2001-12-05 | 8:54 a.m.

I am listening to The House at Pooh Corner by the Indigo Girls right now. I downloaded it at work from Audiogalaxy. It's getting harder and harder to download music with all the copywrite protection crap going on. Fuck capitalism-- it's not like it's helping the artists to not have their music downloaded. I mean, if anything, downloading music has made me purchase so much more. It's how I got really into Sleater Kinney and Le Tigre, and now I own all of their albums. Yes, sometimes I download songs by artists whose albums I wouldn't buy, but I wouldn't have bought those albums anyway.

Now I am listening to Teenage FBI by Guided by Voices. Great song. I get so pissed at those fucking assholes who bitch that Guided By Voices sold out because they aren't recording on a god damned four track in their garage anymore. I mean, do you think they were recording on a piece of shit 4 track because it was their choice? No!!! I mean, the lo fi movement is great because it enables people who don't have the means to make a really expensive album to still put out an album and reach an audicence. There are some classic lo fi records-- all of Sebadoh's early stuff, the first Dinasaur album, Beat Happening, etc. But let's be realistic-- having goodrecording equiptment is always preferable, and those assholes that romanticise tape hiss should just shut the fuck up and stop screaming "Sell Out" at artists who worked really hard to make music and did it on their own terms.

Now I am listening to Everything is Everything by Lauryn Hill. What an amazing song. She rules. I am actually totally digging this neo-soul movement that's going on now-- Jill Scott and India Ari and what not. It's really refreshing after having to hear Whitney Houston and Mariah Carrey for years and years to be able to turn on the radio and listen to something real I love Marvin Gaye and Donnie Hathaway and Aretha, and to hear that tradition of soul music continued just thrills me beyond comprehension.

And now it's on to Sonic Youth. Er pardon-- Ciccone Youth, with Get Into the Groovey one of the best remakes of all time.

So yeah.... music. The only part I miss about being laid off was the days when I didn't have a job interview and I could just wake up at like 11 AM and spend the entire day listening to music by myself-- just putting on record after record and zoning out. Wearing headphones transports me somewhere else and I feel like I have accessed an entire world below the surface of my skin. I could not live without music-- all kinds of music. I have hundreds of CDs and records, and I never have enough. Unfortunately lately I've been trying to pay off all the credit card debt I incurred while unemployed, so I haven't really been able to splurge on records. I did however buy my boyfriend a bunch of CDs for x-mas-- all stuff he'll like, but by proxy they are mine (for now anyway). He's getting stuff by Shannon Wright, Cornelius, PJ Harvey, Pavement, and much much more. I also bought him the iced cappucino maker he's been dying for. He keeps trying to trick me into telling him that I bought it, but I keep feigning ignorance and telling him not to keep his hopes up because he'll be disappointed. It's a fun little game.

Now I am listening to The Shins, another band I only discovered through allmusic.com and downloading their stuf. Fucking great-- like Pet Sounds era Beach Boys crossed with lou Barlow at the top of his lyric writing ability.

Did I mention that I love music?