Adam J. Choit

I realize that “old” is a relative term, but it really annoys when someone describes a particular song as “soooooo old.”  If someone describes a song that came out within the last two years as old, you know this person probably has terrible taste in music, and is more interested in following trends, rather than being appreciative of what is good art.

I’ll go out on a limb and say anyone who describes a song that came out within the last five to ten years as old is a ridiculous person.  DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG MUSIC HAS BEEN AROUND FOR?  The answer is forever.

It’s not even so much that saying a song is old bothers me, but more so often the tone of how people sometimes say it.  “That song is sooooooooooo old” —– as if music can expire or something.

Oh and coming soon, I will deal with people who annoyingly use the term “played out…”

I don’t think I’m ever going to like going to the Opera, or Opera music.

Despite rock n’ roll/classic rock/blues being my favorite kind of music, it’s not what I exclusively listen to and enjoy.  Over the years, I’ve been appreciating all kinds of music — hip-hop/rap/funk/soul/reggae/oldies/country/pop/disco/classical — all sorts of world/International music, and also so much more.  I have an open mind and an open ear, it’s just that Opera doesn’t appeal to me.

Despite the elegant classiness and even societal respect it garners, I just don’t foresee myself ever getting into Opera.  Just not a fan of that kind of singing, whataya want me to tell ya.  It’s loud, annoying, and every time I hear an Opera singer get into it, I find myself wondering why this singer is choosing to ruin the perfectly pleasant classical music he/she is now singing along with.

I feel my ear slowly opening up to more jazz, and often start to enjoy music 10 years after it comes out and was first popular, but Opera really does have an uphill battle with me.  What we need is a crossover/duet kinda thing.  Nelly did a country thing, right?  Perhaps I need some rapper to do some Opera shiz — although I doubt I’d like that, either.

My friend Bozzzy suggested this one.  Some concert venues sell mostly general admission tickets, and are standing-room only in what’s a big floor space.  For example, there’s a venue in NY called Terminal 5, which fits this description.  Also, the Hollywood Palladium here in Los Angles has a similar setup.

I’m not the tallest guy in the world, so sometimes if I’m in the back, it’s not always easy to see the stage over everyone’s heads. That’s when my friend suggested that the floor should be tilted, at a very slight angle, as it moves toward the back, away from the stage.

Of course, the drunkest people should not only be near the front, it’s where they should start.

The really could only work at concert-only venues.  I mean, I can’t imagine a tilted playing surface would work so well in sports like hockey and basketball.

Over the summer I attended a street fair/festival in Los Angeles called “Sunset Junction.”  One of the musical acts was legendary hip-hop artist/rapper, Big Daddy Kane.  I’m not gonna pretend like I know his music, but his performance in my opinion was one of the stand-out ones of the festival.  Anyway, at one point during his set, he urges the crowd to repeat after him in unison by yelling out “I love myself.”

As awkward as uttering the phrase aloud might seem (drinking makes it less awkward), Mr. Kane does make an important point.  Everyone should love themselves.  I mean, the people that don’t suck (me and you) certainly should.  If you suck, then yeah, there’s no reason to love yourself.

If you don’t love yourself, then you’re probably incapable of loving someone else — and you’re also making it a lot harder for them to love you.

But be careful, because you don’t wanna take it too far, either  —— In other words, you shouldn’t be IN-love with yourself!

Here’s another regret I have —- never learning how to play the piano.  I played Trumpet when I was a kid, and have since learned how to play some guitar as a adult — but never learned piano.

We did have a 1980′s style Casio keyboard growing up, but beyond Heart & Soul and Chopsticks, I don’t know shit on piano.

It’s a shame, too, because I’d love to at least learn how to fake knowing how to play, if not actually learn how to play.

I mean, it couldn’t be too hard to fake knowing how to play, right?  Just a few simple songs, or chords might do the trick —- just enough to impress the people around me at any random hotel bar, who most likely don’t know anything about anything anyway.

I  really think lead singers of bands oughta start bringing them on the stage with them during performances.  No, not to text.  Not to receive texts.  And not to make or receive calls, either.  That’s right, they should have the cell phones on stage with them in case they need to Google some lyrics.

Many bands during bigger (arena-type) shows will have a prompter — in case someone needs to take a peek at some lyrics.   But what about shows at smaller venues?  Why not have the phone ready, just in case…

They probably already have happened/exist, but I think the whole idea of them seems like a lot of fun.

Basically, it would work the same way as with a DJ taking requests.  But instead of a DJ, it’s a VJ — and instead of just music, it’s videos.

If it’s house party, hopefully there’d be one big screen, and some decent speakers as well.  Say, surround sound?

Most bars have many TV’s, and would just show the videos all over the place.

The VJ would set up a queue/playlist, and preview the upcoming videos for quality control purposes, making sure the sound/video is up to acceptable standards.

People could pretty much request whatever they want to see/hear, but there’s the possibility for some parameters to be set.

For example, if it’s Friday/Saturday night, you can limit people to only request certain videos/songs.  Perhaps stuff that’s more along line of dance-able/hip-hop-ish stuff…

Maybe certains blocks of time could even be designated for only funny videos/other non-music related stuff.

The sky is the limit!

The other night I had the pleasure of seeing blues legends Buddy Guy and B.B. King perform live at the Hollywood Bowl here in Los Angeles.

For the record, Buddy is the young one of the duo, at 74.  That’s because B.B. King is 84 YEARS OLD.  Wow.  Still playing guitar, still singing, and still touring at that age pretty insane (in a good way of course).

What amazes me almost even more than King’s musical talents, is his “rotundness” at his age.

http://images.onset.freedom.com/ocregister/gallery/l72ci2-b78675543z.120100812164018000gpqprfs3.1.jpg

I gotta say, you don’t see all that many 84 year old men around as fat as him.  You don’t see many 84 year olds (male or female) that fat.  In general, you just don’t see that many 84 year olds!

If lucky enough to even still be alive, most men his age are way skinnier, even frail.  It’s only natural that a person’s appetite decreases with age.

But not B.B. King.  He hasn’t lost his appetite for food.  More importantly though, he hasn’t lost his appetite for music, and for life itself.   I should also note that B.B.  mentioned he does see a couple of other medical professionals to keep him “functioning” —- those being “Dr. Viagra” and “Nurse Cialis.”  I love it.

I just hope if  I’m lucky enough to be around at 84 and beyond, I’ll also be lucky enough to still be doing some of the things I love at that age — which includes playing my guitar, and of course writing blogs about this kinda stuff.

Setting random objects on fire can surely be a fun time.   In no way am I supporting violence or unruliness, but everyone must have a lil pyromaniac somewhere inside ‘em.

Although I’m not so much a fan of burning the American flag, there definitely shouldn’t be an Amendment created to ban this activity.  Setting fire to cloth is not a crime punishable by the law.

Anyway, back to music.  People who do such things like burning/destroying records are reactionary idiots.   I bet many of those people who burned Beatles records back in the day (after Lennon pronounced the Beatles bigger than Jesus), these days are Beatles fans anyway.    It’s just a stupid group mentality, and an inability for people to think rationally, and for themselves.

People follow trends, sometimes to a point of pure absurdity — absurdity in a bad way.   In 1979, the Chicago White Sox held Disco Demolition night, where disco records were destroyed — just for being disco records.  Unfortunately, in addition to burning records, property was destroyed, stolen, and unruliness was abound.  Was nearly a riot.

Why?   Because disco wasn’t “cool” anymore.  Well, that’s gay.

Both the general public and the media love to build up stuff, and then tear it down.  Well, I’m never gonna fall for that shit.

Sure I might have some criticisms and even choice words when it comes to the music of Yanni, Cher, or Nickelback —-  but don’t you ever ask me to burn their CD’s…

“Music saved my life.”  I’m sure you’ve heard people use that phrase, or something like it from time to time.

If you were poor, grew up in poverty, and had to endure all sorts of hardship — if you were beaten, abused, and constantly living in fear for your life  —- THEN became a wildly successful musician, ok, I guess perhaps music saved your life.

But I feel like too often people say music saved their lives, and this is nothing but a gross exaggeration.

If listening to Nirvana helped you deal with your parents divorce, I’m glad.

If Alanis Morissette helped you deal with a breakup, I’m happy for you.

Music may have helped you get through some (even very) tough times, but it still didn’t save your life.