The Next Best Thing

I Wish I Had Remembered to Buy Stock in 3M

2010-03-05T16:42:00.000-05:00

before taping all the parts together for the March 18 gig at Barbès. Three Scotch tape dispensers later, I am still not done.

What baffles me is that e-readers have not been embraced with abandon by musicians. It's such a no-brainer. The ideal solution would be a foot pedal attachment that would allow you to move farther along in the score. Even just touching the screen would be so much better than turning pages made out of paper.

iPad developers: do not delay.

The Problem with Band Names

2010-02-19T11:42:00.000-05:00

is not that the good ones are all taken (as the Wall Street Journal would have you believe); it's that there are too few good ones to begin with. These may be two ways of saying more or less the same thing. But since I happen to be stuck in the middle of this task myself, it has brought home just how hard the job is.

The challenge here is to come up with a name that evokes a feeling without being too literal. The band in question, which makes its debut March 18, 8pm, at Barbès in Brooklyn, will play my arrangements of classic ragtime. The sound will not be historically authentic—in other words, not Victorian or four-square. Instead, imagine a collision between Scott Joplin and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Another inspiration is Brave Combo, which began life as a punk polka band.

To be avoided at all costs: puns, which are essentially acts of violence against language. This is why the word rag must not appear in any shape or form. I toyed briefly with Cakewalk, but there is music software with that name, and who needs a lawsuit?

Titles by Scott Joplin are an obvious start. Perhaps too obvious? We may end up being Dean Olsher and the Easy Winners. But then I also love Euphonic Sounds. I may be the only person who does. One friend has recommended another Joplin tune: The Strenuous Life. If you come up with something better I promise a suitable reward.

We're on the Calendar, So That Means It's Happening

2010-02-17T18:01:00.001-05:00

March 18, 8pm at the outstanding little club Barbès in Brookyn
376 9th St. (corner of 6th Ave.)
347-422-0248

Here's how the gig is described:

"Funked-up ragtime. This is the music Scott Joplin would have written, had he lived (to the age of 143). Dean Olsher, bass clarinet and accordion; Brian Drye, trombone; Kurt Hoffman, tenor sax and clarinet; Meg Reichardt, guitar and vocal, and Suzannah Scott-Moncrieff, viola."

It's the debut of a band that is still without a name. This is by far the hardest part. Possibilities: The Easy Winners; also, Euphonic Sounds.

Recommendations accepted with gratitude.

Marking the Occasion

2010-02-15T19:32:00.003-05:00

The Next Best Thing (i.e., this blog) made its debut February 15, 2005 with a post about the Gates, which were all the rage at that particular moment. It seems like a lifetime ago.

To commemorate this moment, the one we're living right now, I offer to you these lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth, who would have written them for the occasion, had he lived (to the age of 239).

***

FIVE years have passed; five summers, with the length
Of five long winters! and again I hear
These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs
With a sweet inland murmur.—Once again
Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,
Which on a wild secluded scene impress
Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect
The landscape with the quiet of the sky.
The day is come when I again repose
Here, under this dark sycamore, and view
These plots of cottage-ground, these orchard-tufts,
Which, at this season, with their unripe fruits,
Among the woods and copses lose themselves,
Nor, with their green and simple hue, disturb
The wild green landscape. Once again I see
These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines
Of sportive wood run wild; these pastoral farms
Green to the very door; and wreathes of smoke
Sent up, in silence, from among the trees,
With some uncertain notice, as might seem,
Of vagrant dwellers in the houseless woods,
Or of some hermit's cave, where by his fire
The hermit sits alone.

***

(Click here for the poem in its entirety.)

Where Have I Been?

2010-01-29T08:15:00.001-05:00

Thanks for asking.

I've been laying low while bringing various projects to fruition. And now some of them are ready, so here I am to tell you about them.

Let's go in chronological order.

Tonight at 9pm I'll break out the old upright bass to accompany singer Katie Dixon and the Broken Arrowz at Red Hook Bait & Tackle for a set of her original songs, which are surprising and satisfying in all the right ways. As she puts it, "It will be country and it will be fun." (Oh, and check out her poster, which she had made at Hatch Show Prints in Nashville. They've been in business since 1879 and have made the posters for the Grand Ole Opry since its earliest days.)

Next up is Heartbreak: A Competition. Maria Finn, author of the new book Tango Me Home has issued an open invitation to write about your tale of heartbreak in one to two hundred words. She's also accepting videotapes one to two minutes in length. The winning entry will be made into a tango song by Marian Berry. Why am I telling you all of this? Because I am one of the judges.
One more thing. There's been a project percolating for several years now and it is ready to be poured. I've been writing my own arrangements of classic ragtime, unpacking all of the musical styles that ragtime became in the 20th century: swing, bebop, rock, funk. This is the music Scott Joplin might have written, had he lived (to the age of 143). Still haven't decided 100% on a name for the band. Cakewalk seems promising; what do you think of that? What I can tell you is that our debut gig has been booked for March 18 at 8pm, at Barbès, which is the jewel in the crown of the Brooklyn music scene. Stay tuned for updates (and feel free to nominate ideas for a band name).

The Course of Empire

2010-01-02T20:21:00.001-05:00

In a blog post titled "Evolution of every medium" Seth Godin makes an observation that, based on my experience, feels right but—as with researchers who find evolutionary imperatives for various human behaviors, such as shopping—there is no way to actually test his assertion.

(While we're at it, I'm hoping someone can explain why that branch of "science" is taken seriously, since it is immune to the rigors of the scientific method.)

Read the Fine Print

2010-01-01T09:06:00.001-05:00

Anne Hill, identified as "Dream Talk Radio host" by the Huffington Post, instructs us to dream our way to success in 2010 by going for what makes us happy in dreams.

At first it seemed she was advising us to pay attention to our dreams and pursue them in our waking lives. As if we were Old Testament prophets carrying out instructions whispered into our ears while we sleep by YHWH Himself.

Reading further it became clear she intends for us to go for it while dreaming.

This is a relief, because I've tried it the first way, and the results were somewhat disastrous.

Click here for the details, as I shared them on the 2007 public radio series Stories from the Heart of the Land.

How Ideology Works

2009-12-29T10:11:00.001-05:00

This video, posted by digital pro (and crossword lover) Kim Komando, explains the phenomenon of "change blindness." I think it also goes a long way toward explaining why people cling to ideologies even when evidence suggests they should abandon them.

Quote of the Day

2009-12-20T08:04:00.000-05:00

“Those who unfeelingly push and jostle one another all the rest of the year smile on each other today, tell of the dangers they escaped, exchange addresses, and walk along with new friends. The squares are mountains of snow over which the icy lacework clinging like filigree to the branches of the trees glitters in the morning sun.”

—José Martí, “New York Under the Snow” (1888)

Get It by Dec. 24 - 1 day left to order with Standard Shipping

2009-12-19T18:43:00.001-05:00

So says amazon.com. You know what this means?

That's right, it's Liminal Suggestion #3!

If your last-minute scramble to buy Christmas presents has been thwarted by the snow, then online shopping is the way to go.

This picture was taken in June when I (once again desperately in need of a comb) read at RJ Julia Independent Booksellers in Madison, CT, from my new book FROM SQUARE ONE: A MEDITATION, WITH DIGRESSIONS, FROM CROSSWORDS.

You can order from Amazon by clicking here.

And if you click on the link you'll see this review from gerryb of Cambridge, MA (another stranger, I promise): "I loved the amazing information so fluidly presented- a fascinating history of crosswords and the gossip, recollections and stories of puzzlers both famous and unknown. I loved finding out that Meg Wolitzer, author of one of my favorite novels ('The Wife') is a serious crossword person."

One last thing: remember how valuable it is if you recommend this book to others who are also having a hard time thinking of the perfect gift.

Thank you,
Dean

Liminal Suggestion #2

2009-12-12T10:46:00.001-05:00

Christmas is less than two weeks away.

Oh, and Hanukkah is here already!

A Huge Loss

2009-12-11T19:43:00.001-05:00

This is the time of year when the andante from Haydn's trumpet concerto starts playing in my head. Haydn did not write the piece for Christmas, but this association was forged for me during the years I spent as a weekend announcer at WSBS in Great Barrington, Mass. Year after year, as the holidays approached, the station ran an ad for a holiday special at the historic 1780 Egremont Inn - which was destroyed in a fire overnight.

Time and Space Defied Once Again

2009-12-04T22:24:00.002-05:00

We humans get accustomed to new realities so quickly, it can be frightening sometimes.

I was thinking about this during the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. Here was this thing that had defined our lives for decades after World War Two. I spent my junior year in France convinced I'd be incinerated by a nuclear bomb. And then, suddenly, the defining reality was gone literally overnight.

And within a couple of days we already became accustomed to our new life we were living utterly devoid of fear.

Every once in a while I am reminded of what a sea change has taken place in the very, very recent past. Here is the interview I did on Thursday, December 3, with Ellen Rocco and Chris Robinson, for the program Readers & Writers on North Country Public Radio. An interview that was conducted live on local radio - in other words, at a specific time in a specific place.

And now, barring disaster, anyone can listen to it at any time, wherever they want on the planet.

Liminal Suggestion: 21 Shopping Days Left

2009-12-04T06:55:00.002-05:00

I'll Be on the Radio - Where the Winds Hit Heavy on the Borderline

2009-12-02T20:30:00.016-05:00

I'm looking forward to being back on the air again at North Country Public Radio. The Next Big Thing enjoyed a happy home on this sweet little (big, actually!) network of stations in upstate New York. I'll be interviewed about FROM SQUARE ONE on the book show Readers & Writers Thursday, December 3, from 7 to 8pm. NCPR's live stream can be heard from anywhere on Earth by clicking here.

Of course now I can't get this out of my head:

Gratitude

2009-12-01T23:10:00.003-05:00

I'm the first to admit I'm a contrarian when it comes to the calendar. I think composers' birthdays are the lamest classical music programming idea ever. I celebrate poetry from May until March.

So now that all of the expressions of thankfulness have vanished from Facebook, I want to take this opportunity to let you know that I am grateful for Joseph Reed, of Caketrain [a journal and press] in Pittsburgh. He also overhauled this Website and blog last June. He did a beautiful job, and went several extra miles, and for all of those things I am very, very thankful.

(I've never even met him in person but I hope to one day.)

Cyber WEEK?

2009-11-30T17:40:00.004-05:00

Yes, according to an email from PayPal.

Who knew?

CyberMonday Is Upon Us

2009-11-29T20:52:00.002-05:00

If you are starting to shop for holiday gifts, I hope you’ll keep in mind my new book, FROM SQUARE ONE: A MEDITATION, WITH DIGRESSIONS, ON CROSSWORDS.

It’s an obvious gift for crossword lovers, but it was written to interest a general audience.

If you plan to buy it or have done so already, thank you. Even better would be if you recommended it to others who might be shopping for gifts.

Barbra Tarkenton of Simsbury, Connecticut (a stranger, I promise) gave it five out of five stars and wrote the following review on Amazon:

"I loved this book. What's wonderful about it is the way it seamlessly blends autobiographical details with a solid, well-reported appreciation of crossword puzzles. Yes, you learn about how avid British crossword puzzlers were recruited to help solve the Enigma code during WWII, and yes, you learn what the editors of crossword puzzles think makes a good puzzle ('fresh fill'), but what really lasts in the reader's mind are the scenes between the author and his father. (And also the story of a couple wherein the husband wakes up early to do the puzzle, and then erases all his answers so his wife can do it.) This book is literary in the best sense of the word."

To buy the book from Amazon, you can click here.

Barnes & Noble has a special CyberMonday deal going. To buy from B&N, you can click here.

And don’t forget Powell’s, the wonderful independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, which sells online here.

Thank you. And remember: it would mean so much if you suggested the book to your friends who are buying gifts, too.

Happy CyberMonday,
Dean

A Musical Walking Tour of Astoria, Queens

2009-11-21T16:31:00.008-05:00

with local historian Ian Schoenherr.

Lifestyle Orchestras

Maple Leaf, Flag

Go the Steinway factory and keep walking.

How Soon Can I Get a Reservation?

2009-11-01T08:24:00.005-05:00

When was the last time the Times offered so much stuff worth reading?

Can't wait to dig into the presidential marriage. We learn on the first screen (out of ten! - may have to print this one) that their famous New York date night turned out to be a bummer for them. While they were having dinner, I was walking up Fifth Avenue a few blocks away and caught myself tearing up. Why? As much as anything else, they're teaching America how to behave publicly in a loving marriage. Who else has ever done that?

And while the Times often stumbles in its frantic race to slap poorly considered multimedia reporting onto its Web site, the paper's blogs kick ass. (Oh, please, can't we come up with a more euphonious word than blog?)

Well is being modest. Exemplary is more like it. And Maira Kalman is given ample space to do nothing less than reinvent reportage.

And now, in the blog You're the Boss: The Art of Running a Small Business, Bruce Buschel lists the One Hundred Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part 1). WOW. Number seventeen has long been a pet peeve. I cannot wait to eat in this man's restaurant.

Pandora: Still Unleashing All the Evils of the World

2009-10-18T10:28:00.007-04:00

Rob Walker teases out much of what's wrong with Pandora in the New York Times Magazine < http://bit.ly/hdUhV > (including, as I discovered a few months ago, the astonishing absence of Fela Kuti).

What struck me from the beginning, when Pandora made its debut in 2005, was that they picked the wrong metaphor. Music Genome Project makes a promise on which it can't deliver. At least not yet.

The genome is what shows us how much humans are more or less the same as Fleischmann's yeast, even though you'd never know it by looking at us.

By extension, cracking the music genome would explain why some people are drawn both to Beethoven and to Norah Jones. It would reveal the ways in which apparently different musical phenotypes disguise surprising similarities under the surface.

If you tell Pandora you like Bill Evans, you don't find yourself eventually listening to Javanese gamelan. Instead, you are treated to yet more white jazz guys from the 1950s and 60s: Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan. Here, the surface similarities disguise a fundamental difference in approach. The Brubeck and Mulligan tracks served up by Pandora are usually active and uptempo - and they punch a hole in the quiet introspection I seek in Bill Evans.

The new media landscape offers much to love, but Pandora represents a step backward. Those of us who grew up listening to FM radio looked to the DJs to expose us to things we never knew existed. The Internet makes it too easy to block out things you think you don't like. There: I discovered a genomic link between Pandora and Fox News.

I keep looking online for a new generation of curators willing to shape the public's taste because they have confidence in their own. Where are those people?

Friendly Reminder

2009-10-10T11:25:00.003-04:00

My appearance today at Wordstock has been moved to the Wieden + Kennedy stage. Showtime is still 1pm PT.

A Culinary Tour of Portland

2009-10-09T23:01:00.007-04:00

Let's begin with breakfast.

This is what Fuller's looked like way back when:

For lunch, you'd think that grabbing a burrito at one of these stands would be the quick option,

but in fact you wait because everyone knows how excellent the food is. (The line was long at this place and non-existent next door at Mr. Taco Mexican Food. I felt a little bad for Mr. Taco.) For a snack in the middle of the night, I confess I did patronize

and posting this tempts me to head back there when I'm done. As for what to drink,

it does seem very un-Portland to have all these water fountains constantly running.

If I Were a Betting Man

2009-10-09T06:40:00.005-04:00

I'd put my money on this: it's just a matter of minutes before Fox News starts a feedback loop about how today's Nobel announcement brings shame to America. (I wonder if there are people running virtual office pools using PayPal.)

Maybe There Are Too Many Books in the World

2009-10-08T23:49:00.009-04:00

Exhibit A:

The idea of a bookstore that takes up a whole city block is superlative. The reality of it is so overwhelming that the world overwhelming just doesn't cut it.

But, if you know the needle is in the haystack ...

... you make the effort, and search.

But really. If Dan Brown can't turn things around, who can?