2003-09-15

I have been spending a lot of time obsessed with mp3 downloading. I have a strange affection for it, setting my computer to download at all times, especially overnight, when I am sleeping. I get up in the morning and eagerly check out which mp3s I got and which ones did not work.I swear to myself when downloads are like, 90% complete but not quite finished.

I love the thrill of the chase, hunting down each track, looking for obscurities and live tracks, strange collaborations (PJ Harvey and Bjork doing the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" is a fave) and demos (Sugarcubes doing Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane") or just plain cheese (uuhh, Cheap Trick's "If You Want My Love You Got It" sits next to Justin Timberlakes "rock Your Body"). I love thinking of new music to look up, the wierder the better (currently hugely curious about Capitol K). Some current favourites are Revenge of the Nerds out takes, Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her, Outkast, NERD (oh, Pharrel...), Queen Latifah (all hail!), Ween hooking up with the Boredoms and Atom and his Package. Not that many of those are that wierd...oh! and just now, I am obsessively getting Hall and Oates hits, after constantly hearing a Simply Red track on the local radio station that samples "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do). I hate the Simply Red track, and indeed Simply Red but love the song it samples. I had to get it after I woke up this morning to hear it on the radio again. "Curse Simply Red!" I thought, but then continued "oh, but Hall and Oates...no can do, for sure!!"

I love seeking Tiger Trap and Treepeople tracks. And pretending I am still 21 and drinking beer in the day time.

The Mars Volta make me just go. I can rarely go past a concept album, let along a prog-rock one. The Weakerthans are so sweet. Nice bunch of boys.

The thing is, I don't often listen to the captured mp3s. No, its just knowing I HAVE them, or that I have completed some fucked up collection. And that I can make ultimate mixed tapes with my computer-to-tape-deck lead. But I don't do that often.

I am an mp3 nerd. Collecting tracks and earnestly trying to complete unfinished downloads, like it is urgent, unfinished business. Or like an obsessive-compulsive clean freak, I simply MUST HAVE THE DOWNLOAD COMPLETED. I can rarely do the trip past the computer room door without popping in to see how the downloads are going.

I like making mixed CDs (like the mixed tapes of the past) for my friends, who invariably love that I found obscure tracks by their favourite artists. Other friends, swear down the phoneline in to the answering machine "Get off the fucking internet!"

But I still buy music too. Magic Dirts' TOUGH LOVE CD is on high rotation. I do, however, prefer the more rock tracks. The pop Dirt are OK, but the rock Dirt are where its at. Will I get the moxy to go see them on the Central Coast on Thursday night...