There is a bookshop in Rathgar I pass occasionally. It has the opening hours marked on the door. Usually when I pass, it is a Sunday and the shop is closed. No Bernard Black hiding behind the curtain sneering at potential customers, just a simple, cute message printed on Sunday’s timetable – ‘Reading Time!’.
Similarly, Sunday is frequently ‘Listening Time’ in my house. I gather up all the demos, albums, digital files, vinyl (if I’m lucky) and spend a large part of the afternoon catching up with what I did not have time to listen to during the week. Yesterday afternoon, I picked out a slew of tunes for this April’s podcast to be recorded this week when there is time. I still have an inbox stuffed with about 120 emails I haven’t read yet.
My mate asked me once – “Do you ever get sick of listening to music?”, which I thought was interesting coming from him, being a bass player in a moderately well-known band. It knocked me back a bit though, when I quickly realised that the answer was no, I never get sick of listening to music. Ever. Unless I’m incapacitated by some crippling cryogenic mishap which hasn’t happened just yet, I’ll probably take the chance to play a few tunes on a stereo. I no longer listen to music before I go to bed but I never reach a saturation point.
I’m fascinated when I meet people who know this blog and express gratitude for turning them onto some tunes. Two and a half years this blog has been running – 730 posts and 4378 comments. On average, 3000 unique visitors a day visit the site. I often think of how people take these songs away with them, how the songs affect them, where they may listen to these songs – whether it be an iPod, a car or a house party (It’s happened – I’ve been told). Are people as obsessed about music as myself?
Comparatively, I go to a LOT of gigs these days. I recurrently meet the same group of like-minded individuals people at gigs. We know each other in the venues but not those circles. The conversation immediately turns to what gigs you’ve been to, what you’re planning to see etc. There’s a very relaxed and specific understanding amongst us. I’ll probably never go to their houses for a meal or anything, but when we meet, it’s a shared passion for music which we are indulging in and it’s a nice thing when it happens.
This week, I am reaching saturation point with my gig-going exploits. There’s simply too much on and I fear for my health (and my wallet) if I went to all of them. I missed Giveamanakick and Adebisi Shank on Saturday. I’m bowing out of Jape and Robotnik in Crawdaddy tonight. Likewise with Crystal Castles on Tuesday. It seems the saturation point has not come from within me as I expected. There is simply too many albums I want to listen to, too many gigs to go to. It’s all external. There’s the small matter of work as well, which in fairness is informed by all of the above. I am overwhelmed by choice. I wish there was more hours in the day. I wish there was more ‘Listening Time’.
MP3
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
My wallet died a couple of weeks ago and with it so did the music!
super post niall
great post mate.
never get tired of music (new or old) and just as obsessed I reckon.
my daily commute is always filled with music from my ‘recently added’ playlist on my ipod so I get to listen to everythng i gathered from the previous day(s).
Cheers,
C
I know what you mean in terms of saturation point – I get so many new albums that with work I just don’t get the time to give them all the attention they deserve. I’d start to talk to someone about an album I have, and may have listened to but still don’t know well enough to engage in the conversation in the way I used to.
Moral of the story? Stay in school kids.
sunday is also my music day; tagging mp3s, making playlists, reading album artwork and finally having to time to watch all those youtube clips bookmarked during the week
cubikmusik, i also do that as i commute 2 hours a day which should be a good time to catch up on new music, except im normally to exhausted to give it my 100% attention
good stuff niall
Cubik,
iPod SchmiPod – what you need is a good solid cassette walkman and an old plastic bag from dunnes in which to store tapes
admittedly i try to get music everyday, but i’m alot more select about both my sources now and how much time i can give to an album before i give up
Leigh,
Funny you should mention that…
I was recently packing up for a move and came across a bucketload of tapes that I refuse to throw away. Now I contemplate getting them played to try and identify the songs on them as most are missing the playlists. Have you got a walkman I can borrow? 🙂
I know the feeling about reaching saturation point! May is scary with the amount of gigs, I’m afraid I’ll end up prioritizing a few, which is a shame 🙁 Years of moaning about the lack of decent bands playing here and now this happens!!!
‘I wish there was more hours in the day.’ Aint there an RTE program that examines your condition? Know what you though – just recently after a particularly long blogging session I was heard by my wife loudly screaming ‘christ it’s getting bright outside’. It’s a disease of sorts I suppose it’s great that there is an outlet for talking about it. Way back when we’d have been called nerds now we’re just ignored by right thinking people.
cubik,
i’ve no walkman’s left, but i have spare high quality tape decks that i don’t use anymore (mainly because they’re in a different country),
i remember teac were selling off some great machines and stuff a couple of years ago as tapes this end finally died
however, you’ll all be happy to know that in countries like india and some the middle eastern countries, cassettes are still doing quite well
…really!!
🙂
god be with the days when the most exciting musical event was getting a new walkman that had auto reverse on it. The pronounced click in your pocket as the tape switched sides WITHOUT having to touch it. now every album i own is in me backpocket.kill me.
Yeah, never reach saturation point overall. I do find myself sometimes though suspended in a strange kind of torturous position of being unable to stop listening to something new that I really like. This usually ends up with the _need_ to listen to something from a completely incongruent genre to clear the musical palette and secure relief.
The internet: free music, people like Niall to collect it for you, far easier for bands to get themselves out there. If these trends keep playing out there’ll be less and less space for ‘not music’ in my life.
Hooray! A little slice of Nialler ramble!
It’s interesting that you even had to ask yourself if you ever get sick of listening. You strike me as the kinda guy who’ll get up and switch the speakers on while shuffling to the kettle and on to the bathroom.
I go through weird phases of having worked through so much clashing genres of music in a week that there’ll come a ground zero day of working in relative silence, just to clear the head.
Just curious now, seeing as you have loads of stuff left over at the weekend, would you have spent the week listening to new or favourite tunes?
What have I started? Right bunch of nerds we are.
[quote post=”1169″]You strike me as the kinda guy who’ll get up and switch the speakers on while shuffling to the kettle and on to the bathroom.[/quote]
True.
[quote post=”1169″]Just curious now, seeing as you have loads of stuff left over at the weekend, would you have spent the week listening to new or favourite tunes?[/quote]
Both.
Grand so. You’ll do 🙂
Grand so. You’ll do
shotgun wedding at dawn??
Great post Niall!
Its always interesting to hear your views on what new and interesting music is out there but also on the daily problems this variety has given us. Ive always loved music and tried to consume more than i could on a daily basis but unlike you i cant resist accompanying ‘sleeping time’ with ‘listening time’. Obhiously this essentially turns into soley listening time and as a result my mornings are appearing later and later but as with all worthwhile addictions, its hard to say no
As a small swedish band once said, thank you for the music niall – i think they said niall?
Actually this may have been a bad idea to read this post, now not only do i find new music on a daily basis to clutter (but also provide a soundtrack to) my life but now ive also found more blogs to keep me busy reading, great – thanks cubik, cahony, adam…
I’m married to my blog Leigh!
blog sweat shop uncovered
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgQkKogqHDQ
aaahh jaysus nay,
i finished my dissertation yesterday, so expect a massive update in a day or two
😀
Hrrrm, if that vid were reflective of Irish bloggers, who’d bagsy being the man with the big stick?
Nice one Leigh, fair play! God save us all now, there’ll be no stopping ya!
Super piece of writing skin.
Really enjoyed reading that
Ciaran
And if it wasnt for you i wouldnt be listening to a lot of music i do today.
Id probably be still listening to pulley ; )
HAHA
C
Ha!
Pulley and Mixtwitch dude!
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