Thing a Week 1 - See You All in Hell
Well, you asked for it, or rather, I told you that you were going to get it. Here’s the debut thing of my Thing a Week series. It’s 48 seconds long, but I think it has a special kind of quirky charm. The lyrics are taken from a text message that a TV producer sent while having a difficult time on some sort of aquatic shoot, somewhere far away where it’s probably hot and dusty and hard to get around. I found them funny but also a little sinister - there is more than a touch of madness in them. They are sung by my mac (via Text Edit, via Audio Hijack) and mixed with loops in Soundtrack.
I will eventually set up a page as these things pile up, but for now:
September 16th, 2005 at 2:51 pm
I think I can see where this is going.
Week 1: JC goes crazy.
Week 2: After trying for days to record the sound of one hand clapping, JC achieves enlightment.
Week 3: JC realizes all this enlightenment is bullshit if you’re starving.
Week 4: JC sells out to the RIAA, MPAA, AA, the NBA, and pretty much anyone else you can sell out to.
Week 5: JC buys yacht, retires happy.
Week 9: JC comes out of retirement for one last show.
September 16th, 2005 at 4:23 pm
Lather,
rinse,
repeat
September 16th, 2005 at 4:49 pm
I like it, in that quirky bizarre way — did you write the music for this, or just grab it from something else?
September 16th, 2005 at 6:38 pm
gv: If that all happens in the next nine weeks, color me satisfied.
Glenn: well, write, I don’t know, I mixed a bunch of loops together in Apple Soundtrack if you think that counts. But no actual instruments were played by me. Did Fatboy Slim write “Rockefeller Skank?” Did…um…some other guy…write that other thing that’s kind of like that? These are the kinds of thorny questions we’re all going to have to struggle through together during these difficult two or so weeks of “Thing a Week.”
September 17th, 2005 at 1:42 am
Cool idea. That’s 52 ditties in a year.
September 17th, 2005 at 11:40 am
sorry about my last comment i juast realized it might be offensive. Hmm i am wondering mabye for one weeks project release instrumental version of your songs, just an idea. Btw nice work
September 18th, 2005 at 11:18 am
I smell a podcast.
September 19th, 2005 at 6:26 am
Rohit: no worries, I can’t very well fault anyone for asking that question given the content of that filthy, filthy song.
Pezulator: you read my mind…
September 19th, 2005 at 1:19 pm
hmm .. that sounds great . exept i don’t have an ipod. … hmm mabye you could create a news post , and let people post song ideas in the comment. Then you post the ones you like and might do , and the ones you are currently working on, heck you could even make your favorites into a cd. and to start it out:
1. a song about a cardborad box (if you can oull this off you will be {arguably} the most creative songwriter ever
)
2. A song about monopoly, both the game and the busness concept, in 1 song. (again this should be a hell of a challenge)
3. see if you cant get popsci to pay you for making more songs.
4. a slashdot themed song.
September 20th, 2005 at 4:37 am
rohit: all worthy challenges. The cardboard box is particularly intriguing to me…
September 20th, 2005 at 11:03 am
September 20th, 2005 at 11:04 am
oops, i aslo had 1 thing to say, i was messing around with my mac and somehow all your songs were transmuted into their instrumental versions with occational rhytmic grunts intespersed throughout.
September 20th, 2005 at 12:57 pm
i figured it out i was hearing only 1 of the 2 sterio channels, also is it just me or is betty cheating on the peson singing the song , with the lab guy?
September 20th, 2005 at 3:42 pm
Um, Duh.
September 20th, 2005 at 9:56 pm
I suppose it all depends on just how strictly you define “cheating” - after all, they just said they were making a baby out of DNA. She never told him that it was HIS DNA.
September 21st, 2005 at 6:33 am
Betty is definitely cheating. Important lesson: if someone gives a lady underwear as a gift, chances are that someone is going to see that underwear on that lady sometime soon.
September 21st, 2005 at 5:35 pm
Useful info! But is it necessarily the one giving the gift who benefits? This is critically important.
September 23rd, 2005 at 2:32 pm
1. Note to self: never let future wife accept gifts of flattering underwear, unless from me.
2. MONKEY!!!!!
3. At first i thought they were going to clone him, but i guess bettey and the scientinst are just fucking , till betty gets pregnant
February 16th, 2006 at 8:40 am
[...] I’ve been reading Jonathon Coulton’s weblog for a while after good ol’ Dave Slusher started playing Jon’s tunes on his podcast, Evil Genius Chronicles. While I had usually enjoyed his blog, I didn’t really “get” his music until I head his latest “thing of the week” entitled Shop Vac. This man makes good music and it proves once again that the net is providing an amazingly creative distribution channel for great content. Jon please keep it coming! [...]
April 3rd, 2007 at 9:23 am
I may have to include this song in my file under filthy underwear songs. Besides the obvious filth it was absolutely charming.
September 21st, 2007 at 11:41 am
Ok, trying to parse this isn’t working. I played this for my ’sonofamusician’ S.O. and he kept asking what the guy was saying/singing. Got frustrated and walked away.
Purist.
So, in order to reestablish domestic bliss, could you post the text message? *pretty please*?