Running and Other Things

The Enduring Power of Radio in the Digital Age

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:03:42 -0500

The Enduring Power of Radio in the Digital Age:

I am a big fan of Radio, I like TV but I think radio is the better medium.

As Music Streaming Grows, Royalties Slow to a Trickle

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:19:59 -0500

As Music Streaming Grows, Royalties Slow to a Trickle:

Companies like Spotify and Pandora are catching fire, but the money paid to artists is often tiny, which has the music industry on edge.

This is one of the reasons why I get up early on a Saturday to...

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 22:18:52 -0500

This is one of the reasons why I get up early on a Saturday to go running.

Sun coming up before my Saturday morning run.

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:33:43 -0500

Sun coming up before my Saturday morning run.

Essay — The Honorable Clan of the Long-Distance Runner - NYTimes.com

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:28:42 -0400

Essay — The Honorable Clan of the Long-Distance Runner - NYTimes.com

amandapalmer: AMANDA PALMER & EMILY WHITE. my favorite...

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:55:47 -0400

amandapalmer:

AMANDA PALMER & EMILY WHITE.

my favorite worlds-collide of the week: @emwhitenoise reading my letter/response to amy-the-musician before it went out.

we were backstage at an NPR @allsongs-considered event called “live listening room” (which was, by the way, EXTREMELY fun and awesome. everybody sat around listening to and discussing songs and music of all genres. lots of fun arguing about what makes a good song good. then me & the grand theft orchestra played 4 songs acoustic and made everybody jump around and clap. good times.)

i couldn’t have been surrounded by a more benevolent group of folks that day, given what was going on. if anybody understands my philosophy and the complicated collision of art, commerce and asking for help…it’s the folks at National Public Radio. they got it. there were lots of jokes and hugs.

my band was paid for the gig in beer….and also paid in the chance to play our music for a bunch of smart music listeners in DC, who will hopefully go out and spread the word about our band. worth it.

if you haven’t heard of her, emily white (no relation to the emily white that used to work for me) was an intern at NPR’s “all songs considered” who found herself smack-dab in the middle of her own kerfuffle a few months ago when she posted a blog on the NPR site called “I never owned any music to begin with…”. david lowery then posted a long letter/response on the trichordist, in which he scolds her for downloading music and putting musicians out of work:

http://thetrichordist.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/letter-to-emily-white-at-npr-all-songs-considered/

…which, as you may remember, started a FULL-BLOWN MOTHERFUCKIN’ BATTLE between the old school (people must pay for digital content or musicians will starve and die!!!!) and the new school (digital content cannot be locked, the floodgates are open, let’s figure out a new creative solution!!!)

and emily, who probably never imagined that she’d be a symbolic poster-child/whipping-post in a huge cultural argument, had to stand in the field and feel the arrows fly.

and goddamn….i couldn’t have run into a better person. we went to a bar after the show and got to talk a little.

no doubt about it: my band has hit a DEEP, PAINFUL cultural nerve.

many musicians and artists are SCARED right now. the economy is sucking. traditional record sales are plummeting. digital content is rampantly freely shared (and many artists like me are encouraging people to share and copy). big, previously untouchable musical institutions and symphony halls are shutting down. a lot of musicians fear for their livelihoods…and fear often breeds hate and anger. a lot of musicians really don’t know where their next paychecks are going to be coming from.

and everyone has a different approach.

this is the nerve we’ve struck. and i am a really convenient target at the moment.

i got an email a few days that was so profoundly nasty it took my breath away. it was from one of the erstwhile violinists from a big, legit-as-fuck orchestra i’ve played with (about as PRO and UNION as it gets in music world, and they’re a really wonderful orchestra who i was honored to play with).

it began:

“dear amanda, you ignorant slut…”

i sat there staring at the screen, almost unable to believe what i was seeing. a professional, symphony-hall-level violinist? was starting an email to me like THAT? no FUCKING way.

saturday-night-live reference aside, his email went on to tell me that i should have fun with the amateurs and generally go fuck myself. i checked in with my old contact at the orchestra to see if his email was legit and she confirmed it - this was for real. wow. she also told me that dude has lost his marbles since leaving the organization (phew) and also told me she’s been following the kerfuffle and she sympathized (yay), and reminded me that a lot of pro musicians, especially classical ones, ARE freaking out right now….and not to take it personally.

i talked with emily white over our beer about how she felt, being the living symbol in a giant cultural battle. as you would expect, it sucks the life out of you a little. it happened right before she turned 21 and at her birthday party she said her friends kept stealing her phone away so she couldn’t follow the controversy and the shit being thrown left and right. i feel that.

this is always the problem….can the world remember that the human beings behind the issues are not the issues themselves, and restrain themselves from making it personal? I can’t tell you how many “you’re such a stupid cunt” and “i’d pay to travel just to fuck up your gig…if i played violin” tweets i’ve seen in the past few days, and emily had to field similar trolls who weren’t interesting in actually talking but more interesting in just being dicks. even neil, my husband who has NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS, has been fielding hate and anger from people who just see him as a fun target because he’s high-profile.

i promise i won’t feed the trolls.

but it still hurts, a lot. how could it not? i’m a human.

stay with us.

and do me a favor….keep talking about the music.

love,

AFP

7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Running

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 11:40:42 -0400

7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Running:

Good article about running. I do two sometimes three of these things. I have to start trying more.

Priscilla Ahn - The Boobs Song (by The Mighty Fifty) A nice...

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 17:21:48 -0400

Priscilla Ahn - The Boobs Song (by The Mighty Fifty)

A nice everyday song.

"I AM A RUNNER because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. I AM A RUNNER because I..."

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:33:21 -0400

“

I AM A RUNNER because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. I AM A RUNNER because I say I am. And no one can tell me I’m not.

John Bingham, author and runner

”

- Twitter / Home

sexy-carlile: Inspirational Running Video (HD) (by shaycarl)

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 22:16:17 -0400

sexy-carlile:

Inspirational Running Video (HD) (by shaycarl)

Running on Sand to Get an Edge - NYTimes.com

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:58:53 -0400

Running on Sand to Get an Edge - NYTimes.com:

I have to try running on the sand, agin I have not done it in years.

mashable: This PSA from 1995 correctly predicts the future of...

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:49:05 -0400

mashable:

This PSA from 1995 correctly predicts the future of the internet. These kids should’ve set up a psychic hotline 1-800 number to compete with Miss Cleo.

All At Once, Ellie Goulding Lights Up : The Record : NPR

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 21:50:21 -0400

All At Once, Ellie Goulding Lights Up : The Record : NPR:

If you do not know of Ellie Goulding this NPR pice great place to start. I think she has one of the best albums of 2012.

"Running gives freedom. When you run you can determine your own tempo. You can choose your own course..."

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 03:53:38 -0400

“Running gives freedom. When you run you can determine your own tempo. You can choose your own course and think whatever you want. Nobody tells you what to do.”

- Nina Kuscik, marathoner

London Olympics: Heat was on Lolo Jones, and she got burned - latimes.com

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 01:00:00 -0400

London Olympics: Heat was on Lolo Jones, and she got burned - latimes.com:

I am a fan of Lolo. I hope she wont be to hard on herself. Just competing in the Olympics is an accomplishment.

Matt and Kim - LET’S GO - Official First Listen (by...

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:27:13 -0400

Matt and Kim - LET’S GO - Official First Listen (by mattandkim)

Matt and Kim’s new song is my next pick for song for summer.

Call Me Maybe - 2012 USA Olympic Swimming Team (by...

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 14:46:33 -0400

Call Me Maybe - 2012 USA Olympic Swimming Team (by USASwimmingOrg)

Ok so I am a fan of this song for some reason. I am also a fan of the Olympics so I think this is a fun video.

Best Coast - The Only Place (by wichitarecordings) My first song...

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 23:06:51 -0400

Best Coast - The Only Place (by wichitarecordings)

My first song of Summer 2012 what a great song.

My new ride. This is my first beach cruiser so I am excited to...

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 22:48:29 -0400

My new ride. This is my first beach cruiser so I am excited to get out and go for a ride. I bought it at bike Buyers If you want a good deal on a bike it is the place to go.

This could be my next running shoe.

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:35:09 -0400

This could be my next running shoe. :

I may even try to run a half marathon in them.