You want some deep thought??

I Just came upstairs from calling Jason Rogers on the doorman's phone-- Craig and Keren's phone loses juice if not on the cradle constantly, and I drained it unawares-- now I am listening to Shlomo Arzi and blogging in my underwear. I don't know anything about Israeli music-- I usually avoid it, and assume it's too easily emotional and structurally dull. But the people love it. So I am trying.

Deep thought?

Occasionally Jason has, over the past 4 years or so, done part-time work for some VH-1 or MTV executive. Years ago he was paid like $15 an hour to alphabetize this guy's enormous CD collection. Now, during a lull in his work doing photo shoots, Jason is back at MTV, making even more money this time around, not SORTING CDs, but RIPPING them onto the exec's iTunes. And watching New Jack City while he works.

The exec let Jason know that he enjoys using his massive digitized music collection to "lure 18-year old girls to his apartment and seduce them."

What Would Jesus Do -- At Yeshivat Bat Ayin??

Deep thought?

The computer eats us up. We used to have to buy a CD at the record store call the airline send a letter write a check meet at a bar go to the grocery story remember people's phone numbers use a pen remember people's birthdays use the library have questions unanswered get newspaper ink on our hands sneak into dad's room to look at playboy buy a hallmark card use the fotomat not know everything care enough to send the very best lick the stamp lick the stamp lick the stamp

I had a reason for saying this-- ah yes.. Something about the experience of going to the record store to purchase a discrete unit of recorded and produced music. "Hey Bill, I just got the new album by Tom Waits," as opposed to, "Yeah, I think I downloaded a few of his songs on my iTunes."

Nothing is discrete anymore, just a big mush of files, reminders, emails, requests, jpegs, supplications--- I do all my davvening online. My tefillin are digitized. I fell in love with an IM avatar. Soon we will be married. Log on at 8:30 to join us.

Something is lost in this lack of individuation of tasks and objects. When was the last time you SAW the COVER ART on an album you love??? I use the same pinky on the RETURN key to pay my credit card bill, do my part to help tsunami victims, tell mom I love her, check the weather, find a date, steal music, and write this rant.

That pinky is getting a little megalomaniacal.

I bet that my pal Dave Raphael still buys his rock n' roll on record. So does Tommy T, I betcha. keeping it discrete.

And while we're at it, let's keep it discreet too. I spent 12 hours on the plane yesterday watching CSI espisodes. I never saw so many severed limbs, blood splatters and dead women's cleavages in my life. And they complain that South Park is grotesque. Or being gay. Christ almighty....