On Post: The Go-Getter
Date: January 31
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
January 31, 2012: The Go Getter
Letter: B
CD Number: 20
Track Number: 22
Song: “The Go Getter” by The Black Keys from Brothers
Monday, January 30, 2012
January 30, 2012: Go Go Gadget Flow
Letter: L
CD Number: 7
Track Number: 3
Song: “Go Go Gadget Flow” by Lupe Fiasco from Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Writer's Commentary- La La Love You
On Post: La La Love You
Date: January 21
As Pixies songs go, La La Love You is fairly lyrically…shallow, shall we say? Ok, as music goes, it’s fairly shallow. In the middle of it though is this sequence that goes “first base/second base/third base/home run.” While not as blatantly about the “deed” as Paradise by the Dashboard Light’s baseball interlude, I think the reason for the reference here is pretty clear.
And that got me to thinking, are “the bases” universal. The four f’s referenced in the entry is what I was raised on (although raised on in this context is just super creepy) but I don’t know if everyone else received the same. Similarly, I swear I was involved in a discussion once with someone about five years older than me and someone about five years younger in which it seemed that our definition of what base meant what had some crossovers, but were not, in fact, the same. And given that norms are always evolving and changing, a free love hippie, for instance, would seem a man or woman with a death wish in the early 90’s when AIDS seemed indomitable. And vice versa, a super contentious 90’s person through back to the 60’s or 70’s would seem wildly overly concerned with STDs and judgmental about the idea of just doing what feels good. So why wouldn’t the way we label “bases” change. Of course, it’s weird to ask someone young enough to tell you what their bases are unless you know them, so there’s that tension between being honestly curious and knowing that to ask makes you very creepy indeed.
As far as why a girl instead of guy…well, for one, I felt like I’ve written a lot of guys this time around in the Project and less women than last time. Also, the first line I conceived, which I confess I now cannot recall—it might have been the Pretty Woman line. I dated someone in high school who used to half-joke that she wanted to be a prostitute after seeing Pretty Woman despite being very serious about saving herself for marriage in real life. I have no doubt she was not the only girl of our generation who saw it when it came out, or just the trailer, or it on TV who came away with the same idea. Anyway, I always felt that it made a sort of sense but it was evidence of what a phenomenally messed up movie that film was at heart. “Girls, girls, girls, come join the sex trade. You wear funny outfits until you meet the man of your dreams whose rich, makes you over, and takes you away from the life just as you tire of it.”
That, coupled with a podcast I had listened to a day or two before in which one of the women discussed her difficulty in finding men who were willing to kiss early in the relationship because it was “so intimate” but had no problem getting down (if you know what I mean) birthed that line.
Anyway, as I was saying before I distracted myself, that first line felt feminine to me. Which is a wildly pretentious thing to say, but it did. So the character flowed from that.
Seriously, though, what are people’s definitions of the bases these days? Anybody?
My explanation not ring true? Do you have questions that this piece left unanswered? Reach out and touch me at tim.g.stevens@gmail.com or @ungajje on the Twitter. And, as always, spread the word.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
January 28, 2012: You Blew Me Off
Letter: Soundtrack
CD Number: 10
Track Number: 26
Song: “You Blew Me Off” by Bare, Jr from Cruel Intentions
Friday, January 27, 2012
January 27, 2012: Believe in What You Want
Letter: J
CD Number: 24
Track Number: 4
Song: “Believe in What You Want” by Jimmy Eat World from Clarity
Thursday, January 26, 2012
January 26, 2012: If I Could Give All My Love to You—or—Richard Manuel is Dead
Letter: C
CD Number: 18
Track Number: 4
Song: “If I Could Give All My Love to You—or—Richard Manuel is Dead” by Counting Crows from Hard Candy
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
January 25, 2012: Puzzle Pieces
Letter: Mix
CD Number: 29
Track Number: 2
Song: “Puzzle Pieces” by Saint Motel from This is the Mix
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
January 24, 2012: Capitalism
Letter: O
CD Number: 30
Track Number: 8
Song: “Capitalism” by Oingo Boingo from Boingo Alive, Disc 2
Monday, January 23, 2012
January 23, 2012: Blackout (Reader's Choice)
READER’S CHOICE
Song: “Blackout” by Breathe Carolina (Specifically “Something in the Billboard Top 100”)
Song: “Blackout” by Breathe Carolina (Specifically “Something in the Billboard Top 100”)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
January 22, 2012: Every Day is Yours to Win
Letter: R
CD Number: 20
Track Number: 18
Song: “Every Day is Yours to Win” by R.E.M. from Collapse Into Now
Saturday, January 21, 2012
January 21, 2012: La La Love You
Letter: P
CD Number: 18
Track Number: 25
Song: “La La Love You” by The Pixies from Doolittle
Friday, January 20, 2012
January 20, 2012: Not Falling Apart
Letter: M
CD Number: 4
Track Number 9
Song: “Not Falling Apart” by Maroon 5 from It Won’t Be Soon Before Long
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
January 18, 2012: Danger! High Voltage
Letter: Mix
CD Number: 2
Track Number 7
Song: “Danger! High Voltage” by Electric Six from Ms. Sagness Goes Back to Washington (A Celebration of Three Years)
On SOPA, PIPA, and Blackouts
So…I find myself in a bit of a pickle. As you may or may not have heard, several websites are protesting SOPA and PIPA (more SOPA than PIPA, but both, really) by going dark for today. The most prominent among these is Wikipedia which, I am sure, has caused quite a tizzy in the school report writing age group.
I support the protest. I support the derailing of these two bills. They are, in my opinion, vague and overreaching in the worst possible way. Worse, they do not even truly address what they claim they are dedicated to. Instead, they enable the few, the powerful, to limit access to the internet. As others have pointed out, when you are a democracy adopting the approach of China to policing the internet, you have made a tremendous misstep somewhere along the way.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
January 17, 2012: I Have the Touch
Letter: G
CD Number: 17
Track Number: 13
Song: “I Have the Touch” (remix) by Gabriel, Peter from Shaking the Tree
Monday, January 16, 2012
January 16, 2012: America's Suitehearts
Letter: F
CD Number: 4
Track Number: 17
Song: “America’s Suitehearts” by Fall Out Boy from Folie a Deux
Sunday, January 15, 2012
January 15, 2012: Dominos
Letter: B
CD Number: 17
Track Number 3
Song: “Dominos” by Big Pink, The from A Brief History of Love
Saturday, January 14, 2012
January 14, 2012: Set Fire to the Third Bar
Letter: S
CD Number: 10
Track Number 30
Song: “Set Fire to the Third Bar” by Snow Patrol from Eyes Open
Friday, January 13, 2012
January 13, 2012: A Feeling of Thoughtful Sadness
Letter: B
CD Number: 30
Track Number: 25
Song: “A Feeling of Thoughtful Sadness” by Burley, Dustin from Melancholy
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
January 11, 2012: World Waits for You
Letter: S
CD Number: 14
Track Number 12
CD Number: 14
Track Number 12
Song: “World Waits for You” by Son Volt from Okemah and the Riot of Melody
Listen to it hereTuesday, January 10, 2012
January 10, 2012: Woodburning
Letter: T
CD Number: 26
Track Number 15
Song: “Woodburning” by Toad the Wet Sprocket from Dulcinea
Monday, January 9, 2012
January 9, 2012: Capital G
Letter: NCD Number: 13
Track Number: 7
Track Number: 7
Song: “Capital G” by Nine Inch Nails from Year Zero
Listen to it hereSunday, January 8, 2012
January 8, 2012: Good Morning
Letter: W
CD Number: 24
Track Number 1
Song: “Good Morning” by West, Kanye from Graduation
(Picture taken from http://mnprairieroots.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/copy-of-swmn-027.jpg)
Saturday, January 7, 2012
January 7, 2012: Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
Letter: S
CD Number: 18
Track Number: 5
Song: “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” by Simon, Paul from Graceland
(Picture taken from http://www.fayeandco.com/2007/07/the-brownstone-bride/)
Friday, January 6, 2012
January 6, 2012: Everybody's Fool
Letter: E
Song: “Everybody’s Fool” by Evanescence from Fallen
CD Number: 7
Track Number: 14
Song: “Everybody’s Fool” by Evanescence from Fallen
Thursday, January 5, 2012
January 5, 2012: Dashboard
Letter: M
CD Number: 27
Track Number: 2
CD Number: 27
Track Number: 2
Song: “Dashboard” by Modest Mouse from We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Listen to it hereWednesday, January 4, 2012
January 4, 2012: Once In a Lifetime
Letter: T
CD Number: 4
Track Number: 12
Song: “Once In a Lifetime” by Talking Heads from Stop Making Sense
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
January 3, 2012: Sleep to Dream
Letter: A
CD Number: 10
Track Number 21
Song: “Sleep to Dream” by Apple, Fiona from Tidal
CD Number: 10
Track Number 21
Song: “Sleep to Dream” by Apple, Fiona from Tidal
Monday, January 2, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
January 1, 2012: Wake Up Bomb
Letter: R
CD Number: 11
Track Number 16
Song: “Wake Up Bomb” by R.E.M. from New Adventures in Hi-Fi
We're Back!
Welcome to...
The January Project 2012!
The January Project 2012!
The rules are the same: 31 new pieces of writing written over 31 days, inspired by 31 songs. Shortly, the first of this year’s project will debut for your reading pleasure and then I don’t stop until January 31st.
The selection process remains the same as well. To quote myself:
I will utilize a card system. First, I will draw a card labeled “Number,” “Mix,” “Soundtrack,” or a letter of the alphabet. Then, comes the card with numbers one through 30 on them. Then, whatever card is draw is reinserted into the pile, the number card pile is reshuffled, and another number drawn.
The first card tells me where to go in my (and my wife, the Thunder’s) collection. It runs alphabetically by artist from Numbers (your 50 Cents and 10,000 Maniacs, if you will) to Z—in case you did not know how the alphabet went. Then we have soundtracks (alphabetical by film, if you must know) and mixes (chronologically). For the sake of me, holiday mixes are exempt from this process.
The next card is how many I count off in the category to get to the correct CD to use. The last card gives me the track number to use as inspiration.
Thus, if I got “F”, “6”, and “8”, I would have to write something inspired by Fountains of Wayne’s “I Got a Flair,” which can be found on their self titled debut album.
So, there you go. Pretty straightforward, yes?
Is there anything new? Umm…too early to say. There are some things I’d like to do differently, but we’ll see if I can realize that. The biggest of these is that I want to do Writer’s Commentaries much closer to the pieces in question. I am thinking/hoping for a week later. In other words, the commentary on January 1st would go up on the 8th, the 2nd the 9th and so on. This way, maybe I’ll actually finish them. Also, you guys will probably care more with the stories fresher in your mind.
The other big change I’d like to make is more consistency in terms of posting times. Going forward, I am hoping for a morning post , say between 7 and 9 AM, every day. And, if and when the Writer’s Commentaries kick in, an evening posting time for that between 5 and 7 PM would be the ideal. Again though, this is a hope not a guarantee. Tonight, for instance, I already missed it. But we’ll be better tomorrow at least.
And that’s it. Tell your friends, your neighbors, your family, your religious or non-religious mentor…anyone really. Reach out and touch me at tim.g.stevens@gmail.com with song suggestions (I’ll try to do one reader suggestion a week) or feedback and follow me at @ungajje on Twitter. Thanks.
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