Are You Ready to Rock Out?
…Or in the case of what has already been scheduled, bliss out or laugh out… No, really are you? Because y’all are awfully quiet about this idea. I feel like I ran into the room and screamed, “let’s get ready to rumble” and everyone sort of turned to listen, so I know they heard, but just stared right at me. Mouths straight. Limbs unmoving. Not really ready to rumble at all. Though also not not-ready-to-rumble. Sort of in rumble limbo.
So are you ready to rumble? Or are you sort of like, “whoa, I’m not really ready to listen to music or see short films or encounter a comedy routine. In fact, I don’t like performances at all.”
Or are you somewhere in the middle like me — I like to be exposed to new music, film, art, and such, and either I walk away wanting more or I feel like it was two minutes decently spent even if it didn’t resonate with me. And I always like the idea of interacting with artists — even if it’s just to give them my opinion. In other words, are you interested or dreading Concert on the Blog?
Do you sometimes wish that I had fewer bloggy ideas? Trying to make sense of the quiet.
And to go about this backwards — what do you like to listen to? What type of music or specific bands? This will help me in doing outreach to bands and scheduling as well as perhaps introduce me to new paths.
Can you tell that I’m excited about this? And the artists are excited. So are you? And what do you hope to hear?
17 comments
I think it’s a great idea. I was blogging about how now that I’m older, I’m not exposed to great, new music much anymore (other than from my brother, who’s a lot younger and used to arrange concerts for people like Matt and Kim). I like the whole Brooklyn scene (MGMT, LCD Soundsystem, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Deerhunter, who are from Atlanta but they’re kinda within that scene) which doesn’t get any play on our local radio
stations. But am open to other music too 🙂
I always love to hear new music. Even if I decide I don’t like it at least I gave it a try so I’m all about the music. I have poor taste in art, but I’ll still look at it.
I think it is a great idea, really. But it is also not for me (my speakers are not even plugged and I don’t really have the time).
But I love your bloggy ideas. So refreshing! So please don’t stop coming up with them!
It’s a fantastic idea. It’s cool, it’s interactive, it’s a journey of discovery, I shall be watching when I can and am looking forward to seeing the artists.
But, I don’t know, I was wondering if people were being a bit quiet about it because, cool as it is, it’s not about us. By ‘us’ I mean the original core of this blogging community, the infertile, and the reason why you started blogging. I know a lot of the ‘original’ community, the ones who started reading Stirrup Queens at the very beginning, now have their family, and though of course they will always be battle-scarred veterans who remember what it was like, are not actively in the trenches any more. It’s good to move on, be more inclusive, and it’s been interesting AND heartwarming to watch this blog grow and change and look up and out to other things.
But some of us are still in the trenches. I mean, I like the Concert On The Blog idea, I think it’s very interesting, but I do also feel… left out. I’m not in a place to disengage from the infertility struggle, but I am in a dark sad place with it, and most of the people I know in blog-land who have been ‘trying’ for as long as I have (5 and a half years), have succeeded in having their family. A lot are now struggling with secondary infertility, yes, but because of their existing kid(s) their life focus has shifted, onwards, upwards, outwards. There are new blogs starting up and new ‘infertiles’ joining, but it does, at least for me, take a long time for rapport and comradeship to build up. I feel the infertility community as a whole, and as exemplified on your blog, has moved on, leaving me behind.
I’d like to re-emphasize that I am now and always have been profoundly grateful that you started blogging and your best bloggy idea was becoming a ‘hub’ for the infertility bloggers community. And I do think the Concert on the Blog is excellent and rocks hard and I will be watching and I hope commenting and encouraging. But maybe others are silent because they, too, feel this is not about them any more, and their ‘hub’ is evolving away from them, while they (and I) are still stuck in the deep, hard, ugly trenches of infertility and treatments and losses and general total suck, where everyone is horribly, bitterly alone and desperate for a reach-out and empathy.
I have wondered long and hard about posting this, as it sounds whiny and ungrateful even to me and I can only keep saying I AM grateful, I AM, for the blog and the blogroll and Lost and Found and all your kind, thoughtful, wise and passionate blogging and bearing witness for our cause.
I guess I was quiet about it too for many of the same reasons May cited (it’s not about “us”), although I’m not in the IF trenches anymore, but still feel deeply marked by the experience. To be honest I didn’t even finish reading the post that introduced the idea, because it seemed like too much work… while I would definitely read or watch something that you posted by another artist, in part out of love and respect for you – which is why I’m trying to answer your “why the quiet” question – and because you’ve given us so much.
It is definitely a cool idea, and I definitely admire your ability to generate cool ideas! You are a cool idea person if I ever met one! (Oh wait – we’ve never met…!) 😉 At the same time, this is an incredibly diverse community drawn together by one thing: infertility and loss. Those are the unfortunate circumstances that bring us here. We’ll stay and listen to music, I think, and look at art, but I don’t think it’s going to energize us as much as ALI-themed stuff.
xo
Great idea. Just hadn’t seen it yet. I would love it though I may be too busy to do it. I feel like your blog has always been diverse and that’s why I’ve always liked it. Sometimes I needed someone to focus my attention away from my own crap. But that’s how I blog too.
I’m torn on the idea. I think it’s a great idea, but much like May it just doesn’t feel right for where I’m at in life now. Add in the fact that often I’m checing blogs on Google reader early in the morning or at my lunch at work, I won’t be able to listen to music too often. However, it is a good idea.
I agree with May and Elizabeth. I think in itself it’s a great idea, but to me it somehow shouldn’t have its home on this blog – also you encourage us to maybe forward this to artist friends, so they can be featured, but for many of us, our IF blog is anonymous – if we would tell our IRL friends about the COTB idea, they might wonder what we do following a blog called ‘stirrup queens’, which focuses on ALI…
Maybe it’ll be worth it creating a separate blog for it (you can still promote it on this blog, to get your readers interest going)…? Just my two cents.
I AM READY TO RUMBLE!
I have a crappy internet connection at home (and don’t do “fun” internet stuff at work, because I’d rather finish my work and get home) and can’t stream anything longer than about 30 seconds, so I am not logistically ready to rumble at all. I love the idea, though, and would probably be all over it if it would work for me.
I actually have an acquaintance from high school who is a musician and would be perfect to recommend (he plays gigs in the MD/DC/VA area).
BUT
I don’t really feel like coming out about this part of my life to someone with whom current mutual contact is limited to reading Facebook updates. Not all of us are as open as you are.
~~~
Speaking of your ideas: When’s the next Lushary?
I won’t be listening to any of the music for the same reason I don’t watch videos or even hear the ring tones. They’re probably really awesome, I just prefer to read my blogs.
I’ve been quite about this because I love Al Yankovic and David Bowie. I don’t know that you’d be getting them. but I’m happy and excited to be exposed to things I wouldn’t normally hear! I’d like to hear some of your guitar playing!
Grrh!! I hate seeing typos after I click ‘Submit’! Yes, I DO know the difference between ‘quite’ and ‘quiet’; it was a typo.
Also on the “us” theme, I found myself wondering whether the acts would be mostly members of the ALI community who happened to also do artsy things (like another past idea of yours, Shop Mom and Pop), or whether, given your inclusiveness, many non-ALI artists who just want to promote themselves would make their way here. I am more into the former, even though I’m sure the latter would bring some interesting things to see and hear.
Sort of in the same way, the inclusiveness of ICLW has been off-putting for me at times, when people who have no connection whatsoever to the ALI community but just want to increase their blog readership have put themselves on the ICLW list and stopped by our blogs (or, worse, not stopped by any blogs at all).
Your inclusiveness is something that I love about you as a person, but as an insular person I may or may not embrace the results. Just like if I were going to a party at your house, I would respect you for being kind enough to invite your really weird neighbor but I wouldn’t want to spend an hour of the party stuck talking to him. My husband is also a very inclusive person, and it’s meant that people I didn’t want to see have ended up sleeping in my guest room or eating at my table. Something I admire about him and you in theory, but don’t always enjoy in practice. I hope that makes sense.
That said, I’ll read (and listen to) anything you put up.
Maybe people are still wondering exactly what they’re going to get! Or maybe it’s that people come here for the infertility, and this is a bit more of a tangent (or is it? it’s hard to tell what you’ve chosen). Or maybe you missed the rumble-readiness in everyone’s response. Or… I don’t know.
I am keen. I have wide tastes in art. Well, I have wide tastes when it comes to format and style, but I suppose I do like to be presented with challenging ideas.
Bea
I think it’s a great idea, I just fall into the “not sure how much I’ll be able to listen” category as most of my blog reading is done from my phone these days….
As far as artists go? Nothing specific from me…