David Foster Wallace and Sentimentality

“What passes for hip cynical transcendence of sentiment is really some kind of fear of being really human, since to be really human […] is probably to be unavoidably sentimental and naïve and goo-prone and generally pathetic.”

I’ve been reading a lot of David Foster Wallace’s works lately and came across an interview (which of course I can’t find right now) where he mentions he’s afraid of sentimentality. I recall the interviewer trying to get him to be more specific about what he meant and the question still kind of hanging in the air. He talks about how in postmodern society—an ironic society—being overtly sweet or sentimental is thought of as cheesy and something to be scoffed at; that the sentimentality has to be veiled in a sort of cynical gauze.

I remember hearing this and wondering why. I immediately thought of my favorite “sentimental” works: Anna Karenina, Brothers Karamazov, East of Eden, Journey to the End of the Night, all of which are pre-postmodern, yet are still classics and don’t shy away from a bit of cheese.

Dr. Jordan Peterson and Atheism

Jordan Peterson has started a series of lectures on Psychology and the Bible. There is a moment (link below) that I’m trying to grasp so bare with me as I sort of rack my brain and try to decipher what exactly it is he’s getting at.

https://youtu.be/f-wWBGo6a2w?t=1h48m

“Crime and Punishment is the best investigation that I know of of what happens when you take the notion that there’s nothing divine about the individual seriously. Now most of the people I know who are deeply atheistic—and I understand why they’re deeply atheistic—haven’t contended with people like Dostoevsky—not as far as I can tell. Because I don’t see logical flaws in Crime and Punishment; I think he got the psychology exactly right.”

Is There Life on Mars?

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. I suppose I got caught up in other projects and works and didn’t feel much up for analysis. I do apologize! As per request of r/musictheory, I give you David Bowie’s:

Life on Mars

There were numerous questions about this piece on the music theory subreddit some time ago. “Just what is David doing here?” many wondered. It’s so dreamy! It’s so alien! Yet, so beautiful! Are there any other songs like it?

To which the answer is yes, yes there are. Well, sort of–-at least harmonically. Bowie admitted that he took what was the sheet music to Comme D’habitude, a French song that would later be turned into that Sinatra song, put some lyrics on top of it, lost out to some hack songwriter named Paul Anka, and wrote Life on Mars almost out of spite. I use that phrase lightly, though. I do believe it was less out of spite and more out of “Well, shit, I guess I might as well do something with it and see what I can come up with. Sounds like a good time!”

Here, Bowie explains it a bit better:

A Gentle Nudge on Creativity and Craft

I thought I’d share some advice on making things that’s helped me over the years.

I find that, when I sit down with the intention of making a work, it’s helpful if I have a small idea in my mind that I’d like to try out. You know, a newly discovered tool that I haven’t yet put to use. Whether it be a small tool (i.e. I’d like to try using a bit of repetition in my lyrics) or a big tool (I’d like to write music that can be played at airports), I think having these in my mind helps me create what I want – or, at least, anything at all. Let me give you some examples about tools I recently discovered, and tools I have my eyes set on.

https://soundcloud.com/codysean/the-great-hollow?in=codysean/sets/my-music

Lennon, Cash and Long Verse Structures

Today I’ll be talking about a particular tool in the songwriter’s kit that I don’t see utilized much any more: The long, non-repeating verse structure. This is in contrast to your standard pop verse which might be upwards of, say, 16 measures long, but typically takes a four bar (sometimes eight bar) chord progression and repeats it a few times – maybe changing the vocal melody on top to keep it interesting. I’ll just dive right in so you get the idea of what I’m talking about:

Johnny Cash – Sunday Morning Comin’ Down

Black Hole Sun and Borrowed Chords

I think back to my Rock Band days: Sitting in my friend’s living room during the middle school awkwardness, playing this track on a plastic guitar, then eventually on plastic bass and drums. I was fixated, mesmerized. Even the times I had heard this song before – on the radio or in the movies or what have you – I always found my ears erect, perked and delighted. The sound is so otherworldly, but not demented or twisted. Just…Strange. Captivating. And beautiful. Like an extraterrestrial, I can’t help but gawk at the alien life.

To me, there are two factors planting this song somewhere on Mars, and the first is the chord selection. More than half of the chords are non-diatonic, and even the tonal chords are approached in such bizarre ways that, well, they may as well be non-diatonic too.

The second is the guitar sound, but I’ll touch on that later.

Come On Eileen is brilliant

I just…Wow. The first time I really sat down and listened to this number, I was completely taken aback. Yeah, I had heard this song before. Radios, shopping malls, restaurants, TV shows, 80s movies, commercials, yadda yadda. But when it came on in my car the other day my ears perked up.

Empathy Box: A New Composition

Have a listen 🙂

Podcast with Owen

Hey guys! Owen was able to stop by and have a chat with me about his goings on. Have a listen 🙂

(we start talking about music stuff at around the 20 minute mark if that’s what you’re here for)

And hear his music here:
http://quoteunquoterecords.com/qur044.htm
http://quoteunquoterecords.com/qur053.htm

He’s also got a show on Christmas day at Crescent with Cherie Cherie, another one of my favorite local artists. Diners and Pro Teens will also be playing. Quite the bill!

https://www.facebook.com/events/481765635336688/

And if you like Diners (and who doesn’t?) be sure to check out that podcast I did with Tyler also posted on this same site.

Podcast with Tyler of Diners

Hey folks! I was able to have my friend Tyler Broderick come over to my place and record an interview with him. Got to ask him some questions about recording, songwriting, Brian Wilson, and Shrek! Check it out, it’s a good listen.

Here’s some Diners links for ya:

http://diners.bandcamp.com/