DEBRIS.COMgood for a laugh, or possibly an aneurysm

I’ve made my peace with my flat-screen monitor. I have, in fact, found a solution.

On the one hand, I’ve got a low-radiation, small-footprint, high-resolution display device. On the other hand I’ve got the fact that my eyes can’t resolve text on the screen very well.

The 30-day return policy on the monitor has not yet expired.

And so I’ve decided: I’m going to have eye surgery.

I saw another Hugh Grant movie today, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. Is it just me, or does he usually play wieners ?

I received a newsletter and catalog from the proprietors of Dashe Cellars. Their 1997 Zinfandel was a memorable bottle of wine. It’s not offered as a part of their online catalog, but does appear in their newsletter, within a 3- or 6-bottle sampler — also including the ‘96 RRV Zin (recently selected, according to Michael Dashe, by Chez Panisse for an upcoming Zinfandel event) and the ‘98 Todd Brothers Ranch Zin. All in all this is a very tempting package. Zin drinkers beware — this is a limited-availability item. The only reason I’m telling you about it at all is that I’ve already ordered one for myself!

While transcribing I Have the Conch I realized that it owes its heritage to Phil Collins’ spectacular and awe-inspiring Apocalypse in 9/8 groove, which I will transcribe for posterity here.

     1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+
9 HH xxxxxOxOxxxxxxOxOx
- SD   o o   o  o o o o
8 KD oo o ooo oo o ooo 

Patronize these links, man:

• Virtual Drummer loop
• MIDI
• MP3
• Genesis: Foxtrot (Amazon)

I developed this a few months ago, scribbled it on a 3x5 card, learned to play it and promptly forgot all about it. I happened upon the card yesterday, learned to play the groove again, and it kept me up half the night, cycling through my brain.

Mathematically, this is a beautiful thing: a one-bar kick and snare rhythm played twice, but the second bar is permutated backwards one-sixteenth note in time. The ride pattern is an ostinato, a1e, with an accent on the downbeat.

The groove has a smooth, syncopated feel to it, because the kicks and snares in the second bar all fall on the upbeats — but the rhythm itself is a duplicate of what’s happening on the down- and offbeats in alternating measures. Heh.

    1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a   1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a
RC  Oo oOo oOo oOo o | Oo oOo oOo oOo o |
SD    o O       O o  |  o O       O o   |
KD  O     O O O    O |      O O O    O  |

Patronize these links, man:

• Virtual Drummer loop
• MIDI
• MP3