Interesting he describes himself as a fluke there, that is exactly what I think whenever the discussion about his success comes up. Just plain luck, yes he is greatly skilled and amazing and funny, but so are a lot of other people who never quite get the break.
However I like this fluke so thank the maker for it. Long may he continue to be lucky.
To quote Tom Waits, "luck is when opportunity meets with preparation." I don't think anyone else could have done what Jonathan did, you have to BE Jonathan to do what he did. Sure, he was lucky that an opportunity came around when it did, but the cruncher is that he was ready.
There was a whole year in which he devoted much of his time to writing songs and getting them out there; that's a large window of opportunity for the opportunity to come in. When opportunity comes knocking, open the window!
In a few cases it was less a window than a stable door from his posts!
Undeniable, but alone would that have been enough? Through friends he managed to get the right connections at the right time. Meet the right people. Build up an audience. He was there at the start of this sort of opportunity, some songs with interesting enough subject matter to make people stop by and go 'huh'.
That is certainly his biggest piece of luck, being amongst the original ones to do this.
It's almost like there was some kind of creative syzygy (remember that one for cruise scrabble!) bringing all these things together.
Don't get me wrong though, I don't substitute luck for capability, which he has in buckets.
Maybe luck is the wrong word, maybe it should be provenance.
He certainly had the bravery to jump at the time it was needed, so to an extent also made his own luck.
How hard did Paris Hilton have to work to receive the attention directed her way?
People "at the top" like to think that they achieved their topness by virtue of … whatever it is they happen to find virtuous. But it pretty much is a roll of the dice.
What are the odds that a kid who is born in the slums of Nairobi and who may possess buckets of musical talent could become the first bassoonist of the New York Philharmonic (a relatively modest ambition)? Zero.
@srdownie That is spot on. What makes JoCo remarkable is he has made it in the face of so much adversity from an industry that puts style over content, because let's be fair, talent hasn't been a requisite of the music industry since the 80's.
@skyen The internet is also what we doctors like to call very big. The chances of someone who doesn't know about JoCo straying onto him near the beginning would be very small given the amount of traffic and available web pages. If you read through the how I discovered JoCo thread there are many examples of people stumbling across him. I doubt anyone with no prior knowledge sat down and put 'Find me songs about corporate zombies' in Google.
What JoCo did that is replicable as a business model though, is embrace the new medias and use them well. He has challenged the known system and come up with a little model that works for an independent. That is the way to go if you want to do it because the returns are greatest for the artist and this is where the difference really shows. By seeing more of the capital he has been free to do what he wanted to do and this must have had a positive effect on his music.
@Gina Saladin Ahmed. Here is his twitter profile. "Nebula and Campbell finalist. Author, THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOONhttp://bit.ly/yOboy9. Freelance fixer-of-novels http://bit.ly/wtgTr9. Dad to twin toddlers.
On the new Nerdist podcast (http://www.nerdist.com), TMBG is interviewed. In the background, you can hear Coulton and the band doing their sound check.
mtgordon didn't mention it, but that Nothampton interview features a live version of The Princess Who Saved Herself. First ever live performance, awesome!
ETA: Also, Mr. Fancy Pants (on guitar, not zendrum), and a very nice I'm Your Moon. Great show!
Lets be glad people like this are too busy messing around playing tunes with their lasers. If they once stop to think "Hey I could probably take over the world with this!" we would all be, in the words of JoCo, screwed.
Nice find though, it might be my favourite Still Alive so far.
I was so proud of myself for going into the source and figuring out what was wrong! That's got to be the nerd equivalent of potty training at least. Achievement unlocked!
I prefer to believe it's an unspecified apocalyptic alien/demonic/robotic/mole mannish invasion, and the "earthquake"-story is just what the first mind-controlled victims are trying to cover it up with.
I now see the apocolypse event as a series of incredulous giant monsters and natural disasters all lined up with a numbered ticket. There may even be a 'You must be this tall to end the world' sign involved.
@Jmonkee - Are you a geologist by any chance? That article is about PAX 2010! (I got really confused when I saw "Hynes Convention Center" and then checked the byline
Comments
Hark, a Vagrant! 253
Mee-chee-gan"
Wasn't sure where else to put this: Want You Gone for orchestra.
http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/03/jonathan-coulton-weird-science/
ETA: Also, Mr. Fancy Pants (on guitar, not zendrum), and a very nice I'm Your Moon. Great show!
ETA: fixed link, maybe?
Musician Jonathan Coulton: I Value The Internet A Lot More Than The Record Industry
To make up for that silliness, how about I link to something new, an actual recent interview from the most recent Pax East. At least, I think it is.