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Krusty the Klown is one of my favourite characters from the sitcom The Simpsons. A recurring situation for the character is having his name mentioned in a scandal, usually related to his fast food chain, the “Krusty Burgers”. The few times he is the target of positive comments, Krusty is always frightened by the fact that such a thing as positive publicity might exist.

I often remember Krusty when I see phrases that have become so common that they may no longer catch your attention: “Please like and share”, “please leave a comment”, “help us share this video” so on and so forth.

These much-too-much-overused phrases do not represent bad publicity per se and I use them too, ok?, but it is very worrying how the hunt for likes or a position in the trending topics has become the focus of a huge number of people, either because apart from the entertainment, there is not much to show in terms of talent, or because they simply do not know any other way of behaving not only professionally, but also in any other field of their lives.

The change from the style of “what you do on stage is important” to “what happens on stage is just a detail” may be wonderful to those who make a lot of money by sharing every single moment of their day, reporting on their lives, personal problems (even the most embarrassing ones), but from the point of view of the musical quality it is a disaster.

Remember when the answer, “That is my personal life” was not only acceptable but respected? It used to represent a limit for the others.

The fact is not to be nostalgic or stuck in relation to the past. Actually, this sort of shallow arguments are usually used to mock of critic thinking and, consequentently to praise the choices someone else took for us. The point here is to call attention for the impoverishment of music in relation to the musical field itself. In other words, it seems that music has become a guest of show business.

Everything is more important: where, when and in which hip restaurant the band had lunch, the new sneakers of the singer, the new mansion of the drummer, the private jet of the band, the new diamond implant in the tooth of the guitarist, the new silicone prosthesis of the producer, everything seems to be more important than the composition process, the stories of the songs, the arrangement, in short, the music has become a mere supporting role in the musical scene.

I say this fully aware that there is fantastic, pulsating music, the kind that can truly be called art, that is being made right now, at this moment, all over the world. Even though I did not know it before, my 2020 experience interviewing 39 musicians from around the world for the QuaranJazz: listen while you are home podcast proved to me that, fortunately, outside of the mainstream, music is doing just fine, thank you.

So why is what we hear, in most radio programming and major events, so uninteresting, and sounds just more of the same? My guess is that there is a configuration of factors that include from an impoverishment of our listening capacity to an infantilization of society as a whole. For a wealthy minority, making a living from music has become increasingly distant from making a living doing anything merely related to music.

My point is summed up in a delightful 2007 film by Claude Lelouch called Roman de Gare (Airport Novel). a man reveals himself to be the ghost writer behind the successful detective novels by a hip writer, who lives the life of we usually call a celebrity, including endless parties, frequent trips and flashlights.

Faced with the disbelief of one of her fans, he argues: “And how do you think she would find time to write, with all the parties, manicures and interviews?”

Be seeing you!

G.F.

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Pillow Talk (1959), dir. by Michael Gordon) is a romantic comedy released in 1959 and starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day, who was an excellent jazz singer, by the way. The title in Portuguesse is quite different (“Confessions at Midnight”), bu tit still keeps the meaning of the the expression, which refers to confessions and secrets, the kind of talk that only happens privately.

It can also have another meaning, referring to the inevitable moment of facing our conscience (and the consequenced of this act). It is possible to hide many things from many people, for a long time, but it is much more difficult to hide things from yourself. At least for long.

My theory is that as years pass by, we tend to find ourselves more and more in situations where we got to, let us say, be real or, as an expression that I like very much goes: “no one escapes from the pillow”.

After telling you how I made peace with my sleep cycle and how I became the BFF with my bed, I thought I should end the trilogy with a little confession: I have never been able to find a pillow that I like.

They say that many of our most ingrained habits come from observing our parents during our childhood. In my case this is completely true at least in this aspect. Just like my mother, I prefer thin, practically imperceptible pillows.

What I did not tell you last week about my super chic bed is that in addition to new sheets, I also bought two pillows, that are now always dressed up like the best haute couture bedding. However, behind the ridiculously expensive pillows there is a small, timid pillow, but despite its obvious aesthetic disadvantage, it is my very favourite one or, better saying, the one that bothers me the least.

Is it too much to ask for a headrest that does not sink? And,p lease, do not try to fool me with”astronaut technology”, copper wires or a weird design talk. I want a pillow, not a space station.

There is an aspect to be highlighted here: when you really like the something, you will find a way to keep in contact with it. The same goes for the work of an artist, I guess. There are many really talented musicians doing their thing, despite of not having huge press coverage.

Their crowd might not be a “fandom”, but they are good, loyal old school fans, and they appreciate what you do. They connect to your music, and they feel part of your community, even if your community is not a loud one.

They will not shout on socials how much they love you, but they will “pillow talk” you, and this is the kind of talk that sticks to you to life.

Be seeing you!

G.F.

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After 11 years, I noticed something different about my pillow cover. Amazing life lesson or need for glasses? Here is the story.

As I narrated here, I have made peace with my bed and recovered my sleep cycle. Since then, I am again BBF with my bed. Taken by this mood, I decided that my BFF needed new clothes. After all, it has been a really long time since she got a new set of sheets.

No, I am not sloppy, quite the opposite. Precisely because I am very careful, my things last forevere, but the end of my barely-sleeping phase deserved a celebration, in this case, a very fancy set of sheets.

What an upgrade! My bed looks like as it came from an photo session for an interior design magazine. However, when my new sheets needed to be washed, I resorted to an old set, but I feared the bed had already become used to a high standard. The solution was giving the old bed linen a special treatment by ironing it carefully.

And so I did to one of the pillowcases, but when I picked up the second one, something that had gone completely unnoticed to me all these years. It was just a small sewing defect, a silly detail, but the fact that it remained so long unseen, kind of surprised me, and the last thing you expect from a set of sheets you have for over ten years is a surprise.

Sometimes we are so used to the various objects around us, that many of its aspects become invisible. It is very easy to act on “automatic mode” and stop noticing things we always see, which is the equivalent of not seeing them anymore.

What colour are your dishes? And what about the bathroom towel?

In addition to this epiphany about “invisible” things sorrounding us, I had another surprise whie ironing (and you say chores are lame?). After being well ironed and arranged on the bed, along with new pillows (I told you the bed looks like part of a movie set), the old set looked basically as good as the new one, even with that newly discovered tiny sewing defect.

Yes, I still think I made a great purchase, but it was good to see the difference that a little extra care can make in the life of an object. Of course, ironing means extra work and it takes time, as well. And maybe, despite all your good intentions, some wrinkles will not come out, but despite all that, the result is worth it.

The same applies to people. How many personal and professional relationships could have been (and maybe can still be) saved, how many frictions and communication noises could be fixed with a little ironing?

Be seeing you!

G.F.

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I am not very good at putting things together, but I am great at finding the information I need. This is the reason why, no matter what I do, there will somehow be research involved in it.

Recently (or rather “finally”), I have acquired a microphone stand and a portable recording booth. The purchase happened after a lot of research on models, features and, of course, prices. After a long while, I believed to find a suitable model for my needs. Purchase made and received, it seemed like the end of the story. Big mistake.

Why? What could go wrong?, you may ask yourself. And the answer is quite simple: the assembly. Apparently, the producers think that everyone knows exactly what to do, when it comes to puting the pieces of their products together, and the precise place my unskilled fingers should place each so-tiny-you-can-barely-hold-it piece of metal.

Only a solid belief in the abilities of others can explain the lack of an instruction manual. I looked for information on the box. Nothing. Then I tried the official page of the manufacturers. A lot of bad pictures, but no information about the assembly. At these times I feel terribly embarrased, you know? I mean, I have a PhD, for crying out loud! It should mean something! Okay, my thesis is not about assembling and disassembling sound accessories, but still.

I thought about calling for professional help, but first there was one last thing I wanted to try. The ultimate way to go. After all, I was ready and willing to go to the last consequences to assemble my new appliances! The approaching end of the trying period also counted a little, I might add.

So I decided to go there, rock bottom: I looked for tutorials on Youtube. Nothing against tutorials, in principle, but the fact is that in order to save time, a lot of time is wasted.

This happens because the number of videos whose content does not match the title is huge. Sometimes, it is even worse: the title and description are ok, but the video does not add anything new to your precarious knowledge about the subject. Let us face it: this is a lot of useless content out there.

But bravely I waded through all the click baits and pubs, until I clicked on the one video that actually helped me. In gratitude, I subscribed to the channel and left a sincerely grateful comment. Later, I felt tremendously smart after seeing my stand and recording booth all set up.

This little adventurous got me thinking a lot about the dynamics of the relationship between fans and artists.

Just as I never would have landed on the right tutorial if it were not for a series of more less random search results (a video suggesting another etc), in the same way many people may come to my work (and to yours) through indirect ways.

Will they jump my content or become regular listeners and (ultimate blessing) true fans? There are lots of reasons involved in such a decision, but it also partially depends on my ability to solve a problem they have at that very moment.

An eastern proverb says that a friend is a person who knows how to play the strings of our heart. I think this comparison is beautiful and quite true. Did my song strike the right chord in your heart? Then, a bond emerged between us.

Despite of all the algorithms and paid tricks to get more likes on socials, I still believe there is a kind of fan-artist relationship that is purely instinctive. The kind that, luckly, does not need any intructions to be assembled.

Be seeing you!

G.F.