hello people. i have allowed a trip to nyc to turn into a month without a blog post. trip was good. stayed with a friend who is a member of a family of art dealers. her apartment has phenomenal art on the walls; matthew barney, gregory crewdson, even andy warhol. pretty thrilling stuff to live with.
just sent off an email to my lawyer, the planets best lawyer by the way, about the 11th hour soundtrack. it seems there is going to be one. every time i deal with the big machine, ill tell you, i feel less and less sympathy for the demise of the industry. i know that there is deceit and corruption in small companies as well but from my experience, big companies are fat, bullying and wasteful and they do their business according to precedent. in other words, they look at doing things the way they have been done. often times only because that is the way it has always been done. this is where dogma meets commerce. no wonder they are failing. they bring muscle to situations that ask for imagination or creativity. it has been a theme on this blog before, and im sure it will be again, but i am ok with consumers sending the big 'fuck you' that they have sent and are continuing to send. it is working. the big boys are scared and confused. which means that us 'middle class' artists have to take a hit, with some loss in music sales. but at least it is a hit taken for what i believe is a greater good.
good to be back.
About Me
- -ea.
- after an inauspicious stint as an unremarkable young man, a cursory tour of four high schools in three years with an early departure, perry farrell and i started janes addiction. ______________________________________________________________ i am admittedly, under the best of circumstances, an erratic email returner but if you want to speak directly to me give it a try at: crashintothesea@gmail.com
30 comments:
I was wondering if you have drowned a horrible horrible death, but you didnt so thats always good. Almost pulled a jeff buckley.
I wouldnt mind visiting NYC some time, just to go and walk around, with this airplane engineering job i have lined up i might just do it.
Good to hear that music will be on soundtrack. And if u and biff do play those songs again that would be great, that shit is good music.
WTF is going on with this boxset ive been throwing emails to rhino n they never reply. I guess i can wait till Janes gets inducted into the rock hall...
What kinda promotion are you going to do for help wanted? U should stop by Tom Greens House. For his live internet show, its great stuff.
Peace
That's cool shit, this "industry" as it has known is undenayably experience metamorphisis. I feel it'll all be for the best. Good point!
"the big boys are scared and confused."
That one sentence gives me a lot more hope... I've been trying to explain just how horrid the dinosaurs are to some non-musician friends, and it's tough to do it... Heck, even some musicians I know don't get it- they fail to see the trench of shit we'll have to swim down (and backstroke up)...
(with head-nod to http://www.negativland.com/albini.html of course)
eric-
i've never been ta nyc. gotta go there before i die. what do ya think of it? is CA still better?
liked yer comments and opinions about the "industry" and the "big boys". i can see what ya mean.
i have some music questions: what type of punk rock were you into? what's your favorite butthole surfers album? will you start a music myspace so we can hear your stuff? also i saw a pic of you circa 89 or 90. did ypu have some dreadlocks along w/ your long hair?
alrite is january still your set release date? cant wait for it.
peace off
ALEC
eric you went under my radar for a while there guy, but its so fucking good to see your integrity is still intact,i look forward to the new and get over to the uk please.
drew
EA,
Although you are an artist and creator, ever had the desire to assist others in the process? As in start your own label and/or produce?
Seems that the zeitgeist (spelling?) is one that facilitates the bypassing of the big boys. Yes, DIY has been around. Can you say Fugazi? 1. 2. 3. Repeater! But today's Web technology makes it all so much . . . faster? Bigger? Viral?
EA, I'm glad to see integrity is still important to you. It unfortunately doesn't seem to matter to others.
Did you see what Trent Reznor said a month ago? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ5iHaV0dP4) It's good to know that people like you and TR still care and do what you do for the right reasons.
eric, i asked about the interview in your last posting talking about the 11th hour when you went on the radio program. good to hear another musician go against the industry. it's sad to see great bands get rejected because of uniqueness. As an adolescent, I've been stuck in one of the most boring musical generations, and for that reason I tend to revert older music. For the most part, everything on mainstream sounds the same, and that is because of what you said, the music records trying to stay with what worked, and have their own kind of prototype.
Get ready for the new Polly Jean record! Please talk about it in your next post, would love to hear your thoughts.
Eric, what name did you give to that last song of the 11th Hour movie? It was amazing!! It made the movie for me, cause it's all about a great impactfull ending. Otherwise the movie wont stick as much in people's heads.
Maira
god eric, you always seem to nail it in your posts. yeah, its time for the big boys to change their ways. i feel zero sympathy. never been in a band, but in the arts. must have been brutal dealing with them when they are in charge and have the power. the ball field is getting more even. its time for the artist to take things over, on their own terms. its so figgin exciting.
ever made a trek to brooklyn? i saw the blonde redhead dude the other day again at my coffee spot, was gonna tell him how much you admire his drumming. i will do that one of these days
peace e
cc
Eric, Great seeing you back on the blog again, missed your posts. Welcome back from NYC, hope you had an awesome time. I work there 5 days a week and forget how great of a city it is because I'm slaving away at making a living. Anyway, in total agreement with what you're saying about the big companies and their ignorance towards the people that work for them and buy their products. They treat people like cattle and have been known to take people's livelihood completely away in seconds, i.e. sudden layoffs, or by making it hard for many people who aren't computer savvy to enjoy purchasing CD's and music by jacking up the prices so much. Tell To tell you the truth I am one of them. Although I am computer savvy and can totally get music off the internet for free, I don't. I enjoy supporting artists I admire and plus I really like having the art work of CD's in my hands. Anyways, good to see your back. I have no questions, just wanted to say hi. Look forward to getting the 11th hour soundtrack when it comes out. Blog soon, Matt
Hey Eric, your alleged uncle Joseph here. Excellent to stumble upon your blog. Don't remember if I ever told you this: I'm proud of you.
Keep it up.
Maybe it's my age that prevents e from applauding the end of the industry through these means. Seems the collapse is a matter of collateral damage as a result of the disinigration of certain values. Hypothetically, if the industry could have tripled in size by people downloading and sharing, listeners still would have jacked the music. So many people get fucked here, mainly the artist it appears. Music (or any art) can't exist in and of itself. Too bad that one crucial and inimitable component values money over the support of art/artist that they only pretend to value.
Be well,
SR
hey eric,
what are your thoughts on Radiohead allowing people to choose what they pay for their new album?
neil
Ok Computer!!!
george d- yes i still float. i dont know about promo exactly. i dont know greens show but i admit to some skepticism that my vibe and his would.....well, vibe together well. i will check it out though.
dont know about the box set. i keep meaning to look into it. will soon.
jeremy - thanks for the link. i had always heard of this but never actually read it.
yeah its funny that everyone seems to be keeping their head buried in the sand about change. i guess we tend to in lots of ways. but i read in ny times mag about rick rubin being promoted to king of the record company. from what i got from the article he was hired because he often goes barefoot, has flaky friends, and subscribes to half baked spiritual hooey. i was reading the article curious about the future of music and interested to hear a conclusion. his oracular and barefooted vision of the future is that we will pay a fee to subscribe to companies so we can hear that companies music. christ, that was what people were speculating about in the mid-90s. visionary? nice work if you can get it.
alec- you must get to nyc. i insist.
i was very briefly "punk". i loved x (los angeles through wild gift). that is some of the best music ever. black flag, circle jerks etc. but i pretty quickly moved on to what was then referred to as post-punk: flipper, pil, joy division etc.
butthole surfers hmmm? i think locst abortion technician got most plays. worshipped the song "22 going on 23". i think it was called that. havent heard it in decades.
yes i had dreads when i had long hair. i grew them and groomed them naturally from the crown of my head. they were quite the little science experiments on their insides. i am suprised they didnt move on their own.
c brian- yes i would be interested in producing someone but no one has asked. i have to admit to lacking a bit in the traditional ambition part of my musical life. dont have a manager for example.
yes zeigeist. i give you a gold star for spelling. these are interesting times we live in.
a.t. - power to the people. thanks for the clip.
maira - im not sure i had anything to do with the song you mean. if you are talking about the very last song, its not me and i cant remember who it is (ive only seen the movie once). the last cue that i did is very near the end and is an instrumental version of the song 'suns gone' on my solo cd. the directors and the editor chose alot of really great music. my stuff was in some really good company.
chris - its funny you mention simone from blonde redhead. i got his number recently and called him to see if i could get some of his drumming on my work. i felt like i was asking him on a date.
matt volpe- i am interested in how it goes for radiohead. truly leaning on the support of their fans. my wife and i decided many years ago that the future of music will probably look more like the distant past. the sort of patron system. where a wealthy patron, or in this case a large group of non wealthy patrons, would directly support an artist on a more work by work basis. we will see.
joseph p. !?!? thanks. i remember seeing you at rhino records, i was 16 or something, and you were buying a salvation army (later three o'clock and not as good) record. you were so cool to me. i hope you are good. if you dont mind giving up an email address let me know one and we will take this out of the public sphere.
sr- hope springs eternal. i think we are in a time that is temporary. i think we will tire of celebrities that dont actually do anything and there will be a 'return' (albeit it different) to an appreciation of virtuosity. i dont think its gone for good it just might not time out well for you and i. we will have to continue to work at what we do and we will see where we wind up. learning and improving in the process while chewing some fingernails about money.
neil- see my reply to matt volpe earlier so i dont repeat myself. but the short answer is i think its rad. i am interested in how it goes. i dont think that it will be the new way for an industry to do business because it is based on attention to quality and nuturing a relationship of mutual respect between artist and audience. these are things that the larger musical industry has been uninterested in cultivating.
any time for coffee and a game? tuesdays with Andre? Dinner with Morrie? Chess with Sean? - thinking weekday late morning daytimeish?
sean@wumac.com
NY makes me very happy too. Let me know when you go back..I have an immensely taleneted friend who happens to be a chef there in the city. He's and old Jane's fan and would love to discreetly do a tastng menu for ya and your bride.
The production gig is interesting to me. Did you have a hand in the NS or RDLH production at all? All in all are you pleased? Thoughts on what should have been done....things that were done well...
Best,
SR
Hey, Eric. Joseph here again. For now, I am available at Joe_Piantadiosi@spe.sony.com during the week. Send a message when and if you can.
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