Mix Annotations - An Okay Me To Be
Hi Friends,
My "Insight from the Dalai Lama"-a-Day calendar has been pretty hit or miss so far, but last week we had a doozy:
To be aware of a single shortcoming within oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in somebody else. Rather than speaking badly about people and in ways that will produce only friction and unrest in their lives, we should practice a purer perception of them, and when we speak of others, speak of their good qualities. If you find yourself slandering anybody, first imagine that your mouth is filled with excrement. It will break you of the habit quickly enough.
Lis heard this and said, "Talk shit, eat shit!" which is a bit more of a threat than what I think the DL was aiming for.
It reminded me more of the lyrics, "I talk shit and my breath suggests it," which are from a song by The Sunshine Terror Band. STB was a band I played trumpet in during the summer after Grade 12. Aside from having a decent embouchure and knowing some of the fingerings, I didn't really bring much to the songwriting process. Eventually someone in the group knew someone who knew enough about music to corral me and a couple other horn players into having actual parts. There was a the line in the chorus that went "I beat my chest to a different drum," and then we'd do this descending baba-baba-baba-bada-daaaaaaaaaaaa. I have no idea where the recordings of it are, but it plays it my head pretty often. Despite having played in STB, Murder Murder Blood Guts Gore, and doing some home recording here and there, I'm very conscious to not call myself a musician. It's not out of self-deprecation, but more being aware of what I'm claiming as part of my identity. In my mind a musician is someone who LOVES playing music. I just do it to pass the time.
Fig.1 - Me at a Sunshine Terror Band practice, 2006.
Another thing that I've been mindful about claiming these days is time I spent on farms as a kid. We didn't have much money after my parents' divorce, and so we ended up spending a lot of our holidays and summer vacations up at my great uncle's farm in Trout Creek. We did this regularly from when I was maybe 6-13 years old. And while I don't remember doing any of the animal chores, I do remember helping pick strawberries, corn, or potatoes, riding on tractors, and trying to not run into the electric cow fence. I would never say that I grew up on a farm, but we were there enough that I'm probably more comfortable with cows and pigs and chickens and poop and dirt than I would be if we hadn't grown up like that. Like, when I worked at the Guelph Lake Conservation Area and had to scrub bathroom walls covered in turds, throw out garbage bags full of hot maggots, or even bury a dead cat, it phased me a lot less that my coworkers who just weren't as familiar with it all.
I'm thinking about this now because I'm planning to grab this Sean Morin piece from Toutoune Gallery, of a cartoon maple syrup can. It reminds me of this time we went sap collecting up at the farm. It was nighttime, and all of the adults were drunk, but the sap was flowing and we had to empty the buckets again. My job was to stand on the back of the trailer and steady the giant barrel they were dumping the sap into so it didn't spill. I can't remember exactly how it happened, but they were trying to drive the ATV over some big roots or a rock and it made the sap slosh so much that my tiny tween body couldn't balance it out, and the whole thing fell over and drenched me. They would later say that I was "baptized in sap." (This has not made my life better or worse.)
Fig.2 - Future Art Purchase, 2022.
I obviously can't speak for the Dalai Lama (I'm not allowed to), but for me a purer perception has to involve acknowledging that a person is not a fixed point. We are each a moment. It's not just about praising our good qualities over our bad ones, but appreciating how these qualities grow and mix and change for who we are always becoming. It's about seeing the wholeness of a person, and not letting our own mood or definitions get in the way. Truthfully, I'm not a "Band Guy" and I'm not a "Farm Guy."
I'm not even a "Dalai Lama Guy."
Anyways, here’s the link to the latest mix: soundcloud.com/draiser2022/an-okay-me-to-be
ANNOTATIONS
Annette (2021) - All love and support to baby Anette.
The Staple Singers - When Will We Be Paid This song got mentioned in the Afropop Worldwide episode on the 50th anniversary of the Soul II Soul concert. Following the success of Summer of Soul, I wouldn't be surprised if this got a remaster and rerelease.
Bette Midler - You're Moving Out Today Radiolab did a series on Cassettes and Mixtapes, and this was on the episode Help?.
I Literally Just Told You S01E03 - Jimmy Carr is a pretty good panel show host, but seems like a real drag to hang out with. Shout out to Alex Horne, who is maybe very much the opposite.
Wim Mertens - Wegzuwünschen Probably a Spotify Weekly playlist.
Prince - I Feel For You Someone shared the acoustic demo version of this song on IG, which I followed back to the album version. Every day I feel like I'm inching closer to being into Prince. Lord knows the universe has tried.
Funkadelic - Can You Get To That I think I was just remembering Sleigh Bells sampling this in "Rill Rill."
Jackie Leven - The Sexual Loneliness of Jesus Christ A Spotify Weekly for sure, but I just gotta say that this kind of recommendation really gives me faith in the algorithm. I loved this song.
Yazoo - Mr. Blue I mentioned this in the last mix newsletter, but now I'm not remembering where this popped back up for me. Vince Clarke must have an amazing synth collection.
Psychic TV - The Orchids Spotify Weekly, I think.
Art Garfunkel - Waters of March From my friend Paul. This is also the first end credits song for The Worst Person in the World.
Jessica Pratt - Back, Baby Likely Spotify Weekly.
Darondo - Didn't I This was definitely on some Spotify playlist, but this was also in Love Life and High Fidelity and Lovesick, all of which I've happily watched.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter Close personal friend.
Pascal Siakam Post-Game Interview 2022 - "Why not you? Do you have somebody else you want to suggest that happened to?"
Pete Dello and Friends - Do I Still Figure In Your Life Spotify Weekly, my good boy.
Japanese Breakfast - Tactics Close personal friend.
Nedelle Torrisi - Don't Play Dumb Afterthought Close personal friend.
Regina Spektor - Samson This is 100% a "Girlfriends from the 00s" recommendation.
Death on the Nile (1978) - More murder mysteries please!
While space allows, I’m stashing my recent mixes and annotations in a Google Drive folder, which you can visit here: The Archive
DRAISER 2022
New year, New Draiser! This time the fundraising goal is $2500. It would mean a lot to me if you considered joining and donating. I’m happy to talk about the many low-impact ways you can do this! Let me know if you’d like to help, or otherwise you can donate here: tinyurl.com/Draiser2021.
Even if you’ve already donated, please consider sharing it with your friends and family.