Yeah, I know that the blog title says it's not about music, but I notice that I get sucked into talking about music as much as anything else.

Hey, I'm a music junkie. Perhaps that's why it was so easy for me to be tipped into teaming up with Cindy to relaunch TexasGigs on the way to our larger Pegasus News launch.

A few musical things that fuel my happy right now:

• My new Ipod. I bought a 4G (Black and White clickwheel) Ipod when they first came out. Since then, I've had constant problems with the hard drive burning out, and have had to return it no less than a baker's half-dozen times. On the last trip to the Apple store, where they were starting to know me by name, they finally offered the solution of my dreams: Have a brand new 60GB Video Ipod instead of another refurb. Why yes, black would be lovely. I'm now happily carrying around my video podcasts. But, what I like the best I think is having the album art display on the screen.



• Screwing up my Itunes database. I was really upset about this at first, but now I've found it a blessing in disguise. My Itunes library developed a none-too-rare malady wherein its connection to my actual files was getting bolluxed up. So nearly a third of my library was showing the nasty little exclamation point, meaning that Itunes couldn't find the song even though it was right where it was supposed to be. The only cure was to delete the XML file for my library and re-import my songs, losing all my ratings and playcounts. I was initially despondent, because I manage my 23,000 song library via playcount-driven smart playlists. But, I've found the exercise of listening to ALL my songs, rather than just the top-rated is refreshing, and I've uncovered a lot of lost gems and songs that I "get" now but didn't before.



• Last.fm. I've written before about Last.fm, and I still don't find it terribly useful as a music discovery engine. I do, however, think that one of the best ways to know someone is by what they're listening to -- so now (for a while at least) you'll find my most-recently listened to tunes at the end of each post-- courtesy a linkup to Last.fm. (Note that because of the above bullet, you may notice a little extra cheese in the mix.)



• Todd Snider. My personal top three artists are Old 97's, Ben Folds and Todd. And Todd is the most personal to me. We're roughly the same age, and I feel like my post-teen "growing up" has used his songs as the soundtrack. He writes the songs I like to think I would if write I had a talent for songwriting. And although he has a mellow-slacker ethos to his performance, which is a counterpoint to the type-A I can be, I like to think of his stuff as the yang that my yin keeps under wraps. Todd plays at the Sons tomorrow, which in and of itself makes it a good day for me. BUT, I've also potentially wrangled an audio interview with him (good lord and the promoter willing), which I'll deliver here post-haste. I've had some trouble coordinating with his folks, but I'll say a little prayer tonight. And if it doesn't happen, there's still the show.

I'll leave you with a couple snippets of Todd Snider's lyrical wisdom that always have stuck with me:

When I was a child, I spoke as a child. I wish I could remember what I said -- "When I Was a Child"

We're all waitin' in the dugout, wishin' we could pitch. How you ever gonna throw a shutout, when all you do is bitch. -- "Can't Complain"

Comments

Chris Curotolo Staff

I prefer the bitch and then do something about it approach. Combo.

2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

clay Anonymous

supersize the combo&im in...

2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Mike Orren Staff

Grrr. Despite the fact that his people said yes a month ago, no Todd interview. Damn.

2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )