Friday Thoughts

March 27, 2026

I mentioned the other day that I was organizing the studio. A large part of that was organizing my music cd’s. In the last year or so, I have been rebuilding my collection of music. There’s a few reasons for doing that. Let’s start with the good ones.

It has forced me to be more deliberate and thoughtful about my music curation. For me, the streaming services are just…meh. It takes away my agency as a listener. Picking and choosing the music IS a bit more work, but it connects you more to what you’re hearing. It reminds you of why these artists are your favorites, not just for the hits but for the lesser known songs that may have struck more deeply with you than the mass audience. And you get to feel like you’re doing THIS…

The Paintmonkey spinning all the hits!

Another reason I am happy to be doing this…the music is MINE. We have been doing this more and more in our house with all of our physical media. Gathering more movies on dvd/Blu-Ray because our tastes don’t always align with the Streaming Lords whimsy. Books? Well, I’ve ALWAYS been a book hoarder. I love them so much.

Unfortunately, the Dying World of Capitalism insists upon new fun/horrible ways to wring forth the cabbage. A friend sent me THIS disturbing image the other day…

This is how you get people to become the Joker.

I have no idea how widespread this is. I imagine it’s only a matter of time. I HOPE the author gets a slice of the pie. Will I think less of them if they okayed this nonsense? Not as much as I will if they admit to being “helped” by ai. But there WILL be scorn. And this trend could very well extend into movies or music. Listen to a song by your favorite grunge band of the 90’s and suddenly instead of “Smelling like Teen Spirit” you’re getting a guitar heavy ad screaming about the new perfume from Bezos’s wife.

The world is getting more and more invasive. Ai being shoehorned into everything from phone apps to toasters. Flock and Ring cameras “keeping us safe” while figuring out our travel patterns in an eerie similarity to a Philip K. Dick story. The Wall Street/Big Tech chimera is constantly stealing our info to forcibly extract more wealth while giving more and more nothing in return. (People are buying cars only to have to “subscribe” for features like heated seats. I’m sure a/c is next.)

Owning the physical copies of the media and art we wish to consume seems like a very small thing to control. I am very aware that this is a “me getting older thing”, as well. But it’s nice knowing if I want to watch one of my favorite movies, I don’t have to look through 10 apps just to find out it’s not showing on any of them. Or listen to an album in it’s entirety.

I think that is the biggest gift of consuming your entertainment this way. It forces you to slow down in a world that even by normal standards of the past…is getting faster and faster and trying desperately to leave us all behind. Watch a movie that makes you laugh. Listen to music that moves you.

Magic that makes life worth it.

Be good to each other this weekend. If you’re going to a No Kings protest…you’re the best! Be safe. Watch out for your people. Love to you all.

-The Paintmonkey