THE NOT SO DAILY DUMP #15
Coco
I have a very short list of TV shows and movies that I keep for future inspiration in this spot. I never feel obliged to pull from this list, but it can serve as a great launching point if one of them happens to tickle the meat in my skull. Perhaps I'll feel inspired to share one of those with you because it's something I think you should watch. Maybe there's something I find amusing or it has a greater meaning in my life. Maybe what applies today will not apply tomorrow. That is highly unlikely, though.
I was hesitant to share this movie, Coco, here. My wife will vouch for that. I do think it's a good movie and our whole family enjoyed it. The movie even did a good job of throwing us all off on one important detail. (My wife did ponder the possibility out loud, but I’m not sure if it was a case of confusion or sleuthing.) I'm usually pretty good at seeing through most twists, considering most movies and TV shows have twists nowadays, so I'm always on the lookout. Sure, nothing is 100% unpredictable, but there are some important plot points, while easy to see now, that we figured would go the easy route. Not so much. Kids movies aren't as predictable as they once were. Probably because adults are half of the audience—on the first watch or two, anyway.
Oh, yes, my hesitation. Coco, as far as I can tell, has been a fairly popular movie. I generally like to share with you the “underdogs” in TV and film. The less hyped, less known about gems buried within the media/entertainment noise. (I fully understand that I also contribute to this noise with all of my website/data/music/writing/etc stuff. Come at me, brah.) So, why did I decide to include this movie anyway? Well, we liked it. Maybe you haven't seen it. And, we watched it pretty recently.
Rather than give you a clip or a trailer for Coco, I went with sharing an amusing video entitled, "Everything Wrong With Coco In 14 Minutes Or Less." SPOILERS! (This is where you click if the video doesn't show or you'd like to get to this video’s home at YouTube.)
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Linkage For Thinkage
In this issue of TNSDD, I bring back a section I rolled out for the first time in TNSDD #12. This time around, I present to you three links related to music.
Ringing the Chords of the Universe: How Music Influenced Science
For many years, especially when I watched as many programs as I possible could about quantum physics and similar science related stuff, I have thought about and wondered how intertwined music and the universe are. The strings in string theory, after all, vibrate and sound is nothing more than vibrations. (Trust me. I have a degree.) It’s a tad more complicated, but there’s no need to get into that here. If the essence of all the universe down to its most basic part vibrates and thus the whole of the universe is vibrating—perhaps in unison (look up Einstein’s Spooky Action At A Distance, it’s a real thing)—does this mean that music/sound is deeply linked to the universe in some mystical or mathematical way? Do we connect on a deep level to the basic essence of the universe through the sound that we as a human species create to express our emotions to ourselves and others? Are we expressing the emotions of the universe? Does this enormous, vibrating, dimensional, cosmic simulation speak through us? Is it really us or are we a vessel? Am I getting too deep, dude?
I don't think this finding should be terribly difficult to believe. It seems pretty plausible to me that people who are more empathetic would process music differently and perhaps more deeply. Music is emotion, pure and simple. Go ahead. Disagree with me. I’ll be waiting to rage or cry or laugh or do other emotions—maybe all at once.
This Music Theory Cheat Sheet is All You’ll Ever Need
I have always simultaneously both wanted to learn more about music theory and not learn more about music theory. Honestly, I’ve been “flying by the seat of my pants” ever since I started on my musical journey many, many moons ago. I should definitely learn more, and it would probably make my musical life a little easier, but I always have the urge to just pick up an instrument, go, and figure it out, whatever that means. My “just go” philosophy has actually worked pretty well for me so far, and it has also helped me to create some pretty different, unconventional tunes. But, hey! Having a cheat sheet is a great way to bypass “the learning.” Maybe I’ll pick up a few more things that’ll permanently lodge themselves in my brain-space.
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Let's Go Streaking!
I have become a bit intrigued by the idea of a “run streak.” I’m friends with a couple of people on Fitbit (and now on other social media) that live in the UK that have started and have continued run streaks in the last couple of years. The premise is that a person runs one mile or more every day to count towards the streak. If a person misses a day, the streak starts over.
I wish I had known about the “one mile or more” rule. There’s an actual legit association that has decreed this. I would have been able to add a whole seven days more to my current streak had I known. I proudly told my wife on a Sunday night that I had run for seven days straight and that I ran about ¾ of a mile to save time in the morning before work. She said that she thought it had to be a mile or more to count. To which I replied with a snicker, “It’s not like there’s a Grand Council of Running or something that decides something as silly as that. I DID run each day.” Apparently, I was wrong. And, I will follow the rules, because that is what is fair or something. I don’t want to be a phony. So, the next day, I started the run streak that I’m currently in. As of the day this post is published, I have a streak of eleven days. I’m curious how long I can go.
Credit and link to comic: F Minus, May 26, 2018
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Shine That Spotlight, You Crazy Diamond
This time around on THE NOT SO DAILY DUMP, I share with you a man named Joseph Graham. Around ten years ago, after reaching out to Joseph, I sent him a couple of CDs and some information about them. My bandmate and I were doing our best to market those CDs and part of that was to try and get reviews and plays anywhere we could. I’m glad that we came across his podcast, Razor Blade Dance Floor, and he graciously indulged us by sharing a tune from each of those CDs with his listeners. I have been his friend on Facebook ever since, and although we don’t actually speak to each other much, it has been a true joy to get to know him as a person through his posts and to read his thoughts on music and the industry.
What has Joseph gotten in return for all of this work and dedication? I would imagine he was paid something to write those countless articles for a variety of publications, but everything else, the podcasts, the shows, the engagement with people, was done purely out of love. And, he continues to find new ways to reach people, to share his love for music with them. His most recent project is called HexadAmore.
While the Razor Blade Dance Floor podcast focused mainly on machine rock, or industrial music, HexadAmore is genre-less. In fact, he describes it as “music without boundaries.” I love this, as I have come to a similar place in my life with my own music, blurring the lines of genre more and more. I know this isn’t exactly what he’s talking about, but in a way it is. We as a people in general get so wrapped up in genre sometimes that we forget to see what else is out there, or that it’s okay to like something not accepted by our peers.
Find out more, bookmark, and follow!
HexadAmore.com | Facebook.com/HexadAmore | Twitter.com/HexadAmore
Razor Blade Dance Floor | Facebook.com/RazorBladeDanceFloor
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A Little Tool Down Under
While running on my treadmill recently, I came across this video. I’ve switched gears a bit over the last two weeks and have been listening to/watching music videos instead of informational videos. It’s good to change things up. Plus, running IS a little more enjoyable with music. I’m sure those informational videos will creep back in at some point.
While this video is of a Tool cover, I don’t think one needs to be a Tool fan to appreciate what this man does. The first line of the description on YouTube reads, “Here we have Sam Westphalen performing Tool's "Lateralus" for our new "Busking Sessions" series filmed in Hoiser Lane Melbourne.” Check out Sam playing rhythms and melodies on his acoustic guitar. The place the video was shot is pretty interesting visually as well. I felt the random tourists unknowingly walking in on a video shoot was a nice and humorous touch. (Direct link to video.)
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