music

A Humbug Moment

/ Jim / Leave a comment

Now granted I’m not the worlds biggest fan of Christmas, but I do enjoy Christmas music.  I miss the old days of working on the karaoke circuit back on the mother rock.  There’s nothing like getting all of the locals in the pub singing together (normally out of tune) in the true spirit of the season.  So many happy memories.

So anyway, we have just had our department Christmas lunch at work.  As normal I was put in charge of providing the music.  While sorting going through my collection and sorting out the playlist I found that I had lost my favorite album (The best christmas album in the world…ever, in case you are interested).

“No problem” thought I, “I’ll hop on Amazon and grab it from their mp3 store”

So all is well in the world…or is it.  In recent years I have noticed a disturbing trend with Christmas music.  Namely the non-Chritsmassyness of the #1 in the charts.  Okay that by itself isn’t a bad thing and I don’t really have a problem with it.  What I do have a problem with is the record companies removing Christmas songs from Christmas albums and replacing them with the songs that just happened to be #1 at Christmas in previous years…regardless of relevance.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like quite like Frankie Goes to Hollywood.  I just don’t think Power of Love has any place on a Christmas album.  To me this is like putting Celine Dion on a Rob Zombie album.

Am I alone in hating this practice?  What are you opinions?

"Your really listen to that AND write at the same time?"

/ Jim / 2 Comments

So there I was, ploughing through Dead Beat with Rob Zombie blaring through the house from my computer speakers, when all of a sudden I made the shocking discovery of having and empty tea mug. In a movement reminiscent of ALL of the slow motion fight scenes in 300, I grabbed the empty beverage receptacle (The cool one with the pirate flag on it) and gracefully vaulted over my desk. The mug still in my hand, I made my final run towards the kitchen. My goal was in sight and victory in my grasp when the fates sent one of their minions to stop me.

“CHIHUAHUA” I screamed

My Ninja Writer reflexes,taught to me by the Writer Ninja monks of Southern New England), instantly took over and I thrust my body in to the air. I looked down on my adversary as I flew overhead. My body was almost at then end of the somersault when I was able to put the mug safely on the counter AND turn on the kettle as momentum drew me forward. Both tasks completed, I landed on the kitchen floor, on both feet, in a pose that has only ever before been accomplished by the love child of Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris.

(Now wasn’t that way more interesting than me saying “I got up and made myself a cup of tea”?)

And what response do I get from the other residents of the kitchen?

“Do you really write to that music?” from the mother-in-law

After all that, after all the slow-mo awesomeness that took me a good five minutes to make up you ask me how I can write when listening to Rob Zombie?

I think I replied with some BS about RZ being an artist and needing to immerse myself in another artists work to stimulate my creative…yadda yadda yadda. I mean is it weird to listen to something like Rob Zombie? I don’t think so but then I’m hardly subjective. Personally I find the music I listen to will change depending on mood and what I am writing at the time. SO how about you guys? What are your musical preferences when writing?