What do you want to ask JoCo? (was: What do you want to know?)
Is there anything you wanted to ask Jonathan?
If you were interviewing Jonathan, what questions would you ask?
This thread can work in a few ways:
If you were interviewing Jonathan, what questions would you ask?
This thread can work in a few ways:
- Factual questions: Someone asks, someone else who knows answers
- Questions only the man can answer: Someone asks, someone who knows where Jonathan answered the question references the interview, if there are none, *maybe* we ask the question to him (we don't want to send him hundreds of questions)
Comments
To go more along with the thread though... A question potentially someone else can answer: Does anyone know when JoCo started learning to play guitar and other instruments?
In general, I'd sit and pick his brain about comparing childhood reference memories, like Lady Aberlin.
Ha. There's my contribution.
ETA: It appears the first listing is 7/16/2003, which has Screwed, Mandlebrot and Future Soon listed.
It was a brilliant series of shows. Truly missed.
Like Mucklet, I too would like to know more about Dr. Coulton's musical background. In addition to the above, I seem to remember that he plays drums (but can't have them in his current apartment), accordion, keyboard, various stringed instruments (banjo, mandolin). Are there more? What was his emphasis at Yale? Voice? Composition? Something else?
I guess these are all questions for our in-house JoCo expert, awryone. :-)
We do know what he has in his studio, of course, but I'm not sure what else he plays.
ETA: @Shruti: UCLA also offers a BA in music rather than a BM, but one can still specialize. Mine's in music ed. (Dropped the voice specialization to focus on conducting.)
[Edited to correct Yale School of Music link.]
Although I still begrudge such elitist private colleges for their lack of giving me money and/or admission, so I wouldn't actually ever go there even if I could get in...
ETA: I initially misunderstood Shruti's post.
I also hear acoustic guitar is finally reaching its saturation point, and that it isn't sexy/sweet anymore. Gotta diversify.
edit: also, JoCo is famous enough to be interviewed by China?
His father remarried and he has two half-siblings from that union. One male, one female, both younger than he (mid-twenties) I won't mention them by name, because I'm not sure what Jon's feeling is on this. I'll ask today, though.
He is close to all three of his siblings. Lacey records with him often, back-up on Lady Aberlin, for example. And, his other sibs have been to shows that I've been to. His father and step-mom, too. And, his mom and step-dad. He actually wrote his Yale application essay about doing college tours with four parents. They were ALL involved. Yikes! Obviously, the essay worked. Also, his dad, and grandfather went to Yale...
He definitely taught himself to play guitar and he wrote his first song on guitar in high school. His father played guitar, and I suspect he had been noodling on one since elementary school. There's even this great picture in his mom's house of Jon's dad holding a guitar and Jonathan as a baby, and his little baby fingers are reaching out for the guitar.
However, he has been playing drums since fourth grade, when we all got to pick an instrument.
What else?
ET Address: He does not have stubby fingers. He is self-effacing, to a fault. His hands are proportionate, if not a little slender. He taught himself, and that is why his playing style is unorthodox sometimes.
To be clear, Jon could be the best at whatever he chooses to do. He is the brightest person I have ever met. He wrote software for a living, a good living, mind you, and NEVER took any schooling in that.
ETA
Other instruments? He just learns as he goes. If it looks cool, and he thinks it would be fun to learn...then consider it learned.
It must be really odd having an entire forum of people dicussing your friend that you have known for years.
It can get a liitle strange. But, mostly I am glad of it. His music is finally getting the attention I always knew it deserved.
Plus, you guys are all our kind of people. Smart, geeky, music-lovers.
I'm happy to be here.
Sorry, that's what that reminded me of. Carry on discussing more relevant things.
But, alas, Jon has strictly forbidden their release.
(Man, that's my second Elton John reference in two days. I'm feeling a little uncomfortable with my heterosexuality~)
I do not think they suck. A few of them deserve an update from the 4-track recording, but otherwise stand up as good stuff.
Perhaps part of a future box set?
Give us the songs Dr. Coulton!
That, or disturbingly flexible ninja monkeys.
(ETA: Argh, ninja'd -- haha...)
In other news, I'm convinced that every Internet superstar who wants a devoted fanbase needs his own awryone. Josh, you're the man.
(ETA: If I hadn't stopped to type that, I would've beaten Angelastic to the punch.)
Our friend Adam Sachs, blogger of note, coined the phrase, "Once in a while, I go out of my way, to kill you, a little."
Jon thought it was great, and wrote a song around it. Like a challenge. That's it.
And then maybe, 'You're the Paul to my Storm' and 'You're the Paul and Storm to my JoCo' and then, just to really confuse people, 'You're the awryone to my Paul and Storm.'