People, let me tell you, I have spent WAY too much time in the last week working on this blog. Ever since I decided to shut down the RSdotcom Champions Music Club blog and resurrect the Listening Room it has been an obsession with me. By the time I get to bed after a long session of blogging my eyes are strained and sore. Then, when I finally do get nestled in between the sheets, I lay there like an insomniac with ideas storming through my brain about what I want to do with it in the future.
And yet, I concede that I am a novice to the whole blogging thing. The work I do here is usually a painfully slow process of trial-and-error. I have basically NO education in computers or anything related to them, and any knowledge I have about HTML, the internet, cyberspace, etc. has been gained through experience in the 6 years since my wife decided we needed a computer and we bought our first. I mean, I can't even TYPE the way it's supposed to be done...though I must say, I achieve a remarkable rate of words-per-minute utilyzing 2 fingers & a thumb on the right hand and 1 finger on the left.
That, plus the fact that I go through phases where I really love to blog that rotate with cycles of non-interest (plus the related "inspiration factor"), is my main excuse for this blog not being quite as top notch as I would like for it to be...as I hope it WILL someday be...while still allowing that I am proud of what I've accomplished so far.
Anyhoo, I only bring this up because this morning I have wiled away the hours by surfing the blogosphere checking out other music-related blogs. And let me tell you, there are some VERY good ones out there. I have added several to the "Blogs I Like" list (located beneath all the XM stuff in the right sidebar of this bloggy doggy). For convenience sake, here's a list of the blogs I saw today that passed my rigid quality control standards and were added to the "Blogs I Like"...I assure you that I plan to explore each one of these thoroughly in the future:
This Is Not For You
Freeway Jam
I Hate Music
Close Your Eyes
The Rambler
Everything is Something
Smacked Face
we're here to help you thru yr changes
i talk about myself on the internet.
B, Myself and the Music
Blogcritics
Lots of great writing and excellent design on those blogs. I wish I had time to describe each one of them for you right now. You'll just have to trust me that they are all worth checking out.
A couple, however, really peaked my interest.
I Hate Music is a hilarious site maintained by Tanya Headon, who describes it in these words:
My name is Tanya Headon and I hate music. All of it. The purpose of this weblog is a simple one: to detail, week on week, the failings and infinite wretchedness of the stuff, building into an encyclopaedia of musical badness.
Much of this music will generally be called 'good' by critics. Some of it you might be a fan of. Rather than get offended, think of this as the virulent opposite of all those smarmy Record Guides with their star rankings and chin-stroking critical weightings. Here, everything gets one star.
If you feel the need to disagree with me, you may. However, it is worth pointing out that while I have every respect for your musical taste, you are wrong.
I Hate Music was made possible by the people at Freaky Trigger. Hate them too.
Ha! That's priceless. Blame it on the cynical manifestations of my bipolar disorder, but I always did enjoy reading music criticism that lambasts sacred cows and reviewers that are not afraid to call a crap record what it is...even if I don't agree with them. After all, what do critics know?...~~he said, with tongue in cheek, even though he considered himself a music critic~~
There is some VERY FUNNY stuff to be found on this blog.
I also like This Is Not For You quite a bit. It is the work of a fellow Oklahoman who has been called by the Lord into the music ministry. From what I've seen so far of his blog, there is an emphasis on theology that is more prevalent than music discussion/criticism, but in all fairness, I haven't yet delved into his archives, which date back to 2002. His taste in music, as presented in the "Music" list in his sidebar, has much in common with mine and includes Beethoven, the Beatles, Handel, the Stooges, Nick Drake, Mozart, U2 and Blind Willie Johnson among others.
A very attractive web design on this one. This may not be the ideal blog for those of you who are just looking for straight music content, but if, like me, you appreciate a rich mix of music and theology, This Is Not For You is well worth looking into.
And one more I'd like to single out, that I was very impressed with, is Freeway Jam, the work of the enigmatically monikered "uao". His latest installment is a very thorough examination of the Jangle Pop genre, which covers all the bases from REM to the DBs to Guadalcanal Diary to the Bangles to Let's Active and many other touchstone bands in the bargain. He's also a bit miffed at the new Coca-Cola ads that mangle Harry Nilsson's "Coconut Song" and blows off some steam in a highly amusing post.
In answering the FAQ about what Freeway Jam, is all about, this is what uao had to say:
...uh, I don't know. We'll just have to see what it evolves into. It's about music, or music collections, or being a listener of music, or consuming music. It's other things too, at least in theory. I try to provide the visitor with a piece of information, an anecdote, a tip, and a joke every day (some days are better than others). The album art is a popular feature here it seems; it certainly can jog old memories. The playlists give me a fun excuse to listen to my collection, including stuff I've missed or not gotten to yet.
Fair enough. Sounds like something I'd be interested in, at least.
If you want to find out more about uao and his blog, click HERE.
So there you are. A few music blogs that blow this one to smithereens.
And yet, I shall persist. Whether or not this one evolves into a work of similar quality will remain to be seen...I only hope that you will check in every now and again to find out!
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