The original Demo version is consistently stuck in my head, and the TAW version is pretty sweet also. And now that I know Soterios is an NPR guy…oh the song is even better. I had been imagining Soterios was some internet dancing dude, so to merge the two ideas is great. Lyrics do matter!

Well, not that you probably care, but I love the song in both versions, but I do think I like the raw energy of the original slightly better.

Nevertheless, in either form, it’s currently one of my favorites, so thanks for writing it and sharing it with us!

Liam.

Is the original that people keep talking about available anywhere? I like this song, I’d love to compare and contrast.

Thanks,

Liam.

In fact, I agree with you wholeheartedly. The ‘net has provided a wealth of information–not to mention some neat music, ahem–but it’s also been a horrendous time sink. You were wise to warn against it.

This said by a recovering netaholic.

Podcasts…webcomics…must…find…more…

Wait. hold on… I’m receiving a transmission. Something about February 15th… There’s a lot of static, probably the rain. Or the wind may have blown down the aerial. Excuse me, I must mobilize the monkeys.

Books go out of print. That’s just what they do. … Ph.D’s don’t pay, although—based on my experience—getting paid (however meagerly) to read Hegel and Kierkegaard beats temping any day. [via] … Jonathan Coulton pays tribute to NYC NP…

Oh *please*, don’t even go there.

Bob Dylan was a hack. Do you think Dylan could EVER have come up with “The Town Crotch”? I don’t.

One interesting distinction between the two versions: While the acoustic downloadable leaves one thinking more about the double-life cycle, the Little Gray Books version–technopopped for the Thing a Week–leaves one thinking more about “the dance goes on forever.” And it does, oh yes it does. Now it’s Johnson and Gross as Astaire and Rogers, whirling and twirling across the dance-hall of infinity…

Bob: If you like, you can think of this version as JC in parody mode again. It’s the Club Remix, a category in which overproduction is the name of the game. The popcorn, the tropical traffic whistle, the other synth effects, are all dance tropes (not to say cliches) found in so many other energetic dance pieces, and here they are with (would it be redundant to say) bells on.

On the other side, JC, as usual your background vocals are terrific and well-applied, helping bring out the nifty harmonic progression even better than guitar alone. I do like this one.

And folks, as was originally pointed out at http://www.jonathancoulton.com/2005/08/29/dont-quit-your-day-job/ ,
this _is_ his Internet. Be nice and he may let you keep it.

But that aside, I’d have to say I quite liked it. I always love new versions of old favorites, and this is no exception.

I had the same reflex that the original had grown on me, and I liked the idea of the crazy energy, but it makes sense that the new one would sound more rave-like. I do hope if you do another version that you keep Terry Gross and follow him to the morning. (Not to impugn Ms Gross’s honor in any way, however.)

So I listened to it again, and I have to say it grew on me. In a head-to-head comparison, I still like the original a lot more; this version is a little too “over-produced” for my tastes. Taken on it’s own, however, it’s pretty good.

That being said…. that “popcorn” synth thing you have going on throughout the song, that just makes me want to jam an icepick in my ears. Other than that, it’s a good song.

Also, The podcast is cut off; I will soon check the real one.

Unrelatedly, I still need to send you pictures of Ponkey…