Yep, I'm posting another guitar recording.
This is my attempt at "Rockin' In the Free World" by Neil Young, but it's based on the Suspended Agitation version (since I've heard that one more than the original). In other words, it's a cover of a cover. Think about that.
I think I managed to pull this off fairly well. Other than the obvious sound quality difference, there are only a couple discrepancies:
- My version is in standard tuning, while I think the SA version is in Eb.
- Ryan can actually play lead, so I can't even begin to match some of the solo stuff...but I managed to make up something that at least keeps the song going.
Anyway, here it is:
Is it some universal rule of college that all fraternity members have to gather on the porch of their house and play crappy music when the weather gets warm? It's so hilariously clichéd.
- "The English have not invented soap...that would require them to be clean."
- "[The French are] good at generalized slogans that mean shit."
- "Someday we'll have a special on PBS...'The Sound of Oppenheimer Screwing His Mistress.'"
- "We're great at shooting camels."
Verbatim quote from my economics textbook:
To get a feeling for the value of this graph is as an analysical tool, let's preview how the Macro Picture can help us.
Um...yeah...sounds fun. Anything that's valuable is as an analysical tool is fine with me.
*headdesk*
Spoilers...
SWEET MERCIFUL MOTHERFUCKING SHITCRAP ON A LICORICE STICK!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?
...They've killed a lot of people this season, but they wouldn't kill Jack freakin' Bauer, right?
RIGHT?
The last couple episodes have been amazing. Wow.
I wonder how much that explosion scene cost...
I'm currently sitting on a half-written stream of consciousness rant about stupid people, and I'm trying to decide whether I should post it.
Until then, here's a song I just recorded. It's based on another song I wrote eight (count 'em) years ago on keyboard. Good times.
The song itself is pretty average, but I'm fairly proud of the production. The tone is better, the instruments are more balanced, and the volume doesn't go overboard. Check it out:
Voices
If you believe everything you read in Maureen Dowd, you better get a life.
Bwahaha!!!
I freakin' swear that if it ends up being John McCain versus Hillary Clinton in the 2008 election, I will write in Rummy's name.
*NOTE: Some of these are paraphrased because I was only partially paying attention and didn't have time to write down the verbatim quote*
- "The Dutch would sell their grandmother for a profit."
- "We own Canada. We allow them to have their caribou and that stupid maple leaf flag."
- "Four million people went through New Jersey, and they all said the same thing: 'We're not coming back.'"
- "Detroit is a hellhole."
- "'Catcher In the Rye' and 'Grapes of Wrath...' I should force everyone to read those books because the bastards keep banning them...they don't realize it's just a shitty novel."
- "I don't sound like a diplomatic historian; I sound like a goddamn sociologist this morning..."
- "Those bastards have never been civilized down there...the more southerners you have, the more violence there is."
- "We get to bomb Japan next time!!!" (said enthusiastically at the end of lecture)
WhAt ThE eVeRlOvInG fUcK wOuLd PoSsEsS a SaNe HuMaN bEiNg To TyPe LiKe ThIs On A rEgUlAr BaSiS? AnD wHy, DeSpItE tHe FaCt ThAt It TaKeS fOrFuCkInGeVeR tO wRiTe A sEnTeNcE, dO tHeSe PeOpLe StIlL sEeM tO lAcK tHe AbIlItY tO cHeCk ThEiR dAmN sPeLlInG aNd GrAmMaR?
CrAp, NoW mY bRaIn HuRtS. i'M nEvEr DoInG tHiS aGaIn.
MoRoNs.
During a discussion of Ronald Reagan:
PROFESSOR: What do we know about supply-side economics?
DUDE IN THE BACK: It doesn't work.
Shortly after, another student answered the same question, or a very similar one (I can't remember which):
STUDENT: It involves, um, tax cuts for the wealthy...
And near the end of class:
PROFESSOR: I am, as most of you probably know, a very partisan Democrat.
CD'S INNER MONOLOGUE: Really? I could've sworn that your warnings against using "jingoist nationalism" in papers and your proud announcement of being a card-carrying ACLU member made you a hardcore conservative!!!
That's it for now. I'll have Stinchisms of the week on Thursday. He didn't say enough memorable stuff today to justify a post yet.
I've decided to adopt a new policy for this blog that I've seen in a few other places: I'm going to try and respond to every comment on every post including and following this one. I feel like I've been ignoring the minions for a while.
Unfortunately, I'm too tired to blog right now, so there's not much for anyone to comment on yet. Oh, well.
I'll write again when there's actually stuff going on, trust me. Until then, here's some more music.
I decided to record some live drums tonight instead of using the loops in GarageBand. Unfortunately, I didn't have the necessary wires to use condenser mics, so I had to settle for a couple crappy ones that I put on top of a box on the floor. Because of this, the sound quality isn't real great, and the guitar tone had to be modified so it didn't overpower the drums completely. Still, there's some interesting stuff here.
The first is yet another cover of Downfall (hey, I said it was my favorite song, right?). It sounds a little muddy at high volumes, but I think I captured the essence of it...except that I don't know how to play the bass guitar part, so I just made some crap up.
The second is just some random drumming with some random guitar on top of it. I basically had a one-man jam session. It includes a demonstration of my nonexistent amazing double bass drum abilities and my new tremolo picking technique (which I'm still working on). It gets a little weird, but it has its moments.
Also, just for fun, I changed around some of the effects on Lost and Found and made a lighter, drum-free version. Let me stress that it's the same recording as before, but with clean guitar effects rather than distortion. Digital editing is fun.
Anyway, here are the recordings:
Perry Bible Fellowship is just about the greatest comic strip ever.
Also, the guy who draws it went to Syracuse. Just thought I'd mention that.
Spoilers, so go to the extended entry...
Tony is not dead. He can't be freakin' dead. They didn't give him a silent clock like they did for Edgar, so he has to be alive, right?
RIGHT?
AM I RIGHT, PEOPLE?!
Also, if the terrorists assassinate President Nutless Douchebag Logan, I will do some sort of happy dance.
Okay, I know most of you probably couldn't care less about the songs I'm posting, but I'm really, really proud of this one. The chorus, solo, and title are based on music I wrote years ago and haven't been able to bring to life until now, and the intro and bridge riffs are based on some stuff I came up with while I was messing around earlier tonight. The tone in this one is also a bit crunchier and more musical. I think it's my best guitar work yet. Check it out:
Seriously. Give it a quick listen if you get the chance. It's really quite good.
Now that I'm home, I was able to get a wire for recording directly to GarageBand, so I re-recorded all of Spone Zone (including an actual bass guitar!). Check this out:
It's still not perfect, but it sounds a lot better than when I used headphones and the computer mic.
Yep. I'm back in good ol' Plum Borough, PA for the next few days.
Fun fact for today: In the restroom at Angola Travel Plaza, I noticed that someone had written the following on a stall wall:
NIGGERS ARE DESTROYING THE COUNTRY
Aren't people great?
I wanted to cross out "niggers" and write "racists," but I didn't have a pen.
Dang it.
I have to study for my economics midterm...which is a little over an hour away...but in the meantime, you can read about the wonderfully tolerant and open-minded liberals here at Syracuse. I can't remember if you need a registration to read the Daily Orange, so here's the report on the Ann Coulter speech in its entirety (Note: No, I wasn't there, and yes, from the looks of it, Coulter wasn't exactly a shining example of brilliance herself):
Coulter provokes mixed reaction Speaker, protestors throw comments back and forthThe first disturbance came before Ann Coulter could even mutter a word.
"Racist!" one audience member screamed. "You're ugly!"
For Coulter, a right-wing bestselling author and political pundit, it was a preview for what was to come. The College Republicans pegged Coulter's visit as a speech. But before she spoke Wednesday at Goldstein Auditorium, it turned into a circus.
The audience was split about evenly between supporters and protesters. When Coulter first came onstage, half the audience sat silently while the other half gave a standing ovation.
"I dozed off and I was almost late here tonight," Coulter began. "I was listening to that liberal talk radio."
Of course Coulter blasted Democrats and liberals. But more than anything, Coulter's visit was a study in partisan politics, not in any particular message. Quickly, her visit delved into a contest of might. Who could scream louder: the protesters or the supporters? What comment would get the most reaction: Coulter's or a jeering audience member's?
The divide grew wider as the night wore on, which is exactly how Coulter's career continues to thrive.
By the end - during the question and answer session - any hope for viable political discourse had completely evaporated. A number of protesters sarcastically asked Coulter what they could do, as Republicans, to help spread hate and racism on campus, questions which Coulter laughed at and brushed off.
Krychelle Davis, a sophomore policy studies and sociology major, asked Coulter what had personally happened in her life to make her so hateful of minorities and the gay community, to which Coulter responded: "What did it take in your life to become such a sensitive panty-waste?"
Other questions got similar responses from Coulter. Jamar Hooks, a graduate student in the College of Human Services and Health Professions, asked Coulter if she always kept her hood up while delivering speeches, then called her a bitch, flipped her off and walked away.
"His response to me is to yell out curse words and give the finger?" said Coulter, who stood with a bodyguard on stage. "They're doing a fine job at Syracuse University."
Truth be told, Coulter's speech was less outrageous than at other campuses, where she has referred to a student as a "gay boy."
"I was a tiny bit (surprised)," said Tiffany Damick, president of the College Republicans. "I thought she'd say some things that would get people a little more ticked off.
"I was actually pleasantly surprised. There were also a lot of conservative questions and response. I mean, there were some outbursts, but that's what you get when you put a bunch of crazy liberals together."
In between the outbursts, Coulter harped on her typical message. Her targets ranged from current California Sen. Barbara Boxer to former presidential candidate John Kerry to former presidents Bill Clinton and even all the way back to Jimmy Carter.
"Barbara Boxer is a perfect candidate for the Democrats," Coulter said. "She's female and learning disabled."
Coulter's topics swerved back and forth between the War in Iraq, the liberal media and abortion, among other things.
"I wonder why those 'I Heart Partial-Birth Abortion' T-shirts aren't selling," Coulter said. "Must be (the Democrats) are just having trouble getting the message out. If only they had access to some sort of mainstream media."
Most of Coulter's speech focused on liberals and Democrats ruining America with their domestic and foreign policies.
"We have to hit back," Coulter said, "not just the terrorists, but the liberals, too, because they hit hard."
The real story was the protesters, though, as their tactics were diversely applied. Some acted silently, leaving Coulter's speech in protest. Others screamed. Others still tried discrediting her through flattery.
"How much of your success do you think is based on the fact that you're too good-looking to be a Republican?" asked David Shapiro, a sophomore television, radio and film major.
"I'm getting this from you?" Coulter responded, pointing out what she considered his slovenly appearance.
Unlike at other campus speaking events, though, Coulter rarely responded to any jeers or comments. At her Indiana University appearance, for instance, she consistently directed guards to rowdy audience members and refused to continue speaking until they were removed.
Last night, she spoke above them.
One student, who refused to give his name, consistently clapped at inappropriate times, yelled louder than Coulter and, before he was removed, began bolting out, "The Times, They Are a-Changin'" by Bob Dylan.
"Shut up and behave yourself!" yelled an annoyed audience member.
Other protesters were more tactful.
"When was the last time a Democrat won an election?" Coulter asked.
"Al Gore won!" someone screamed out, as a rousing applause broke out.
"No," said Coulter, in one of the few times she responded to jeers during her speech, "he didn't."
David Eye, a graduate student and freshman writing teacher, was one of a handful of audience members to silently leave the circus.
"If any of my freshmen constructed arguments like this," he said, "I'd give them all F's."
Coulter turned a few straight questions into jabs. At one point, a student asked Coulter how she can support a president who has cut student loan programs and forced SU students to pay higher interest rates.
"Answer the question!" came a bevy of screams from the audience.
"We've gotta get these guys down to Guantanamo!" Coulter said. "'Answer the question! Answer the question!' Well, I think you just answered it yourself - there's too many dumb people going!"
"She was funny in the sense that a sick, nasty joke is funny," said Sam Eschenbrenner, president of College Democrats. "It was like the worst moments of 'Jackass' times 10. That kind of funny."
After the show, one student hung a banner that said: "Next week on HillTV: Ann Coulter!"
Still, the protest began before the show even started, as members of the Student Environmental Action Coalition held signs calling Coulter a racist and asking students to fill out bias-related incident forms. After the show, one member estimated that close to 30 reports would be filled out.
Summing up the position of most of the protestors, SEAC member Lauren Winship exclaimed, "I don't think my student fee should be paying a racist."
Holy crap, did someone set off a tard bomb in the Central New York area? I swear I've encountered more inexplicably stupid behavior here in the past two weeks than the rest of the semester combined.
Maybe it's just because spring break is coming up. Only two midterms to go...
*headdesk*
I swear this frickin' guitar is going to destroy my GPA...
I made a couple more recordings over the last 24 hours, and I figured I'd post them.
The first is a cover (I hope nobody from the RIAA reads this blog) of another TRUSTcompany song called "Fold." Not much to say other than I don't think I got some of the bridge chords right, but it sounds pretty similar to the real thing. I had to tune down to drop-C to play it right. It was...interesting getting it up to standard after that.
The second is an original that I just started writing a couple days ago. It's a bit abridged because I didn't feel like repeating everything, but all the pieces are there. I haven't decided for sure what to call it, so for now, it will be known as "Spone Zone."
Also, both of these tracks include bass (which is really just the guitar with the treble turned down and a "bass amp" effect from GarageBand applied).
Anyway, that's enough rambling. Sorry about the rather poor sound quality. I don't have the means to record direct, so I have to make these by setting my headphones next to the computer mic...
I don't think I've mentioned this, but Ann Coulter is coming to speak at SU in a few days. As I've said a few times before, I'm not a real big fan of hers (although How to Talk to a Liberal does have its moments), and I think she does a lot to discredit the larger conservative movement, but when I see things like the following letter to the Daily Orange, it almost makes me want to fully support her just to piss off the immature douchebags on the left. I present it here unedited and with little further commentary:
Event will infringe on student rightsSadly, we must bring to your attention yet another example of offensive and insensitive programming sponsored by our university. On March 8, Ann Coulter will be speaking at the invitation of the College Republicans.
If you are not familiar with her work, a quick Google search will let you know what's up. Ann Coulter's openly racist, sexist and hateful remarks violate Syracuse University's non-discrimination policy. Have we learned nothing from HillTV about respect for our fellow human beings? Evidently not.
This is not an issue of free speech and hearing "both sides" of an issue. Her remarks directly infringe upon students' rights to feel safe and included in the campus community. At this point, we find it unlikely that this kind of oppressive "entertainment" is due to white privileged ignorance and probably has more to do with overt, unashamed racism.
Hey, Kettle, some guy named Pot called. He says you're black.
Anyway...
We in the Student Environmental Action Coalition must wonder how Ann Coulter's paycheck compares to the annual funding for student organizations fighting for the right of respect and dignity for all people. We urge all of you to express your concerns.
As I said, I don't really need to add much. Just keep in mind that this letter is coming from people who most likely supported Michael Moore's visit to SU in 2004. Because, you know, he's never offended anyone.