Every Breath You Take

I was just watching an episode from the second series of Love My Way; it’s the one where Tom (Brendan Cowell) has a go at his brother Charlie (Dan Wyllie) for owning a Sting CD. To paraphrase, Tom states the obvious – Sting in the Police equals cool, Sting solo, uh, not so cool. Charlie bites back, arguing that the album in question is Sting’s first outside of the Police. Tom argues that it doesn’t matter; the CD would not have been around at the time, it clearly would have been vinyl. This, he contends, settles the issue, and he threatens to throw the offending piece out the window.

There’s something in this exchange that really emphasises, for me, the dynamic relationship between music and technology. This blog was established for my Technology, Media, and Culture class at university on the basis that it would provide a web log of my thoughts and experiences on an aspect of culture and its connections with technology. That I chose to focus on music looks, in retrospect, to be a bit of a cop-out. As a heavy peruser of blogs, music ones especially, I am aware of what is already out there and, while I have felt an urge to join the Mp3 revolution, for the benefit of my course I have attempted to avoid this line of posting (not to say it won’t happen in the future!). So far as technology goes, I have attempted to showcase the human aspect; in particular, the ways in which advancements frame our listening and consumption habits. How important is it to stay on top of things? At what point does society (or at least e-society) deem something uncool or outdated? Who exactly dictates these trends? When does borrowing become stealing and how does technology facilitate such acts? Questions no-one can answer, true, but they sure make for interesting discussion.

Class is winding up for the year and this is my summarising comment. What’s ‘round the corner? You'll have to wait and see.

Before You Was Famous

Marj Kibby, in her as-yet-unpublished article ‘The practice of music fandom on the internet’ (2006), reasserts the long-held notion that cultural capital is central to music fandom, and examines the ways in which intimacy and authenticity can heighten musical experiences.

She goes on to talk about how new technologies of communication, such as the Internet, have led to disintermediation in that they enable a connection between producer and consumer, musician and fan, without the need for an intermediary. And it’s true. Nowadays many ‘stars’ have blogs or treat their official web site in a less than official manner (check out The Whitlams’ Tim Freedman and his attempt to get back at the Chaser boys). As Art Brut say in 'Formed a Band': ‘It's not irony / And it's not rock and roll / I'm just talking / To the kids’.

It may be stating the obvious but is there any better way to feel a connection to music than to be somehow in direct contact with it? Like talking to your favourite artists or having semi-famous people reply to your blog. I don’t think there is, although sometimes, such as when it comes to friends’ band, it helps to have a little distance.

Funny I should write all this. Yesterday my sister pointed me to the MySpace front page, where it appears my girlfriend has become the face of the Laneway Festival. Now, there’s no way we’re going to miss that!

There is no around the corner anymore…

Well, that was a misleading headline wasn’t it? I can assure, I ain’t goin’ nowhere fast.

But the time has come for me to justify the existence of this web log.

First of all the title, No ‘Round the Corner, is taken from a song by The Evens, comprising of none other than Ian MacKaye (of Fugazi, formerly of Minor Threat) and his partner Amy Farina. For me, the said track has connotations lamenting (and lambasting) the effect of globalisation on many aspects of modern society. The digital age has made it so easy to traverse the world that what’s local can be overlooked and, indeed, the concept of what is around the corner has changed dramatically.

In February of this year I was lucky enough to witness the band when they put on a small show in my hometown of Newcastle. There, in the DIY surrounds, the seeds of this blog were sown, but it wasn’t until much later that they came to fruition. In fact, it’s fair to say I’ve been forced into it! (What would Ian think?)

My writings here will take on a predominantly musical bent; with further emphasis on the meeting points between technology and culture. As a student, part-time writer, and full-time citizen of the Internet, I feel I have something to contribute.

In introducing myself, let me point you in the various directions of my scattered soul:

• I have a weekly radio slot on TiN Radio called Noise Annoys.
• I regularly write for FasterLouder.
• I also contribute to Newcastle's own Reverb Street Press.

And that's just the start!

Join me as I explore ALL corners.