Patterico's Pontifications

2/1/2015

The Patterico Music Project Begins Tomorrow

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 2:39 pm



As a younger man (22 or 23 years old), I wrote and recorded several songs. For several reasons, I have been reluctant to share them on this site.

Part of the reason is that my performances are dreadful — truly wretched — and I was reluctant to put them out there, simply because of how bad they are. (This is not false modesty but objective truth. The recordings are muddy, my voice is sometimes off-key, and my guitar playing is barely competent and often laughably bad. There are almost no redeeming qualities to them whatsoever.)

But even more important, I feared that people’s perceptions of the songs themselves would be colored by the poor quality of the performances. It’s difficult to hear a song for what it is, when the substandard quality of the performance serves as a constant distraction.

That bothered me . . . because I always kind of liked the songs. And I didn’t want people to think poorly of the songs, just because the performances were so terrible.

Well, things are starting to turn around.

I am working on a little personal project in which I try to convince some of my musical heroes to record some of my songs. I have found three victims so far, who have promised between them to record five songs in all.

The identity of these performers is a mystery/secret. For now.

But . . .

Three of those performances, all from the same artist, are in hand. I have begun to share them with family and friends. And I am going to roll them out over the next three weeks, beginning tomorrow.

Because this project is important to me, I am going to debut the songs one at a time, one per week, over multiple posts. Each Monday for the next three Mondays, I will debut one of the songs. On Tuesdays, I plan to publish the lyrics for the song I debuted the day before. And on Wednesdays (God help me; I may change my mind about this part) I will (unless I talk myself out of it) publish the original recordings, from around 1992. Now that there is a creditable performance of the songs available, it bothers me less to have my own crappy versions out there. So, I plan to publish them, mainly for amusement purposes — and so you can see how the performer took the cacophonous musical clay, and molded it into something that I hope you’ll enjoy.

So: first song is published tomorrow. Here’s a hint: if you are a fan of the Northern Pikes, you’ll find the artist of interest.

Until tomorrow . . . enjoy the Super Bowl. Die Yankee cheaters!

39 Responses to “The Patterico Music Project Begins Tomorrow”

  1. Nothing like a teaser for something nobody much cares about, delivered on a Super Bowl Sunday. I have a feeling that the fever pitch of anticipation will be something short of underwhelming.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  2. Excellent idea, sir! As a composer myself, I look forward to your compositions. I know all too well what you feel, but it will pass. you are truly fortunate to have musicians to do this for you.

    felipe (56556d)

  3. Patterico, I am delighted to see you post something of personal interest to yourself, that makes you happy.

    Lord knows that there is enough bad news around us all of the time.

    Most everyone is grateful for the information you post, and the forum you provide (or should be).

    The least we can do is appreciate this project. I will, and I bet you I am far from alone on that.

    Simon Jester (c8876d)

  4. I have always enjoyed your musical posts. Looking forward to it.

    mg (31009b)

  5. Thanks, guys.

    This comment provides another, fairly large hint about the identity of the first performer.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  6. Don’t quit your day time job!

    critic (9e5ff0)

  7. Sigh. Yet more trollage?

    Simon Jester (c8876d)

  8. I’m assuming that’s a joke, since I didn’t even put it up yet.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  9. But I’m expecting a certain number of comments like that. This is a good crowd but there are elements of it that are, um, blunt.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  10. No joke. Pathetic troll. He left this at my post: Nascar Thats stands for ignorant southern white trash car right? What do you call 42 white guys chasinging a homosexual answer nascar. What do you call it when they catch the homosexual answer jeff gordon doesn’t win!

    critic (9e5ff0) — 2/1/2015 @ 3:08 pm

    Dana (8e74ce)

  11. With that, what an exciting and brave thing to do, Patrick. I am especially looking forward to reading your lyrics. We all know you to be an excellent writer in matters of politics and law, but to see your skills put toward personal expression should be really fun.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  12. No joke. Pathetic troll. He left this at my post: Nascar Thats stands for ignorant southern white trash car right? What do you call 42 white guys chasinging a homosexual answer nascar. What do you call it when they catch the homosexual answer jeff gordon doesn’t win!

    critic (9e5ff0) — 2/1/2015 @ 3:08 pm

    Pro-tip: the troll works better if you wait for the actual song to appear first.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  13. With that, what an exciting and brave thing to do, Patrick. I am especially looking forward to reading your lyrics. We all know you to be an excellent writer in matters of politics and law, but to see your skills put toward personal expression should be really fun.

    Well…keep in mind I was half my current age when I wrote them.

    But yeah, the I like the lyrics to the song I’ll be presenting tomorrow.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  14. “Patterico Project” Certainly makes a good CD title.

    kishnevi (a5d1b9)

  15. Actually, the original title was “The Ride and Fall of Rex Stardust.” One of the references (David Bowie’s album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust”) is obvious; the second is slightly less so:

    Patterico (9c670f)

  16. “Patterico Project” Certainly makes a good CD title.

    I contemplated the idea of making this project into a Kickstarter. For example, the rewards schedule might look something like this:

    $5 level: I come to your house and personally play you all the songs recorded for the project. I hover over you and watch your face for your reaction to each song.

    $10 level: I come to your house and personally play you one song recorded for the project. I hover over you and watch your face for your reaction.

    $25 level: I mail you a CD and email you for your reaction until you respond.

    And so on like that, all the way up to:

    $1000 level: You are not required to listen to the songs at all, or even pretend you did.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  17. Paying too much attention to music can lead someone nowhere.

    I read something in the newspaper the other day about a man who was interested in his guitar, and also blogging. He’s now a bit player in a scandal.

    http://www.freshcancernews.com/feds-say-silver-invoked-911-victims-to-fuel-his-4-million-kickback-scheme

    His father was the mesothelioma doctor who referred cases to New York State Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver. After about two years, Sheldon Silver had arranged for him to get a state grant from a 9/11 fund, and then another one two years later – the applications did not say they would have much to with the destruction of the World Trade Center but apparently made a little mention that that had released asbestos.

    Sheldon Silver did not get him a third grant because he lost control of the fund. Then the doctor stopped referring most cases and eventually, after the law firm asked Sheldon Silver why there were less of them, he asked the doctor, and the doctor said another law firm – this one in Illinois – was funding his research, and he was giving them the referrals.

    But he still tossed a few to Weitz and Luzembourg.

    Eventually the father asked him for a favor.

    He was still living with his parents. And his parents were getting worried about him.

    Sheldon Silver found him a job at a charity that was the beneficiary of his patronage.

    Sammy Finkelman (e806a6)

  18. Next thing we know he’ll be showing us slides from his trip to Oaxaca.

    *click click* “and here we met this darling little man and his burro”

    *click click* “and here’s some cactus that look like they’re being robbed.

    Ha Ha.”

    *click click*

    (sure we’ll give it some spins. Now where’s my money?)

    jakee308 (f0aa61)

  19. Here’s my $5!

    felipe (56556d)

  20. Next thing we know he’ll be showing us slides from his trip to Oaxaca.

    You haven’t been around long enough. I publish vacation pictures all the time. Examples here and here.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  21. Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy. Music from Patterico.

    David Ehrenstein must be sharpening his poison pen (or keyboard as we speak).
    😉

    qdpsteve (48e72d)

  22. Hey, don’t laugh. “Dirty Water”, basically the City of Boston’s (and its ballparks’) anthem, was a garage band song. Honestly, the Standells? And they were from California.

    nk (dbc370)

  23. With that, what an exciting and brave thing to do, Patrick. I am especially looking forward to reading your lyrics. We all know you to be an excellent writer in matters of politics and law, but to see your skills put toward personal expression should be really fun.

    Thanks. I feel exposed, putting this stuff out there, but it’s exciting. And man, that Jay Semko guy can sing.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  24. I saw the previews to Picture Perfect 2, that much mugging requires a lineup

    narciso (ee1f88)

  25. A play in the first half where the Pats middle linebacker, who had been stuffing the run up to that point, came in free to the backfield at full speed. Wilson faked the handoff to Lynch causing the linebacker to slow down a tic. Wilson kept the ball and ran outside for a big gain, getting the Seahawks back in the game.
    If the defender had maintained his initial speed with the tragectory he was on he would have crushed Wilson for a ten yard loss.

    For me, that is the difference between when I play well and only so-so. That little hiccup.

    Posting this as advice even though it really is a case of ‘who the heck am I to give advice’.
    This is me going all in, ignoring the nagging internal narrative, without the hiccup.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  26. hey, I liked those pictures of Switzerland.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  27. I did too. That’s why I posted them!

    Patterico (9c670f)

  28. As a new associate at my first law firm, the other new associates and I were “asked” to sing at our first law firm event/retreat. I guess it was a form of hazing from a day when that sort of thing was done. It was excruciating at the time but, in retrospect, I wish I had tried to enjoy it. It’s fun to do new things, and who cares what anyone thinks if you’re having fun.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  29. As a new associate at my first law firm, the other new associates and I were “asked” to sing at our first law firm event/retreat. I guess it was a form of hazing from a day when that sort of thing was done.

    It still is, at least in the District Attorney’s Office. People new to the Hardcore Gang Unit have to perform skits. Mine involved me playing guitar and singing a made-up song with another new recruit.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  30. isn’t that an 8th amendment violation?

    narciso (ee1f88)

  31. isn’t that an 8th amendment violation?

    Wednesday, you’ll appreciate just *how* cruel and unusual my playing and singing are…

    Patterico (9c670f)

  32. lol, I meant subjecting new hires to this type of treatment,

    narciso (ee1f88)

  33. I’ve heard you talk, Patterico. It might be all you need is a different genre to sing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em_NTcbu-7g

    nk (dbc370)

  34. One of the benefits that comes with age is that we tend to care far less what people think of us as opposed to when we were young. It’s certainly freeing when you get to the point where you have nothing left to prove to anyone.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  35. This review sounds harsh: [Tom]Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding “like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car.”

    steveg (794291)

  36. John Hiatt comes to mind as well: in the category of great songwriters who don’t have the “voice” but they make do by finding a distinctive sound.
    John Prine too. (John Prine had cancer surgery that changed his voice, but it was iffy before sometimes) I love Prine’s Angel From Montgomery.
    Bernie Taupin who lives out in Santa Ynez sings OK at best but it seems like he wrote lyrics to at least half of Elton Johns stuff

    What I am getting at is that there are songs in you that need to get out and you are doing the right thing by bringing in a friend and ally to help dig out whats in your heart.
    Enjoy this

    steveg (794291)

  37. i hope you got aimee mann she’s my favorite i love her more than crunchy crunchy fishsticks

    happyfeet (a037ad)

  38. turns out the fancy winter socks were a smart buy after all btw

    happyfeet (a037ad)

  39. Yeah, breadbags don’t last for long on concrete sidewalks.

    nk (dbc370)


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