MOG

As is the whole point of 4:33. Welcome back.

Ah, so you've come crawling back....

What a pleasure to see your avatar again. Your mental jukebox displays far more taste and discipline than my own. On it, one is just as likely to hear Supertramp as Scriabin.

And thank you so much for the Jeanne Moreau (and 20 others). Your generosity is boundless and surprising. Now that I know you're back among us, I will drop you a MOG-Mail.....

Welcome back Bart!

For years, I heard (and found myself singing) the riffs from AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie" and Donovan's "Sunshine Superman" whenever silence invaded my brain. Not sure what that says about me, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know.

Recently, that song from Sesame Street about living in a capital I has been playing on constant repeat.

Brendan, what is it with those kids songs? I walk around singing to myself "3 little duckies go quack, quack, quack" til I want to go duck hunting.

Hey! Glad you're back. The melodies that invade my brain are mostly those I've been listening to in the last days, but sometimes I even hear stuff that I consciously despise. I will have to analyze that weirdness.

At last! You were terribly missed, dear brother of mine! (errr, I meant "your posts".. heh)

I must admit I envy those silent moments coloured with bits of Jeanne Moreau.. (and with such mental jukebox I seriously doubt one would need a damn i-pod...)

You know, the other day I was going to post something on MOG related to the sweet correlation between silence and one's mental music library... but, you know... didn't have quite the time to write down all my thoughts and it sorta got foggy and stuff.. Oh well..

It's really nice to have you back :-)

Why is it that we need to fill the silence at all?

Is it something, in some of us, that needs the constant "hummm" in the background of our exsistance?

I am just as guilty...music, radio news, even my own whistling, needs to follow me in the world. I need the background to work (no lyrics please, if I am focusing on numbers)...I need music while cleaning the house...even crappy tv will do in a pinch.

I have often thought that the background hummmm in my life serves as a distraction for me...so as not to quietly listen to my inner voice/criticism.

Wow, you're back! Welcome welcome, you were missed Michael. I have various songs floating through my brain at various times. Right now I have "Bringin' Sexy Back" since I left a remark about it on a blog comment elsewhere & now can't get it out of my head. Damn you Mr. Timberlake!

Hello, young man.
I'm the opposite to you on the headphone front. I find it strange walking around not knowing what's going on around me. But I'll never forget a long slightly-stoned-on-some-sort-of-over-the-counter-medicine bus journey I once did with a first generation WalkMan and a Malaysian bootleg of Human League's Dare.
On the whole I regard a head free of noise as a sign of me having a good day. Oliver Sacks calls the tunes you can't get out of your head 'brainworms'. My mate Dave has what you might call a neurological surfeit (as distinct from deficit) in that when he hears a tune in his head it is exactly as if he was listening to the real thing. So he can run anything he can remember without an iPod and get the same experience. As you might suspect, he is consequently quite picky about what he listens to.
You seem to have brought the weather back with you. Mog is working nicely today.

Whenever I forget to listen to music in the car, actual thoughts sometimes result. For people whom one reads about who walk outside, a benefit of the iPod's short life expectancy is how it helps one notice oncoming lorries. That Bridge of Aspiration photo is remarkable. Is the bridge traversable? In the wonderful Tchaikovsky video it was good to see at the 3:00 mark Osawa's baton movements synchronized perfectly with the beat. It's rare to see that happen to a conductor. Jeanne Moreau's singing voice is a revelation, though it helps that she has a beautiful acting voice.

Contra: Thanks. It's nice to be back. I've yet to experience John Cage's piece. It must be quite something to sit and watch those silent musicians. A whole orchestra - mute.

Ivy: I sneaked through the MOG-door, indeed. Don't mention it! I'm glad I'm back because I was missing the "communion in music" which MOG-thingy offers. Regarding the music of our silence, it comes and goes really. The other day I caught myself humming this song by Waco Jacko

Misstee: Thank you, dear. I'll pop around your page in a bit. I've got so much to catch up with.

Brendan: A very interesting point. I also had some children TV themes playing on my mental jukebox not long ago. Perhaps, it's come to be part and parcel of our musical development.

levek: Hi Réjean. It's nice to be back with other music addicts. Some very irritating songs can creep on our mental jukebox at times. I like Maurice Jarre but his score for "Dr Zhivago" is plain annoying for me.

Bloodtea: O, dear sister, thank you for your colourful mix. I missed the whole affair, not to mention our funk-fu fair.

Annie: I'm just like you. I need to have some sort of white noise in order to focus. That said, I went to the park today and just enjoyed the whistling of the wind and the sun. -- Do you really think we need to "score" our silences so we don't hear our inner disagreements? Hmm, I think you may be onto thing here.

Augusts1: Thanks mate. I have missed tons of good music during my hiatus so expect so spamming from me on your page soon. As for Justin Timberlake, when did Sexy go away again?

Max: Ah, thanks Max. I'm not familiar with "brainworms" but there must be reasons why some sounds/songs keep crawling back while others don't. Your friend is quite extraordinary but of course I guess his talent has its drawbacks.

Spike: The Bridge of Aspiration in Floral Street, Covent Garden links the Royal Ballet School with the Royal Opera House. If you look at the picture carefully, you will see a young ballerina go through to the ROH. -- I couldn't agree more with you regarding avoiding the lorries. I must say they're hardly more dangerous than those maniac on their bikes dashing out of nowhere almost stealthily and most certainly lethally. Especially in Central London.

i'd have to say signed sealed delivered by stevie wonder, however velvet underground's rock n roll is my ringtone and i usually end up finishing the tune to whoever is calling me after i pick-up, which means i sing that tune like 100s of times a day.

Hi Charley. Nice songs on your mental jukebox... "Despite all the amputations you know you could just go out and dance to a rock n roll station"

My mental jukebox plays "I'm Waiting For The Man" on heavy rotation.

No taste in my brian pan..it's usually the last catchy song I heard..More,More,More-Andrea True Connection unfortunately..good to see you back, I think I'll go on vacation now. You and Andréa can resume your kung fu..

► While you were out ◄

Cody, taste's got nothing to do with the pan. It's how you play it.

Please don't go on holiday. We need the true funk-fu master to guide us. (Also, if you stay I'm sure there'll be better booty)

Hey B.....nice to have you around again...

I don't often get songs in my head, when I do lately it has been kids songs, or rather songs we play for the kids. I'm kinda in the same camp as Brendan and Tyler

I have been trying to pay more attention to the various sounds around me, especially since I bought a field recorder. There are many subtle things that come out, (same as in the visual realm) when you sit and let your surroundings wash over you.... and try and let go of that internal chattering monkey. ;-)

But.... When your a Jet, you're a Jet all the way, from your first beginning breath, to you last dying day (sure I muffed a word there somewhere).

Or Keep Cool....Boy Boy Crzy Boy...

And people think I'm crazy to like W S Story. I am!

Great post Sword

Michael so good to hear from you again.

Nice thought, if I was going to say there is one song my head keeps playing when it is alone with itself, it would be this track.

I also find myself humming parts from Miles Davis's 'Sketches of Spain' album quite frequently.

Happy that you've returned! I read the Oliver Sacks book too, and he notes that as people age and lose their lucidity, they often can only recall emotionally charged songs from their childhoods, hymns or patriotic songs. Eek, what have I filled my brain with? I had best store up more good stuff now in the hopes of dredging it back up in old age!

That bridge never gets boring. I always wonder if it looks as interesting on the inside, or if it just looks 'normal'. My mental jukebox often sits on 'silence', which can be very pleasant. Until the indie-guy gets on the train and you can hear the tinny buzz of his earphones half a carriage away.

Dzend: Thanks. You're a lucky man. To be able to conjure one's own music instead of borrowing from others.

I Am: It is good to be back among music addicts. I think I'd like to borrow your mental jukebox if I may.

Darm: If this is true, I'd better store some more VU for my older days. And thank you for popping in.

Jonh: Until recently I went past under that bridge almost every day. I've been wondering the same thing but have yet to see it for myself. In the meantime, here's a sneak peek caught on Flickr

As for the silence, I really enjoy turning off the mental jukebox from time to time too.

Oh that looks nice. I think I'll have one of those put over the moat.

Hey B! Just look at this warm welcome! I've already told you're words were missed and I don't look like a liar here. ; ) You're comeback post includes some slightly poetic words..."Those tunes rose like bubbles of notes from the depth my musical memory." Nice.

I catch myself thinking of harmonica's, acoustic guitar and Beck...

Oops...hit pub too soon.

Both above and below song's come to mind depending on the weather...

"Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter..."

MICHAEL!!!!! -> wudup bro?? The reason I listen to so much music, is the fact that when music is not being supplied by a tangible device of some sort, My brain plays a slow distorted circus tune that I'm sure you've heard. Since I have a big fear of clowns, I try to drown it out with heavy-metal, rock, comedy, and the like, and it works, but I have a hard time sleeping, my brain repeats this mantra, "can't sleep, clowns will eat me, can't sleep, clowns will eat me"....sweet dreams, and welcome back!

Sharppslicer: Apologies for not acknowledging your reference to Bernstein's piece. I hope you won't think I'm rude because I really feel privileged to be commented by you.

Jonh: What's amazing is that it looks curved seen from below while it seems rather plane on that picture.

Lilja: May I borrow this quote for personal use?

Tyler: Thanks mate. There are no clowns, just jesters ;)

B, so glad your culture soaked posts are back! I've mused over the demise of the ol' ipod, (2nd g - its days are numbered), your write-up (almost) makes me anticipate the silence. And, ah yes mine tutor,

"And I surprise myself wondering what songs are playing in your head when there is nothing but the hum of the hum-drum quotidian. "

(beautiful construction btw) after consulting Mr. Webster on the never known quotidian, I must say that music is so seldom out of my ears recently that I do not know the sound of this silence. Maybe a device-free walk in the park?

In the meantime, since you are back amid the realm of sound:

You're a lucky man to hear your own music when all is silent... Thanks for the Alice Cooper video - I will leave the street fight for another time, if it's all right with you.

i see you happened by the mute front yourself. had i run into you there, i would have not said hello (or have said it parenthetically).

Jeanne Moreau is such a presence in more ways than one. my mental iPod is gladly plebeian - not often but regularly, it sings My Favourite Things and plays Groove Is In The Heart.

Jester's eh?? for some reason, I now want to go watch the cartoon movie, "Alice in Wonderland" -> only my all-time favorite cartoon movie!

It's not mine to lend... it belongs to Mr. Keats ;)

Poe: Actually, my mental plebeian is a lot more plebeian than you think. Most the names quoted above come from either adverts (sometimes those marketing people do drench you in music). -- I wish you a lot of grooves in the hear too.

Lilja: I shall say thank you to Mr Keats then

Bartleby -> 10/4 -> what a fraction to explain my brain activity over brain production!!