Seth Godin asks, how many record label executives does it take to screw in a light bulb?

I love U2. But their manager, Paul McGuinness, is demonstrating that he not only has very little understanding about technology, but also that he’s quite ignorant about the forces actually responsible for killing the music industry - such as the industry’s own unwillingness to adapt to digital music and its obstructionist tactics over the past five years. If this is how the industry wants to behave, then good fucking riddance.

[h/t Lauren Weinstein]

I thought this kicked some serious holiday ass. I had never heard of TSO until I caught this song on the radio today. This is TSO’s stirring Christmas re-interpretation of Pachelbel’s Canon in D major - with great electric guitar that somehow doesn’t “unwarm” the emotion of the song.

The angelic blondes with incredible voices wearing leather collars don’t hurt, either. [I believe the siren attempting to steal my heart from stage left* is Jennifer Cella.]

Merry Christmas.

*- for you non-theater types, that means the one on your right.

Yesterday, I listened to an NPR Science Friday podcast featuring an interview with author, artist and neurologist Oliver Sacks. Many years ago, I read his book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and found it fascinating - although he is probably better known for Awakenings. In this interview, he was talking about his new book, Musicophilia. He discussed his belief that humans are “wired” for music, despite no apparent evolutionary suitability (although he has a couple hunches - among them, social bonding - as to why this would be a preferred trait). Young children seem to dance and keep time, non-musicians tend to anticipate musical patterns in songs they have never heard, many people experience music visually, etc. etc.

Sacks spoke briefly about what he calls “earworms”, which is that strange yet common situation when you have a song stuck in your head and it won’t go away. This happens to me sometimes, usually when I awaken. Some random song comes along in the night and doesn’t recede when the dreams do.

So, let’s go meta. Find the chicken and the egg in my last 24 hours:

• I heard Sacks’ “earworm” interview;
• I went home and (among other things) watched television, including an episode of Boston Legal, which I’ve never seen before. I noticed a number of location errors, but more important, recognized guest star Thomas Wilson, who played Biff in Back to the Future;
• I woke up this morning with the song “Earth Angel” circulating relentlessly in my head. It’s still there.

Damn.. we are weird creatures. But in this instance, I’m sorta wondering who did what to whom.

These days - with your lame pop tarts, AutoTune, overdubbing and such - most o’ you kids aren’t familiar with what raw, unprocessed voice talent sounds like. A reminder herein. Crappy video, but you’ll get the drift.

[Carrie Underwood covering Heart's "Alone"; thanks, Tim.]

Cheers from the PopTech conference. It’s off to a great start, with music legend Brian Eno sharing the stage with game genius Will Wright. Hearing the father of ambient music discuss the philosophy and practicality of emergence alongside the driving force behind simulation gaming - and the forthcoming game Spore - is an example of what PopTech is all about. To see all the speakers, check out the speaker list here and get the live stream and such here.

On another note, now that I’m on the road, I’m missing Keith Olbermann’s “special comment.” As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Olbermann is one of the few in the mainstream media who is really stepping up and saying what needs to be said. On that, see the latest one courtesy of the good folks at Crooks and Liars.

Tonight I’m scouring some old songs from the collection. I’ve encountered Boingo, REM, XTC, The Cure, The The… and just enjoyed the twelve-minute “Welcome To The Pleasuredome” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood (who are much better known for their ’seminal’ 1980s ballad, “Relax”.)

Also, I’d forgotten what a very strong song “New Generation” is by Oingo Boingo, circa 1987. Good music, damn prophetic lyrics…
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Apparently the Catholic Church and Michael Jackson are discussing a music deal. No, I’m not joking.

Ok, after listening to the DD album another time I am beginning to think it sucks. A bit too manufactured and unoriginal. Happy-go-lucky, etc. I don’t always like sad albums - and I can take more ear candy than many. Lots of the stuff I loved growing up - from Cure to Boingo to U2 and REM - all shared some roots in the post-punk new-wavey stuff that came to life in the early 80s. Duran Duran never had that same talent or power but I was thinking that after 15 years they might have been able to put something fairly decent together… oh well.

Anyway, moving on to the Evanescence album I grabbed - I like Evanescence. They were the first new band in a long while that I really enjoyed. Too bad the co-founder of the group started shagging Avril Lavigne and basically split the band up after their first album so he could go play with her (literally and figuratively.) This was packaged as a new album but is essentially a music CD of a live performance in Europe (Paris, maybe?) perhaps 18-24 months old and a DVD that I haven’t watched yet. This may be the label’s attempt at getting their money out of a band that went poof too soon, but a bummer nonetheless.

Since I think it’s been about 15 years since these guys put an album out (I had just stumbled out of high school)… I figured I’d give the new Duran Duran album a shot. Thus far I’ve found it OK but not fantastic. There are a couple good tracks, including What Happens Tomorrow which has been stuck in my head since I first heard it yesterday.

The Cure show was amazing last night - probably 15-20,000 people there and I was in one of the 15 or so best seats in the house. Just a couple feet from the stage, and they did an excellent, powerful show and played many of the classics I love. It also marks the first time, in my 20 or so years of going to concerts, that I’ve seen a band member tell an audience member to “shut up.. right now.” (It was deserved, really.)

Anyway, the show was amazing, Interpol (opening act) was a nice surprise, and it was great fun to be back at a real show - for the first time in a while.