Friday Morning Fun: Sam Buck Rosen

On a tip from the keyboardist of the aforementioned weekend, Sam Rosen is solid. Particularly the song Mexico.

IT'S ALMOST VAMPIRE WEEKEND!

You mux. I mux. We all mux for tapemux.

My first Muxtape.

GOO GOO for GA GA

Pitchfork, my one-time indie rock ally, posted an interview with Spoon front man Britt Daniel recently, discussing the band's latest "GA GA GA GA GA", attendance at a Public Enemy show and the art of selecting album art -- according to Daniel, among other weighty material.

Now, I've always, and I mean always, found Daniel to be quite the irksome type -- particularly when performing live. Talking about Chicago like he knew Chicago, acting like the rock-star he wasn't (This is due in-part to the fact that I grew up appreciating how timid the olden days' Jeff Tweedy was on-stage), gesticulating frantically all over the stage, numerous beers in tow, flirting with the young fans in the front row. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

And, so, I see this headline on the pompous music site for the interview with the guy, thinking, goody. So, I start reading, and my intellect is filled with just what I had expected -- be wary, though, this was just a result of my previous bias. It shouldn't be discredited though, that Daniel had created that bias in me.

Turns out, I enjoyed the interview. Daniel seemed funny. Seemed to be enjoying making a life out of something that so many can't even come close to doing -- making one out of music. No longer was he the guy drinking imported beer after imported beer, leering lasciviously at the girls in the front row conspicuously from on-stage. He was the guy slowly reeling in his hard-fought, hard-won success. He was the guy you thought expected all the success in the world from the start, and suddenly, needs to pinch himself to realize what's happening -- he's become something. And he's doing it in a much more humble than this writer would've expected.

And so, Mr. Daniel, I thought I'd let you know I thoroughly enjoyed "GA GA GA GA GA." Did it have to be in all caps, though? Yes, I guess so.

Well, that's art.

Secret tongues

This art? Well, that's art.

What have I heard that was really great, just recently? Well... And a few other qualms, you say? Well...

1) P Everett McPartland -- check out the first couple of songs on his myspace.
2) "Someone Great" -- LCD Soundsystem. I discovered how much I liked this song whilst driving through the verdant and rolling hills/blue mountains of Pennsylvania.
3) Something to revisit? "I'm Old Fashioned" off Blue Train by Coltrane. Great tune.
4) Everybody's saying how good Man Man is, but I just don't agree...saw them live and simply wasn't impressed -- they were trying too hard to be cool. And that just makes the music bad. My comment = shallow, but true.
5) Patton Oswalt's really funny.
6) I know, I know, it's been a while, but I just realized Slim Thug's horn section on "3 Kings" feat. T.I. and Bun B is the same as RJD2's "Ghostwriter." That's weird. But they're both exquisite songs. And I figured this out on my own, using my own ears.

Pulitzered

An article on Romenesko’s site today caught my eye. It was about Pulitzer winners and the way many of them often feel, psychologically, after receiving the award. The column, by Jon Friedman, ran before the public knew the winners. At the core of the story was the question that almost all Pulitzer winners face shortly after their win – “What’s next?” Friedman writes.

The column was mainly a profile bit on James Risen, a New York Times reporter who won one of the prestigious awards after he exposed President Bush’s secret spying program in 2006. It was about Risen, and basically how his then-recent fame made him uncomfortable. I don’t know why, but this reaction completely surprised me. I thought a Pulitzer and its bright fame were all most journalists ever could dream of? Not true, according to Risen, and Friedman, too.

Friedman sheds light on the idea that journalists are used to writing about the spotlight – lots of times shining the spotlight – rather than being in it. For me personally, just having my byline printed crests waves of anxiety over my head – the way people can be affected by my writing sometimes can scare me. But that’s something I’ve learned to live with. Friedman calls us journalists “shy egomaniacs.” When I think about his statement I can see where he’s coming from. This is an award that is often regarded as the tops. So it might seem natural for a reporter to inadvertently become melancholy about their career’s future. It makes me eager to see how Bob Dylan will be able to overcome his “Pulitzer burnout” – he’s certainly not green to fame.

“The problem is, you’re never as good as people say you are when you win a Pulitzer,” Risen was quoted in the column. This quote really got me, in the same way the entire column did – I never would’ve thought this way, until now. Are journalists all so insecure? I should check myself. Me, that is, I should be checked. But, for now, I say enjoy the joy of a Pulitzer, even if it’s in the anecdotes, such as being recognized in the back of a Taxi by the driver – as Risen was. It’s a story to be told for years.

Link to story: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/pulitzer-burnout-how-james-risen/story.aspx?guid=%7BBC4EDC86%2DBBB3%2D449A%2DB6D5%2DD46C5C3626F4%7D