The Weblog of Daniel Tashian

Well we went to Kirk and Margie’s yesterday for Margo’s birthday party. It was a nice time and they had local tacos. They were yummy but I drank a really sweet margarita and it made me sleepy. Walked when we got back and then to Whole Body and we got some interesting things: Maca- Incan energy herb. B-12 vitamins – what else? Mangosteen! Some aromatherapy stuff. Then I watched a movie about the history of elctronic music in Britain. Wow. The Human League were so good. But Throbbing Gristle were really innovators. Also, the coolest, loudest song was “Cars” by Gary Numann. Wow. Also, I liked the guy who started “Mute” records, Daniel Miller – when he came out with the song “Warm Leatherette” as “Normal” — such innovative stuff. So it turns out our new puppy likes Kraftwerk. I bet she would probably like The Carpenters just as much, it’s just how you play it to them. Lillie off to teach this morning. I gave her snacks for class. I think I want to get a new jacket so I can cycle when it gets colder. Really visible. Like red. Watched Elizabeth Gilbert on Ted Talks. She’s just effervescent.

Well I had to learn this song for my cover band. I feel….kind of melancholy when I listen to it. It just has this futuristic kind of sadness to it that transcends. Found this article on Salon from 2000. Interesting. I wish MTV would just throw in the towel so something else could start.  Or wouldn’t it be cool if some kind of military coup took over MTV and started broadcasting full videos again with nobody talking over them? You could go live to the basement where a VJ would say: “I’m here in the basement of MTV where we are playing cornhole with DVDs of the HILLS! – now here’s video from Janelle Monae!” It’s important to let the whole song play sometimes. It’s like a baseball game. You need those moments of quiet reflection in life. If that happens to be during a guitar solo, so be it. I just feel that it used to be so much about sticking it to the man. Everything about the early MTV said “Fuck You!” to the establishment. It gave me hope and inspired me by showing me the great artists that you could look up to. Police, Men at Work, David Bowie’s China Girl – what a strange and beautiful video – Eddie Grant – these artists had very little technology to work with to make videos. Now everybody has WAY more on their laptops right out of the box. Now, MTV represents corporate teenage hell. “The Hills” and all that. And they STILL won’t really pay for music. When they started, they couldn’t pay because they’d go broke: here’s the opening broadcast: first moments of MTV – I miss that old logo, and I know they have retro stations for “old ” people like me, but I wish that MTV Music Videos occupied the same psychic space that it did for me. And it’s important to wait. Wait for your song to come on the radio instead of instantly getting it on YouTube. Wait and watch. Then it’s exciting, and you can appreciate how different it is from everything else. I don’t know….somehow we have to keep sticking it to the man, but what do you do, when MTV becomes the man? Gotta break it down again! Fuck MTV!

Well we went to Monteagle TN for the 4th. Chilled with all the preppy people – guys in pink pants. I looked semi-preppy. Lillie’s cousin Samuel had a birthday too – “More presents!” he kept saying. Actually, if you think about it…I kind of know what he means. Then Jon and Kat came over and Kat let me feel her belly to see if I could feel the baby kick, but it didn’t. It did for Lillie though. We bought a little Weber charcoal grill and I assembled it on the porch, got bit by mosquitos, then set it on fire. We grilled some eggplant and it was good. I spent the 5th working on some laptop music and set up a little mini-studio in the dining room. “So you don’t have to take the trouble to walk outside!” said Jon. We also got some Ikea furniture for the office. Delivered on Friday. They say an extra 200 bucks and they build it for you. “You know the deal with Ikea.” says Lillie’s uncle Walter: “Building it is what the real work is.”

Well it was an interesting week. I can’t seem to get on here everyday, but oh well. Here’s to better behavior. Saw Melissa Mathes’ record release show at the basement and she had a full string section. I wished I had a string section. I guess you just have to be organized. So then I worked with Courtney Jaye yesterday. We did a cool song called  ”You and what army”  we had fun and I played uke and made a simple drum loop. Mixing – even demos – stresses me out. But I often think back to what T-bone told me: “I picture myself in a club – really great sounding room – like i’m listening to a band – and if I think: “Sounds great, but I wish the vocals were louder.” – then I turn up the vocals! ”  So it’s a very simple concept, but it expands out quite far, such as “The snare hurts my ears!”  -etc. Lots of cucumbers from the garden –  so many we had to (sniffle) throw a few out. Rubbery ones. They just got rubbery in the fridge before anyone noticed. But the tomato deluge will happen in about a week. What else? Lillie packaged up and sent out lots of Silver Seas pre-orders today. It was very impressive! She took several armloads to the UPS store. I love that place. “Is this the UPS store?” I always ask when I walk in. Dinner was gourmet hotdogs and cold broc. with salad dressing. mmm. Tomorrow maybe I will work on Daniel Tashian.com.