26-hours (round-trip) van-ride with co-workers -- CD's to pack??

[GregK]

where's WD45, Impossible, Adam, Brandon, CT, J. Larsen... whatever all our different tastes, they can at least hip you to a wide-ish range of rock & pop/rock-like musics from the time period that-- even if you STILL keep on w/all that (what, no Enya? no Dave Matthews?!)-- there'll at least be some balance.

don't gimme any guff about yr van-mates ages/gender either-- there are PLENTY of hep older ladies who'd love, say, Cat Power (an easy choice but i'm trying not to shock yr system too much)... & uh, dude, do you have something against--

* Iris DeMent?

* Greg Brown?

* Johnny Cash?

* Lucinda Williams?

* Gillian Welch?

* Richard Thompson?

just for starters, i.e. pop/folk musics that, yes, have that NPR-appeal but yes, also are very very very good. (hell, what about some early Ramones? it's patronizing of you or anyone to think these broads'll like "Blondie" better. Fanny lives!! (As does Donna Summer/Giorgio Moroder.)

(also: no blues? no r&b? no soul? no funk? no hip-hop? no bluegrass?)

& oooof... so YOU are one of the people who spent money on that Beatles thing... were the Neil Young live cds too obscure or something? (As Tejas can tell you, it's not even a good remix.)

***

I'd throw Gob Iron/ Anders Parker in there too, to keep with the folk-ish theme.

[Hot Ptah]

In my experience, every business retreat is a descent into one of the circles of hell. Few human activities can be so painful and such an utter waste of time. I think that you should bring no music at all, and just play the radio, or no music at all. Isn't that what your co-workers would prefer? I agree with those who have said that it is presumptuous to contemplate that they will want to listen to any music that you might bring. All of my efforts along those lines in the past 30 years have been a disaster. To subject them to music they don't want to hear, presented with enthusiasm, just before they endure the excruciating retreat--how bad can it get for them?

[J Larsen]

I broke up with a girl because she wouldn't stop playing Dave Matthews. Couldn't deal. Too many other fish in the sea.

[Rooster_Ties]

Rooster doesn't have anything even remotely similar to 'folk' (never got that bug I'm afraid), or else I'd bring some of that.

And a good 50% of the non-jazz discs I am bringing are junk that I haven't listened to in years, or never listened to in the first place (I'm one of the keepers of the books and CD's for our church's annual used book sale). Why else would I have ABBA, or -- perish the thought -- an Elton John tribute CD. Or, well, the crappier half the non-jazz discs I'm taking.

Crappy though many of my non-jazz selections may be, they're the best I could do with the access I had.

Edited June 11, 2007 by Rooster_Ties

[Rooster_Ties]

Just saw this...

how the fuck can you have strong, sometimes esoteric tastes in jazz & classical & not deviate AT ALL-- at all-- in pop/rock? it makes NO sense dude...

Dude, I got lots of esoteric tastes in pop/rock. In fact, THAT'S entirely the problem with trying to select music for 26 hours in a van with co-workers, you dig?

The selection you see above is THE absolute most "lowest common denominator" music I could find.

What would you have me take, my German language CD versions of Peter Gabriel's 3rd and 4th self-titled solo discs?? (Yeah, that's right, the GERMAN language versions (PG singing them in German) are the ONLY versions of those two albums that I own -- and no, I don't know why that happened that way.)

Sure, I don't have the greatest collection of pop/rock CD's ever (maybe 400 pop/rock discs at most, and probably only half of them are even worth a damn at that -- cuz half the pop/rock music in this house is stuff my wife likes too) --- vs. probably 1,000 jazz CD's, and probably 2,000 classical CD's.

I won't defend my pop music collection, but it in NO way sucks as bad as my musical selection for this trip appears to imply. I've got a ton of Hendrix, all three volumes of the Beatles "Anthology" series (but not one single "regular" Beatles disc), lots of Bjork, and Elvis Costello, etc... And for cripe's sake, the only Floyd album I own is "Animals", and I actually own Neil Young's "Trans" on CD (for better or for worse).

My trouble (as far as programming music for this trip) is that I don't own all that much "popular" pop music from anything older than about 1980. I was born in 1969, and I got WAY burned out on "Classic Rock Radio" as a kid (late 70's, early 80's), and won't touch the stuff.

Edited June 11, 2007 by Rooster_Ties

[.:.impossible]

I am impressed (is that the right word?) with all of the thought and analysis and effort that is going into this decision. It must have taken SOME TIME to type all of that into the text box, then colorize it.

My advice is to not bring any music at all. Or just go in four ways on the Atlantic Records box set.

[Brad]

I'd have to agree with Dan. If I did this, I'd be imposing my wants and interests on them. As it is, I'm always arguing with my son about who gets to play what in the car: jazz v. metal. Guess who wins

I don't try to impose my musical interests on people although Rooster's motives are in the right place.

[Guy Berger]

edc just add this: he am NOT & will not criticize anyone for the size of 'dere collection; it's a consumer fetishist trap in almost all cases, mere accumulation... so whether you gots 40, 400 or 4000 pop/rock... my point tho' that you are into Andrew & am i remembering this right, Milhaud? & other stuff--

think of the cultural/physical steps it took you, by comparison w/other people, to "find" those things. then, in turn, yr taking the chance to "enlighten" (torment) those ladies w/mostly common stuff. that IS verrrry patronizing, even if you don't mean it that way. people can-- & should be-- much nuttier than they "appear," esp. when their tastes aren't being bought by constant mass media exposure. (i wasn't kidding abt that muzak crack.)

Clem,

IIRC in a different thread you argued that people do need to be "enlightened" (tormented?) musically. (If I'm wrong on this be sure to correct me.) How do you square this with your criticism of Rooster for doing the same thing?

Guy

[Epithet]

edc just add this: he am NOT & will not criticize anyone for the size of 'dere collection; it's a consumer fetishist trap in almost all cases, mere accumulation... so whether you gots 40, 400 or 4000 pop/rock... my point tho' that you are into Andrew & am i remembering this right, Milhaud? & other stuff--

think of the cultural/physical steps it took you, by comparison w/other people, to "find" those things. then, in turn, yr taking the chance to "enlighten" (torment) those ladies w/mostly common stuff. that IS verrrry patronizing, even if you don't mean it that way. people can-- & should be-- much nuttier than they "appear," esp. when their tastes aren't being bought by constant mass media exposure. (i wasn't kidding abt that muzak crack.)

Clem,

IIRC in a different thread you argued that people do need to be "enlightened" (tormented?) musically. (If I'm wrong on this be sure to correct me.) How do you square this with your criticism of Rooster for doing the same thing?

Guy

It's being 'enlightened' with 'musak' that's insulting.

[Guy Berger]

edc just add this: he am NOT & will not criticize anyone for the size of 'dere collection; it's a consumer fetishist trap in almost all cases, mere accumulation... so whether you gots 40, 400 or 4000 pop/rock... my point tho' that you are into Andrew & am i remembering this right, Milhaud? & other stuff--

think of the cultural/physical steps it took you, by comparison w/other people, to "find" those things. then, in turn, yr taking the chance to "enlighten" (torment) those ladies w/mostly common stuff. that IS verrrry patronizing, even if you don't mean it that way. people can-- & should be-- much nuttier than they "appear," esp. when their tastes aren't being bought by constant mass media exposure. (i wasn't kidding abt that muzak crack.)

Clem,

IIRC in a different thread you argued that people do need to be "enlightened" (tormented?) musically. (If I'm wrong on this be sure to correct me.) How do you square this with your criticism of Rooster for doing the same thing?

Guy

It's being 'enlightened' with 'musak' that's insulting.

Huh? Which jazz recordings on Rooster's list are "musak"?

(BTW, I agree with Clem's point that "enlightening" people is generally patronizing.)

(2nd BTW: my initial question to Clem was a serious one; I'm not trying to be an asshole.)

Edited June 11, 2007 by Guy

[Epithet]

Huh? Which jazz recordings on Rooster's list are "musak"?

Ctrl-F "MUZAK" on page 2.

(BTW, I agree with Clem's point that "enlightening" people is generally patronizing.)

No, the point seems to be that it's patronising to think that people will be enlightened by muzak. It's right there in what you quoted. So there's nothing to square.

Edited June 12, 2007 by Epithet

[Bill Nelson]

Hey Rooster, forget your DJ stint. I just got a call from three women who want to charter a bus to Colorado. They had one request -- NO CD player or radio. ;-)

[Guest donald petersen]

did rooster say if he was driving or not?

if he isn't, why not just pretend to be asleep and use earphones? that's what i would do.

it is also a good way to eavsdrop.

i think three middle-aged midwestern women would prefer this to having their conversations interrupted by rooster blasting "In The Land Of The Blacks (Bilad As Sudan)". lol.

[Guy Berger]

Huh? Which jazz recordings on Rooster's list are "musak"?

Ctrl-F "MUZAK" on page 2.

(BTW, I agree with Clem's point that "enlightening" people is generally patronizing.)

No, the point seems to be that it's patronising to think that people will be enlightened by muzak. It's right there in what you quoted. So there's nothing to square.

You're going completely over my head, I have no clue what you're saying.

If you look at Clem's "patronizing"/"enlighten" comment, it refers to the jazz stuff Rooster listed on page 1 (Clem: "mostly common stuff").

If Rooster really planned, in all seriousness, to "enlighten" these ladies with the Elton John tribute CD, Don Henley's greatest hits, and The Joshua Tree (what Clem calls "muzak"), "patronizing" wouldn't make sense at all. "Borderline insane" would be more like it.

Guy

[Epithet]

If you look at Clem's "patronizing"/"enlighten" comment, it refers to the jazz stuff Rooster listed on page 1 (Clem: "mostly common stuff").

The following quotes say to me at least that he's talking about the rock, not the jazz.

it's patronizing of you or anyone to think these broads'll like "Blondie" better. Fanny lives!! (As does Donna Summer/Giorgio Moroder.)

[...] yr taking the chance to "enlighten" (torment) those ladies w/mostly common stuff. that IS verrrry patronizing, even if you don't mean it that way. people can-- & should be-- much nuttier than they "appear," esp. when their tastes aren't being bought by constant mass media exposure. (i wasn't kidding abt that muzak crack.)

The muzak crack, which is obviously in reply to the rock list:

you better have a knife or a be a lot bigger than me bc i'd strangle you if i had to put up w/this goddamn noise pollution-- it's not enough we had to hear half that shit as MUZAK already?

If Rooster really planned, in all seriousness, to "enlighten" these ladies with the Elton John tribute CD, Don Henley's greatest hits, and The Joshua Tree (what Clem calls "muzak"), "patronizing" wouldn't make sense at all. "Borderline insane" would be more like it.

Guy

Yeah, well, this is worse than Bible exegesis. Maybe you think giving these ladies the composer of Errol Flynn soundtracks is patronising, which is the alternative meaning. ('He's so dreamy!')

Edited June 12, 2007 by Epithet

[Uncle Skid]

Hmmm... 26-hour van ride, alone with three "middle-aged midwestern women", "Jazz" CDs...

You really need only one:

Play this at your own risk!

[Kalo]

Seriously...

Tough it out this time and wait until next year to introduce a few selected CDs to this crowd.

You don't even know them yet.

[Kalo]

Or, if you're adventurous. go this route:

Hmmm... 26-hour van ride, alone with three "middle-aged midwestern women", "Jazz" CDs...

You really need only one:

Play this at your own risk!

[clifford_thornton]

Um, iPod and Lombardo translations work for me.

Kansas is a great, and very eccentric, state.

[Jim Alfredson]

I'd just bring headphones and listen to whatever the fuck I wanted. But I don't have any un-hip "co-workers".

[.:.impossible]

[.:.impossible]

One time, I took a ride with some co-workers up to Boston to see Elvin play. They were both fans of Alan Dawson's teachings (The Drummer's Complete Vocabulary), but had never heard the Booker Ervin band, so we got high and listened to The Freedom Book. They weren't middle aged women, but they were fairly new to jazz (famous bassist that played with Sting whose name I can't recall right now notwithstanding). They didn't know what to do with themselves. It was fantastic.

So... try getting high with them and playing The Freedom Book.

[Guest donald petersen]

i drove cross-country with this guy who's goal it was to get me to like radiohead's OK Computer by the end of the trip. driving from LA to new jersey and when we got all the way to philadelphia, driving up I-95, he reeked of desperation, still playing the stupid CD over and over until i would acknowledge how great it was. i didn't have a say in the matter because he insisted on driving the whole trip so he was in charge of the music. i don't know how many times i had to listen to that stupid album. what a crappy trip.

[Hot Ptah]

Once I had to ride for business with a client, who drove, from St. Louis to Purdue University in the middle of the night. As I entered the car, the CD case for George Strait's "Strait Country" greeted me. My client did not play any music the entire trip though.

[Dan Gould]

i drove cross-country with this guy who's goal it was to get me to like radiohead's OK Computer by the end of the trip. driving from LA to new jersey and when we got all the way to philadelphia, driving up I-95, he reeked of desperation, still playing the stupid CD over and over until i would acknowledge how great it was. i didn't have a say in the matter because he insisted on driving the whole trip so he was in charge of the music. i don't know how many times i had to listen to that stupid album. what a crappy trip.

This reminds me of a drive from New York to Tallahassee to return to Florida State after Christmas break. I ended up pulling the overnight shift for the 24 hour drive. It wasn't my car and it had a kind of funky tape deck. The last thing the owner of the car put in before he fell asleep was John Cougar Mellencamp's Uh Huh (the one with "Little Pink Houses"). Now, I didn't hate the hit songs that came off that record, but hearing it approximately 12 times in a row was enough to cure me of any need to ever own the album.