@St_Trousers try a browser other than Chrome. It's a weird quirk, but Chrome doesn't allow embedding with this kind of forum. I've had success with Firefox.
New JoCo song coming and it's gonna be geeky! JoCo announced on twitter that he was doing an interview series with John Scalzi talking about SciFi and music every day for the next couple of weeks and at the end there would be a new song.
@mrgoldenbrown, it does mean that you have a chance to be among the first to hear it live if it's played at the Boston show (seeing him the following night in NYC).
Great song. I enjoyed the Artificial Heart album, but I'm glad to hear this one. It feels like a return to "Classic JoCo" for the first time since..... Blue Sunny Day? That was three years ago!
Holy poopcakes, Blue Sunny Day was three years ago? He hasn't released any new songs since then! Only an album. An album! Since when did JoCo do albums? Okay, okay, since Smoking Monkey, but still… sing hey hidey ho, where'd the old JoCo go, and his neck beard so furry and brown?
Anyway, Redshirts is catchy and I like it. Classic JoCo indeed.
Euuugh... Blue Sunny Day was three years ago. The Lion King was almost bloody TWENTY years ago. Nothing like a cultural touchstone to make you feel old...
I often maintain I age by decades. Life plods along doing nothing special then something crops up in the news that you vividly remember then they say how many years ago it was. The last big shock was the fact that Star Wars was 35. Man I'm old. Now get off my lawn too.
@Craig ; "He toured with fellow nerdy rockers They Might Be Giants, and contributed music to “Portal” and its sequel." I may have totally missed something... is there any JoCo love in Portal II?
Nice find, @mtgordon. I always love hearing about the creative process / influences.
Funny, waiting in line at the Seattle show, I struck up a conversation with the guy in front of me, and then it turned out we were going in the same direction when we were leaving. Neither of us had really listened to any Roderick before, and I was saying that I thought I saw Artificial Heart (the album) as kinda trying to go a little more towards Roderick's style, with fewer direct narratives. I guess that's canon now.
Artificial Heart is a little difficult to wrap my head around for that reason, I guess. I like every one of the songs, and I love a lot of the things that come out of this evolution, especially "...Arsonist" and (not on this record, but try and keep up) "Always the Moon," which off the top of my head may be the most beautiful thing he's written. But I'm drawn towards, and my own creative impulses tended (past tense necessary) towards, the clear elegant narrative. I don't actually give a damn for monkeys or robots or zombies or whatnot; the craftsmanship of the narrative, and the humor and melancholy, are what keep me coming back.
But I'm happy Artificial Heart was made. I love "Nemeses," I love "Arsonist," more than anything I love "Down Today" (which delights me more than I can explain, and for no reason I can explain). I don't relate to it so well, because I like narratives and lyrics that fit constraints, and because it's been a while since my age ended with a zero. But it's not a betrayal to me, it's not really like Dylan going electric or something -- I'm excited for the new direction. It's just that the old direction was so good.
(People who are relatively new to the forums probably haven't had much chance to understand why I chose my avatar. This is why.)
Bry, I total get what you're getting at. I've been thinking lately that if I were on the cruise, at the Q&A panel I'd like to ask the authors and book writers up there how they feel about someone that gets to skate by on the vague shadows of a narrative rather than having to hash out a complete story.
that's awesome! That's the best podcast show about JoCo I've ever heard. a bunch of guys geeking out and giving all the things they liked about JoCo and I just kept nodding in agreement.
I was quite excited to hear him sing Little Round Mirrors (I listened to that episode just recently), and shocked to discover that Harvey Danger was also the band behind Flagpole Sitta.
Longtimers might also remember Harvey Danger from this, including a foreshadowy cameo from a certain "singer and song writer" (and occasional touring member of Harvey Danger).
Oh man... I don't remember that blog post, but it may well have been how I discovered Harvey Danger, since I know I discovered them via the free album JoCo linked to, and it seems likely I followed his link to it, since I was definitely following JoCo by then. I remember going back to their site after listening to it and being frustrated that they apparently hadn't released any other albums, or at least none that were mentioned on the site, and there wasn't even a way to donate money to them. It seemed like they were wasting their internet fame. (Little did I know they were also radio famous for a song I think of whenever people tell me I should breed because I'm smart.)
And now one of the former band members is learning nerd-pandering from the masters.
@The Clinger - the avatar's a reference to my own propensity to post overlong comments (whereas these days I mostly hit and run). And yeah, it's also a reference to this. Long time no see, by the way -- glad to see you around!
Comments
At PAX:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKA3_5__iTU
http://news.discovery.com/space/protoplanet-vesta-asteroid-dawn-120510.html
JoCo announced on twitter that he was doing an interview series with John Scalzi talking about SciFi and music every day for the next couple of weeks and at the end there would be a new song.
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/05/announcing-journey-to-planet-joco
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/05/journey-to-planet-joco-qredshirtq
Anyone rip the audio, yet?
Nice find, @mtgordon. I always love hearing about the creative process / influences.
Funny, waiting in line at the Seattle show, I struck up a conversation with the guy in front of me, and then it turned out we were going in the same direction when we were leaving. Neither of us had really listened to any Roderick before, and I was saying that I thought I saw Artificial Heart (the album) as kinda trying to go a little more towards Roderick's style, with fewer direct narratives. I guess that's canon now.
Artificial Heart is a little difficult to wrap my head around for that reason, I guess. I like every one of the songs, and I love a lot of the things that come out of this evolution, especially "...Arsonist" and (not on this record, but try and keep up) "Always the Moon," which off the top of my head may be the most beautiful thing he's written. But I'm drawn towards, and my own creative impulses tended (past tense necessary) towards, the clear elegant narrative. I don't actually give a damn for monkeys or robots or zombies or whatnot; the craftsmanship of the narrative, and the humor and melancholy, are what keep me coming back.
But I'm happy Artificial Heart was made. I love "Nemeses," I love "Arsonist," more than anything I love "Down Today" (which delights me more than I can explain, and for no reason I can explain). I don't relate to it so well, because I like narratives and lyrics that fit constraints, and because it's been a while since my age ended with a zero. But it's not a betrayal to me, it's not really like Dylan going electric or something -- I'm excited for the new direction. It's just that the old direction was so good.
(People who are relatively new to the forums probably haven't had much chance to understand why I chose my avatar. This is why.)
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/19/157066260/the-complete-jonathan-coulton-season-one-set-lists
And now one of the former band members is learning nerd-pandering from the masters.
ETA: Aww, Fanboy JoCo peed his pants.
On with the media reports of Rockstar JoCo!
How You Turn Music Into Money in 2012 (Spoiler: Mostly iTunes)
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/08/how-you-turn-music-into-money-in-2012-spoiler-mostly-itunes/260678/
I remember people talking about that blog post.
JoCo on the Triangulation Podcast, episode 71 - 9/26/2012