NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell
Kelly and I recently re-watched Summer of Sam, which I hadn’t seen since I before I ever moved to New York. That was a strange phase for Spike Lee, but a pretty good movie, I think, if a little too abrasive. Anyway, that plus watching Swingtown on Netflix has me once again devouring the 70s. Excited to see the P5 linked to this this morning. Great graphics. The Blackout clip is the must-see:
I got to see each and every artist on top 5 list this year!
This years releases from High Places, Tobacco, Au, Chairlift, Ra Ra Riot, Ane Brun, Lykke Li, Bon Iver, Ladyhawke-with-the-e, Ladyhawk-without-the-e, Pit Er Pat, Women, Ellen Allien, Studio, HEALTH, Squarepusher, Black Mountain, Jamie Liddell, Fennesz, Titus Andronicus, Growing.
Kelly and I headed to Madison Square Garden last night to see both Davidson and UT win their games in the Jimmy V classic. Both games were great (especially Stephen Curry’s last few minutes against West Virginia) and got me excited for our next couple of months. UT played Villanova, who seemed to really lose their way in the last 10 minutes of the game. The crowd was mostly rowdy Nova fans, many of whom were incredibly drunk– I saw more fighting in the crowd than at any other sporting event (or rock show!) than I’ve ever been to. Our section of Texas Exes was pelted with ice and drinks as we ended the game with “The Eyes Of Texas,” and I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it a little bit when a bigger Texas fan dropped one of the worst offending Villanova idiots on his head in a particularly vicious altercation. This is, I guess, why beer is only sold at off-campus NCAA events. Ugh.
I just hope that the behavior of the Villanova fans is not typical of the Big East– we’ll be at a lot of BE conference games, hopefully, once we move to our new home in Syracuse next month. That’s right, we’re moving: I accepted a job at Syracuse University right before Thanksgiving. I’m really looking forward to it, and we’re heading up there this weekend to find an initial place to stay. I’ll start in early January.
Somewhat unrelatedly, on my way to the Garden to meet Kelly last night, I listened to this week’s The Moth podcast, which featured my hero Joe Jackson telling a story about his early days playing in pubs (a bit of the story is also in his great memoir, A Cure for Gravity). Thanks to J for making sure I didn’t miss it! I bring this up, because I keep meaning to post my top 10 or so albums for 2008… Joe’s Rain is definitely on that list.
Not that it was much of a choice. I’ve had to come to terms, over the last 4 weeks, with the fact that I am not able to run the NYC marathon this year. My strained leg is taking too long to heal, and there’s no need to push it. That’s the lesson I learned in Charlotte last year. Better to take the time off now than to risk worse injury just out of pride.
Luckily, I’ll just defer my admission to the marathon until next year. I’ll have to pay again, but I have little choice now. Oh well. I’m not beating myself up about it, just working hard to get back on my feet. Been to a few cycling classes, and have continued consistently stretching and practicing yoga. Sadly, my two favorite yoga classes at the gym got discontinued, probably because I was one of only 2 or 3 who ever showed up. Hopefully those teachers will be back at other times, they were my 2 favorites.
Relatedly, I finally got in to the physical therapist this week. It has been a nightmare to schedule these appointments, since I have to take off from work early to get to the office before they close. Visiting this place is like stepping back to the 70s. It’s basically a railroad apartment, mauve walls and brown trim, divvied up by orange, brown, and green striped curtains. Behind each curtain is a cot and an aged brown-plastic machine covered in dials. It definitely seems like more of a rehab-after-workplace-accident type place than a sports medicine practice. Thanks HIP! If it weren’t so close to my house, I might seek another place.
Anyway, they hooked me up to this shocking machine for 15 minutes, then gave me an ultrasound massage on my hamstring, and then I rode an archaic stationary bike that looked like a discarded The Price Is Right prop for about 6 minutes. Two feet from the bike was the receptionist’s desk… she was filing as I peddled. A strange place indeed. Perhaps I’ll get some pictures next time– have a few weeks of this ahead.
Oh, and I went to see My Bloody Valentine last night. They were terrific, and the fact that I brushed past J Mascis in the crowd would have made my 15 year old self ecstatic. Haven’t done much that would impress 15 year old me lately, so that felt good. (I can feel him shudder each time I put on my running tights!) The highlight for me was actually the extended noise break they closed with– it was overpoweringly, sensory-overload loud. Like thunder on pause forever. I was fine with earplugs, but people seemed to be losing their minds a bit. I can only imagine that this event had some negative impact on the Jersey Boys performance in the theatre next door. The highlight for Kelly is that she didn’t go to the show and therefore missed it.
Apart from not playing “Cupid Come,” they covered everything I wanted to hear. Alphabetcityblog documented the show way more carefully than I ever could have, I’m just glad I got their in time for the whole set, had a decent view (though this person had a better spot! — this was more like where we were), and was able to meet up with Jon and Melissa beforehand. Well worth the price.
My legs feel better today than they have in weeks. My left knee is still a little tweaky, but I when to a cycling class today and felt good as new. My leg actually felt better after the hour ended. It was nice to sweat without grimacing in pain, been a while since I did that. Stretched more and iced afterwards, and, as of 10pm, still feeling great. We’ll see how I’m feeling in the morning.
Planning to hit up a couple of more cycling and yoga classes this week, and then I’ll have some recovery stories to tell (I hope) when I finally get in to the physical therapist next Monday.
Sound wise, I just realized that my current (and several-months-standing) favorite band, Black Moth Super Rainbow, has a free EP available on their site to get us excited for the “Drippers” EP, which drops scratch-n-sniff CDs & 10″ vinyl soon. A few other mp3s on there site as well. Enjoy.
1980s Pioneer SE 20A BR
First post-paper weekend is such a relaxing thing. Had a late week at work, teaching a few library instruction classes. Last night, my class ended at 8:30, but the library closed at 8, so I sent my class out to realize that they were trapped in an empty, darkish library. Nice. A long week indeed.
Despite the weird schedule this week, I managed to get 3 yoga classes in and have doubled up my stretching routine– once in the morning, and once at night. Now that i’m ready to run, though, we’ve got all this Hannah rain, so I may start out the treadmill for a few miles in the morning.
Headphones-wise, a few mixes & tracks of note:
I’ve also got a new mix in to Libby, that maybe we’ll see soon. In the meantime, check these oldies of mine:
I got back from California sorta late on Wednesday. I had a great time; squeezed in a few nice runs, some pool time, a couple of movies, and plenty of good food in between all of the ALA conference sessions I attended. .
The first run, a 7-miler finishing up the 21-mile week in my interim training plan. The next two, a 3-miler and a 5-miler, were the first two runs on the Hal Higdon plan I’m using; it starts with a 23-mile week, so I should be ready to go without risking increasing my mileage too quickly. I put all my runs in the program on my calendar this evening, and noticed that there are a few 50-mile weeks in there– a terrifying proposition for now, but I’ll work up to it. Even though these runs were on the street in high-traffic areas, they definitely broke up the monotony of the Prospect Park runs, which is about to begin again.
It was really easy to get up early and run in Pacific time, and the weather was generally low-60s when I was running. It is unfortunately a lot warmer and muggier back in NYC. Yesterday’s 3 miles were on the treadmill in the AC.
I walked a lot while in Anaheim, probably 8 or so miles a day, which I guess begins to justify all of the lavish meals, donuts, and hamburgers I consumed. I have to admit, though, it will be nice to get back on a regular diet of my own design this week. I got up early on the 4th to pick up tickets to see the Feelies reunite, one of Kelly and my favorite bands, in a Battery Park, and stopped at Trader Joe’s on the way home for most of the week’s groceries. I’ll make a produce run tomorrow to fill out the pantry. I think I’m gonna share some of my sloppy recipes this week if anyone’s interested.
Saw Hulk and Wanted while in Anaheim, which were both better than I expected. Left my phone behind at the latter, and when I returned to the theatre (a 2 mile walk each way!) to retrieve it, it had been swiped. But I got a new phone now; the cheapest one in the store. Give me a call to hear me struggle with it.
For the 4th, we attended that free Feelies show in the afternoon, and then headed over to Union Hall with some Friends for the R&B-B-Q, featuring our faves the Sweet Divines. They get better every time we see them. The icing on the cake was that the show (and another buger) was also free, due to Kelly and I once again dominating at Name That Tune before I left for California (we took first at trivia the next night at the Black Sheep!).
Another 7 miles in Prospect Park this morning, and I couldn’t be looking more forward to my upcoming change of venue. I ran late enough this morning that there were cars in the park… don’t think I’ll do that again. It totally freaks me out, and, on top of that, the morning drivers seem a bit more preoccupied with getting to where they’re going than those in the early evenings.
The run itself was ok; a little slow, but consistent. Slowest mile (8:35) was right smack in the middle. I felt pretty good, and had no trouble getting up, but the run was a bit of a drag, possibly because of what I listened to. This week’s This American Life was both a rerun and a bummer (though a great story) and just didn’t get me motivated. I actually remember listening to it before running the exact same route a couple of years ago. This is why I’ve been concentrating on making mixes and playlists and things, it really does make a difference for me.
On that note, I have to recommend the new pay-what-you-want Girl Talk album, Feed The Animals. It’s a hyper-ADD mix of bits and pieces of all sorts of songs. I’m not really a fan of mash-ups, but this album is perfect for exercising… I strongly recommend it to Beth for her spinning classes (at least the ones that don’t mind some dirty words). It’s this album (and specifically the masterful sampling of VU’s “Sunday Morning”) that really got me through the muggy run Sunday evening. It’s an album that keeps you listening for what’s next– great for running, but perhaps a little too distracting for real life. We’ll see.
Oh, and happy birthday, Bethy! I wish I was there to celebrate with you.
Next run, and probably next report, will be from sunny Southern California. I’ve got another 7 to finish up this week, then it’s on to week one of my NYC Marathon training.
Embarked on my 21-mile week last night at 7:45. We had an early evening storm, so I went to a 90 minute yoga class before I ran, counting on the rain to cool things down. All it did was make it unbearably humid. My 7 miles were sluggish, but pretty unremarkable otherwise. Probably as much due to the North Carolina overload we engaged in at the Birds of Avalon/Polvo show the night before as much as the weather. I took it pretty easy, but still managed to nearly reach my heart-rate ceiling. My splits were pretty consistent. My lower legs were a bit weak for the rest of the evening, and kinda sore when I woke up this morning.
Luckily I ran into Kelly before she left the park so I could change my pizza order for dinner. The Grandma and Sicilian slices she brought me were exactly what I needed.
Finished a 7-miler yesterday evening just in time to meet Kelly for a picnic and the Metropolitan Opera in Prospect Park. Split-wise, it was an interesting run; I don’t know that I’ve ever had a non-race run with 2 sub-7-minute miles. Mile 2, which I thought I was running at about 8:30 pace, was actually 6:55– a testament to how good I’ve been feeling lately, I guess. I also had a 6:55 mile at mile six, thanks to an anonymous stranger.
Somewhere during mile 5 I heard a weird sound, and turned to see a kid on a little training bike careening toward me and a guy close on my tail. Usually, the few people who pass me totally smoke me, but I eventually heard this guy’s steps steady behind me. Once there was room (lots of walkers on the path due to the opera) he caught me, and we kept pace with one another, non competitively, for the next mile and a half or so. It was great. He really kept me going. About halfway into mile 6, right at the base of the hill, he chirped “thanks!” and headed off out of the park. I’ve never really run with anyone before, but it was really nice to have someone keeping me honest through the part of the run I’d likely have slacked on were I alone.
This was one of those moments where I felt like an actual real runner, which is rare. Nathaniel mentions being treated badly at running stores until he reached a certain level of fitness and running acumen, and I’ve experienced the same thing. I guess this was a more positive one of those moments.
I waited until the evening to run on Monday, but I should have just bit the bullet and gotten up while it was still dark. I ran another semi-easy four, made a bit harder by the fact that it was 90 degrees outside. Felt ok, but my shins are still a little achey… I’m hoping this isn’t another bout of early training shin splints, but I think I’m just to sensitive to it after last year.
After reading the article about music in this month’s Runner’s World, I also decided to make Monday’s run my first in ages with no headphones. Learning to go the distance without my iPod was actually one of my New Year’s Resolutions this year, and here I am in June giving it a shot for the first time. It wasn’t bad at all, but I did miss the motivation effects of my jams. Also, I found it harder to keep my mind from wandering. They say that it allows you to listen to your body more, but the music my body makes is not very interesting. Like a too-long Stooges song with no guitars. I just feel like I should be able to operate in no-headphones mode because I’m sure there’s a race in my future where they’re prohibited. I think it’s just elitism, mainly, that has race planners against them. I heard someone seemingly in charge at Buffalo refer to the slower runners as “iPod people,” intended as an insult, complete with eye-roll. I don’t want to get on a rant about this, but I’ve seen waaaay more dangerous stuff than iPods going on in races including dogs and strollers (even in races that were iPod-unfriendly). I think planners should focus on making their courses safer, and I was glad to see that some planners are looking at things this way.
Yoga-wise, I had a great day Sunday, and held my longest no-wall headstand ever.
Some of the songs that kept me going:
Re-make/Re-model by Roxy Music
You! Me! Dancing! by Los Campesinos!
I Don’t Want To Grow Up by Scarlett Johansson
On The Table by AC Newman
Moods For Moderns by Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Ex-Guru by David Byrne
Love und Romance by The Slits
Do The Du by A Certain Ratio
Photocopier by Fujiya & Miyagi
I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) by Hall and Oates
Caravan by Inspiral Carpets
Superblast! by Lush
The French Open by Foals
Vitamin C by Can
Misadventure by Squeeze
Use It (live) by The New Pornographers
Whips & Furs by The Vibrators
P finishing the Buffalo Marathon
Originally uploaded by activitystory.
I finished my second marathon, this time in much higher spirits. I did a bit better than I expected to, I ran it in an official time of 3:44, though according my watch, my time was 3:39, since it accounts for every step, the extended bathroom break I took in mile 21, and some stops to stretch my hamstrings in the later miles. But whatever, either way, I’m ecstatic.
I didn’t really stick to my gameplan, which was to keep an 8 minute mile pace. Each of my miles up to 11 was well under 8 minutes… which I tought was ok because it felt good and I was banking under-pace minutes for later on. Once I got past the half-marathon point though (another personal record– ), I started to feel some fatigue in my quads and couldn’t keep pace. Miles 13 to about 16 were dark times for me… I’d stopped passing people, the road was uphill, there was a headwind, and the pack had totally spread out. Pretty desolate feeling, but I did my best to keep my spirits up. I can’t explain why these long races are so emotional for me, but I spend the whole time bouncing between emotional highs and lows that I tend not to experience in normal life. Probably endorphins.
Miles 17 to about 22 were in a park a ways north from the rest of the race, and the twists and turns broke the monotony a bit. Also, Kelly and the Mulvilles showed up to cheer me on right when I needed it. These were my slowest miles; I found myself walking through the water stations and in a few other spots.
Once I hit mile 22 or so, I got super psyched again and picked things up. Had to stop to stretch my hamstrings a few times, but I certainly was excited to be in the homestretch.
I saw Kelly and the Mulvilles near the end of the race, this time they’d met up with Kelly’s mom. It gave me a nice little burst of energy to finish strong. Right when I got to the finish line, I saw Mark snapping away. .
After the race, my ice bath was not as scary or painful as I had imagined, and I think it worked… I’m much less sore than last time. I’ll definitely try that again after the NYC marathon in November.
Along with the cheering and up-to-the-second pace and distance updates from my Garmin, music also got me through the tough times in this race. I repurposed some of my training mixes and had a playlist of tracks just for this race. Here are the training mixes, which Libby has already distributed over the last few months:
I’ll put together a mix of the “loose” songs I listened to later in the week.
Thanks for all of the support. I’ll be posting my progress for the NYC Marathon in the coming months as I work out how to make myself go faster for longer.
Originally uploaded by our silly family.
Nathaniel and I finished the Thunder Road Marathon in Charlotte yesterday. My foot/ankle wasn’t fully healed from what was probably a sprain a week or so ago, so it was pretty painful for me. I ended up about 35 minutes off my goal time, but I’m glad just to have survived. The first half was really hard on me, and it took me a while to adjust, but I knew I had to finish.
So, once I got everything straight with my shoes and my new gait, I got to where I could run most of every mile. My final time was about 4:24, splitting 9:05 on the first half and 10 something on the second. Physically painful, but I feel really good to have gotten through it depite it all.
The track was more hilly than anything I’d ever attempted, so if I’m healthy for the NYC marathon, where the Verrazano Bridge is the only real hill, that’ll seem easy in comparison (I hope!). But the verdict is in– I’m definitely gonna run more marathons. Nathaniel seems to feel the same way.
Here’s my big nasty bruise that is probably evidence that I shouldn’t have run:
& if anyone cares, here’s my run playlist– “The Clap,” by Cherry Valence was the first song to come up, and Colin Meloy’s acoustic cover of “Sister I’m a Poet” was, strangely, the track that I was listening to when I crossed the finish line.
A Certain Ratio   Do the Du
ABBAÂ Â Â Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
ABBAÂ Â Â Mamma Mia
ABBAÂ Â Â SOS
ABBAÂ Â Â Super Trouper
Aceyalone   The Faces
Air Miami   World Cup Fever
Bardo Pond   Tommy Gun Angel
Bauhaus   Kick In The Eye
Baxter Dury   Gingham Smalls 2
Baxter Dury   Lucifer’s Grain
Baxter Dury   Oscar Brown
Black Moth Super Rainbow   I Am The Alphabet
Blur   To The End
Bowery Electric   Fear Of Flying
Brian Eno   Here Come The Warm Jets
Broker/Dealer   Can’t Believe
CAM`RON Â Â Â Hey Ma
Cherry Valence   Lose That Smile
Cherry Valence   The Clap
Chromeo   Fancy Footwork
Colin Meloy   Sister I’m A Poet
Cub   New York City
De La Soul   Brakes
Devo   Jerkin’ Back ‘n’ Forth
Dub Narcotic Sound System   Shake A Puddin
E.S.G.   You’re No Good
Egyptian Lover   Egypt Egypt
Flin Flon   Upper Ferry
Four Tet   Smile Around The Face
Garden Variety   Harbored
Gary Numan   Films
Glass Candy   Digital Versicolor
Glass Candy   Rolling Down The Hills (Spring Demo)
Gwen Stefani   Crash
Happy Mondays   God’s Cop
Henry Badowski   Henry’s In Love
Hercules and Love Affair   Athene
Honeymoon Killers   laisse tomber les filles
Huon   Complex
Ian Brown   Gettin’ High
Ikara Colt   At The Lodge
Jawbreaker   Boxcar
Jesus & Mary Chain Featuring Mazzy Star   Sometimes Always
Joanna Newsom   The Book of Right-On
Joe Jackson   A Slow Song
Joe Jackson   Another World
Joe Jackson   Look Sharp!
Joy Division   Disorder
Joy Division   Isolation
Justice   D.A.N.C.E
Koufax   It Had to Do With Love
Kraftwerk   Spacelab
Ladytron   Seventeen
LCD Soundsystem   Someone Great
Le Tigre   Well Well Well
Liz Phair   Support System
Lou Reed   Hangin’ Round
Luscious Jackson   City Song
Lynnfield Pioneers   Crossfade
MAKE-UPÂ Â Â They Live By Night
Mayo Thompson   Black Legs
Mayo Thompson   Good Brisk Blues
Mayo Thompson   Side Two To You
Mayo Thompson   Venus In The Morning
Michael Jackson   Rock With You
Mikkel Metal   Microho
Motorhead   White Line Fever
My Bloody Valentine   Only Shallow
My Bloody Valentine   Soon
Neko Case   Deep Red Bells
Neko Case   Hex
Neko Case   Hold On, Hold On
Neko Case   Knock Loud
Neko Case   That Teenage Feeling
Neko Case   Things That Scare Me
New Sweet Breath   Bring It On
No Doubt   Hella Good
Old 97′s   Timebomb
Oxford Collapse   Lady Lawyers
Oxford Collapse   Please Visit Your National Parks
Palace Music   Work Hard/Play Hard
Polvo   Vibracobra
Princess Superstar   Bad Babysitter (Featuring High & Mighty)
Public Image Ltd.   Socialist
Pulp   Party Hard
Pylon   Feast On My Heart
Ratatat   Seventeen Years
Redd Kross   Look On Up At The Bottom
Royal Trux   Let’s Get Lost
Shocking Blue   Inkpot
Silkworm   Couldn’t You Wait?
Silkworm   I Must Prepare (Tablecloth Tint)
Simian Mobile Disco   Hustler
Smiths   Girl Afraid
Snow Pony   Easy Way Down
Sole Sides Greates Bumps   Latyrx_Lady Don’t Tek No
Solex   A Round Figure
Solex   Oh Blimey!
Solex   Shoot Shoot!
Sons & Daughters   Awkward Duet
Sons & Daughters   Taste The Last Girl
Spoon   Anything You Want
Squeeze   Squabs On Forty Fab
Stephen Prina   Cums For Shove
Stereolab   Miss Modular
Stereolab   Our Trinitone Blast
Stereolab   Tone Burst
Subhumans   Mickey Mouse Is Dead
Suzi Quatro   Strip Me
Talking Heads   Dream Operator
Talking Heads   Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists   Hearts Of Oak
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists   The Ballad Of The Sin Eater
Television   See No Evil
The B-52s   Legal Tender
The Field   Everyday
The Lilys   lilys_nanny_ext
The New Pornographers   From Blown Speakers
The New Pornographers   It’s Only Divine Right
The New Pornographers   Sing Me Spanish Techno
The New Pornographers   The Laws Have Changed
The New Pornographers   Twin Cinema
The Odd Numbers   Holiday
The Stone Roses   I Am the Resurrection
The Stooges   Loose
Warren G & Nate Dogg   Regulators
Gang: running my first marathon in 6 days. Please help me bring the noise. I’ll probably spend the first 2 and a half hours or so listening to the latest episode of The Best Show, but I’ll be on the road for a good hour and a half after that. You’ll win a prize if your track is in my headphones as I cross the finish line!
Three quick things:
John Schafer had a nice, long interview with Anton Corbijn yesterday about his new Ian Curtis biopic Closer. Apparently, and I wasn’t aware of this, Corbijn’s cred with the Joy Division crew is incredibly legit– wait, he took THAT photo?wow. Plus, he moved from Holland to England because of Unknown Pleasures. All I ever did because of Unknown Pleasures was explain a tshirt to other 8th graders.
The audio clip they played during the interview restored the goosebumps I got when I saw the trailer at Film Forum a couple weeks back, before we saw Turturro’s Romance and Cigarettes. The trailer had me transfixed and dying to see the movie, then I looked over at Kelly for her to mirror and vaildate my feelings, and she was all “eh, want some M&Ms?”.” Ouch. I’m gonna make her see it with me.
Incidentally, it’s been a very Joy Division/Factory recent past– the anniversary new balances, RIP Tony Wilson, the Factory graphic design book (so cool it has a podcast, the Hacienda desginer’s Hacienda-like tire stores, and now this article referenced in the SoundCheck interview that I had to track down and read.
I am constantly astounded by all of the great music blogs I keep finding, and it seems like there’s no end to the great stuff. Here’re my favorite 5, hopefully anyone reading this will post theirs in the comments.
Things like Peel and Hype Machine make finding and benefitting from them so much easier…
& to think– I slept on mp3s for so long, clinging to my vinyl (not that I’m not still clinging to that).
A 2-minute video of my record collection, in its current organizational scheme (doubles included):
Most of you know that I have an obsession with visualizing/organizing/understanding my record collection. I probably spend more time thinking about these things than I do actually playing the records (except for the ones by Squeeze [who are apparently reuniting!] and Pylon).
Anyway, a few weeks ago, I decided it was time to weed my collection to make some space in our tiny apartment. In order to know what I could lose, I needed to organize things first. As they were, my LPs were not intentionally organized. Mostly they were just in chunks based on my use of them or how they came in boxes back to Brooklyn in August. The last intentional organization of my records took place when we moved to Austin in 2002, when I packed them up according to color and arranged them that way upon arrival.
I managed to weed out a few hundred discs– many of them unplayable, total crap (even by my standards), or just uninteresting (even by my standards). Now the whole collection is down to under 2000. (If anyone’s interested, the weeded LPs are still hanging around the apartment.) After I got everything roughly organized by blurry genres (with many exceptions), I decided a stop motion video of each LP could serve several purposes:
So, I set up shop in our breakfast nook with my iSight camera, two reading lamps and piles and piles of records. I learned a lot about the collection through the process, and found many, many problems with my current organizational scheme. You can see all of that in the video.
I wasn’t shooting for high production values, and figure I can make things nicer when I get access to a Final Cut Pro Station. To make the video, I used Frame Thief and MPEG StreamClip (take that Quicktime Pro!). Sorry the discs drift around a little, but it was definitely a quantity-over-quality issue. Managing the glare was difficult, but I wasn’t interested in removing each LP from its plastic sleeve– that would have doubled the man-hours at least.
The good news is, now I have photos of each of the records in my collection. Watching all of the strange rhythms and effects of seeing them all at 15-frames-per-second got me thinking about subsets of records to string together like this. Perhaps future Record Jumbles could be based on this.
Once I add metadata to them, though, then the real fun starts. I only wish I had 1) an automated means for doing that (I do have lots of the info in a spreadsheet, but it’s incomplete and old) and 2) a way to integrate it all with my digital/CD music collection.
So, the game. I realize the fact that you can download the video and watch it frame-by-frame makes this easier that it could be, but, some questions about the collection/trivia:
Discussion Questions:
I hope someone else is willing to do this… I could watch these all day long.
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