Tuesday:
The first recording session in a studio almost never results in a recording. It's taken up with identifying and solving all the problems that need to be dealt with before recording can begin. Last night it was a lack of microphones, wobbly microphone stands, cables that won't reach, and the mixer introducing an amazing amount of hum to the signal.
All that, and guitarist Paul T getting stressed out about his job, love and money (about which we're all sympathetic) and going on about it nonstop for 30 minutes at a time (about which we feel like hitting him with large sticks until he stops). Odd how it's easier to have sympathy for someone else's unhappiness if they bear it stoically, and don't want sympathy.
Afterwards, I intended to go home, but was invited out for a drink by a comrade - well, how could I refuse? I do seem to spend quite a lot of time drunk these days - not because I drink a lot, but because get I drunk on a double-rum-and-coke.
After three double-rum-and-cokes, I was considering getting up on stage and doing a karaoke version of Blondie's "Heart of Glass". Forunately, I was picked up by a blond sailor instead.
This hasn't happened for almost exactly 14 years. The last time it resulted in a rather awkward six month relationship; this time it was a nicely uncomplicated roll around on a double bed. With him and his friend.
While all this was happening, America was having mid-term elections. The Republicans (dominated by neocons) control the presidencey, and the Democrats (dominated by Clintonites) control the House of Representatives, and possibly the Sennate. Each can now veto the proposals of the other, so America might just spend the next two years in deadlock.
On the other hand, it's mainly the right-wing candidates of the Democrats who got elected - i.e those who are slightly less pro-war, slightly more pro-choice, slightly less pro-corporate than the neocons. So we may see some deals being struck between reds and blues.
The neocon project in the middle east is "over, bar the shooting", and the economy is in a total mess, so both sides have to co-operate in doing something about these. Withdrawing the troops and stabilising the economy are imperative, though slow, processes. Other "hot" issues like gay marriage, taxation, gun control and whether Hilary Clinton is the antichrist are, I think, still undecided.
Wednesday:
A house warming party. With, erm, quite a lot of red wine.
Tom A and Craig C are now sharing a flat - two handsome young batchelors in their pad. Roxanne invited me "to help lower the tone" of the evening. We watched Team America on DVD - an uninhibitedly sophomoric parody of everything that's vacuous in American pop politics, of the left and right.
Pandora.Com is a music streaming service, based on the startling idea that you like new music if it resembles old music you already like. It doesn't work so well if you have a broad taste, or like music which surprises you, but it's an interesting experiment nontheless.
In my mind the gay marriage issue is being decided swiftly. With the exception of Arizona, every state where a gay marriage ban has been on the ballot, has passed it. In my own state of Michigan, it passed in 2004 with almost 2/3 of the voters supporting it. Wisconsin passed the ban this year among other states.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if David thinks this is a good or bad thing.
ReplyDeleteOoops. I'm thinking of changing my name to anonymous. It's easier to remember than K-who's-forgotten-his-logon, which sounds rather too ethnic.
ReplyDeleteI think he thinks it's a bad thing. He seems a mixed bag politically, but a social progressive.
ReplyDeleteAs for names, Blogger gives you the option to post messages under "Blogger", "Other" and "Anonymous". "Other" lets you type in a name for yourself, and a webpage which needn't be a blog.
That's how I can post as "Eight Tons of Geese" when posting to the blogs of lunatics.
Sorry. I do think it is a bad thing. Sometimes, I come across as pretty dispassionate.
ReplyDelete