People, who need people....

Friends,

As I sit here reflecting on what can only be described as my "salad days" I'm struck with a huge meaty blow to my knowledge of self. I would not be anywhere near life's silly salad bar if I wasn't poked, prodded, encouraged, shaked, kissed, slapped and manhandled by my contemporaries, friends, and colleagues. What I'm saying folks, is if you think you can be that one-person-entertainment-machine and not look like a dumb-ass or miss really important things along the way you're fooling yourself.

"Not based in reality"

With all of the opportunities the net offers to create your own environment and be the sovereign leader of your input/output, the world can seem totally manageable. I can upload this, click on that, get this file in the hands of this guy and I'm not wearing pants (I'm wearing pants).

But in reality the computer and the social networks and the Tweets and yes, even this blog, are just tools. They don't the replace human links. And not "I know this guy cos I get his RSS" links, or "Isn't that the midget from Zelda" - no.

I'm talking friendships.

I recorded an album, had it mixed and mastered, press shots taken, graphic design and artwork completed, horns recorded, guitars and bass plucked, background vocals sang, remixes mixed, press kits sent to various music blogs for review, and 4 videos shot and edited and uploaded. ALL of this was through connections and basically ALL of this was done on the understanding that everyone would get credit and when these people needed me, I would be there for them. That's it.

I did offer sexual favors but no one accepted.

"Step into my office."

SoapBox Moment:

I seem to find myself surrounded by inspiring people. All the time. I think what interests me in hanging out with people who are down to build things is that it forces me to not be full of shit, and if I am full of shit, at least it helps me find a novel way to present that to the outside world. When you stay in contact with people who are creative, smart, and hungry you can't help but snack on the buffet of motivation. And when the time comes for you to make something, you have a list of people you know you can trust to get that product into its tangible form.

That brings another issue to the surface and that is trusting other people to get things done. These might not happen the way you had envisioned which is the beautiful part of people helping people. They put a stamp on it, you put a stamp on it. It's instantly bigger than the both of you and therefore it's desirable to a larger number of people. An example of this is the inside joke. It's funny to those people who were there, but for people who were not, this is a huge waste of time. Notice how no one who is truly entertaining concludes their story with "You had to have been there."

Which dovetails nicely into....

The last part of people helping people is that working with others on projects gets you out of living a life of singular experience. We all are wrapped up in our own amazingly intricate, personalized episode of "The Young and the Restless" (or One Tree Hill, or Soul Food) - the story lines are unique to us and many of us choose to employ a shadowy figure with an eye-patch even if this person has no place in the narrative - regardless, we are wrapped up in a cocoon of self engagement. When you work with others you are extending your mental capacity to include other story lines, creating a tapestry of experience that enriches the quality of all involved. After I got married to my wife I realized what an invaluable resource it is to have someone who reflects your image back at you and how this sensitizes you to social interactions for the rest of your life. This is a great example of people helping people.

In conclusion - hit up your friends to help you with your ideas and projects, offer your services to friends working in your specific field, collaborate with someone outside of your field and fertilize each other's imagination crops....together it will be bigger than it's parts and you'll all have something to write home about.

NEXT EPISODE - CueBro; how we made the above happen....

Amazing!

Tavis Smiley's name is Tavis. Cornel West is the black Lauren Hutton. Nuff said. They speak with Brother Garry Shandling and the shit is hilarious!

OK GO - Remix!

Friends,
I'm happy to make bangin remixes. I hope you enjoy this one and vote for your friend, WhaleHawk. When you say yes to this remix, you're saying yes to more than just funky beats, you're saying yes please to funky beats.
Warm Handshakes,
Jake

Run Tell That....

In the Internets, things pop up out of nowhere. And certain things should stay there. The "Bed Intruder Song" is already a distant, trashy memory covered in advertisements, but I still feel like saying something.

Comedy is a slippery place. Certain things are funny that shouldn't be (The Plague, Civil War Surgery, Snooki) - And certain things aren't funny, but can be made to be funny (see previous examples). Comedy has the power to nearly overcome the grim realities of life, making things bearable. This is gallows humor in action; the alternative to this would be you, huddled into a corner weeping your bleary eyes out.

What bothers me about "The Bed Intruder Song" is this; The Gregory Brothers are talented and smart enough to make their own original music. Auto-Tune the News is totally unique and a great use of over-used technology. Their stance of pointing out the inherent silliness in broadcast news is spot on, and the fact that reporters are vultures also offers itself freely for satire. However, when a group of well-off, middle-class youngsters take an enraged TV interview from a man living with his family in the projects who's sister was almost raped, and then turn it into a musically whimsical, funny/riotous viral video occasion.....I gotta call bullsh*t!

This seems more like a tourist attraction rather than a creative endeavor. It's like they're giving people a glimpse of how "wacky" it is to be living below the poverty line. To people like the Gregory Brothers this scene is something so alien to them (living in gentrified Brooklyn does not count as "street smarts") that it strikes them as hilarious. Isn't it "funny" how he's talking about his sister's brush with sexual assault? I'm laughing at his hair and his teeth! He seems really angry...comedic gold. Granted, Mr. Dodson lends the camera some true character acting, but the content and the environmental context should have steered the Gregory Clan clear of this one.

But, the joke's on me....

Soon after the video became a sensation Antoine Dodson told reporters that it was funny he had a number one hit on ITunes and yet he still lived in the projects. Since then, Antoine has made enough money off of this song to get his family out of the Huntsville projects and into a new home. Now the question that's on my mind is - if I cared so much about the perceived injustice I saw in this whole scenario, and the people involved got rich; who's the asshole? Would I have liked for this person to remain suffering, silent and poor; or is it better for him to be exploited and then magically rescued by graduate students with GarageBand?

What constitutes a joke will forever be a mystery as well as how it is viral videos attain such cult status. Another man's trash is treasure. Ethics and comedy are not friends and never have been, and if fair and equitable comedy existed it would surely suck. This serves as a clear sign that with today's entertainment engine, people's stories serve as fuel and everyone with a broadband connection has their mouths around the muffler. In the end I suppose I'm upset because a few people are cashing in, while the rest of us are cashing out.