John Mayer has proposed The One Week Digital Cleanse, a bit of a fast from social media and impersonal communication. I don't do Facebook or MySpace, only use Twitter for AWF and text sporadically, but could further distance myself from gossip (I gave up on Trent and Perez ages ago but still click on "most searched for" names every day) and maybe visit my favorite forum a bit less.
I know that I won't be undertaking as big of a fast as others, but think the challenge is worth taking up. Good luck, Mr. Mayer and everyone else accepting this challenge.
Mention to anyone with computer savvy that your laptop has somehow gotten slower over recent months and they’ll ask you the same thing: “have you defragmented your hard drive?” Defragmenting works by taking small slivers of information stored in various locations and consolidating them so that they’re in the same place on the drive and thus easier to access in larger chunks. Hard drive fragmentation is a great metaphor for - if not a literal manifestation of - what’s happened to our brains over years and years of processing small bursts of information. 2009 took fragmentation to a whole new level given the rise of Twitter and the social acceptance of texting people as a substitute to making phone calls.
That’s where the one week digital cleanse comes in. I’ll be defragmenting my mental and psychological hard drive during the first seven days of the new year, and I invite you all to participate.
The cleanse will begin at 9am on January 1. This gives everyone a chance to text and tweet their new year’s well wishes, and theoretically begins upon waking up the morning of January 1. The cleanse will end at 9am on January 8.
Guidelines:
*email only from laptop or desktop computers
*cell phones can only be used to make calls, and no text messages or e-mails are allowed - if you receive a text, you must reply in voice over the phone. E-mails must be returned from a laptop or desktop computer.
*no use of Twitter or any other social networking site - this includes reading as well as posting.
*no visiting of any entertainment or gossip sites. (No need to detail which ones - you know what they are.)
I floated the idea last week on Twitter to see if anyone could envision themselves doing this, and the responses were interesting; some said they could definitely do it, but many were resigned to the idea, calling it impossible. If it is impossible, than my theory is already proven and we’re in big trouble as a society.
This can be done, people. Do it with me. When we pop back up on the grid on January 8, let’s trade stories on what it felt like, how hard it was, and maybe how hard it actually wasn’t.
I'm not good at ranking things, creating those definitive-sounding lists that fill newspapers, magazines and websites this time of year. Maybe being a professional music critic wasn't as great a fit for me as I thought because I find it hard to rate with certainty my favorite or least-favorite of anything. Sure, I could name 10 of my favorite Madonna songs, but arranging those tracks in a list, 10 to 1, with total confidence in my ratings is something I can't do.
I won't be joining in with the countless music writers and fans who have spent the past month listing out the best songs, albums and artists of not only this year but this decade. I can, however, list out what happened in my year in music and such, and it was a pretty good one.
This is my bedroom mirror. I use it to hold all my tickets, show mementos and so forth until I take the time to file everything away neatly.
On the mirror, I have reminders of all these artists and things I saw this year:
The Joshua Tree/The Ruse at the House of Blues Anaheim on April 23 Social Distortion/The Vandals at the House of Blues Anaheim on May 18 Bryan Greenberg/Graham Colton/Curtis Peoples at Largo at the Coronet Theater on May 31 "It Might Get Loud" at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 19 (with Q&A with director Davis Guggenheim, Jimmy Page and Jack White) No Doubt/Paramore at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Aug. 1 Disneyland on Aug. 15 "The Beatles LOVE" at The Mirage on Aug. 22 The Joshua Tree at the LA County Fair on Sept. 9 Blink-182/Weezer at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Sept. 17 "The Heart of America Tour: Africa's Future and Ours" at the Carolina Theater on Oct. 2 U2/Muse at the Carter Finley Stadium on Oct. 3 "U23D" at the Wachovia IMAX Theatre at Marbles Kids Museum on Oct. 4 "Eddie Izzard Believe" at the Sunset 5 on Oct. 9 (with Q&A with Eddie Izzard) Spamalot at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Oct. 10 U2/Black Eyed Peas at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 25 Steve Martin with The Steep Canyon Rangers at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Oct. 30 BB King/Lukas Nelson and The Promise of the Real at Coussoulis Arena on Nov. 19 Save New Wave at the House of Blues Hollywood on Nov. 21 Dashboard Confessional/New Found Glory at The Glass House on Dec. 1 Disneyland on Dec. 23
Pretty good for a year when I was intending to spend a lot of money or see very many shows. I did see "It Might Get Loud" twice and am looking forward to getting it on DVD soon. I jumped myself nearly sick at No Doubt, so elated to have the band back again. "LOVE" was phenomenal and I would definitely see it again. Weezer kicked Blink's ass in that showdown and I hope to see the band headline in 2010 (get better soon, Rivers!). The two U2 shows were fantastic and amazing. "Spamalot" was so much fun, as was the Steve Martin show. "Believe" is a really great documentary and all Eddie Izzard fans should check it out. Seeing BB King live was a long-held wish come true.
For 2010, I have John Mayer, two or three U2 shows and maybe Weezer to look forward to. I'm sure more will come up as I'll gladly jump at any opportunities that arise.
With this year (and possibly decade, depending on how you define decades) coming to an end, I pulled George Michael's "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1" off my shelf and have been listening to it all week. This is the album Michael wrote to tell the world he no longer wanted to be a pop idol but instead wanted to be seen as a serious artist. He didn't quite stick to that but did make a stunning album that I love and appreciate more today than I did when I first got it nearly 20 years ago on cassette (I've since upgraded to CD).
The songs are all about transition and heartache and uncertainty and soul searching, perfect for the end of the year. Perhaps my favorite song on the album is "Waiting for That Day/You Can't Always Get What You Want" with the verse, "Now everybody's talking about this new decade/Like you say the magic numbers/Then just say goodbye to/The stupid mistakes you made/Oh my memory serves me far too well."
Not too cheery, but the album isn't. It's very serious, very grown-up in that way that only a world-weary 26-year-old can be and an alienated 13-year-old thinks you should be—intellectual, introspective. Michael was going through a lot when he wrote the album and the songs he came up with have travelled with me through quite a bit, too. For as much as I adore the album, I don't listen to it as much as I could so am enjoying having it accompany me home this week, taking in the beautiful lyrics, stunning arrangements and Michael's powerful voice.
Though I wouldn't know where to rank it, "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1" is one of the best pop albums ever. With the weather so gloomy in so many places and all of our lives in a bit of flux, it's a perfect album for right now.
Something else to check out is a new video from The Ghost Who Walks (also known as Neil McCormick, Daily Telegraph music critic and author of the completely awesome "I Was Bono's Doppelganger"). The song feels dreamy '70s (a bit Bowie) and the video surreal yet cautionary.
Another quickie entry. I've been listening to John Mayer's "Battle Studies" pretty much nonstop since buying it last month and am solidifying my connection to it. I still want to do a proper writeup about the album so stay tuned.
Thanks to my favorite Jersey Girl, I've become quite the Bryan Greenberg fan this year, so had to check it out when he posted on Twitter that he'd been named the Hanukkah and Hump Day Hottie by Hollywood Crush on MTV.com. The site has a nice story about the multitalented (and completely sweet and adorable) Mr. Greenberg and a gallery featuring past Hump Day Hotties.
I clicked through the gallery to get a look at the 25 guys the site has singled out for weekly honors and recognized only eight of them. Of all 25 on the list, I'd maybe consider five of them actually hot. Can I still be considered a member of the MTV Generation if I can't relate to much the network produces anymore?
Changing direction, I'm not a sports fan but am a fan of sportswriters, many of whom are the best nonfiction writers I've read. Matthew J. Darnell reinforced that belief for me today when I read his piece on Bengals' receiver Chris Henry.
Until his accident yesterday, I'd never heard of Chris Henry so don't know much at all about the ups and downs in his career and personal life, but I clicked on the link to Darnell's article and was moved by what he had to say. A passage that particularly stuck out to me was:
Too many times, a gifted person comes along, and we automatically make them a role model. Inevitably, they end up doing something to let us down. The truth is, though, that those were never the role models we needed. The role models we need are the people who let us down first, and then show the strength and character to fight back from that.
Sooner or later, we're all going to let somebody down. We're all going to screw up. But life is about how you come back from it, how you learn from it and how you use it to make yourself a better, stronger person.
Good writing, even fantastic writing, can be found in so many places, like a basic cable television show or the beat column of a local daily newspaper. Darnell's article reminded me of that and makes me want to put in the effort to seek out more. Reading great writing can only help me as I work to be the best writer I can be.
Writing about Christmas songs in my last entry got me thinking about some of my other favorite Christmas memories. This one is care of MTV in the '90s, back when I watched it all the time, back when it played music videos all the time, back when those videos were from artists I really liked. Enjoy!
Two weeks ago I began my annual ritual of skipping past two different radio stations because they both play nothing but Christmas music beginning a few days before Thanksgiving and ending Dec. 26. It used to be that Christmas music was relegated to the month of December, but then it started sneaking closer and closer to Thanksgiving. This year, station No. 1 started playing Christmas music a full week before Thanksgiving, meaning its listeners are being subjected to a full five weeks of holiday music.
I don't dislike all Christmas music, but after being in the Holiday Fling in high school where I had to spend two weeks listening to "Sleigh Ride" over and over again during rehearsals and then over and over again at my seasonal mall job, followed by two Christmases at a store where listening to an all-Christmas-music-all-the-time radio station was required, I've gotten over most Christmas music, at least the bad stuff (and believe me, a lot of it is bad, really bad).
Instead of focusing on the bad Christmas music currently clogging the air waves at stations across the country, I thought I would list the Christmas songs that I actually look forward to hearing every year:
Band Aid – "Do They Know It's Christmas" Without this song there would be no "We Are the World," no Live Aid. Hearing this song reminds me of the impact we can make in the world, at the holidays and all year long.
The Chipmunks – "Christmas Don't Be Late" OK, it's a little cheesy, but this song makes me want to skip around the house. It's so sweet, so fun, so innocent, so wonderful. Cameron Crowe saw fit to use it in "Almost Famous," what better recommendation do you need?
Everclear – "Hating You for Christmas" If you listen all the way through Everclear's fantastic "So Much for the Afterglow," you will find this rocking, spiteful song about the person who messed with your heart and your head, who's moved on from you before you can move on from them, so you'll spend this holiday wishing them ill.
John Lennon – "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" So many people have covered this song because it's amazing and powerful, but the original always wins, hands down.
U2 – "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" It's U2 doing '60s girl group rock for charity. What could be better?
The Waitresses – "Christmas Wrapping" It doesn't feel like Christmas until I hear this song. It's fun, it's snippy, it has a horn section, it makes me want to pogo. Save Ferris' reworking is great and the Spice Girls' remake was decent, but the original of this song, like "Happy Xmas," is the best way to go.
Last night I went to see Dashboard Confessional and New Found Glory at the Glass House with my brother. Thought I've seen both bands before, I own nothing by Dashboard Confessional and only the two "From the Screen to Your Stereo" covers CDs from New Found Glory so I was more of an observer last night, totally content to witness the intensity of the fandom both of these bands inspire, particularly Dashboard. Chris Carrabba, lead singer, guitarist, songwriter, emo god, does an opening strum and the crowd goes nuts, he sings a few lines and then steps back from the mic because the crowd will carry the rest.
I know that most performers hand off to the crowd from time to time, but that experience at a Dashboard Confessional show is like no other. The intensity, devotion and sincerity that band's fans have for the music, for the band is so far beyond anything I've ever witnessed or been a part of. It's incredible.
