Why Ringo Starr's "No Signing" video is OK

Ringo Starr has released an interesting video of himself asking fans to stop sending items to him for Ringo to sign. Ringo's Official site is here: http://www.ringostarr.com/home.php. The movie is here: http://media.ringostarr.com/video//2008-10-10/2008-10-10.mov

The video has spread like wildfire throughout the internet tubes - with much emotion on many different perspectives on his thoughts.

What's my take? Ringo Starr is one of the most famous living persons on the planet. He has been in the public eye for almost 5 decades. He has been under the glare and glow of fans' scrutiny for more than 40 years. What would you do if you got thousands of items (letters, pictures, other) in your mailbox every week - and you had to sign them and answer them?


Ask yourself this: If you had no privacy and all fame for more than 40 years, and the world (who does not truly know you or what you need time to do) expects you to be super-human and everyone's perfect celebrity, what would you do?

Ask yourself: Have you ever been a Beatle? An Elvis? An Elton John? Do you *really* know what it is like to always be under a microscope?

I say, let's all enjoy his music and relax. Just let him live. He's already given us uncountable and unimaginable lifetimes of sonic gifts. Whether or not some fans understand his video is irrelevant. Ringo Starr touched my life with his music. I can only be grateful for his gifts.

Live and let live. Let the music speak for itself. Let Ringo live his life like the admirable person that he is.

Just relax, world.

Thank you, Richard Wright

Richard Wright, both as an individual musician and a member of Pink Floyd, has been of profound influence on my music and my listening.

Richard left us last month for that great gig in the sky. I hope he has a place that is all he ever wanted it to be.


A tribute to Richard, in music: http://jimmybearpearson.com/moosic/WrightSong.mp3.

Thank you Richard. I didn't ever have the pleasure of meeting you or any of your band mates, but your music has been there with me for nearly all the important times of my life.

Elvin Bishop joins up at MOG!

Elvin Bishop has joined up as a member of mog.com:
http://mog.com/elvinbishop



Awesome!

If you don't know much about Elvin and wonder why I'm glad he joined, look at these links to find out more about him:

http://www.elvinbishopmusic.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvin_Bishop

The death of High Fidelity?

I don't think High Fidelity is dead. I think music (and recordings in general) have been "Walmartized" a fair bit.

Every artist I know cares about the end result of their music in recordings. Every music engineer and technician I've ever met cares very deeply about how well the end product sounds.

Yes, we have lots of folks "aiming down" for best-fit to digital devices, quicker download times, and smaller speakers/cheaper headsets. Yes, we have suits telling the R&D end of music/recording production to "crank it up." Yes, there are folks who don't have the "ear" to tell the difference between a 128K sampling of a tune vs. pure uncompressed analog, uncompressed digital, or any other high-end source - not everyone listens to $5K sound systems, has $500 headphones, or even knows that high-end devices exist.

Here's what I say: Make great recordings of great sounds. Produce them with care and polish them enough to make them pleasing. Leave the original stuff to hi-fi quality. If you're making ringtones or low-quality MP3s, mark them as such.

Don't forget: The listener is always right. All of them.

I miss them

I miss minds and souls like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

I am, however, glad that there are so many independents out there making their music and sharing it with the world.

Right now, it seems as though Disco is returning (not literally, but effectively - with the resurgence of paid-for-pop).

Listen to people that aren't played 100 times an hour on pop radio. Listen to alternative radio (internet or radio waves. Seek out new music. Enjoy local performances.

Derek Trucks, The Slide, and Life

Derek Trucks (and his awesome spouse and bandmates) is absolutely awesome.

I've never met a more humble, sincere, likeable person - who makes such fundamentally wonderful and creative sounds.

I don't go and buy CDs every day. Although I listen to myriad types of music each day, I don't often get to drop in sounds that are profoundly "favorite set" altering.

I've got two Derek Trucks Band CDs now. My "must listen" play list will never be the same.

The music is wonderful, entertaining, interesting, finely-crafted, and diverse. Please buy Derek's stuff right away. Go see the band when they're near. Buy and wear their merchandise (I love the SG shirt).

Let's fund further music, concerts, and sounds from these people. The more we support them, the more they are able to explore, play, and make music for its own sake (and not about boardrooms or eking by on money for the bills).

While I'm ranting about perfection... ;-)

It costs WAY over $100K (a minimum, really) to produce a well-produced album.
That's a BARGAIN, considering the skills, time, equipment, and effort required to do a great set of recordings and mastering.

But, that's a huge barrier to amateurs. But, surprisingly, so many have found ways to make really good recordings - with help, some good low-cost equipment, and lots of trial-and-error.

Don't be afraid to support an artist who can get great recordings with awesome producers and facilities and technicians. Please support them!

But also, don't be afraid to try it yourself. At worst, you'll have had fun. On average, you've created something for others to enjoy. Win-win, as far as I see.