the most important lyric in the history of the world

Some people baffle me.  Amongst them?  The song-lyric-non-consider..ers.  These are people who respond to music based purely on the ‘vibe’ of the song.  The overall sound.  The tone.  The mood.  The way the words and melody mesh.. but not the words themselves.  Me?  I’m a lyrics guy, pure and simple.  If the lyrics are intelligent, emotional, important in some way, to me?  I love the song.  Rarely is my appreciation of an artist, album, or individual track separate from my adoration of the wordsmithing inherent within.  I have many heroes in this regard; Read more

when you wish upon a star… (be specific)

Snottiness rarely pays.  Except when it does.  Big time.  A recent ever-so-snarky exchange with my charming girlfriend proved this point.  And then some.  Picture the scene;  an afternoon text conversation with mi amore.  Some missed expectations (her, of mine) resulted in me reverting to what can only be called “Cash Pissy Mode“; a minor variation on the much more insidious and reviled Read more

“if he’s not gay, he’s enlightened.”

Sometimes, I amaze even me.  With how ridiculous I am.  This amazes me nowhere more than in the realm of hard to believe comments I make.  To myself.  That crack my shit up.  To the extreme.  Such was certainly the case with the title of this post, and the thought process that inspired it.  After the words left my mouth, I was literally laughing out-loud for close to ten minutes.  Tis one of the best parts of my relationship with myself;  an ability to call out hilarious behavior.  In me.  To me.  And thoroughly enjoy the laughs to follow.

Here’s how it went down. Read more

cashcabulary - “nve”

To my ever increasing canon of Cash Speak, let me add an important acronym.  “NVE”.  This is one to remember.  When you’re having a shitty day.  Week.  Moment.  It’s something I’ve been using to instantly snap myself out of assorted funks, dour moods and malaise of almost any kind.

What’s it stand for?
Read more

true romance - “the code” : t9 for lovers

All conflict comes from missed expectations.

In relationships, this can take many forms.  One of the simplest to avoid is one of the easiest to forget.  When you reach a certain point in a love affair, you start to think you can read each other’s minds.  In many cases, you can.  This is a gorgeous artifact of spending a lot of time with someone you care about.  The danger here is that Read more

spreading the news around the world - san fran edition

TGOC sticker sighting;  Mission Bar, San Francisco

Thanks to the always awesome Erica for sending this my way.

If anyone else has pictures like this, please send them.

The post is part of a series - read part 1 here

life’s calling vs life’s crush

I want to dj.  Very badly.  I do dj.  Very badly.  This isn’t from a lack of effort.  When I first got my mixer and dj set-up, I went wild.  I burned off a few discs of music I wanted to spin; figured out the BPMs, and got to work.  I’d spend hours trying to get the beats lined up, only to find myself incredibly frustrated.  This frustration was a constant regardless of whether I mixed the songs perfectly or not.  The problem for me?  I love music.  I love the songs I was trying to fuse together.  In their entirety.  Listening to the first 30 seconds of one song, repeatedly a hundred times, whilst trying to get the bass drum of another song lined up just right was horrible.  It burned me out on some of my favorite songs.  It didn’t burn me out on dj’ing…entirely.

Here’s the thing.  When I was growing up, I always believed my future, my calling, was in music.  I was writing music in junior high, and started several bands in the years that followed.  Although critical reaction was fair (one college station in Berkley heralded on track as “The Best EBM Single” of the year)  I knew there was something limiting our potential.  The something was me.  Well, my singing voice.  Or lack thereof.  :)   Thousands of dollars worth of expensive equipment, and years of hard work essentially wasted later, I knew it was not to be.

Undaunted, I set my sights on the DJ booth.  Read more

mashup wtf: kanye west vs radiohead

“Mashup wtf”, where Cash digs deep to find the strangest freaking combo platters of music you can imagine.

There are very few Kanye West songs I know.  There are even fewer Kanye West songs I like.  “Love Lockdown” is a rare exception.  Intelligent, sullen yet defiant lyrics about a tainted relationship gone bad.  A funky, soulful vibe that finds a strange halfway point between electro and rnb.  A touch of vocoder.  Oh, it’s good to begin with.

Some great remixes of the track only sweeten the deal. (LMAFO’s take is ridiculous).

The craziest thing I’ve ever heard done with it?

DJ Earworm’s “Reckoner Lockdown”; a pitch perfect mash-up of Kanye and Radiohead’s “Reckoner”.

It’s just..  weird. (ly) good.

Props to Kanye for this Cash Approved line too:

“You broke my heart
into a million pieces
I can’t love you
But I can fuck you
until you call me Jesus…”

Such a humble lad, that one.

this post is part of a series - read part 1 here

guilt on the guillotine

The verdict… is in.  You’ve been found guilty.  Of a heinous, despicable crime.   The punishment?  Severe.  It’s prison, actually.  3 Days to Life.  The crime?  Feeling guilt.  The jail?  Emotional State Penitentiary.  Population; you and your hopelessly misguided feelings.

Sucks, I know.  Solution?  I have.

It’s a get out of jail free card.  For anyone smart enough to take it.   The best part?  It’s reusable.  Today, and everyday.  For the rest of your life.

Guilt sucks.  Big time.  I’ve talked about it before (see here).  It’s one of  the two most corrosive emotional acids ever.  The other is regret.  They’re capable of dissolving your happiness.  Your mood.  Your soul.  Both are horrible taints on the human experience.  Guilt is especially bad because it comes in two flavors;  Read more

cash power: elevate your eloquence

Want to supercharge your life?  Supercharge your speech.  Your verbal communication skills (or lack thereof) are one of the most profound aspects of how you’re perceived.  There’s power in perception.  Perception is reality.  Improving how you talk should be at the top of your to-do list.
First step?

Be.  More.  Eloquent.

It’s easier than you think. Read more

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