SAINT DICK
Every generation wants to be the last. Every generation hates the next trend in music they can't understand. We hate to give up those reins of our culture; To find our own music playing in elevators. The ballad for our revolution, turned into background music for a television commercial. To find our generation's clothes and hair suddenly retro. Me? I just want to be what killed the dinosaurs.
week in photos
ideas worth spreading
6-stringer tips
vice mag
bible
Angelina
Ashley
Alvin
Beatrice
Brandon
clarence
dudley
Fatty shaun
grace
jose
'mad
steff
Thursday, April 30, 2009
I miss californication. They ended the season killing off Lew Ashby. God. Will be passing the time listening to Shaw Blades's rendition of California Dreamin' till the next season.posted by deadspace on 12:17 PM |
The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame. (Wilde)
posted by deadspace on 11:59 AM |
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Its money and my fucking fear.posted by deadspace on 1:41 AM |
Friday, April 24, 2009
I love random photos of people, especially when said people are not aware of the existence of some camera fixated on them. Facial expressions speak a thousand words, even if people try their darnest to hide their feelings and emotions. We live in a world where everyone hides behind a facade they present to the world. We fake it so much to a point sometimes we convince ourselves thats really who we are.To different people we display different aspects of our personality. The only true inklings of emotional recognition we can count on are photos taken discreetly. Photos depict a moment in time. The smiling faces, the holding of hands, the silly poses.
I was coming home from the city, and the bus was really crowded. In front of me, next to the window, sat this forlorn middle-aged lady. She was looking at some photographs, the fujifilm kind of photos which required developing. They are either old photos or she still believes in the negatives camera. As I watch her sift through the photos, some thoughts ran through my mind.
What was she thinking as she gazed at the photos? She breezed through the landscape photos. When she came to photos with people in the she took a careful look, and even touched their faces. I was moved, really moved. What were those photos to her? Who were those people?
This is beautiful. I think I shall understand better when some years have come between myself and the love I had for the people in my photos. I feel it sometimes, when I chance upon pictures of my grandparents who have passed on, or people I haven't seen in half my life.
You remember friends, lovers, family, laughter, tears, bad times, good times, scents, tastes, colors, textures, emotions... you remember light, you remember darkness... you remember all of it. You live it once more, you travel back to that place and time again, and you feel.. because a real photograph is not a picture, it is a memory, and memories are forever... From the moment of birth, everyone is always taking pictures. They relate stories. Pictures hold time still. Next time you look at a picture, look at the frozen moment back in time. Look back through the eyes of the photographer, the artist.
There have been awkward moments in my life where I shy away from the camera. Somehow at those times there always seemed to be a camera around. Then again, there are always the good laughs once we revisit the photos.
It is hard to avoud moments like that.
posted by deadspace on 9:24 AM |
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
I attended a Soundfoundry party a couple of nights ago. It was a social gathering planned by the 5th exco for the members under an event that was included in the annual budget. The food tasted good, perhaps because none of us had to pay for any of it.There were quite a lot of members I met for the first time. Despite not everyone turning up, there were about 40 of us. I have to admit I haven't been all too active. Then again so has Soundfoundry, starry night aside. The exco did great this time round.
Food aside, there was lots of cards, and lots of booze. Cigarettes were getting passed around. So was the alcohol. This is quite the first time I meet people more enthusiastic at handing out drinks than myself.
We played rock band. Now for the curious reader wondering how a bunch of musicians fared at guitar hero, or rock bank in this case, he would be disappointed to know that we weren't that fantastic. Truth is, its nothing like the real deal. The closest rock band would ever be to the real thing is the vocals. Haha.. Guitars have strings, not buttons. One might argue that the drum set mimics playing drums quite a bit, but tryign to follow flashing colors on the screen turns drumming into a discipline not unlike math - A formulae to adhere to.
After a dozen tries, some group finally cleared expert on everything. Linkin Park - what i've done. Moving on to Blink 182's damnit, someone said in frustration 'Commmon we can do this. It's Blink 182. Damnit'
We had interesting conversations. Every musician faces the dilemma of deciding between playing for the crowd and playing for oneself. Musicians as entertainers can never run away from mainstream tunes. Some people take life's lemons and make lemonade, alternating between the two. Some people forever remain in a bar's background, playing to people who are to drunk to listen or to applause. Some people play music purely for their own, and chances are they stay in obscurity.
We have seen the lives of people who chose to follow their heart. Go to Beerklee. Live amongst people who eat and breathe music. Drown in the talent pool. Graduate, if one might be so inclined, and hopefulllllly be able to make it big, or forever remain in the background of some second rate bar. My instructor has seen those days. He gave up a comfortable engineering job to study music. Got qualified. Went to Australia to live and work. Got married. Played live gigs with his band every now and then. Came back to Singapore. Played some bar gigs. Earned peanuts. Lugged his guitar home on the public transport every night. The long erratic hours got too much. Started teaching music at La selle and SMU. Still teaching. And still earning peanuts. However, he still maintained that he never regretted his decision to change careers. If anything, he had his passion to fall back on.
He is quite an inspiration.
I love music, and I love playing. I miss playing in fact. To people who would appreciate your music and give you the time of day.
As somebody succinctly put it 'as a musician in Soundfoundry, you know that there's nothing else you can join'.
I'm gonna go play myself something now.
posted by deadspace on 4:37 PM |
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
'To be out of the smoke and air, to be out of the heat, it must have felt like flying''Lonely 10 second journeys, a very public way of dying'
posted by deadspace on 11:37 AM |
