This is Me - A mixtape, a challenge
Evening Moggies, it's been a while. Too long, I would say, but then you guys might have been glad to see me go. But you know life, it intervenes and certain habits occasionally seem to fall by the wayside. The guitar over my left shoulder seems to know that. But sometimes its nice to take them up again, a kind of homecoming, the liberation and relaxation that comes from the familiar, the constant. And sometimes its just nice to scream into the never ending internet abyss. Its even better if it echoes back.
The idea for this post has been kicking around my head for a longtime now, months, maybe even years, but has never come to fruition. Until now. The idea is simple and I'd imagine for most of us irreconcilably complex. Thats probably why it took me so long to prepare. Now, we are all music junkies here, and implicit in that is a heightened relationship with music. Music does not simply furnish our world, it often defines it. And now I want you to use it to define yourself.
Below you will find a mix, if you are keen you can follow the link and get the tracks. I hope you do. And I hope you are glad when you have. Now from the title, you can probably guess this is no ordinary mix. No siree, this is me in mix form. Or at least I hope it is. This is not meant to be one of those games you find on Facebook, it is not a list of the songs which mean the most to me, although many of them mean a lot. It is not even a list of my favourite songs, although, again, many of them would make that list. But this is more than that. I crafted this mix with a particular purpose in mind: it is a self portrait. These songs are not meant to reflect only my tastes, indeed many of my tastes are missing, but rather my whole. Listen to them carefully, these songs are meant to show my thoughts, my fears, my perceptions, or for you liberal arts majors, what my subjective perceptions of what these things are. i hope it conveys how I feel, how I think I feel and even how I think I want to feel. I do not deny this is a bold aim, summing up my personality in 19 tracks is no doubt a oversimplification, in fact the entire project is probably little more than an exercise in vanity and pretension. But then maybe that says just as much about me as the mix.
All I know is that I cannot paint, and this is the closest I can get to a self portrait. I know (to quote Hi Fidelity) I amusing someone else's poetry to express my feelings, but thats the closest I probably ever get. I know that what's below could well be trite and filled with omissions, but I've tried my best, and I hope that those of you who take the time to listen
This is Me - A portrait
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=95159d24d7d083c30de4fc1039a01674e615a8edc1c6cac6b8eada0a1ae8665a
Fidelity - Regina Spektor
Walk Away Renee (Version) - Billy Bragg
(Antichrist Television Blues) - Arcade Fire
False Advertising - Bright Eyes
The Modern Leper - Frightened Rabbit
New Slang - The Shins
The Engine Driver - The Decemberists
Katherine Kiss Me - Franz Ferdinand
The Biggest Lie - Elliott Smith
Cracks in a Photograph - Ryan Adams
24 - Emmy The Great
Everybody But Me - Lykke Li
The Temptation Of Adam - Josh Ritter
Girls Who Make Mixtapes - Me and the Horse I Rode In On
Delicate - Damien Rice
Such Great Heights - Iron and Wine
The Only Living Boy in New York - Simon & Garfunkel
Science Vs. Romance - Rilo Kiley
Alcohol - Gogol Bordello
(Sorry about the mix of file types)
Picasso could paint, he didn't need a mixtape. I can't. But I hope my creation can be as abstract and as meaningful as this. It probably isn't.
I hope the above tracks have succeeded in conveying my aim. With a little luck, you might feel you know me a little better through them. But this should be no one piece gallery. I want to see its walls furnished. I want to see you all sit down, clear your mind and create. I want you self-portraits alongside mine. It will be hard, I warn you. But if you can, I would love to see the songs that you think define you. 'Cause after all, you can tell a lot about a man by the company he keeps.
Good luck.
Locating MOG account...
Comments (18)
Ooh, an excellent concept, Jox! I will take some time to think about how a playlist of songs can become a self-portrait, without necessarily being one's "favourite" songs...I mean really, "Someone's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight" is one of my favourite songs, but I swear it says absolutely nothing about me!
Great idea, great post..I'll have to get back with you on your mix and mine. Whoa, what a can of worms.
If I had to distill me into one song though, it'd be Maggot Brain.
Wow. This is cool Jox
Thanks guys, I'm really glad you like it. It was definitely an interesting post to craft, and a difficult mix to distill down.
Have my lawyers been in touch with you yet?
Whoa, that's an arduous task you've taken up. One year of college, and you've gone all introspective and stuff. What will Anna think? Will she miss The Joxxxx? ;)
And way to throw Henry into the mix.
Yes. I'm sure the Franz Ferdinand guys are wondering what the hell Henry's doing there.
the picture speaks volumes even thogh it is picasso-like
Well, what could be a better subtle nod to my e-friends than including one of Mog's best talents?
And Henry, don't even bother suing me, unless you want a share of my student debt.
Aww boys, don't get into a lawsuit, already. I'm sure you can settle this amicably. ;-)
Fantastic idea, Jox. And, heck yeah, a lot of work. Hard to know where to begin. I hate to say that I think Donovan would pop-up in my list somewhere. But it's about laying yourself out there, isn't it? Wow, with all that's been going on here in the last couple of weeks, I think I'm going to declare May "Soul Baring Month" on MOG.
Brill.. I wonder how many songs I can think of that convey that I'm a miserable sod.. LOL.
Sean: http://we7.media-toolbar.com/
i think we all have those mixes or songs. i personally have a playlist dedicated to tracks that i think express myself. that way when i hear one, i can just plop em in there. right now its 77 strong!
Love it. I'm actually more puzzled than the absence of Arctic Monkeys than the absence of The Joxxxx :)
I'll try to do this, although it has the signs of the projects that I start and never finish. Maybe it can be an unfinished mix, like me :)
Well dear, I did toy with the Arctic Monkeys and similar bands, but when coming to the final cut they seemed more like things I liked, not things I am like.
It is definitely a difficult task. I like your unfinished idea, but then mine displays a facade of control. Which probably says a lot.
What a brilliant, interesting, tricky to accomplish, idea. Not sure where to begin, but will make this list a priority! Your list has some great tracks! I'll only have to check out 2 or 3 that are unfamiliar to me. It all seems so...... you. :)
this is a cool idea. and some solid tracks. interesting mix, for sure.
Great idea! I can't imagine how difficult it was to create this mix. I look forward to listening to it. Maybe one day I can make one of my own, but wow, that seems like a tough task!
wow, an excellent idea and a daunting task, Jox. i will overthink it. i'll take years. still, i'm glad you got me started today.