I have rediscovered that I am more tolerable to be around when I am hyped up on diet soda. The truth hurts.
I have been anxiously shopping for birthday gifts for two girls I don’t know and for winter clothes for Hudson. Yes, winter clothes. One of the great things about living in Southern California is that if you drive in the right direction long enough, you will hit snow. So, Hudson will be in the snow for four days. Hundreds of dollars of snow clothes for four days. Yeesh.
The guy who cuts our lawn, Joe Moenblough, has been away, recuperating from a hip replacement. Part of me feels guilty for having a guy mow his lawn who would need a hip replacement, and part of my hope we pay him enough…
I have straightened out a couple of my drawers. Long overdue. It was like an archeological dig. I found some interesting artifacts.
I miss records. Albums and 45s. Especially albums. Because life is not a bunch of mp3s of your favorite songs, carefully crafted into a playlist of your greatest hits. Life is album sides. Some hits, some misses, some filler. But, without the misses and filler, there are no hits. There is only the endless search for the elusive perfect playlist.
This episode is for Premium Pill subscribers.
Hey Dan,
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed this show. I’m going through a lot of loss right now and there was something very comforting about the idea that life is not a greatest hits album. So right now I’m on a track that hurts like hell but eventually I’ll move on to the next one. Another way of saying this, too, shall pass. But one that resonates. Thanks so much.
Kamille
Steve Jobs both saved the record industry but also destroyed the album as a consumable product.
I have been thinking a lot about vinyl too recently. I miss the artwork. Remember that awesome gatefold sleeve album from ELO – “Out of the blue”, the one where the inner gatefold opened out to make a spaceship.
That album was meant to be listened to in 4 parts.
As you say, we are in an era now where people just want the greatest hits and not the whole thing. We are also in the Facebook generation. Many people I know only do stuff outside work so they have something to say on Facebook. That is really sad. I vow I will never ever return to Facebook, but I wish to hell I was the guy who invented this drug that I could push legally to people. I swear the whole thing is a way to dumb us down as a society, so that we are more pliable and less likely to realise we are living in an Orwellian nightmare.
It’s all your fault Dan – just awaiting delivery of an all-in-one record player. I’ve checked and the stack of wax is still OK. I showed a vinyl album to my 7 year old daughter the other day and she just laughed and I could tell did not really believe that it contained music…I’ll show her!!