"You'd Like it if you had robot ears!"

Game for Koko
2007 WormFood Collection

There are two ways I make music. The first is one comes slowly, taking months or even years until I arrive at a point where I let anyone hear it. Less than half of the songs I have available on my various web pages are of this variety but I probably have more than a hundred such tracks still waiting to be finished, collecting dust on one of my numerous back-up drives.

The other kind is where the idea appears in my head from out of the ether and I sit at my computer until it is done. They arrive as a flash of blue lightning in my skull, often inspired by an emotional event, a dream, or even a messed up conversation. On occasion one of these songs is inspired by listening to another track and wondering to myself if I could do an homage or at least something a little better.

That being said. Most of the music I make isn't really about anything. Clearly, some are inspired by events in my life or overwhelming emotional breakdowns or even crappy winter days. Sometimes the name of the track gives it a sense of being related to something but most of those names are just weird things that pop into my head at the moment I am saving the project and it requires a title.

But there are always a few exceptions to the rule. Case in point, Game for Koko, a track I wrote specifically in response to a conversation I had with a complete stranger.

This person was ragging on all the types of music that he hated. Started off with Country. Then he said he hated Rap with a "purple passion," whatever that means. Then he said "but nothing's worse than electronic. Any monkey with a computer can make that shit."

I walked away from the conversation not hurt or discouraged but with this vivid image of Koko the Gorilla sitting at a computer with her kitten in one hand while left clicking away on a computer utilizing the same digital audio workstation I use at home.

When I got home I sat down at the computer and created this entire track. I don't know how long it would have taken a room full of Gorillas clicking away on FL Studio to come up with something that sounded like this. I'm pretty sure there are gorillas out there who could make better music than me but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I'm not in this to be the best, the king of the world, or even better than Koko the gorilla.

Game for Koko by Remedial M-Theory

A minor postscript - A number of the older songs I've posted have been tweaked and remastered as until fairly recently I cared little about audio production and levels and EQ and all that BS. I know you may have to adjust the living hell out of your EQ for you to listen to this on your sound system but I wanted to post it warts and all. This is Garage Band Electronica. That's how I rolled for a long time and I'm not ashamed of my roots. Hell no.

A not so minor postscript - I honestly never saw this video until today but it is pretty damn close to what I envisioned... sure there is no computer or kitty but geez...