HEY MAN CHECK ME OUT

In thinking about possible projects I realized I didn’t know if the assignment was to think of five possible, say, thesis-related projects, or five projects in general that I might find interesting, worthwhile, worth pursuing IN MY LIFE. So obviously I chose the latter. And they are….

COHEN COMMANDER FIELD
I had the idea of recording an EP of Leonard Cohen covers. An EP meaning about 5 or 6 songs. I could do this on my own with the recording setup I used to record You Get Older You Start to Forget Things, which is basically using my 4-track as a preamp, then sending it into GarageBand to minimally edit. Some possible song choices: “The Letters”, “In My Secret Life”…maybe “Field Commander Cohen” reworked to be the title track.

INFINITE JEST ADAPTATION
The David Foster Wallace neo-classic reworked into a 50-episode cable series, to be broadcast on HBO, Showtime, or AMC. Budget: $50,000,000 (for the initial plans). Obviously the most difficult and absurd entry on this list, but important to keep track of, in that things and ideas, regardless of how improbably they might be realized, should be considered. On a somewhat related note, season 2 of Breaking Bad got into some of the territory that Infinite Jest delves, and the effect that the material had was similar. I don’t think I can view drug content the same way ever again.

TWIN PEAKS INSTALLATION
Another pipe dream, really. But I can’t help thinking that this needs to happen in the MassArt gymnasium. I like the idea of using live actors and projection…basically making it sort of like a haunted house. It would have to be unsettling. And make use of a lot of strobe lights. I still have to finish watching Season Two for the second time…I’m dreading the nadir before the show finishes with a great (if beguiling) flourish. Also: I know that I mention Twin Peaks a lot and should maybe find some new things to mention.

MUSIC VIDEO FOR IAN HUGHES
A friend of mine asked me to shoot another music video for him. We previously worked together on the “Fear the police” video, which was shot in 2001. I continue to be drawn to filming stuff, which might have to do with the fact that I just bought a video camera. Also, for a long time I avoided having enthusiasm about film and video, mainly because people who outwardly express enthusiasm for these things are so often insufferable. But I’m excited to shoot some stuff.

DAILY AFFIRMATION
As for the “do something every day” project, I was thinking that it would be cool to record one song per day. The rules: I would have to record it live, with no overdubs, and it would have to be a different song every day. Covers are certainly allowed. This would force me to play music every day and learn a lot of new songs. And I would build up a database of music very quickly. The songs could be posted here for download daily or batched up weekly or both.

SOME KIND OF COLLABORATION WITH SWEST
As much as grad school has been great to do a ton of work and pursue different projects that I normally wouldn’t pursue, it’s left me with basically no time to work on stuff with my wife, who currently works as an architect but is a very talented designer in her own right. She’s also teaching a class this semester, which makes our time together lessened even more. But I’m looking forward to the summer, so we can collaborate on some mutual interests, which, when approached in a very straightforward/visual way would include graphic design, installation, book design, and film. We’d like to have our own design firm at some point. Eventually my wife will take over and I’ll write novels.