Off-Topic meandering music stuff..

[The Duck]

The Doors have three good songs ("Break On Through", "Light My Fire", The End") and I believe Robbie Krieger is responsible for all of them.

I believe Robbie Krieger wrote quite a few of the Doors songs although credited the band for writing the songs.

And Jim Morrison? There may be more Doors' fans here and I don't want to insult anyone.

I doubt you'll insult anyone and if so you can always post a retraction.

 

[KGIII]

I'm pretty thick-skinned and pretty open-minded when it comes to music. For large portions of my life, I've been a performing musician. It's a very long story but I did so because I needed the money. I'd then continue to perform even though I was no longer destitute.

During those experiences, I frequently had to cover musicians and music that I really didn't care for. For example, I was in a 'top-40' band during the 80s. In fact, at one point, your tax dollars paid me to play. Ol' Nancy Reagan was all about saying no to drugs and one program paid bands to go in and perform at schools while giving them lectures to not do drugs - even though we were probably a bit inebriated at the time.

I've done a lot for the art, including outlandish hair and piercings to fit the look. It was a job. I didn't always like it. Eventually, it was a hobby and passion, plus the extra money was nice.

I guess my point is, nobody is obligated to like the music I like - just like I'm not obligated to like what they like. I don't get upset if they don't like it, just like I don't get upset if you don't like the foods I like. I don't need your affirmation or blessing, nor do you need mine.

I'm not one who gets offended easily. As I like to say, "Offense is taken, rather than given."

(Yes, some things are truly offensive. One's taste in music is not one of those things. One's thoughts on a music artist is not one of those things. Your dietary choices are also not one of those things. In fact, I'll even accommodate you if you're a vegetarian.)

 

[theLegionWithin]

In fact, at one point, your tax dollars paid me to play. Ol' Nancy Reagan was all about saying no to drugs and one program paid bands to go in and perform at schools while giving them lectures to not do drugs - even though we were probably a bit inebriated at the time.

ah, the DARE program. I was forced to take it twice - 5th grade and 8th grade & let me tell you, it didnt take. a better deterrent (especially these days) would be to look up videos of Kensington PA.

 

[KGIII]

I was forced to take it twice - 5th grade and 8th grade & let me tell you, it didnt take.

I think it had the opposite effect. KIds are dumb, but not that dumb. We'd be up there talking about the risks of marijuana and these kids knew adults who used and didn't turn into demons or use it as a 'gateway drug'. So, they'd just disbelieve the rest of what we said and they'd do the same things we did - which was to experiment and learn on their own.

We also, most of the same band, kept a clean image (as much as possible) and played at things like 'chem-free' clubs.

But, yes, tax dollars paid me to play guitar. It was bad 80s music, but it was a pretty solid paying gig. We played at schools all over New England and there are a lot of schools. We played mostly for middle schools and high schools, but we sometimes played at elementary schools - but they were more like schools that went all the way up to 8th grade and didn't differentiate for a middle school/jr. high school.

I will say that the guitar (I've shared tracks before, I'm a classical guitarist by training) has opened all sorts of doors for me that would otherwise have been closed. I've had some great experiences and met some great people. There are artists you know that I've opened for - or have been on their album as I did a bunch of work as a studio musician.

Among my most formative experiences was being poorly paid, and I do mean poorly - like $25 a session plus food, to play at a jazz club. Because it was so poorly paying, there were always new musicians to play with and learn from. It was seldom the same people playing together for very long. I'd do the lunch shift and the dinner shift and make a whopping $50 - but I'd at least get to eat something better than instant noodles.

The GI Bill sucked back then. I was a very poor college kid, even though my education itself was paid for by scholarships and grants. None of those included things like housing or even a meal ticket to eat on campus. I did buy said meal ticket for a few years and I took full advantage of that. I'd eat there even if I didn't have classes that day.

To sort of tie this into the subject of this forum, my work was also done with computers. My first use of a programmable computer was in the very early 70s. At higher levels, I'd be exposed to more technology and even own my own computers. My work towards my doctorate involved taking this technology and applying it to real world problems. Specifically, it was taking chaotic systems and making sense of them. I don't know how far you've gone in school, nor what your interests are, but my favorite subject to study was chaos theory.

It has been a pretty good ride. There are very few things I'd change if I had to do it all over again. Then, even those things I'd consider changing I might not change because they molded me into who I am today.

Yeah, it's a novella... I'm headed to bed soon so figured I'd smash the keyboard for a minute to see if anything interesting came out.

 

[theLegionWithin]

I was into music too but not professionally (sousaphone, then BB♭ tuba), one of my jobs in college was like that, stagehand - poorly paid but they fed us and we got a free show... of all of the gigs I think jethro tull was my favorite one in the two years I had that job, but bunches of bands came through town. college turned out not to be for me - failed out (kids are dumb), but later in life I got a degree from a tech school for computer networking, then that morphed into a career in software support. never really had a "favorite subject", my interests are too diverse - I read a lot. like, a lot. maybe just absorbing data was my favorite?

 

[Mike-W0BTU]

I think it had the opposite effect. KIds are dumb, but not that dumb. We'd be up there talking about the risks of marijuana and these kids knew adults who used and didn't turn into demons or use it as a 'gateway drug'. So, they'd just disbelieve the rest of what we said and they'd do the same things we did - which was to experiment and learn on their own.

We also, most of the same band, kept a clean image (as much as possible) and played at things like 'chem-free' clubs.

But, yes, tax dollars paid me to play guitar. It was bad 80s music, but it was a pretty solid paying gig. We played at schools all over New England and there are a lot of schools. We played mostly for middle schools and high schools, but we sometimes played at elementary schools - but they were more like schools that went all the way up to 8th grade and didn't differentiate for a middle school/jr. high school.

I will say that the guitar (I've shared tracks before, I'm a classical guitarist by training) has opened all sorts of doors for me that would otherwise have been closed. I've had some great experiences and met some great people. There are artists you know that I've opened for - or have been on their album as I did a bunch of work as a studio musician.

Among my most formative experiences was being poorly paid, and I do mean poorly - like $25 a session plus food, to play at a jazz club. Because it was so poorly paying, there were always new musicians to play with and learn from. It was seldom the same people playing together for very long. I'd do the lunch shift and the dinner shift and make a whopping $50 - but I'd at least get to eat something better than instant noodles.

The GI Bill sucked back then. I was a very poor college kid, even though my education itself was paid for by scholarships and grants. None of those included things like housing or even a meal ticket to eat on campus. I did buy said meal ticket for a few years and I took full advantage of that. I'd eat there even if I didn't have classes that day.

To sort of tie this into the subject of this forum, my work was also done with computers. My first use of a programmable computer was in the very early 70s. At higher levels, I'd be exposed to more technology and even own my own computers. My work towards my doctorate involved taking this technology and applying it to real world problems. Specifically, it was taking chaotic systems and making sense of them. I don't know how far you've gone in school, nor what your interests are, but my favorite subject to study was chaos theory.

It has been a pretty good ride. There are very few things I'd change if I had to do it all over again. Then, even those things I'd consider changing I might not change because they molded me into who I am today.

Yeah, it's a novella... I'm headed to bed soon so figured I'd smash the keyboard for a minute to see if anything interesting came out.

Fascinating, Doctor! Seriously! What's your Ph.D. in? Some branch of physics (my favorite subject to read about)?

 

[KGIII]

Fascinating, Doctor! Seriously! What's your Ph.D. in? Some branch of physics (my favorite subject to read about)?

Applied Mathematics. It's a fun subject that you can apply to many things. It helps to understand that mathematics is a language and a philosophy known as logicism. If you read Russell's work in Principia, you'll see him take nearly 200 pages to prove that 1 + 1 = 2. In the end, that statement is true because it's logical that it is.

I read a lot. like, a lot. maybe just absorbing data was my favorite?

There's nothing wrong with being a bit of a polymath. I enjoy many subjects but I definitely have a favorite. Chaos theory is a very interesting subject, at least to me.

Also, Jethro Tull is awesome. Well, Ian Anderson is awesome. I don't recall the full band name being used as of late.

I like to point out that there's a vague section in there that people misunderstand... (As a farce, of course.)

"Eying little girls with bad intent."

It's not the old man that has the bad intent, it's the little girls who have bad intent. He was just an old and ill man. It was the little girls would attack him and not the other way around. Perhaps they'd hurl insults or maybe rocks at the old man. After all, he couldn't do anything without hacking up a lung so it's not like he was a danger to the girls.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

 

[KGIII]

Fascinating, Doctor!

I wanted to come back to this comment - and this is not a complaint.

I don't use my honorary, as a general rule. I only use it when it's advantageous to do so. For example, if I want to access something normally off-limits (say the curation section of a museum) I'll use my .edu email address to let them know when I'll be visiting their museum and I'll also use my honorary.

Which leads to why I don't use it...

See, nobody ever asks what your degree is in. I've literally used the above method to do just that, including accessing the preservation department at said museums. I don't lie. I just say that I'll be coming by and what I'm interested in seeing. (This also works for libraries, archives, telescopes, etc...)

I had a wife, a long time ago, who insisted on introducing me with my honorary. We were divorced long ago and I wouldn't remarry until recently, but I digress... Let's just say she was very into the concept of 'class'.

People are stupid...

When they heard me introduced with my honorary, I'd frequently be asked medical questions. The presumption was that I was a physician and they couldn't be more wrong. Sometimes, I'd screw with them and give them some outlandish answers to their medical questions but I usually was more polite than that. But, I have been asked so many medical questions.

It also seems a bit like bragging to use the honorary in normal day-to-day living. It's appropriate when I'm in a formal academic setting. It's appropriate when I'm teaching. It's appropriate when I want to use it to access something that's harmless. It's not something I use during my regular daily activities. It's not appropriate when used to make it seem like I'm somehow better than someone else.

Anyhow, I figured I'd return and share this bit of a story. The first wife was a bit crazy and a closet alcoholic. I married her because it seemed like the thing to do as we'd had a child together. In hindsight, that's a stupid reason to get married.

 

[Mike-W0BTU]

Very good! I had no idea. Point is well taken.

 

[KGIII]

Very good! I had no idea. Point is well taken.

It's a handy tool when you want to access something more easily. Regular people assume you're a physician and specialists assume that you're in the same field.