Other Madder Than You
matthew z b'day(rollergirl version)

sometime in 2000...

Here's the story. I used to manage a comic shop. While all our customers were colorful characters, there were some that really were noteable. I made wonderful friends in my 8 years in "the entertainment business"!
One of these friends is a fella that likes to talk. I mean- he TALKs! On numerous occassions, I had threatened Matthew that "one day, I'll have my microcassette rolling and you'll be source material for a "composition"! Everyone who was a customer at the shop eventually heard this threat (as I would use it when I would find my tolerance for his incessant babble waning...) While they all knew I was a musician/computer geek guy, no one really thought I'd follow through. I did.
It gets weirder.
I've used a microcassette recorder to grab ideas (musical mostly)...kind of like a sketch pad, for years- but I was always inconsistent about having it with me. It was a long time before "the events aligned": I had the recorder with me, Matthew was in the store, and I REMEMBERED TO TURN IT ON!!!
Finally, it happened. One winter afternoon- I thought I hit the jackpot. Matthew came into the store, I remembered the recorder and I remembered to turn it on. Then trouble started.
Matthew usually could be counted on to be a conversational kaleidescope. This IS one of the things that makes him such an interesting fellow. However... there is one person (another friend and customer who I'll refer to as "Papa Dete" from herein...) that can "focus" Matthew down to one subject: FOOTBALL.
And so it began. Matthew and Papa Dete went on their usual tirade: "Atlanta Falcons=great team, just bad luck VS Atlanta Falcons have sucked for years, there is no hope for change in the future"
I recorded 2 hours of this blather on my microcassette. They were so wrapped up in their debates that they didn't even notice when I flipped the tape!

So...my work was cut out for me: I had to tweeeeze the interesting bits from 2 hours of football drivel. I know this is Supperbowl weekend for all of us yanks but I want to make it clear to the rest of the civilized world that NOT ALL Americans are rabid over football. I personally watch the highlights on the news if I happen to be in the room...

Once I had the ...interesting bits from the tape chopped and cleaned up a bit (using SoundForge) I constructed this Frankenstein monster of a tune in Acid 3 on a PII350 PC. It took me a couple of weeks to assemble and another couple of tweaking, but this was gonna be a birthday present for Matthew, so I wanted to get it right.
While he was shocked when I handed him the CD, we played it in his new truck stereo (BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...you know the kind...) and he was thrilled.

ya never know when someone may make a "tune" out of YOUR rantings...so watch watcha say ;)

hope you enjoyed the "behind the music" and thanks for listening!

bb