It's happening again!
As promised, I have more stuff to recommend. But first, a little housekeeping...
Did you see the first post in this series? It can be found here, in case you're interested. It covers some podcast-related stuff in addition to some music and lifestyle recommendations. Good times!
I also published a blog post earlier this week about the difficulty I have describing my music. It's a fun one, so click here if you wanna give it a read. Then do me a favor and tell me your suggestions for how I can describe my music more effectively. That would be great.
Have you signed up for my email list yet? It's the best way to stay up to date with my shenanigans and goings-on, particularly since I'm planning on exiting Facebook sometime in the early part of 2020. Just head over here and fill out the form on the right side of the page. I promise to only send you stuff that you are likely to give a shit about.
Let's Get It On with the Good Stuff
All right. it's time. I have recommendations. I have things I'm grateful for. I am eager to tell you about them. I will get started now.
How Music Works by David Byrne
Yes, that David Byrne. From Talking Heads. That guy. He wrote this book several years ago. I read it and thought about it regularly in the intervening years. Recently, I read it again and I'm glad I did. It's a nice, informative and enjoyable little trip through the ways in which humans have interacted with (and performed and paid for and got paid for and built places for) music over the last many hundred years with an emphasis on the 20th and 21st centuries. It also serves as a historical record of the Talking Heads' formation and rise. Byrne discusses the evolution of popular music and how it is consumed and does so in a manner that makes me feel pretty good about where things are going. It's always changing. And it will always be changing. It always has and it always will just like everything else. Music isn't going anywhere. it's everything surrounding music that's fleeting.
Incidentally, David Bridwell, who is a former Albuquerque-based singer/songwriter, reached out to me on social media after reading my most recent blog post. He asked whether I had read How Music Works and mentioned that my latest piece reminded him of it. So that's pretty cool. Go check out David's website and follow him on social media. He's a pretty cool dude.
Buying Refurbished/Floor-Model/"B-Stock" Stuff
It's great! Recently I've purchased a refurbished MacBook Air from Apple, a floor-model MIDI keyboard from Sweetwater and some other stuff that cost me considerably less than I would have paid for the new-in-box stuff. Noice!
The A/V Club's "Block & Tackle" Column by John Teti
I don't pay attention to football anymore. As you probably know, basketball is my jam. However, I was a huge, obsessive Green Bay Packers fan for much of my life. So I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a small part of me that wasn't still interested in the rhythms and rituals of the game. So thank goodness for John Teti's "Block & Tackle" column, which is published most Fridays during the NFL season over on The A/V Club.
Friends, I am convinced the best writing on the internet happens in this column. Teti doesn't just analyze the sport, its teams and its players; he deconstructs everything associated with the game from the announcers to the advertisers and does so with a joyfully arch tone.
I tweeted out my appreciation for the column recently and was pleased to have Mr. Teti himself recognize my praise. Sweet! See, Twitter is pretty cool sometimes.
Take it from this reader, who I assess to be a person of discerning taste and upstanding moral hygiene https://t.co/Dm4DO2X5Dg
— John Teti (@johnteti) November 22, 2019
Proper Hydration
It is very important. I drink at least one gallon of water each day. When I start to feel like shit, that feeling is usually followed closely by a realization that I have not drunk enough water.
I feel like most people fail to drink enough water. You probably don't drink enough water. Sorry not sorry. You should do better. Don't do it for me; do it for you, okay? You'll have more energy and your hangovers will be way more tolerable. Yes, you will have to pee at an annoying frequency, but it's worth it. And if the annoying frequency of your urinary compulsions seems like it is getting in the way of your work or lifestyle, I would argue that your work and-or lifestyle is the things that need changing. So yeah. Drink more water, all right? Thanks.
What's Your Good Stuff?
I hope you enjoyed this week's entry! I'll be doing this every Friday from now on, so stay tuned.
What have you been enjoying lately? What do you recommend? What are some of the things you are grateful for? Let me know, okay? Great!