mon 12-29-08
san francisco, CAnext stop, Barney.
hi.
my name is matt nathanson,
and i am addicted to "iCarly."
ugh. this is so embarrassing.
for those of you over the age of 15, i will let wikipedia explain:
"iCarly is an american television series aimed at teens
and preteens... and is currently aired on Nickelodeon."
yep.
preteens.
the storylines on "iCarly" make 'The Sisterhood of the
Traveling Pants' look like 'The Godfather.' like 'Othello.'
but I LOVE IT. LOVE!! IT!!.
maybe it's the post tour/december promo burn out.
i got home a few days before christmas
and i still can't really accomplish anything.
choosing what food to eat feels monumental.
maybe my brain is just functioning slower.
and it is only possible to digest shows geared towards
kids who are reading charlotte's web.
or maybe i'm devolving.
and it's only a few short months before i'm drooling in
a crib watching baby einstein videos and making
toothless faces at a mobile...
or maybe i had a stunted adolescence.
and through the magic of Nickelodeon i am finally able
to live out my repressed fantasy of being a teenage girl
who lives without parents (are they dead? on a long trip?),
who has her own internet show, and who's trouble is over
in 26 minutes.
my money is on a combo of the stunted adolescence thing
and the fact that it's kind of a rad show.
go 'tweens!
thu 9-25-08
san francisco, CApretty cool stuff.
i saw this yesterday morning on VH1.
and i was unable to poke even the smallest hole in it.
i was lit up, like a kid who wins his 6th grade talent show.
a rare moment for me.
(apologies for the commercial at the start.)
http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1595337&vid=278234
wed 9-10-08
san francisco, CAmeet jessica stone
we create so much conflict and struggle
for ourselves, where there should be joy.
we have to fight the urge to fill experiences,
and the holes in between them with static,
and shit that clouds what really matters.
watching someone triumph over REAL struggle,
REAL loss slaps us sober
it provides a clarity that is crucial.
it inspires us to be present and
to appreciate all we take for granted.
meet my friend jessica.
she is a bad ass.
she reached out, and included me in her life.
i am lucky to have her.
be inspired.
(apologies for having to endure the commercial before)
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=5665944
mon 8-11-08
san francisco, CAdangerous culture
there are a list of 24 bullet points/safety instructions
in the manual for our new Automatic Yogurt Maker
please keep in mind this thing is a plastic bowl
that heats up, and 7 glass jars.
there are no blades, no open flames, no moving parts.
and it is a slow cook situation.... 7-10 hours.
here are some highlights:
9. Do not let cord hang over edge of table or counter.
12. Do not touch the parts that are not intended for manipulation (huh?)
14. Do not use the appliance while barefoot.
18. Plug cord into the wall outlet. To disconnect, remove plug from wall outlet.
23. Do not keep yogurt in the refrigerator for more than 8-10 days.
and finally, my favorite...
11. Do not operate this or any other appliance while under the
influence of alcohol or other substances that affect your reaction time
or perception.
i think it's cruel to ask someone who is enduring 7-10 hours to make
their own yogurt to not seek solace in a little bit of the drink-y drink...
what are we, super heroes?!
oh, oh.... this is great too!
this is in the section of the manual titled: Choosing the Milk.
for best results do not use:
1. Expired Milk
2. Expired Yogurt (you need to use a little yogurt as a starter)
yes!!
the folks over at EUROcuisine Inc. must have just
gotten their ASSES sued off of them at some point.
mon 7-28-08
washington, DCan honest to god letter i recently received. paper clipped to $20. love it!
Dear Sir. Lord Matt Nathanson Phd.
I trust this letter finds you well.
In recent nights I have not been able to oust this feeling of deep guilt
as I have been listening to your album that i have pirated, like a pirate.
Mind you, i have pirated thousands of albums, and never once have I
felt this feeling of sincere remorse. Your music, sir, simply moves me
in a way that none other ever has.
i am humbled by your greatness.
However, I am plagued by the notion that i am privileged
to enjoy the fruits of your labor but you have not received
financial compensation for your talent and hard work
In light of that, I have included in this scroll my lifes' savings-
a grand total of $20 (US Currency)
Forever yours,
(name withheld to protect said pirate)
fri 6-27-08
virginia beach, VAi'm going to graceland
"she comes back to tell me she's gone.
as if i didn't know that,
as if i didn't know my own bed.
as if i'd never noticed the way she brushed her
hair from her forehead...
she said, 'losing love is like a window in your heart,
everybody sees you're blown apart,
everybody sees the wind blow'"
there are rare moments when i feel confident in my job...
as a songwriter, as a singer, as a musician.
true, pure confidence.
and it is super empowering.
and it always leads to writing more songs.
there is this rad momentum that goes along with true
confidence that you can't get any other place.
it doesn't last, but if you stay out of it's way long enough...
that's where the songs come from.
that's where you allow yourself to just ride creativity
...and really cool shit happens.
the flip side to this, unfortunately, is more common...
being insecure, being scared, and feeling entitled.
seeing success in others, ignoring all the good shit you have
and getting pissed because you feel like you deserve more.
that's my default setting.
it takes a lot to see that this thinking is a dead end,
and even when i do, it doesn't stop the thoughts from coming.
but this is all pretty human stuff.
everybody goes through this in one way or another.
what i am telling you is not a revelation.
paul simon's, 'graceland,' is a perfect album.
i can't believe that human beings conceptualized
and executed such a perfect album.
the lyrics, the melodies....
completely original. completely familiar. completely
transcendent, otherworldly shit!
music rooted in history, but beaming in from mars.
"a man walks down the street
it's a street in a strange world
maybe it's the third world
maybe it's his first time around
he doesn't speak the language
he holds no currency
he is a foreign man
he is surrounded by the sound, the sound
cattle in the marketplace
scatterlings and orphanages
he looks around, around
he sees angels in the architecture
spinning in infinity
he says "amen!" and "hallelujah!"
every time i feel entitled, every time i start thinking
i am not getting what i deserve in this business...
i am put in my place by the music.
there is always a record, or a song that blows my mind out of my head.
that reminds me i still have a very long way to go before i'm allowed
to feel entitled to anything.
i guess that's what great art does though...
it puts things into perspective, and at the same time, it kicks out the walls.
it blows your mind, humbles you... and at the same time it lights you up
and makes you feel completely unstoppable.
wed 5-7-08
san francisco, CAswear words ahead, proceed with caution
i have a bone or two to pick with the people over at blackberry.
on the last tour, i threw my cell phone out the window of the van.
call it tour fatigue.
i lost all my numbers.
the whole thing.
it sucked. then it felt freeing. then it sucked again.
so i went out and bought a blackberry pearl... which is,
like, the smaller sexier version of the normal blackberry...
which, btw, looks miserable to talk on...
like you're holding george kastanza's wallet up to your face.
i have never had a phone that cost me more than $20.
but, i figured if i spend some real cash on it, i might be
more reluctant to hurl it into oncoming traffic.
well, so far so good.
i treat it with love, i respect it's power
and for the most part, we are friends.
but there are some days where the balance shifts.
where the blackberry pearl reverts to it's puritanical,
righteous roots. and refuses to do as i say
and on those days, i regret my decision immensely...
who doesn't say 'fuck?'
even occasionally?
i mean, i know there are people that don't...
i just doubt that they are the target market for the blackberry pearl.
right?
how about this...
how often do you use 'duck' or 'ducking' when texting your friends?
um, yeah.. NEVER.
sure, you might text someone, 'hey, i saw the cutest duck today.'
but how often does that happen?!
my blackberry's 'auto text' function REFUSES to spell 'fuck.'
100% of the time, it spells 'duck.' or 'ducking.'
now it has learned some word doozies...
my friend ayappa's name comes up after i type 'a' and 'p.'
'NYC" comes up every time i click 'n' and 'y.'
so it is paying attention...
it just REFUSES to swear! AH!
it's a conspiracy.
'shit' comes out 'shut.'
'fuck' comes out 'duck.'
it understands 'ass.' it understands 'tits.'
it just won't bend for the big ones...
and it is driving me ducking bits.
(that's 'fucking nuts' if you text it from my phone.)
ugh!
help!
we can put people on the moon, we can make babies in labs,
we can talk/video chat across the world for free on computers....
but we can't get the blackberry auto text function to accept
perfectly legitimate swear words?!
where are our priorities?!
sun 3-23-08
ann arbor, MIdaze off
does anyone else think it's creepy that you don't have
to refrigerate those tiny half & half thimbles full o' cream?
i always assumed that the one half is milk,
the other half is cream...
but, there's a sucker born every minute,
'cause milk and cream need to be refrigerated.
those tiny half&half thimbles are free of that burden.
they just sit there, in a big basket, in the hotel lobby...
no expiration date. no ingredients. no excuses.
like little aliens.
in the food pyramid, they must fall
somewhere between twinkies and pop tarts.
and i, for one, LOVE twinkies and pop tarts!
but that doesn't help me shake the fear.
a few more questions....
would we live longer if we replaced the worlds
milk supply with half&half thimbles?
i could totally see school kids pounding those
things with lunch... would it preserve them?
also, who's job is it to handle the liquid they put in
those containers? what does THAT assembly line look like?
it must be lawsuit-city over there...
somebody call erin brockovich!
alright. i'm going to get back to watching 'van helsing.'
sun 2-24-08
spokane, WAwhew.
being an opening band.
i forgot what it feels like...
i got spoiled.
headlining. playing long
sets to people who know my stuff...
tonight was definitely the first night of what
will have to be a very swift learning curve.
i forgot the feeling of having to convert.
i forgot the glassy eyed looks of people watching
THROUGH us, waiting for the headliner.
i'm not complaining. not at all....
i just felt a bit like someone who has been running
on a tread mill, who then decides to run a marathon
because they think they can. without training.
and tonight, i felt like the audience wanted a rock star.
i found myself thinking at one point, how would bono have handled this.
how would he have won the night if u2 were the opening band, where
1/2 or more of the people don't know who they are, how would he have connected?
not that i think i'm bono.
he's just where the bar is.
charisma personified.
would his songs have carried the show? his crowd interaction? his passion?
it's daunting. having a night like this...
but it's also kind of cool.
a shot in the arm...
something to figure out.
a place to stretch to...
wed 1-9-08
san francisco, CAthis looks a lot like a thesis...
ugh.
i was on Fox Business Network this morning
to talk about the state of the concert/music industry.
ugh, again.
it did not go the way i would have liked.
i was not particularly concise in my answers...
and it was sort of akward and unnatural to talk to a camera.
not a person. not a monitor. just a camera. and an ear piece.
in a room. and it went by SO FAST.
i definitely have a new found respect for good politicians...
being able to convey a point. with emotion. and grace.
i just couldn't boil it down into soundbite-y stuff fast enough.
the first question was something like, "the music industry is fucked...
why and will it recover? and GO... 30 seconds!"
yikes!
an A.D.D. nightmare!
i guess the reason it rubbed me wrong, is because i am SO
passionate about this subject... and have SO MUCH to say!
my friend bruce and i have been
going back and forth about this for awhile now...
anyway, enough whining.
it was still super cool to be a part of....
i thought i would share the pre-interview questions i was sent,
and the (significantly more articulate) written answers i sent back.
i still didn't flesh out my points as much as i would have liked.
but hopefully it will spark discussion for you all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Why do you think there is disinterest in seeing major tours for 2007?
this question has a bunch of answers..
first, there is very little, if any, loyalty between newer artists and their fans.
this is the music industry's achilles' heel. years of strip mining acts for
one or two hit songs and underestimating the crucial step of artist
development through good old fashion hard work and mystery.
skipping this step has finally come back around to bite major labels in the
ass, because there are very few acts now that have loyal fans, who have
grown with them and who are willing to follow them through their careers...
the second part is that there is TONS of competition
now for peoples entertainment dollar and for their attention span.
third, the internet has changed the discovery process.
there is no mystery anymore.
going to see shows is not as exciting as it used to be, when someone
can download the show on you tube.
the zepplin reunion wasn't half as cool to talk about, when you could see
it 10 minutes after it happened. where is the myth? the myth is CRUCIAL.
would dylan plugging in at the newport folk festival have been nearly
as cool if everyone could have seen it?
this brings up another point, which is: interacting with a computer. and files,
is NOT interacting with human beings.
and there is no substitute for that. and technology is creating
a whole generation who are growing up IN that
environment, with computers in hand. so to them,
the act of seeing a band live doesn't really hold the same
significance as it might to someone from another generation.
fourth, ticket prices for most shows are TOO HIGH!.
tickets+parking+t-shirt+drinks etc= a pricey night.
2) Will this trend in the music industry continue?
yes. the trend will continue until a new music industry
business model is created that is more effective at promoting
music without overexposure... while building an artist to fan loyalty
at a more organic pace. the music industry has to work WITH
technology from here on out, if they want to survive. for so long it's
been, and still is to some extent, the music industry vs. technology.
that kind of fear based business model is what got the industry
in trouble in the first place
3) Is there still a place for singer songwriters?
yes. singer/songwriters are the cheapest way to tour.
and touring cheaply allows you to do it
for longer. to build the fan base brick by brick which is,
at this point, the only real proven way to
make a living playing music that is (mostly) not subject to outside forces.
4) What is it like to carve out your own niche in the music business now?
for me, it is the same as it has always been. brick by brick. fan by fan.
i have seen MANY of my peers come and go. i use the analogy that
i'm taking the stairs in my career.
if it's too good to be true, especially in this industry, than it probably is...
all the hype. and push. and money
it takes to 'break' an act... it doesn't hold a candle to winning
people over through true discovery on their part, and the
organic build that happens with time.
5) Has the internet helped or hurt you as an artist and why?
the internet has done both. it has helped spread
the word about artists. and touring.
it has become INVALUABLE in this way. in an instant,
people can know where you are playing and how to
quickly buy tickets. but it has hurt the industry in the same way,
in regards to the music itself. in an instant a person can hear
your song. download your song.
and play it. all without lifting more than a finger.
this lack of human contact... with the store. the clerk.
the record bin. the CD itself, this difference...
between a person interacting with a record/CD
as opposed to interacting with a digital file...
this difference is CRUCIAL.
and as a society we underestimate the negative
impact this has on us as human beings and,
consequently, on music.
6) What artists are still having great tours now that are
appealing to broad spectrums of people and why?
i'm hard pressed to come up with too many
examples of bands with mass appeal
to a broad spectrum, but the ones that come to mind...
- nostalgia acts. big bands that built their fan base
in a different time. and either reunite or continue
to put out records now. (police, U2, genesis, springsteen)
-tween acts. acts who sell from television shows. hannah montana. etc.
-country acts. country is amazing because that genre STILL sells CDs.
fans of country music STILL go to the store to buy cds...
- dave matthews, o.a.r., dispatch- bands that are
destination spots for people.
a place where it is the event of going
and hanging out with your friends, with music happening around you.
music is part of a whole. not the whole itself.
bands like radiohead. wilco. pearl jam. my morning jacket.
these are what we, as artists, can aspire to be.
they are realistic bands to try to emulate.
bands that can tour because of their loyal fan base.
they keep ticket prices low.
and they use technology to their advantage.
these are the bands we are going to see in the future.
bands that don't get to the scale the same heights...
but are able to constantly tour and make money and grow.
because they build organically and constantly evolve.
and challenge their audience.
