On Kafka and Sleep

(The following essay is based on a premise for which I now see no evidence: a stopping point for Kafka’s book, The Castle, I feel certain I read. Everywhere is a claim of some unfinished line and there is just no trace of what I recall in any of these exhaustive online conversations and descriptions … More On Kafka and Sleep

Advertisement

A Gonzo Review of Slate’s VSX Modeling Headphones

1. I’ve been working on an album for almost two years, all from home. I began this venture when words like “quarantine” had just started floating around the pop media field and I hadn’t done any recording in years so I started accumulating a home studio: a refurbished computer and a preamp; quickly the computer … More A Gonzo Review of Slate’s VSX Modeling Headphones

Review of Jennifer Egan’s, A Visit from the Goon Squad

I probably shouldn’t review this book; I’m poorly set up for it in that I’m a musician and it’s supposedly about music. I’ll start by saying that yes, Jennifer Egan is a solid writer. She has a finger on the East Coast, and much of how people with money in New York cope with careers, … More Review of Jennifer Egan’s, A Visit from the Goon Squad

On Mixerman

So at the moment I’m reading his book, Zen and the Art of Mixing, and I am finding that it’s redundant and less applicable to me than another of his I’ve read since embarking on recording my own music at home–Musician’s Survival Guide to a Killer Record. Between the two books, the stories overlap or … More On Mixerman

Words and Phrases to Avoid

In the spirit of Matt Groening, I present my list of things I never want to hear or read again. Please don’t use the following words or phrases anymore: Fake News. The New Normal. Quarantini. Together Apart. Plotter. Pantser. Ask Me Anything (AMA). Fight Me. Do What You Love and the Money Will Come.