http://blip.fm/Literati (previously Edainsmom)
Blipper since: March 2009
"Music calms me. And sometimes if I’m stuck on a chapter, or developing a character’s persona, I think of what type of music that character would listen to..."
Literati: In the land where “dub-yas” roam…Texas.
Dulin: Why do you blip music on Blip.FM?
Literati: If you’re fortunate to be on at the time most of my favorite DJs are on, then you will hear wonderful new music, laugh at their witty one-liners, and thoroughly enjoy yourself by interacting with them all. I’m forever maxing out my playlist and it holds 1,000 songs. That reminds, me…I need to do some playlist cleaning.
Dulin: What song or artist do you never tire of hearing? What is special about that song or artist?
Literati: You know it’s funny, I can’t think of one single artist that hasn’t let me down at one time or another by going the “commercial” route or just making bad music. But like baseball, you can’t be an MVP all the time I suppose.
Dulin: Do you listen to music when you write poetry or other work? Does music inspire your creative impulses, inform rhythm in a line, or spark a phrase or idea?
Literati: Most DEFINITELY. Like most writers, I cannot write when I’m tense, worried or stressed. Music calms me. And sometimes if I’m stuck on a chapter, or developing a character’s persona, I think of what type of music that character would listen to in order to make it easier for me to write about who they are. Often times adding a song to a literary piece is equivalent to having the character spritz a certain fragrance. The choice of music, as well as fragrance, can give the reader insight into that character’s psyche or personality. And music is always a good mood-setter—in real life as well as literary life.
Dulin: How does music, whether playing/listening on Blip.FM or elsewhere, affect your behavior, reflect your mood, or express your personality from day to day?
Literati: Life can be very tough for all of us. I’m no exception. Music is my lapdog. It soothes me when I’m tense. It wags its tail in upbeat rhythm when I’m happy. It knowingly understands when I’m moody and touches me where it counts…in my spirit. And it's allergy-free.
Dulin: If you could blip one song that could reach everyone on the planet, what would you choose?
Literati: "One Day Like This" by Elbow. I think it may be the most beautiful song ever written.
Dulin: What song do you hate to hear at a wedding?
Literati: Paul Anka’s “You’re Having My Baby.” Repeat after me, there is such a thing as musical decorum.
Dulin: What three songs would you want played at your funeral?
Literati: "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys; "This One" by Paul McCartney (because of the lyrics…), and "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley.
Dulin: When you're feeling sad or depressed, do you have a "go to" song or artist to help cope?
Literati: As for the artist, it would be CAKE, their songs are so upbeat and dryly humorous. For the song, The Raconteurs' "You Don’t Understand Me." I love the piano in that song so much so that I ordered the sheet music so I could play it myself.
Dulin: Do you have any thoughts about the anonymity of a social medium like Blip.FM and how people connect and/or get to know each other in that online music community?
Literati: Oh my Pete…I could go on and on about this one. But for the sake of brevity and the fact that you’re not writing a novel here, I won’t. I will tell you that I have written scholastic papers on electronic communication. It is a passionate interest of mine. I have made several friends by interacting on Blip.FM; and that I have seen several heartbreaks due to miscommunication or just blatant dishonesty in all varieties of social media, not just Blip.FM. I believe (optimistically) that most people just want to be understood and appreciated which is why props are so special. Giving props are like giving hugs––one can never give or receive too many.
Dulin: What is the earliest age that you can remember listening to music? What artists/bands did you like in your youth?
Literati: I can’t remember a time when music wasn’t a part of my life. My Dad loved Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and Rachmaninoff, and my Mother loved Elvis, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, and the Beatles. So from an early age I was exposed to a variety of wonderful music that I learned to adore as well. As I matured, so did my musical tastes from the childhood love of the Monkees and Beach Boys to teen years of Journey, Queen, and Rod Stewart adoration (until his disco phase, what a turn off) to young adult love of The Police and Mozart. My tastes are forever evolving and my musical choices are becoming more like me – contradictory and intense. Music has always been my white noise.
Dulin: What song or lyric do you wish you would have written? Why?
Literati: Sheesh Pete…how can I choose just one? I adore lyrics that evoke memories or desires. I adore poetic lyrics that capture a feeling in a precise way. I adore music that I can feel inside my soul when I play it. Sometimes music can make me cry. Okay, here are a few examples of the type lyrics I wish I had written:
From Fall Out Boy—"Sugar, We’re Going Down:
We're going down, down
In an earlier round
And sugar, we're going down swinging
I'll be your number one with a bullet
A loaded God complex
Cock it and pull it
I love the innuendo, the bravado and the allusions…
On a more cerebral note, these lyrics from "Gronlandic Edit" by Of Montreal:
(The surrealists were just)
Nihilists with good imaginations…
I guess it would be nice to give my heart to a god
But which one, which one do I choose?
All the churches fill with losers, psycho or confused
I just want to hold the divine in mind
And forget all of the beauty's wasted
And to appease my romantic side, these lyrics from "One Day Like This" by Elbow:
Someone tell me how I feel
It's silly wrong but vivid right
Oh, kiss me like the final meal
Yeah, kiss me like we die tonight
Cause holy cow, I love your eyes
And only now I see the light
Yeah, lying with me half-awake
Oh, anyway, it's looking like a beautiful day
Dulin: Fill in the blank super group band name. (emotion) (verb that starts with T) (type of fabric)
Literati: Passion Trumps Satin. Was that like a musical Rorschach test?
Dulin: Who are some of the people on Blip.FM that you connect with the most?
Literati: Okay, this must be how the people who are accepting awards feel after their speech. I am certain I will forget someone, so please don’t hate me. Just like me…really, really like me <in her best Sally Fields voice> The extremely special @thesurlytmm, the sincere and knowledgeable @akadjwttw, one of my fave songwriters @rkmonkey, the generous @pumpkinsoup, the glorious @lilyetc, the gentlemanly @cribs66, @jennyleepenny, @by_starla, @mirrormirror, @radiofreeillinois, my SENSEI, @indieearcandyforeveryone, @alvaroxx, @Betterlucky, @brucifer, my friend @arcticarab, @Reverendsal, @greentrees, @mysterymix, @cubbymendoza, @faddic, and my very first friends (who aren’t around much anymore on Blip.FM) @scorpionkiss, @radiofreeboston, @timbrepitch, @tardisgrl, @jjdj, and the inimitable @philkirby. Each and every one of these fabulous people have the most awesome taste and have introduced me to either great songs, great conversation or great relationships. Some of them have done all three.
Dulin: If you were stuck in an elevator, then what sole artist or band would you prefer to listen to for a couple of hours?
Literati: Well, first I need to know if I’m in the elevator by myself. So for rated “G” reasons, let’s say I am. I think today it would be Of Montreal…noooo. Trespassers William…no, Guggenheim Grotto…no wait, Turin Brakes…..no, the Black Keys. Okay, last choice, it would have to be Field Music.
Dulin: What has been the most pleasant discovery, experience, or aspect of Blip.FM? The most frustrating?
Literati: The most pleasant would be developing relationships with like-minded musical souls with the additional perk of hearing new music. The most frustrating would be meeting people from all over the world and knowing they’re in tough situations, and not being able to run help them.
Dulin: Name 5 songs that would be essential on a road trip mix.
Literati: "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane; "Bohemian Like You" by The Dandy Warhols; "Suffragette City" by David Bowie; "Believe in Love" by The Wooden Birds; "She Can Do What She Wants" by Field Music; and "Sway" by The Kooks. Wait..that’s six, I never follow the rules do I?
Dulin: What musician, singer, or band would you most like to meet? Why?
Literati: Leonard Cohen. He’s sexy, intelligent, spiritual and downright enticing.
Dulin: Any other thoughts to share?
Literati: This was harder than I expected but such a pleasure and an honor. Thank you for taking the time to do all of this hard work and make the Blip.FM Community even tighter. It has been a pleasure reading and learning more about all the people you have interviewed.
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Pete Dulin is the co-publisher and editor of www.presentmagazine.com and writes freelance for magazines, websites, and newspapers. Always looking for the next great song, he can be found in the Blip Nation at http://blip.fm/slipperydistortion. He unleashes profound non sequiturs at Twitter.com/petedulin and publishes creative work at www.petedulin.com.
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