|
November is National Novel Writing Month
! The goal is to write 50,000 words throughout the month of November
for no reason other than the personal satisfaction of getting a whole
chunk of something down on paper. Unpublished manuscripts are fun: my
friend Paul found a manuscript his grandfather wrote and I can remember
thinking that was pretty rad. Unpublished manuscripts are like secret
books. Anywhow, NNWM (or NaNo as the kids call it) beat me last year so
I'm having another go.
Current Music: Technical Difficulties by Seaplane |
|
That last post wasn't even supposed to be in that journal. But yes, you
get the picture: I have a new LJ cuz the old one doesn't suit. It will
be a blog that's really kinda boring and mostly about my research. I'm
setting it up to record my progress and to solicite interest from other
academics and readers re: my topic (I'm not setting it up for kicks).
No doubt there will be the odd, off topic 'friends only' post.
The new address is www.livejournal.com/users/howtodestroy.
So add me, that would be cool. And suggest a new title if you think of
one, I just couldn't think of anything better than How To Destroy
(which has been a band name and a zine name for yours truly at various
points).
Over and out.Current Mood:  calm Current Music: Book Club Boys |
|
|
Aug. 30th, 2005 @ 02:22 pm
|
|---|
|
I've been forever trying to get the time, motivation and inclination
required to set up a research blog for my PhD study. Here it is,
finally. Feel free to link up to the journal if you're a fellow
LiveJournal user but be warned: this blog is going to get a little more
rigorous than yr average emo-blog. It is also going to get a LOT more
boring. I'll do my best to make appropriate use of this platform's
'cut' feature.
Readers of my previous blog 'We Burned The Whole World And It Was Warm For A Little Bit'
should note that this is now my primary LF portal. I'm pretty much sick
to death of my old blog and feel like a new start. In recent months
I've had less and less time available to post on that blog (especially
the more personal posts that make LJ interesting) so I'm mixing a
little of the old (LJ, kicking around) with my new life ( nerd, over
committed). I hope everyone gets something out of it, be it at least
some idea of what I do on a day to day basis at the U of Q.Current Mood:  blank Current Music: No Pocky For Kitty by Superchunk |
|
Honestly, PostSecret is the best blog I've seen so far. I don't know what to say about it. As the site says: PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail-in
their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. Sounds wanky no? Have a look: it's brutal. And funny. And horrible. And uplifting. And amazing.
|
|
I spent last week designing a poster and badge for Hairy Chest 4
LadyFest (a fundrasier for LadyFest Brisbane). You should all come. And
between you and me: TURNPIKE ARE THE SUFFER GENTS.
( Have A Geezer )Current Mood:  hungry Current Music: Turnpike |
| » Drummer Wanted |
|---|
Drummer Wanted
We're looking for a new drummer. If you're a drummer and yr interested
you should email us. Yyr must be dedicated, organised, able to tour
sporadically (ie. flexible dayjob) and be willing to learn our
backcatalogue. We practise twice a week and have a permanent rehearsal
space. You'll probably end up piss-poor and heart-broken but you will
have fun, get to travel and generally do something interesting with
your life.
Be warned: you will not get
famous or be paid (we're not famous and we don't get paid...we may
NEVER make enough money to get paid). You've gotta be 100% on all that,
not because we're hard-asses but because that shit will catch up with
you if yr not on top of it. Trust us, you have to REALLY want to play
in Iron On to sleep in some of the places we sleep, drive some of the
distances we drive and generally worry the amount we do all to just
play 45 minutes of live music every now and then.
We absolutely love it.
We like these bands: Sleater-Kinney, Death Cab For Cutie, Trail Of
Dead, Art Of Fighting, Sandpit, Screamfeeder, Superchunk, Fugazi,
Electrolane, Magic Dirt, Sonic Youth, The Shins, Archers Of Loaf,
Cursive, The Thermals, You Am I, Shellac and heaps of others.
Email: abandcalledironon@hotmail.com
Apr. 29th, 2005 @ 11:35 pm
|
| » Studio Time |
|---|
As a few of you know, Iron On are going into the studio tomorrow to
record our new album. And as nerds of the highest fucking calibre we've
set up a studio diary to celebrate. You can find it here: ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) oh_the_romance
Please add or subtract us from you friends list as you see fit.
-Ian
</span>
Feb. 6th, 2005 @ 07:26 pm
|
| » New Iron On Record |
|---|
There was a time when this blog was pretty much about Iron On. A
simpler time perhaps, a better time in many people's approximation.
Then again, that was before I thought everyone in the world deserved to
hear Damien Jurado. Now I think everyone in the world doesn't know
shit, about anything. Especially Sub Pop's dark alt-country years.
Christ, most people don't even own any Jesus Lizard records. What hope
is there left? None.
All of which does little to introduce all this stuff.
Okay here is all the Iron On information about our forthcoming album.
I'm posting some details here for a few reasons (a) trainspotters like
me would be into it if I weren't in the band and the band sounded more like mid-period Superchunk (b) you'll know when not to ring my ass because I'll be a giant ball of teary emo-sludge.
1. We're recording with Magoo at his Black Box Studios using a computer
and a 16 track tape machine. We're not making an all analogue
recording, we'd love to but we still need a safefty net. When we're
Jimmy Eat World (never if Kate has her way) and we have the time and
resources to demo everything five times before hitting record (true
story) we'll commit to making a record that sounds sonically like
Shellac's 1000 Hurts LP. Everyone should, in the long run, be committed
to making a record that, sonically, sounds like Shellac's 1000 Hurts
LP. It sounds like the face of god feels. Ie. good.
2. We start tracking (studio talk for recording the instruments) on
Februrary 7th. We are not tracking all the instruments 'live' as we
have done in the past with Bryce Moorhead. We might do some things
together but I'm anticipating that most everything will be layered over
inital drum tracks as 'overdubs'. Recording live is awesome, but also
stressful and you do sacrifice a lot in terms of sound quality.
Previously, we've figured that Iron On's nervious energy was way more
potent than the songs so we tried hard to capture that. This time, in
my approximation, the songs are significantly better so we are now
their bitches. We track for 8 -10 days with a few days off.
3. Mixing starts for real on February 22nd. Magoo is going to mix. I'm
going to stay out of it. Mixing a record is like trying to hypnotise
yourself: difficult, boring and its much easier to get someone else to
do it. We'll probably pop in once a day to hear things and make
suggestions.
4. All going well, the record should be finished March 4. No plans to
master the recording yet. But no doubt it'll be a whiles away, we have
to save up for that.
5. We've been talking to a few labels about releasing the record.
Unfortunately Sony are yet to respond (we even pretended our band name
was The Iron On !!). Ruth Street Records will continute. In fact Ruth
has a HUGE year planned for 2005 (with a sizable collection of possible
upcoming releases - and some funding courtesy of my new full-time PHD
wage) but Iron On will not figure largely in the whole scheme of
things. We'll probably repress the old EPs. Essentially, we're dropping
our own band. The details are personal but it definitely had something
to do with the fact that we hate the band. So yeah, we hate ourselves.
What? You've never listened to the lyrics?
6. Magoo sent through some notes on our demos and in which he kind of
coded our songs into parts. I always considered High Miami High to be
one of our simple, summer toe-tappers. Check the structure: A – B
– A2 – B2 – A3 – B3 – Build – Riff – A4 – B4 – A5 – B5 – A6
– B6 – Build – Chorus over Riff. A7 – B7 – A8 – B8 - Outro.
Dudes, what the fuck? No one told me I was in a prog-rock band? Another
favourite from his notes is this quote: 'Make it poppier'. What 'A
– B – A2 – B2 – A3 – B3 – Build – Riff – A4 – B4 – A5
– B5 – A6 – B6 – Build – Chorus over Riff. A7 – B7 – A8 – B8 - Outro' doesn't sound pop enough?
And people wonder why we at Ruth Street responded like a bunch of
sexually-repressed soccer mums when we heard The Rational Academy EP?
We're actually TRYING to make a pop record, and we want to make it
poppier but all that comes out is: 'A – B – A2 – B2 – A3 – B3 – Build
– Riff – A4 – B4 – A5 – B5 – A6 – B6 – Build – Chorus over Riff. A7 –
B7 – A8 – B8 - Outro'. And they shit out pop hits like it ain't not thang. Bastards.
7. The album is gonna be callled:
Oh The Romance
Iron On VS Predator
There's A Shirt Of Yours At My House
The R Is Not Silent
We Can Not Help You
No It's Not, Look Again
Lose To Everything
Cavers Code
Recovered
The album is not gonna be called:
Transfers
Open My Legs, Shut Yr Mouth
Smokers Cough
Skintight Buffonery
Emo'Clock
Weiner Parade
Caro: The Album
Please suggest additions and deletions.
That is all. Please return to your workstations.
Jan. 21st, 2005 @ 12:10 pm
|
| » Share Yr Geek Love |
|---|
Okay, as previously discussed this is a blog about music and other things that are AMAZING. To
me.
But thing is I'm also a total nerd, both in the amateur and
professional sense of the word. At the moment I'm studying 'blogging'
(ie. everything from Livejournal thru to corporate blogs about concrete
density) for a local university. We're writing a book about it.
So if you have a blog / journal /
rate-my-wang polling site / Friendster account / myspace page / history
of academic work in the blog-o-sphere / passing interest in blogs
/ whatever please read the cut.
( I Heart Blogs )
Jan. 11th, 2005 @ 12:56 pm
|
| » (No Subject) |
|---|
A couple of years ago I wrote something, for someone about You Am I and
I can't remember what it was about but I do remember in a moment of
absolute fandom I wrote something along the lines of "I
don't expect anything of You Am I any more. After two truly great
records and then something as amazing as Hourly Daily with songs like
'Who Takes Who Home' and 'Tuesday' on there...well I just want Tim
Rogers to be happy now." And I meant it. He's done so much for me and made my life so much better right when nothing else seemed to.
The first time I saw the band I was on summer break from the University
of Queensland in Gatton. I was employed as a store cleaner at the
Capalaba Big W working awesomely illegal 13 hour shifts (without lunch
breaks). One of my jobs was to scratch gum off the floor with a paint
scraper. And I fucking hated the people I worked for: 15 year old
check-out girls, uptight sales staff and down-right mean managers. But
one friday night You Am I were playing at the Roxy and after spending
13 hours at Big W, I went to the concert. I slept during the supports
and Steph woke me up as You Am I came on and ever since I've been fan.
And associated You Am I with yanking me loose from the grind of daily
life when its called for. .
So you can understand that I feel a little concerned about what happened at the Falls Festival.
Sure, part of me thought 'Oh dude, so blind and awesome' but I've read
enough and seen enough interviews with Rogers to know he'd be beating
himself up for a decade about it (I would be too). Today Tim released
the following statement on their website:
There's obviously a whole lot i have to explain, apologise for and the like, it can't all be said here, but as an attempt..
To anyone who came to Marion Bay to
see the band I fucked up and take total responsibility for my actions.
I've got some problems with intoxicants that I haven't dealt with in a
long time and it's come back and bit me big time. Not to go on with it
but when I fall over bash my head and play a crap show with and to,
people I care about then I gotta take whatever gets thrown at me.
Playing music saved my brain and my life and I've lost the ability to
pour my guts out without doing harm to other people and myself. Only
concussion or brain damage would make me lash out at my little brother
Dave, he's precious to me in ways you couldn't imagine. Playing as
fucked as that isn't something I can't pass off, i hate myself for it.
The opportunity to play in front of people with my friends is a thing
I've never taken for granted and love more now than ever. I think about
it all the freakin time and it's taken a toll even on the people I love
most my wife and daughter coz of my obsessive attention to it. Apart
from jus' loving the physical stimulation of it the opportunity to do
it for 15 years of this life gat me out of another hole I dug for
myself. Why I have chosen to almost destroy it is something I wrestle
with constantly, whether it was that all my heroes were junkies and
drunks can't be it only, I've gotta figure out why it's deeper than
that.
The constant references to hippy shit
take how you will but anyone who has listened to the band or seen old
photos knows I'm a closet anyhoo, and that it's a rallying cry to tear
into something different for 45 minutes, while we get called Who
wannabees behind our backs (and in front of our noses) for 15 years we,
or i, shout it, hopefully, in the humour it should be taken. Good luck
to anybody out trying, I'll be mopping up yer band room in 2 years.
I'm sorry from the bottom of my
rotten gut to people who were disappointed. I love this band and the
people who've given us a go for so long. I don't want my daughter to
see me as a fuckup and so I promise to her to get it together.
Maybe see you sometime,
Tim Rogers.
I hope that he remembers that the problem with beating up on yourself is that you usually win.
Jan. 5th, 2005 @ 01:11 pm
|
| » What I Read In 2004 |
|---|
This is what I read in 2004:
Dance Of Days: Two Decades Of Punk In The Nation's Capital by Mark Andersen & Mark Jenkins
K Foundation Burn A Million Quid edited by Chris Brook with images by Gimpo
A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Hardboiled Wonderland And The End Of The World: A Novel by Harukami Murakami
Breakfast At Tiffany's by Truman Capote
Confusion Is Next: The Story of Sonic Youth by Alec Foege
The Sirens Of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
Let It Blurt: The Life And Times of Lester Bangs, America's Greatest Rock Critic by Jim DeRogatis
Dead Babies by Martin Amis
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Pig City by Andrew Stafford
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewki (in progress)
Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis by Paolo Hewitt (in progress)
Not the longest list in the world but I read quite slowly and do a
shite load of reading for a living. I started off with a Christmas
present, moved onto something Steph left behind (is that my book Kratzy
or yours?), read what everyone seemed to be reading (or have read and
loved), took a recommendation from Adam King (or Turnpike), read
something I found lying around the flat, Ben moved in and reignited my
Sonic Youth obsession (they were also touring remember), got the
Vonnegurt from Iron On for my birthday, the Bangs bio was also a
present (from Cousin James), went to the store one day and walked out
with something called Dead Babies, read Ben's all-time favourite book,
read what everyone was reading, finally found House of Leaves, it is
difficult to read so I found something a bit lighter to even things up.
The End.
I can't pick a favourite. Next year, I'm going to read more and include a lot more popular fiction.
Dec. 24th, 2004 @ 02:04 pm
|
| » Four Songs |
|---|
I've got to choose four songs to give to the guy who is gonna record
the new Iron On record. They've just gotta be geeeeewwwwddd, never mind
the production or what-have-you. Jesus it's kinda hard. Could you pick
four songs? (If so, please post - I need the help). Currently my list
looks something like this:
EDIT: I decided! See comments for all the explanations and stuff
1. Babycakes by Magic Dirt
2. Berlin Chair by You Am I
3. Never Here by Elastica
4. Maps by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Runners up: 23 Beats Off by Fugazi, Babycakes by Magic Dirt, The Best
Of Jill Hives (or should that be Delayed Reaction Brats) by Guided By
Voices, Fucking Little Bastards by Arab Strap, Desert Island by The
Bites,Copper by Shellac, I Know by Helmet, Summer by Buffalo Tom,
Intoxicated Hands by Damien Jurado, Magazine by Pedro The Lion, Frogs
by Failure, Youth Decay by Sleater-Kinney, Aside by The Weakerthans,
Damn You by The Salteens and Why Do You Have To Put A Date On
Everything by Superchunk.
"Hmmm...that all looks very fucking contemporary Ian" I hear you say.
Well, you're reading the blog of someone who has heard only 8% of Pitchforkmedia's Top 50 albums of 2004. That equates to four records by the way. One of them is the new Sonic Youth. Frightening huh.
Dec. 23rd, 2004 @ 08:40 am
|
| » (No Subject) |
|---|
Shane Moritz on a recent Bites show:
Now to the headlining act: The Bites invite screams of mass idolatry. Worship them, buy them shots, offer them maple syrup for breakfast on pancakes made especially for them. Kirsty Stegwazi wears knee-length leathers and pretty black socks. Princess uses sharp tongue to make lyrics bite, sting and stun like a laser-guided melody stun gun. Elegant bachelor Simon Parker is not a power pop drummer, nor is he the house drummer at Pancake Warrior, but he is a powerhouse. The crowd danced to his beats the best. The insatiable Rene Schaefer bangs at his guitar like Ed Kuepper in the Stranded clip ( a style that has its origins in primitive masturbation technique. I can’t pay a higher compliment). Without getting too explicit, I’ll just say that every song here massaged the complex circuitry of my sweet spot. I imagine I will be singing songs like False Alarm and Million Miles to my great-grandchildren when I’m 98 and I want them to leave the room. The promoters urged punters to dance, dance and by golly they did. Loose limbs reached new heights of human movement. While The Smiths chimed from the loud speaker, I found a cushion next to my friend Mia and it was there where I began penning the nice little story that you are reading now.
Dec. 20th, 2004 @ 11:42 pm
|
| » Destroy The 80s II |
|---|
I think this might be the best thing I've ever read on LJ. [Cheers Mel].
Dec. 20th, 2004 @ 09:22 pm
|
| » A To C |
|---|
I haven't posted in a while. This is mainly because my journal is mainly about:
(a) Music
(b) Right-wing artists (who I think think are weird and interesting -despite being a lefty); and
(c) Iron On.
I haven't posted in a while because:
(a) Music makes me wanna puke at the moment except Autolux
(b) Vincent Gallo is apparently dating PJ Harvey (and that's all the interesting stuff there...and how news worthy is that?); and
(c) Iron On isn't doing much. Althought we're probably doing the 2005 Big Day Out (see for yourself at www.bigdayout.com) and we're playing tomorrow night at The Jubilee Hotel at 9pm. We're opening so, no excuses. See yrs there.
Dec. 8th, 2004 @ 10:34 pm
|
| » More Guided By Voices stuff! |
|---|
|
   
Argh, more Guided By Voices stuff. Maybe I'm an obsessive? I dunno but this link to the Propeller Gallery killed a good hour or so for yours truly. For those of you not familiar with the band's work the Propeller LP is considered by many fans to be the band's finest. I disagree, I much prefer 'Bee Thousand' but I can understand the record's appeal. Marking the beginning of the band's 'lo-fi' phase which arguably produced their finest work, Propellor was also supposed to be last GBV record; accordingly the band put some effort in and hand-made 500 LP copies of the record. That's what the gallery is: pictures of the 500 sleeves whose whereabouts are known. They are, to say the least, the holy grail of GBV record geeks, so much so that Picthforkmedia.com today reported that Brooklyn based attorney has paid $6,200 (US) for a copy on Ebay. Argh, I think I'll just look at the pictures and listen to the CD reissue.
Nov. 11th, 2004 @ 12:50 pm
|
| » Uhmm... |
|---|
Nov. 10th, 2004 @ 11:07 am
|
| » Why I Won't Be Updating Much |
|---|
|
I won't be posting too much to this blog throughout November. There are three reasons for this:
(1) I am a giant nerd;
(2) Because I am a giant nerd I am (a) participating in National Novel Writing Month [aka NaNoWrMo] and (b) am about to conduct a research project on blogging;
(3) I have another blog specifically for NaNoWrMo which which serves two purposes (a) keeps all the personal clutter out of this blog [-its pretty fucking boring: 'Today I didn't write anything blah, blah, blah] and (b) lets me refamilarise myself with Blogger. The URL of this blog will be listed in a friends-only post shortly; the rest of you will just have to do your homework.
That and please come to the Dick Nasty show tonight and be kind to Iron On. We'll no doubt stick out again because our music couldn't brutalise a kitten with a hammer. Hmmm...funny because we as people could actually brutalise a kitten with a hammer, and have done so in the past, but you know, what happens on tour stays on tour.
Nov. 6th, 2004 @ 03:06 pm
|
| » The Week Did Not Start Round Here |
|---|
|
"You know that rule about never living with someone who sits alone in their room listening to The Smiths? They should change that to Arab Strap." - Ben Thompson (2004)
'Fuck you" - Ian Rogers (2004)
Nov. 1st, 2004 @ 04:18 pm
|
|
