Pribek

It would be an understatement to say that I am not a fan of the mainstream media. People that know me have heard my complaints for years. Last month we had the doctored photo scandal involving an individual who had either a political or possibly a career agenda. Regardless of motive, someone documenting an event with an agenda can only result in tainted coverage. A thank you should go out to the members of the blogging community for spotting what the geniuses at Rueters missed hundreds of times.

Today we had CNN anchor person Kyra Phillips talking in the restroom about relationships and slamming her sister-in-law during a televised speech by the president. Her microphone was left on. Mistakes happen… Who is in charge of microphones at CNN? You would think that after the infamous “Go balloons! Go balloons! Go balloons! I don’t see anything happening… Jesus! We need more balloons. I want all balloons to go, goddammit… There’s not enough coming down! All balloons, what the hell! There’s nothing falling! What the f@#k are you guys doing up there?” episode with Don Mischer at the Democratic convention in ’04 that the microphone guy would be paying close attention.

So, the microphone guy missed it. Wasn’t anybody else at CNN even listening to the damn speech? The bathroom chatter went on for over a full minute. What about Kyra Phillips, does she have an on/off switch herself? What in the hell is an on-air personality doing in the bathroom during a presidential speech that she is reporting on? Mistakes happen, again and again and again.

When the kid at Burger King leaves the cheese off my Whopper I get torqued off and move along. That is a mistake. This CNN garbage is unprofessionalism. If you are in an occupation that is called a profession you should take your job seriously. If you are a professional you are being trusted to do a job that not everybody is qualified for. The technician who was responsible for the microphone should be fired and Ms.Phillips should be fired for being in the john talking about her sister-in-law during the speech.

These are serious matters. The public should not be forced to read between the lines of constant editorializing that permeate modern reportage. Give me facts, let me form an opinion. We should not have to suffer news professionals that don’t show us enough respect to care about the quality of what they present.

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Ahh yes, a cold front has moved in to the Ozarks. It is a welcome relief. Heat is the enemy for someone with M.S. I have an acquaintance that spent a lot of time in the jungle during the Vietnam War. He keeps his house cold enough to hang meat. He told me once “It is my goal to never be hot again.” If you are cold, you can build a fire or put more clothes on. If you are hot, all you can do is crank up the A.C.

Rollo came by yesterday and did some wiring for the drum room. That was the final step to be able to record a full band here at the house on the hill. Nothing fancy here but, eminently workable. Good mics and preamps are a key for recording and we are well set to at least do demos. If anybody need a promotional demo send me an e-mail. I generally try to come up with a “project” price rather than hourly rates.

Napster

I’m going to rant a bit.
I started a Napster account a few months ago. I like the idea of the convenience. Huge selection and I don’t have to leave the house. I downloaded some songs, they sounded good, clean files. I know that most people don’t like to pay for music anymore but I don’t mind. Hell, ninety nine cents a song I paid that for 45s thirty years ago.

The day I set up the account, it was obvious that Napster was primarily interested in selling their subscription service rather than the “old fashioned” pay per download plan. There were several steps added in the sign-up process just to avoid the subscription version. I do not own a MP3 player. I don’t even want one. I want to own my music not rent it.

The way it was set up you could browse music and listen to 30 seconds of any given song but if you signed out of the account and went to napster.com you could listen to the entire song. So I listened to a lot of stuff then went back through the sign-in process to purchase what I wanted. I still came away from the experience feeling pretty good about it. I listened some great songs a bought a few records that are hard to find.

A few weeks later, I thought I would spend a little more disposable income on some new music. I clicked on the Napster icon and was informed that there was a new version that I was required to download before I could log on, very irritating. I downloaded the new version but something else came up so I never browsed around.

Tonight I thought I would check out the new Bob Dylan record that hit the streets today. I remembered that you had to not sign in to listen to complete tracks. I bypassed the colossal subscription offer and navigated my way to the record. I clicked the “listen to c.d.” button. The first song played and then a new prompt appeared that said if I wanted to listen to the whole record I would need to sign up for the subscription.

I read in the paper today that illegal downloads outnumber paid ones forty to one. As the one consumer in forty, I am not happy. I don’t mind new features or options but there should be some thread of consistency.

As a musician, I find this even more disheartening. I can understand why a music fan would prefer to download illegally as opposed to going through all this jive and be expected to pay. It’s probably easier.

I know that there are many other companies that offer pay downloads and I am sure that at least some of them are more straightforward and easy to navigate. At this point, only I-Tunes and Napster making a go of it on a large scale, so I am particularly interested in how they operate. So, out of the two major players, one has exclusivity issues and the other seems far more interested in the subscription route. All in all I think that this arena could, and should be more consumer friendly and, sadly until it is the artist will take the hit.

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I am a fan and student of records. The recording process has always fascinated me. When I was a kid, I used to read all of the liner notes when I would listen to an album. I wanted to know who the bass player was. I wanted to know who mixed it. I wanted to know geographically where it was recorded. I would listen to just the right speaker, then replay listening to the left side to hear how things were panned. I still like to spend time just listening, intensely to a great record.

You can take a great song and make a crappy record. Some great records were technically poorly recorded. Guitars can be out of tune, the drummer a little off, but still something grabs you, transcends.

The Beach Boys “Pet Sounds” is one that I have studied a lot. I think in a lot of ways it was a turning point for rock and roll. I think Brian Wilson was consciously and honestly trying to make art. I think he did. He was approaching his work with the attitude of a serious composer. Musically and lyrically “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is one of those things that is just on its own level. I can feel the air on that record. I have always heard that Brian Wilson was heavily influenced by records that Phil Spector was making at the time.

The rock legend is that The Beatles heard an advance copy and it changed there outlook.Their musical answer to “Pet Sounds” was “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”. That’s another great record. These guys were thinking big, sound as cinema. George Martin could understand thinking big. He could thing big and had the wherewithal to act on it.

Both of these albums are like symphonies to me. Both used the studio like an instrument. By that I am not only talking about the ability to multi-track different parts. When you record things like strings and horns you use the actual room as an instrument. The type of mike used and where it is placed affects the mood of the entire recording. How you use the room is the ambience of a record.

A few years ago, I co-produced the first Bill Dees c.d. “Saturday Night At The Movies”. It is a collection of songs that Bill wrote with and for Roy Orbison. My first task on the project was to immerse myself in this music. It was the first time I had really picked apart these Roy Orbison records. I was listening to “It’s Over” and something dawned on me. I had always heard the Phil Spector to “Pet Sounds” to “Sgt. Pepper” idea, I realized that “It’s Over” was the missing link in that chain. It is a remarkable record. I have randomly picked lyrical phrases out of a hat and every time said, “I wish I could have thought of that”. The chord structure is unlike any other song. The melody is superb. Roy Orbison tears his heart out in front of you. The strings paint pictures and add drama. Fred Foster is a guy that knows how to work a room. That’s using the studio as an instrument.

Later this year the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be putting on a week long Master Series event in tribute to Roy Orbison. Fred Foster, Joe Melson and my good friend Bill Dees will be there. They will be doing An Evening with Bill Dees. It is nice to see all these guys being recognized for their contribution to this rich musical legacy. I heard a rumor that the most recorded bass player on earth, Bob Moore, may be there. Hats off from a life-long record geek guys.

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