a capo on high frets.
3) I should have wrote that shit down or taken pics.
4) I am an idiot.[/quote]
1) Ever try tab? It’s a happy medium. I actually envy those who can pull it all of without knowing the first thing about theory. You people will never be restricted to with a want to be technically right. The only good a theory based background has done for me thus far is earn me a $50 honourarium for the highest mark in grade 12 vocal music, but that was probably because the most of the 29 other divas decided not to show up for most of the final testing and if they did, they probably didn’t study their work sheets.
2) So I’ve noticed, you bastard. :p I have to plan out my practices accordingly so I can stop and de-tune when I move on to your stuff. It really starts to become a bitch when I decide to start with a song in open G tuning.
3) If you ever remember, will you post the pics? Pretty please?
4) An idiot? Nah. A magificent bastard? That’s a bit closer. ;)
PS: Are you going to be playing bass on this new record? If so, good stuff. I don’t know how long you’ve been playing, but I like your style on 99% of Us is Failure and She’s In It for the Money. Very McCartney-esque.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
[quote comment="37228"]1) I can’t read or write music, never have been able to in any form or fashion. When i compose strings I use a keyboard.
2) I played a lot of the parts in different tunings using a capo on high frets.
3) I should have wrote that shit down or taken pics.
4) I am an idiot.[/quote]
Well, I’m glad I’m not the only idiot! I’m in good company now, I see. :)
I’ve driven myself half mad trying to figure out songs that I recorded 10 years ago on a four track, when I feel the need to resurrect them. There was a period of time where I would play in alternate tunings all the time. Add to that no music theory and it’s anyone’s guess what I was doing.
I feel your pain… heck, I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out your songs too, so I really know your pain! HAHA!
When I get too frustrated (figuring out one of your songs), I call up my best friend and ask him and he’ll take a listen and play it for me halfway through the first listen. He sucks. lol. I usually kick myself for caving in when I find out it’s something obvious, but it puts me out of my misery! He gets it close on the first pass and then I hear the difference right away between his take and the original and nail it on the next pass. The capoed ones, I hear right away for some reason. He was stumped on those and I knew them all. hehehe.
We make a good team (pun intended!) when it comes to figuring out your music!
When you made the original post, it also occurred to me that you should videotape yourself playing your music. Make a sign with the tuning on it and film that at the beginning of the tape and you’ll never be at a loss to know what tuning that video recording was done in. :)
P.S.
1. Dammit, Matt! That was a good article. I read it on my lunch today. Would have loved to hear your take on it.
2. Dare I ask if Leopard is worth the pain? I’ve been too busy training my horse since I bought him in the fall to think about upgrading the system software. I know I just won’t have the requisite patience at this point in my life if things go plaid on the install. I’ll wait until I have more time in the summer. It’s somewhere on the bottom of my ‘to-do’ list. I’m getting a real ‘no’ feeling here now, though. Do the pros of Leopard outweigh the cons for the average user?
I’m on Tiger now and it’s been flawless (other than the blue screen when I installed it!). ProTools LE (the free one, whichever that is) is having fits when run under Classic (the only way I can run it… I think!) and I just haven’t had time to deal with it. I did some mixing with it a week or two ago and it worked fine, but when I went to reboot under OSX the control panel to switch wasn’t working! Panic. I finally dug out a book that had the key combo to choose the start-up disc on reboot, but it made for a few tense moments! I really should deal with this issue. Some sort of weird error kept coming up and since the software was (apparently!) working and I was trying to crank out a mix in an evening, I wasn’t real motivated to fix it at the time.
3. How the heck did Kid Rock not get honorary doucebag status?! He’s their Patron Saint.
4. Cold coffee has become a way of life for me. I’m a hardcore caffeine addict. People are far too eager to feed my addictions. Co-workers buy me coffee without asking if I want it (almost daily… yeah, its a rough life!) and I drink the new hot offerings and then go back to the cold neglected cups. Waste not, want not! They all get drank… eventually. I’m such a caffeine floozy. :(
January 4th, 2008 at 1:22 am
[quote comment="37248"]Got that too. But Dale’s right, that show should never have been cancelled.[/quote]
I think “Arrested Development” should never have been cancelled.. That show was brilliant.
I am also a fan of “Freaks and Geeks” to be honest..
January 4th, 2008 at 5:44 am
cold coffee is like warm beer….once it hits your lips its like “why the hell am i drinking this shit?” . Then you pour it out, get a refill and say, “oh yes, that’s why”.
January 4th, 2008 at 5:53 am
Great post Matt, i like the updates on life. As for DVDs I wish I could make more time to watch some good series. Everyone keeps telling me how awesome Firefly is and I still need to watch the Ken Burns’ series The War, I hear it’s excellent. Can’t wait to hear some of the new material.
January 4th, 2008 at 5:59 am
aketch, Firefly is truly one of the best TV shows I have ever seen. I cannot believe they leave crap like Americas Next Top Model on TV and cancel Firefly.
The horror!
January 4th, 2008 at 6:29 am
[quote comment="37268"]
I think “Arrested Development” should never have been cancelled.. That show was brilliant.
I am also a fan of “Freaks and Geeks” to be honest..[/quote]
I cry a little every day for Arrested Development. The only saving grace is I have all of the series on DVD.
That show was sharp, smart and hilarious and therefore canceled.
*Shaking my fist at the Fox Channel machine in the sky*
January 4th, 2008 at 7:36 am
[quote comment="37274"][quote comment="37268"]
I think “Arrested Development” should never have been cancelled.. That show was brilliant.
I am also a fan of “Freaks and Geeks” to be honest..[/quote]
I cry a little every day for Arrested Development. The only saving grace is I have all of the series on DVD.
That show was sharp, smart and hilarious and therefore canceled.
*Shaking my fist at the Fox Channel machine in the sky*[/quote]
I completely agree! Every time I hear Final Countdown I get choked up. So sad it’s gone. It’s only 3 seasons though, so it doesn’t take too long to watch in one shot.
Six Feet Under is also quite good. I think it has 6 seasons?
And there’s always Degrassi. Ha.
January 4th, 2008 at 7:42 am
I was going to comment… then realized there is no point.
I do like the post on the hot chicks with douchebags site regarding John Mayer.
January 4th, 2008 at 8:02 am
i hear there’s talk for an Arrested Development movie!!!
Everytime I hear Final Countdown, I can’t help but want to dance like GOB. My little bro got the entire song and cranks it for a good laugh from time to time…
as for music; i took a gr. 11 music - guitar class in highschool. i had no prior knowledge of music whatsoever. never read a note or never picked up an instrument (not even a recorder). so i struggled a bit of course. i hated tuning a guitar!! but eventually i learned (notations, reading, hearing - or whatever the term is - but never was able to tune a guitar). anyways, that was 6 or 7 years ago, and i have since then forgotten - both reading music and playing guitar :(
i’m gonna try to reacquaint myself again.
January 4th, 2008 at 8:06 am
nice pouty-face comment :)
to the golden girls, OC much?
i am actually just testing to see if this thread is also suddenly moderated.
January 4th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Matt, shut up- you aren’t an idiot.
January 4th, 2008 at 8:46 am
adam, whats your point? does this have anything to do with the post? not that im against ranting or the like but……whats your point? you arent raising a question, leaving a comment about the post or other’s comments, or disputing anything…i dont get what you are trying to achieve here….im as big of MG fan as anyone on this site, and i love coming to the site to soak up and contribute to all the different perspectives that grace these pages but see no point in posting a comment about all the things you THINK you know about MG when it has nothing to do with ANYTHING.
i read your comment thinking you were going somewhere with it….and was disappointed when all those words added up to nothing more than a clear definition of the word “narcissism”.
oh and you’d think after all that talk of narcissism you’d be able to spell “narcissist” correctly. huh.
sheesh.
January 4th, 2008 at 9:12 am
why bother trying next time? why dont you just wait till you have something credible to add, like the rest of us? i thought that was the whole fucking point of this place….oh and i love the way you childishly misspelled your response. thanks for confirming my point. heh.
January 4th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Don’t anger our ghosts, cats. Drop the back and forth folks, and let’s move on.
January 4th, 2008 at 9:39 am
im with you, dale.
January 4th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Why that site, please just watch porn.
January 4th, 2008 at 9:41 am
[quote comment="37290"]Don’t anger our ghosts, cats. Drop the back and forth folks, and let’s move on.[/quote]
why is the latest bhutto thread moderated?
January 4th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I actually love watching people argue on this site.
Some people think Matt’s shit doesn’t stink.
And some people try to out-argue him.
At least it’s getting people to feel something no matter how trivial (or not) the topic.
January 4th, 2008 at 11:26 am
A couple of examples of those “how-to-be-plastic” books:
(I am moderately ashamed that I can provide this information)
Exhibit A:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0740727451/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-3811397-3161507#reader-link
Exhibit B:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0446524565/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-3811397-3161507#reader-link
January 4th, 2008 at 11:31 am
here here, it’s all about getting people to talk…
Happy Friday folks!!!!
Crazy one for me, I got into these crazy straws, sorry Matt.
January 4th, 2008 at 11:50 am
[quote comment="37169"]Dale, you forgot that people can edit quotes, and make it seem people admitted things that weren’t true.
PS, I’m a motherfucking Narcissist. [/quote]
Whoa, Matt.
January 4th, 2008 at 11:59 am
[quote comment="37304"]I actually love watching people argue on this site.
Some people think Matt’s shit doesn’t stink.
And some people try to out-argue him.
At least it’s getting people to feel something no matter how trivial (or not) the topic.[/quote]
:) i guess that’s what makes matt a truly amazing person.
it’s ok to disagree, dialogue is the most important thing ever, and the only way that we have a shot at getting facts out and maybe, dare i say, find a common ground. not to mention that someone who we all respect is using his weight for politics, and giving us a ground to all get involved as well.
January 4th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Oh yes. Discussion is of utmost importance; Without it what do we really know?
January 4th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
cant wait (:
your a beautiful artist
January 4th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Did some reading last night.. Seems like Apple deliberately put in anti caps-lock technology into the new keyboards. The idea seems to be that they are trying to avoid accidental key presses. Youtube video showing the behavior. Apple put a little blurb on their website about it too.
Stupid feature if you ask me. At the very least you should be able to go back to the old behavior.
January 4th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
The plastic Barbies are everywhere
January 4th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I recently bought an imac (my first mac)
Less than 2 weeks after purchasing it, I downloaded Boot Camp from the Apple site to run a windows program that didn’t have Leopard Compatibility. I followed the steps, inserted my Windows XP cd, formated the selected partition, installed Windows. The computer restarted. I could not eject the WinXP cd at any stage for some reason, so it kept booting back into setup. I held down “option” to select Mac OS X to boot, but was only given the windows option. After turning on and off the mac a few times, the computer locked up completely on the initial white screen.
I took it back to my local Mac dealer. The tech said that he managed to get the cd out, but couldn’t even boot up the mac using his mac diagnostics disc. He told me he’d never seen anything like it, and that they were getting me a brand new imac from their nearest location at no charge for an exchange. Meanwhile, I lost two weeks of data I had saved to the mac.
I guess I’m beta-testing for mac?
January 4th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I love your chest too.
Alright. Kids in the Hall and DVD series.
NEWS RADIO!!!
January 5th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Weird, we were just talking about Phil Hartman other day. I watched Newsradio faithfully. Last show that ever made me laugh so hard.
January 5th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Wow, I really really cant wait for this album holy SHIT!
You were so random in this blog today.
“Shit, my coffee’s cold” lmao!
January 7th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
[quote comment="37211"]Matt, I have the exact same problem with my friggin iChat on my iMac… the window reopening the failing video and even audio… *sigh*[/quote]
Are both running Leopard? I have no problems on a G5 iMac with Tiger 10.4.11, or my MacBook Core2 (10.4.11). In fact I have none of the problems people have reported recently, all of whom have Leopard, I think. Seems the Leopard needs a vaccination soon from uncle Steve’s crew.
I won’t upgrade until Adobe CS2 has been shown to run flawlessly (forums show mixed messages), or next year when I want to get the “CS4″ when its ready, which ever comes first. That Adobe has not provided official Leopard support for one generation behind the latest release is an insult to their customers, and quite frankly it’s not playing nice with Apple - most customers are on CS2, I would think, which can affect Leopard sales considering that Photoshop is the top Mac application for many pro users.