August 10ths

 

8/10/1998            

Long talk with A. about strategy for making an album. He wants to avoid traditional song form in favor of through-composed methods. I agree, but there’s a part of me that believes there’s value in good songs—it’s just that it’s not fashionable at the moment.

[8/10/2025: David Bowie once said something to the effect that artists should pull the stops out on postmodern art before the door closes on it. I still love it but it’s gotten too easy–even easier than it was then. AI cranks DIY to 11 but the ironic thing is that it makes writing songs easier because you’re disabused of writing the music and recording it. I still want to do it because I can, but those who have no musical skills don’t have an interest. What also goes missing is the skill and craft of production, but skills will grow elsewhere in the process].  

8/10/2010            

This morning I turned on my iPod and listened to what I thought was the KEXP Song of the Day. It sounded cinematic—like it could be film music, with bits of ambient audio and Foley stitched together in a montage playing under the music. But then I realized I was listening only to the audio track of a video clip. “That’s interesting” I thought—a new way to place music in a context of an action even without footage, or composing music with foreground and background elements, where the music supports a narrative (like lyrics).            

Music for imaginary films is by no means a new idea, but the fact that I perceived it that way is somewhat of a revelation—for me anyway.

[8/10/2025: This was at the beginning of the Music For Places series where I was beginning to focus my attention on the sound of places, or their “acoustic ecology”].

8/10/2022

“Post-modem” [post-internet] is a good pun. A return to tradition would be post-postmodern or neoclassicism which is something that was done throughout the 20th century. Another variation that emerged in the 80s was “Stuckism” which wasn’t concerned with following art trends and focused on just making the art, and newness wasn’t important.            

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In 50 years, the current era of music will be remembered for their nostalgia for 70s music. When people are in their 70s they will still feel nostalgic for the 1970s. This is different from previous generations who only went back, say, 20 years. When I was first learning I didn’t like 50s music, I like 50s music now, but it’s the jazz 50s. It depends on who’s asked what they remember. I had a cousin who was in his 20s during Bebop and didn’t like the music or culture, so it was forgotten. The current era might also be remembered as the early years when the internet became a musical instrument as studios became instruments in the 70s.            

***            

As an artist, you have to experiment and be willing to not resort to patterns or to adhere to patterns. Of course, you want something traditional to shine through ultimately because it’s the thing that people can grab on to.            

Think of creativity as a mixing board with traditional things on tracks 1–10, then 11–16 can be all kinds of other experimental things. Then do different “mixes”. Everyone’s mix would be different.

Also, when you’re working on something, seize happy accidents, and follow through on those. Then come back and finish what you were originally working on. I always feel a little happier after I’ve captured a moment. Come back to it later to see if there’s anything there or if it was just a false alarm.