This week, I'm thinking about The Tonearm's mission, mainly because I'm rewriting the site's About page. I find it interesting that I used to own a record shop, and my co-publisher, Lawrence, had a bookstore (and roughly around the same time). We both treasure how our shops existed as a third place where like-minded folks could visit and talk about what they're into. Buying stuff kept the lights on, but community was the point. And when I think about what I'd like The Tonearm to be, the communities that revolve around these shops come to mind.
Some time ago, I wrote a review of the fantastic documentary Other Music, a film about the now-shuttered NYC record shop of the same name. I was struck by the employees' obvious knowledge (and Lawrence and I would like to think we had similar knowledge at our respective stores). The scenes of customers asking the person behind the counter for recommendations made me nostalgic for my record-slinging days. I enjoyed those moments in my store, and they (almost!) made all the hassles of running a retail operation worthwhile.
As I wrote the review, my brain stumbled upon a name for what was happening in those scenes: generous expertise. A simple definition: you're so excited by music or books or movies or whatever that you can't wait to share your expertise with others. Though thinking about stores like Other Music generated the phrase, this generosity mostly exists outside of retail. Generous expertise doesn't need capitalism. And, to that end, generous expertise spurns the algorithms. Computers can't be generous.
If you're reading this, chances are you are an obsessive expert about something fun (maybe succulent plants, model trains, Merzbow, or whatever), and you love sharing this accumulated 'fan knowledge' with anyone who will listen. God knows we do. The Tonearm is all about generous expertise and letting our readers (and podcast listeners) know about the cool stuff we dug out of the cavernous culture mines.
Generous expertise goes both ways. While manning the record shop counter, I often received as many recommendations from customers as I gave. That's how this works. My hope is that The Tonearm carries on this spirit—that we share and discuss our discoveries in the site's comments sections or even via responses to this newsletter. It's a tough ask for a website to feel like a cool neighborhood record shop or a book store, but with generous expertise as our guide, we're gonna give it a try.
The Week's Highlights
Colin Self thinks a lot about their art. It's deep and twisty, embarking on voyages into hidden languages and subversive puppetry. Their new album, respite ∞ levity for the nameless ghost in crisis (r∞L4nGc), delivers the empowering mix of camp and cerebrality that Colin is known for. Arina Korenyu spoke with Colin and found them thoughtful and enthusiastic, ready to go down rabbit holes and share their version of generous expertise. "Colin came across as genuinely spiritual but also very down-to-earth," Arina says. "They laughed a lot and talked about complex subjects in simple language, using pop culture examples that everyone can relate to."
Arina Korenyu
I kind of gave Giacomo Pedicini a hard time, putting off our interview for weeks, maybe months (ouch), as the responsibilities of launching an online magazine teetered into overwhelm. But Giacomo thankfully kept nudging, and this week, I'm happy to say our eventual conversation made it onto the site. Giacomo was particularly open when discussing his album Hard Boiled, telling stories of his art critic father, his evidently thought-through music philosophy, and the magic of being a part of the cultural miasma of Naples. Not to excuse my tardiness, but good things come to those who wait.
Michael Donaldson
On February 6, the Spotlight On podcast turned five. It was unclear how to mark that milestone but we wanted to do something; we arrived at sort of a collaboration with our listeners. LP has been publishing reflections on each year of the podcast's life, told through the lens of the ten most-listened-to episodes from each of those years. You listened, and we reflected. Join us in looking back, as the first two installments, covering 2020 and 2021, are available now, with entries on the next three years in the queue.
Lawrence Peryer
LP shared a piece about Grammy-nominated composer and New England Conservatory faculty member Mehmet Ali Sanlikol. Mehmet plays a key part in an event on February 27 at Jordan Hall in Boston: two musical traditions will meet when a Turkish mehter band joins the New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra. The concert marks the culmination of a full day examining the musical connections between Istanbul and American jazz—connections that have shaped popular music for over a century, hidden in plain sight. "Mehmet and I had a conversation as flowing and wide-ranging as his interests and accomplishments," LP shared. "If I were not just back from a trip to California, I would be on the next flight to Boston for Mehmet's event."
Lawrence Peryer
Intake Moderation
- For some reason, we've got activism and political change on our minds. What's the role of music, and how can it inspire in times like these? Here's a historical overview of the role of music in political change via Contested Histories.
- Did you catch the Houston Chronicle's six-part series on The Velvet Underground's Sterling Morrison and his post-band life in Texas? You didn't? — <needle scratch> — Here you go!
- I recently rewatched THX 1138 and was struck not only by elements that could be interpreted as prescience but also its mix of dystopian source material. George Lucas seems to be saying it's not a choice between 1984, Brave New World, or Metropolis—the real horror is a mix of all three! There's a great technical overview of the film in American Cinematographer. Don't miss the short documentary, Bald, at the bottom of that page.
- Wrongtom is one of my favorite Bluesky follows, and he's becoming one of my favorite writers on recent music history. Check out his pieces from the last week on the 'culture-changing' Sleng Teng riddim (The Quietus) and how Primal Scream’s "Loaded" became the late Andrew Weatherall’s first masterpiece (DJ Mag).
- Our decisions to leave Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram while refusing to have ads on our site and podcast probably make things a little harder for us, but taken together, they make this independent media project a much more satisfying endeavor. While those decisions suit our circumstances and may not be right for others, check out this piece by Cory Doctorow to learn more about the pernicious nature of online ads, especially targeted ones you encounter from Google, Meta, and others in Big Tech.
- Music I'm digging this week: The new album from Horsegirl (reminds me of all those indie 7"s I collected in the early '90s), Nicolas Jarr's stunningly ambitious Piedras 1 & 2, and the new single from Lucretia Dalt, which features a rare appearance from the great David Sylvian. Check out other sounds we're into on last Friday's installment of Needle Drops.
Upcoming Livestream Events
- LP is hosting the music industry series The Smartest People in the Room for the second time this Thursday, February 27, at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT. He will speak with his longtime friend and colleague John Raso, CEO of Audiam, the digital music royalty collection company. If you are on the business side of music or are simply interested in how it works behind the scenes, this talk is for you. The event is free, but you will need to register in advance. John was also a 2021 guest on the Spotlight On podcast.
- On Tuesday, March 11 at 3:30 PM ET / 12:30 PM PT, The Tonearm will host a live discussion with Howie Singer and Bill Rosenblatt, coauthors of the engaging and informative book Key Changes: The Ten Times Technology Transformed the Music Industry. This is another free event, but we ask that you register in advance. Your registration includes an opportunity to win a signed copy of the physical book.
Something We Love
Generous expertise, right? We often ask the artists we profile on The Tonearm to tell us about something they love. Here are a couple of answers:
Giacomo Pedicini (The Imagination Asks Questions — Inside Giacomo Pedicini's Hard Boiled): The most difficult question to answer, and I think I'm not the only one who thinks so! (laughter) A moment that I love very much and that I consider magical has, in any case, to do with music. And it is when, after a good concert, you are lying in bed ready to go to sleep, but in your ears, you still have the breath of the sounds and the words exchanged that get mixed up in your ears. And the adrenaline can't make you sleep because you are already thinking about the next concert, or the next rehearsal, or the next project. It is a very strong sense of vitality.
Nicola Miller (Nicola Miller Lets Nature Write the Music's Score): Well, I have a recording of myself and a piano player here that I need to listen to because I've got to choose some cuts from it. But if I could choose, at the moment it would either be some Henry Threadgill or maybe Carl Ludwig Hübsch, a tuba player based in Cologne, Germany, I think. I was lucky enough to hear him perform live a couple times in Berlin. He's a wild guy, incredible tuba player who does free improvisation and makes incredible compositions also. There are multiple composers on the album, but the project is called Alt Blau, or "Other Kinds of Blue." It's all tracks from Kind of Blue, but they're reimagined, often in ways you can't see how, but sometimes it's quite recognizable. It's incredible.
Thank You For Reading
Well, that was fun. We're going to try to have this little get-together every week. I'll bring the hors d'oeuvres.
Talk Of The Tonearm will surely twist and mutate over several installments as we figure out what we like and hear what you want. Don't be shy! Let us know what you'd like to see here.
We're also cooking up some nifty extras for subscribers and members, as well as additional ways to support what we do. Until then, the best way to support The Tonearm is to spread the word. Please forward this email to a friend who's also into this stuff or share our articles and features online. Every time you do this, we know because it feels like a hug.
Thank you again, and we'll see you next time. 🚀
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