Starting (Again)

Hello. I'm wondering if anyone will even notice that I've posted on my blog, because it's been more than a year since my last post. But I came across this today and have decided to start writing here again, even if nobody notices. I think this place was a really nice outlet for my thoughts and silly Hot Pocket experiments (may they rest in peace) so I'm going to continue them! In less than a week I'm going on a spectacular road trip, so perhaps I'll make a bit of a travelogue documenting my thoughts and adventures and experiments that arise from that trip.

Right now though, I'm starting these playlists. I had this idea years ago to make playlists not for a person or a type of music but instead making playlists built around a thought, or a time of day, or a place and to play them during their corresponding moments on a road trip. So I'm starting to make some in preparation for this trip. I don't have the list of ideas that I came up with, but here's some that I remember:

Windy coastal road

The mountains at night

Everybody's grumpy and needs to remember that they love each other

Stay awake

Sunset

It's fucking hot out

There's some more, but those are what I remember. I'm really excited to start making them! Alright, blog, that's all for now, but I promise I'll be back soon for another nice post.
Love,
-Pip

Bonnaroo

I'm very excited to go to Bonnaroo with my best lady!


Snoop Dogg, be ready to meet your maker.

Dancing!

This is adorable. Dance, boy, dance!


BOOMBOX from Ely Kim on Vimeo.

Also, those are all very good songs. I want a mixtape of them.

In which I ramble on about music

I just wrote a long thingy about the new Decemberists song ("The Rake's Song") I downloaded this morning from their website, but then I deleted it because it made me feel gross writing those things. I don't want to tell people what to think (yes, I realize this is the primary function of all blogs everywhere all the time). However, I will tell people what to do, so go download it from their website and then tell me what to think. I like being told what to think.

Also in music-y related news, I finally got Chad Vangaalen's Soft Airplane last night after being a long time admirer. He makes really nice songs and animations to go along with some of them. Here's "Molten Light" from said album:



If you like it, thou shouldst probably go check out his other videos. There isn't a huge amount, but there is enough, little one.

PS: I just taught myself half of a Cat Stevens song on my harmonica. I feel very accomplished, considering I really don't know how to play harmonica. I need to get better already.

Charlie Kaufman Articulates Things Like Nobody's Business

I just read this interview with Charlie Kaufman (he's a screenwriter, you guys...look it up) and, wow. I mean, I understand he is a professional writer, and I'm just some schmuck who can't write for the life of her, but he just...wow.

Charlie Kaufman's thoughts : me :: I can not articulate this analogy. Kaufman would be much better at this sort of thing.

I can't even write an adequate analogy. Perhaps an equation would be better:

Charlie Kaufman's thoughts > 552(x + y), where x = anything I have ever thought, ever and y = all the happiness in the world

Okay, so perhaps that's overstating and exaggerating things. I just really love the way he puts things. He'll say things like "It's a problem and it's not a problem.", "Yes and no.", and "Sometimes and sometimes not." when first responding to the interviewer's questions which might seem repetitive and contradictory, but is also the perfect way to encapsulate what he says in the rest of his response. The way that he goes about writing is something I aspire to, and I'm not even a writer. His search for truth and honesty in writing no matter what is something I really admire. His approach seems more like an approach to life more than it is strictly an approach to writing, and that's what I admire about it. He's not trying to follow a formula or a plan. He's trying to put forth a more accurate version of life in his writing, one that is confusing and not laid out beforehand and encompasses all of our past, present, and future experiences. I'm very much looking forward to seeing Synecdoche, New York (which, coincidentally, I've just learned how to say...si-nek-duh-kee. I think that's right).

In other news, I got tickets to see of Montreal in Denver next month, which I'm really excited about. Of Montreal is on a short list of bands I have made a pact to see if the opportunity arises, so I'm happy I get to see them. I haven't listened to their new album, Skeletal Lamping in full yet, but I'm working my way through it as of this writing, and I like the craziness that I hear so far. Speaking of hearing craziness, I have been listening to ridiculous amounts of The Bugle, an "audio newspaper for a visual world". It's hilarious and British and I can not recommend it enough. (subscribe via iTunes here)

I'm also working diligently on my Halloween costume, which is coming together better than I could have expected. I have the tentacles sewed and am halfway through the dragon wings. I'll probably post something more detailed about how I made it on here in the future. So you all have that to look forward to.