waking up

1) A nice brunch with Seri and Tim… haven’t seen them in forever! It seems like God is stirring everyone up towards mission… it’s awesome.
2) Google’s awesome toilets.
3) Getting to finally grab lunch with Neil (cool receptionist dude at Google) and Billy. Neil knows like… everything. He’s a freakin’ renaissance man.
4) Being somewhat on-time to my lesson even though I hit terrible traffic.
5) A great lesson with A***** (student), which is rare.
6) Breaks between lessons.
7) Having some TLP goodness w/K****** (student) and Jun-Shien, my new roomie! They raised the prices on the tacos, but it was about freaking time!! They were dirt cheap before, and had to cut down on the meat, but now the meat is back to big portions for a price that is still great…
8) Mel sharing her totally new venture into poetry with me. Hope it’s okay that I linked it… oh well, it’s on Xanga anyway. It’s really good, and it’s only her first try!!!
9) Being inspired enough to try a few new things. I have a new broken social scene-ish song idea (with a huge drum part in mind) and a new arrangement of Demons.
10) The freedom in my schedule to do #7-9 after 9PM.

And this next part is really fun but long… so go to the *** at the bottom to read summary/spoiler…

So today we were at Mission City Coffee for Haven’s prayer meeting (new spot for a change), and there was an open mic going on. There was, how shall I say… some very distracting music up there at first. But then there were a few decent people up there later doing some covers. So as our prayer time was wrapping up, Elton challenged me to go up there. I totally wasn’t even thinking about it. So I was like “ehhhh…” And then Dave King showed up (he lives hella close) and we just had a good time, hanging out for a little longer. And then Elton asked me again. So I was like… “Alright, I’ll do it if they have time for me.” So I went up to a few people, and they all told me the same thing–that I should try back next week, because tonight had filled up already. Apparently, the open mic organizers ask people to put their names into a hat, and draw at random, twice a night for two sets. Oh well, I thought. So I told the Haven peoples there was no luck, and that I should just skip prayer meeting some time to give it a try, hehehe. I was about to leave with everyone, but then I changed my mind. “I know, I haven’t eaten dinner yet… I will get my good ole Spicy Chicken Sandwich and just use their free Wi-Fi and watch the rest of the performances right after I use the bathroom.” And as I went to order my food, I saw a woman with a REALLY old Gibson (she told me it was 1932). I complimented it, and introduced myself, and told her I loved my guitar a lot, too, just trying to relate. Then I asked her if she was gonna play tonight, and she immediately said she didn’t expect to until someone asked her earlier. Then she offered to split her set with me (squeezing in a performance half way into her time slot) because she was totally shy about it. I politely told her, “Nah… I’m sure you have great stuff. You should totally do it.” And she seemingly relented. I picked up my food, and wow, the next guy that got up was AWESOME. He just spat some very raw spoken word stuff, basically about how he is a newly released convict who has suffered at the hands of some cops he had mad hate for… likening them to the pigs in Animal Farm… man he had great timing, rhyme, and an irregular rhyme form. It was really inspiring. Then Lori, the woman who had the old Gibson I saw, got up on stage and asked all of a sudden, “Is Warren here?” Meanwhile, I had a mouthful of freaking sandwich, so I sheepishly raised my hand trying to chew and swallow really quickly. She asked further, “Do you want to split this set with me? Like I do one, you do one? Actually, sound guy, can we do that?” The sound guy (one of the organizers) was like, “Sure, no problem.” So I was thinking, “DANG, okay, I have just been handed two opportunities… and now she is putting me on the spot. ” I mumble, “Okay… sure” as freaking chicken juice dribbles out of my mouth. She plays her little ditty, which was totally cool btw, but the whole time she is playing, my body starts quivering, and I am like starting to get cold! Now it’s MY TURN. She finishes, and gives me her guitar, and I am suddenly gonna do my thing. I have my laptop out with the lyrics (I pulled them up a minute before), so I can’t really say I was completely unprepared, but WOW, I didn’t have any clue tonight would be the night I debuted a complete work before complete strangers. So I do “Demons,” and I execute it fairly well (I give myself a B), but man, at the end, when it gets all low, it felt really special. People started getting real hushed. So I finish, and everyone starts clapping… and I am like… wow, I finally did it. I rush off stage and give the guitar back to Lori, and people start complimenting me. Three people all said the same thing separately… which was basically, “Wow, you have a great voice… It’s really unique.” Hahahahahahaha, so I guess it was independently confirmed tonight that I should keep doing what I’m doing. One guy said I had great vocal control, which was really strange to hear, but I took it as well as I could. Then the guy that got up after me was freaking crazy talented (he loop-sampled his guitar live and employed some other crazy effects). I found out later that he just likes doing a ton of improv (I take it because he is just too freaking talented), and he has done songs made up on the spot after people have yelled subjects for him to sing about (one song had “Roller Coasters,” “Chicken Orgasms,” and I think it was “Snow.”). He could do crazy shredding but it was still sophisticated enough to be tasteful. But then, after his first little solo/improvisational piece he did, he points straight at me sitting in the back (again, with a mouthful of freaking Spicy Chicken Sandwich), and tells me, “Hey Warren, thanks for playing… that was a really nice surprise. I don’t see you here normally, and I have to say, that was great. Really nice surprise. You should play more here.” I was HELLA BLOWN AWAYYYYYYY AHHHH

CRAZYYYYYY

MY HEAD

IS

GETTING

SWOLL

GOD

HUMBLE

ME

***

So yeah… today, I FREAKING PLAYED AT THE MISSION CITY OPEN MIC. IT WAS REALLY UNEXPECTED… A VERY UNLIKELY OPPORTUNITY. IT WENT GREAT.

***

1) Getting a few errands done before work.
2) Having a great lesson with D*****, my quadraplegic student. I learned something valuable… that it’s not necessarily about what you produce that you want people to value… it’s about your effort, the heart you put into it. He has heart.
3) J**** always being understanding of the time issues I have with the previous student and, as always, being a fun student.
4) S***** (student) being the cutest kid ever.
5) Q****** (student) sharing the funniest thing I have ever seen during a lesson. And I took a picture:

He’s this little french kid that is hella smart… The lyrics are:

Yo you come with me
To the baseball game
Yo it is fun
Because I say so

Notice, the song title is, “Yo” and the name of is band is the “Bones Band.” This kid thinks he should have three albums with ten songs each and has a back-up plan if people don’t like it to retire the name and start up a super-secretive new band with a new name. What a freakin character!

6) Having a nice break, seeing Lisa Nguyen at Paper Source.
7) A Cocola chocolate croissant/coffee break.
8) A great lesson with C***** (misspelled before with an S), teaching with the newfound impression that in sometimes effort is more valuable than the product.
9) Just feeling inspired when teaching C******* and D****.
10) Meeting at Mission City for prayer… a refreshing change of pace, and God speaking to us a bit about what it means to be missional… Just hear and obey.
11) OPEN MIC UNEXPECTED RIDICULOUSNESS

1) Learning a lot about Small Claims…
2) Meeting a Christian (I think) mediator that works for the court and hearing him share generously about his job when I asked him with as much curiosity. What a great job… very Jesus-like… providing aid towards reconciliation and understanding…
3) Hearing a word from God through Keith at the Vics. Follow after the Spirit, not the desires of the flesh…
4) Lunch with Elton… reminiscing a bit about the food in Japan while enjoying the decent curry at Gombei’s.
5) A short nap during a late-cancelled lesson, for which I got PAID. Paid to NAP.
6) Q****** actually practiced a ton, and it showed.
7) M**** practiced a ton as well, and it showed.
8) McDonald’s Iced Coffee w/Hazelnut. My favorite drink of 2008. I can’t even guzzle it because I don’t want to enjoy it all too fast.
9) A great relationship with C******* and D**** and C’s mom.
10) A great prayer meeting.
11) God speaking to me about how His forgiveness isn’t the greatest thing about the Gospel, but that it was only a means to an end. The end is reconciliation, the restoration of our relationship… Him and me. Together.

***

I had a dream last night about somehow running into Thom Yorke and becoming friends with him in a very short period of time. I made a great impression on him (even though I was nervous as hell on the inside), and came off like a truly confident musician, all the while leading him to believe he wanted to give a listen to my music and help me out with my career.

This is the second dream I’ve had of playing for/with Radiohead. Man, it’s so sorry, but I am man enough to admit it. When I was in middle school it would have been Buddy Rich; when I was in high school it would have been Jars of Clay; and in college it would have been Jaco Pastorius for a while… Now it’s Radiohead. I actually played their albums so much I got sick of them.

So I thought I should provide my current ranking of these albums. Keep in mind, this is based purely on their infectiousness and influence in what I perceive is good in Music as a whole… please realize that this may not reflect the context/times/musical climate in which they were released, what they did for popular music at large, etc.

For starters,

7) Pablo Honey

WAYYYYYY below #6, almost doesn’t belong on the chart, really, except for “Lurgee,” a real gem… the rest of the album doesn’t inspire at all once you take away “Creep.”

6) OK Computer

Not saying it didn’t have the groundbreaking, innovative impetus… not saying it didn’t have GREAT songs, but perhaps I wasn’t impressed as much because I began listening to the album after the music world had already been saturated with everything this album brought to pop music, e.g. Muse, Coldplay, even SONICFLOOd as astutely pointed out by Brian Lum.

5) The Bends

Accessible and radio-friendly, yet brimming with songwriting genius all over this… there are so many choice tracks: “Planet Telex,” “My Iron Lung,” and “Street Spirit” aside from the more obvious choices of “High and Dry” and “Fake Plastic Trees.” It drew me in kept my head and heart engaged from the very first listen, and still does.

4) Hail to the Thief

There are so many crazy songs that have literally changed the way I thought about music… “Sail to the Moon,” “Backdrifts,” and “We Suck Young Blood.” I have had few songs draw me in more than “There, There” and “I Will.” I love “Wolf at the Door.” This album, many listens later, still makes me wonder at the scope of what is possible for a collective musical effort. To make manifest the stuff nobody has ever thought of, yet (almost) everybody will love. That’s my definition of creativity.

TIED WITH:

4) In Rainbows

I didn’t think I would say this in October. But a few months removed from the craziness of the pay-what-you-want thing, with a regular CD out now, the effect has worn off. The music has come to the surface. Truth is, In Rainbows doesn’t have a single track that comes up short. It’s all brilliant work, from “15 Step” to “Nude” to “Reckoner”. But they didn’t outdo themselves. Their album rendition of “Videotape” was the closest thing to this (although I still prefer the stripped-down, From the Basement version).

2) Kid A

I cannot even fathom how much this album still has to teach and inspire me, but I put it here because I still don’t get it. I mean, I get “Everything in Its Right Place,” “Optimistic,” and “Idioteque,” which are awesome in their own right, but I still don’t get how someone can come up with “Kid A” and “In Limbo.”

And this brings me to the inevitable…

1) Amnesiac

I still remember the first time I heard “Pyramid Song.” I was in James and Charlie’s room when I lived in Westwood off Barrington. Charlie played it for me, and I was literally stupefied. I had no words… it changed my taste in music in a matter of a few minutes. “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box” still gets me (I couldn’t resist replicating some of it for the first project in my electronic music course). “You and Whose Army” makes me want bang the hell out of the drums and/or grunt when it kicks into the piano part. “I Might Be Wrong” really challenges me as a writer with regard to my understanding yet lack of implementation of minimalism. “Hunting Bears” moves me even though it is a strange track; there is some sadness in recalled melodic parts of “I Might Be Wrong.” And “Like Spinning Plates” has the most compelling backward singing I have ever heard. Not only were the lyrics sung backwards at times (because Yorke felt the words were too painfully cutting sung straight), but the entire song was borne out of “I Will” played backwards. Need I say more?

***

(Later, the guys played “Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event” by Deftones, and I was hushed… and soon after Charlie showed me the first few minutes of “Untitled #8″ by Sigur Ros, which led me and Robert to check out the rest a few days later, only to be rendered absolutely speechless. But I digress…)

While other music and people and events have shaped the way I relate to music, I have to say… Radiohead has challenged me more in artistic terms than anyone else. Not to be like them, but to outdo myself. To push it, to risk, to innovate, to be bold and confident when you should be scared as hell, all for the sake of creating something of true beauty, all for the sake of expressing yourself (Cassavetes). I have yet to do this.