“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.”
- Robert Frost
When I was 6 years old the school I was attending at the time was having a talent show, by which all of us dirty kids were supposed to do something gorgeous and fantastic. Blah. I remember thinking, I don’t want to do this. Not that I didn’t think I could, I just didn’t like the onset of faculty eyes, staring at me, and the collective group to which then belonged: children.
To me at that time, life was weird. And it still is.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
- Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 1
So at this show, all of us kids were standing in a line waiting to say something witty/funny/whatever the teacher at the time thought was cute, and to each kid that spoketh, a microphone was therefore handed. This was my first experience of hearing my own voice through speakers. And upon my turn, I remember thinking, “Christ no! That’s me?!”
What’s worse was my part: A song. A song that I have forever burned out of my memory.
Recording at Superpop Records in Austin, TX
April 2009
So these days, I’m singing. More like screaming, with some melodic accompaniments betwixt amplified sounds that go from subsonic to supersonic, but singing nonetheless. Band life is Fun! Don’t get me wrong though, having to haul around all your equipment is an extreme, natural high. Where I used to carry a guitar and pick, these days for heaven’s sakes it’s more like several amps, guitars, and a 90 lb. case of pedals hooked up to other electronic gear. We are cyborgs.
In some ways the most natural and appealing generalization is based on the
exponential function f(x) = eax, whose nth derivative is simply aneax.
Oh, no shit?
So in reference to this tiny musical memoriam, I’ve resumed by university studies this fall. It’s been moving really fast so far — much faster than I would have anticipated, but I guess that is the manner of such things. At this point in my studies, I’m learning about Gregorian Chant and its gradual evolution into polyphonic textures. Therefore, I’ve been listening to Palestrina on repeat for about 3 hours. I am beginning to feel that being Catholic isn’t as bad as the movies make it out to be…
“Please forgive me. I can control myself. You caught me off guard.
But I’m on my best behavior now.”
- Sparkly Vampire Muppet, Twilight
It’s funny, being back in school and seeing all of these references to things I can’t believe people are excited about… Like this TWILIGHT shit. So many brilliant minds quoting, gloating and talking about the 2 boing-boing-lovers (in life/real life); even the professors are in on it.
But seriously, …where were you when Charlie fuckin’ Brewster (Fright Night 2) needed a helping hand as Regina (that vampiric bitch) was hell bent on fuckin’ his shit up with that hot mess Alex Young? I can thank my father for introducing horror films to me at such an impressionable age.
My homework this week: show innocuous-looking blondies how to operate deadly weapons. This should be interesting…
