71. instincts
September 2, 2020
71 days to go.
“My instincts are limitless; my mind is limited and but an instrument.”
So with 71 days to go, what’s on the docket for today.
We gotta finish lyrics for Totenkopf. The story of Murdoch the Lokbot needs to end with Murdoch explaining the Bot’s past more. And then I think we should get some type of response from the Bot. Where he resists the path that he used to live. This idea has felt very real to me recently. Sometimes you have to walk away from the company you used to keep, the habits you used to cling to, and the ideas you used to chew on to move on. Let’s see if we can get the same thing across in a drill-reggae song that essentially plays out like a space opera.
I also have to respond back to Chip-Fu. I found him on the song BOOM! by Shaq from the 90s. The song’s from ‘93 which is the same year that our world is set in (though we got an alternate one, all Alan Moore-style and shit). Chip-Fu’s vocals are insane. His energy is contagious and he’s doing all sorts of things with his vocals that are just so impressive. I reached out to him on LinkedIn and against all odds this guy wrote back to me. So I have to send a beat to him today. I’m thinking he might sound the best on the track, PARADISE VALLEY. It’s got a nice 90’s sample from Ozrosaurus’ “Markets of Despair”. His voice complement that vibe for sure, but not mimic it. Though I want him to bring that energy, I don’t want to treat him like a static artist. But who knows if I can even afford him so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But that’s what we have to work on today. Reaching back out to him.
The last productive thing I think I can do is start laying demo vocals on tracks. By the end of the week, I should have them all laid. This way I can start building these project files and get to work doing the music in 9 days. During that period, I can start recruiting features, and artists to replace my vocals.
Let’s get to it.
….
Last night, Mr. West returned, sounding rather lucid in his interview with Nick Cannon, ranting on all things from abortion to being a billionaire. He touched upon breaking the model in all the ventures that he pursues. This is keeping with the DIY ethos at the heart of hip-hop and punk in general, I suppose. He’ll probably become President of the United States one day. It seems more and more inevitable, given the state of America, his ability to remain relevant and manipulate a media cycle, and his ability to produce great quality work. The thing about Trump is that Apprentice was just a kinda-okay TV show. I used to DVR it when Meat Loaf and Lil’ Jon were on, but it’s not something that would have survived given the options we have to choose from these days. That’s not even a completely theoretical argument because when they tried to bring the show back, no one wanted to watch it. The whole idea of Celebrity Apprentice suggests Trump’s star power wasn’t enough to keep the concept alive anyway. West produced brilliant work that made people actually feel something. He’ll be President. God help us all.
At the same time, I really don’t think who’s President of the United States matters as much as we like to think. We’re in the middle of a pandemic where the realities of basic governmental breakdown are becoming more visible everyday. At the same time, I live in Los Angeles. Running a government for this many people, who are all so different, is no easy feat either. Ehhh. I’ll think about this some other day….
The one, and perhaps the only, good thing to come from a Kanye candidacy is great quotes. Last night he left us with this one: “My instincts are limitless; my mind is limited and but an instrument.” Sometimes you hear the right things at the right time.
This is probably the longest time I’ve continuously worked on a creative project. It’s amazing that I decided to pick this one. The pandemic probably had something to do with it. As much as there is to chew on, this has been fun. It’s brought me back to the childlike energy I used to have when I started getting into movies for the first time. Four years juggling classes, internships, jobs, set, coverage, left me exhausted with film for awhile. This became a nice palette cleanser. In a way, I guess. It’s also something to do in the middle of a pandemic. Everyone is saying everyday is the same and life is just a blur. I’ve been able to keep myself busy. Even if it is for something silly like a musical project about alien robots.
I think, like a lot of other creative people, we have a tendency to overthink the things that we make. I’m the worst at that. It’s not a completely bad quality. Good research is at the heart of anything. But at some point, you have to stop reading and write. And at some point, more information isn’t going to help you make anything better.