Ze Frank's Chillout Song.
April 28, 2010 8:12 PM Subscribe
Great to hear how the parts add up to the whole and then how the arrangement of the final feels so lovely. Very neat stuff.
posted by Skygazer at 8:24 PM on April 28, 2010
posted by Skygazer at 8:24 PM on April 28, 2010
The first 20 seconds were depressing me, but I'll give it another chance if you guys say so.
posted by StickyCarpet at 8:28 PM on April 28, 2010
posted by StickyCarpet at 8:28 PM on April 28, 2010
I saw Ze Frank present this at SXSW, and honestly I'm not much with the overt sentimental reactions but it hit me nice and square in the chest and reminded me why I wouldn't mind being him when I grow up. Just a wonderful little project, executed nicely. His whole take on using the web and technology in general as a way to accomplish meaningful emotional connections is really goddam inspiring.
posted by cortex at 8:34 PM on April 28, 2010 [7 favorites]
posted by cortex at 8:34 PM on April 28, 2010 [7 favorites]
I just....oh, man I love this. Thanks to...just....everyone.
posted by nosila at 8:39 PM on April 28, 2010
posted by nosila at 8:39 PM on April 28, 2010
StickyCarpet - read the post, too. The story makes the song (although I'd be able to tell it was special somehow anyway, I think).
posted by nosila at 8:40 PM on April 28, 2010
posted by nosila at 8:40 PM on April 28, 2010
I laughed....this week has been CARRRAAAAAZEEEEE since it's PROM season and what seems like a million teens and their moms have to have justtherightcorsageribbonafterhoursofdeliberation and meanwhile my coworker had to go out of town and the new girl is catching on quick but still has tons of questions and....
my office manager will occasionally look at me and say...
"JUST. BREATHE."
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 8:44 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
my office manager will occasionally look at me and say...
"JUST. BREATHE."
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 8:44 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
cortex....well put.. ze comprehends the point of the internetwebs...
posted by HuronBob at 8:57 PM on April 28, 2010
posted by HuronBob at 8:57 PM on April 28, 2010
Loved it. Thanks for posting!!
posted by buzzkillington at 9:01 PM on April 28, 2010
posted by buzzkillington at 9:01 PM on April 28, 2010
I could do without the story. It's presented in a near-unreadable fashion and, regardless of intent, it comes across as really self-congratulatory and over-explaining what could have been left as a nice, self-contained gesture. I don't think "AND HERE IS THE EMAIL SHE WROTE ME TO THANK ME FOR BEING A GREAT GUY" adds much artistically. There's something to be said for a work of art standing or falling on its own merits. You don't have to write "AND ALSO I RESCUED A DROWNING BUNNY THAT DAY" under your painting.
All that aside, I dig the song; it's well done.
posted by drjimmy11 at 9:06 PM on April 28, 2010
All that aside, I dig the song; it's well done.
posted by drjimmy11 at 9:06 PM on April 28, 2010
I discovered this a few hours ago. It is my new favourite internet thing.
posted by aclevername at 9:35 PM on April 28, 2010
posted by aclevername at 9:35 PM on April 28, 2010
I just listened to it like four times in a row. I feel better.
posted by gracedissolved at 9:41 PM on April 28, 2010
posted by gracedissolved at 9:41 PM on April 28, 2010
I get the feeling that if he hadn't added the last bit, people'd be grousing because they didn't know how it turned out.
posted by cookie-k at 9:41 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by cookie-k at 9:41 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
This has been around for a little while now, and I loved it again just as much as when I first heard it. Ze really is a solid human, and his The Show helped me along through tough times when I was younger. I'm glad he exists.
posted by lazaruslong at 10:46 PM on April 28, 2010
posted by lazaruslong at 10:46 PM on April 28, 2010
drjimmy11: "I could do without the story. It's presented in a near-unreadable fashion and, regardless of intent, it comes across as really self-congratulatory and over-explaining what could have been left as a nice, self-contained gesture. I don't think "AND HERE IS THE EMAIL SHE WROTE ME TO THANK ME FOR BEING A GREAT GUY" adds much artistically. There's something to be said for a work of art standing or falling on its own merits. You don't have to write "AND ALSO I RESCUED A DROWNING BUNNY THAT DAY" under your painting.
All that aside, I dig the song; it's well done."
No offense, but I think you're kind of missing the point. Almost all of Ze's projects aren't really about him. At least, they have a distinctly collaborative, engaging, and most of all emotionally resonating component to them.
He could have written a song for her, recorded it, and emailed it to her and never made a post. Or he could have done what you suggest, posting the song only and not explaining it.
Instead, he took a request from someone already following his stuff, and then went out and found people to sing to her. Men and Women of various ages, who probably have their individual emotional resonances with the woman and with everyone that listens to the song. Maybe it's a dead parent, an estranged sibling, your high school crush that you never got over, and so on.
But they're all telling you that it's okay, and to just breathe.
He didn't post the Thank You note to pat himself on the back. That sounds like I know the guy, and I don't. But I know his M.O. And that Thank You was for the people that contributed their voices to the song, the people that say it anyway to loved ones without e-fame to go along with it, and in some sense to the web of people connected in the emotional resonance the project created.
And because the dude is, at heart, a nerdy craftsman, he posted the process with audio samples cause damn do we love that shit.
posted by lazaruslong at 10:53 PM on April 28, 2010 [10 favorites]
All that aside, I dig the song; it's well done."
No offense, but I think you're kind of missing the point. Almost all of Ze's projects aren't really about him. At least, they have a distinctly collaborative, engaging, and most of all emotionally resonating component to them.
He could have written a song for her, recorded it, and emailed it to her and never made a post. Or he could have done what you suggest, posting the song only and not explaining it.
Instead, he took a request from someone already following his stuff, and then went out and found people to sing to her. Men and Women of various ages, who probably have their individual emotional resonances with the woman and with everyone that listens to the song. Maybe it's a dead parent, an estranged sibling, your high school crush that you never got over, and so on.
But they're all telling you that it's okay, and to just breathe.
He didn't post the Thank You note to pat himself on the back. That sounds like I know the guy, and I don't. But I know his M.O. And that Thank You was for the people that contributed their voices to the song, the people that say it anyway to loved ones without e-fame to go along with it, and in some sense to the web of people connected in the emotional resonance the project created.
And because the dude is, at heart, a nerdy craftsman, he posted the process with audio samples cause damn do we love that shit.
posted by lazaruslong at 10:53 PM on April 28, 2010 [10 favorites]
Also I'm a terrible writer.
posted by lazaruslong at 10:54 PM on April 28, 2010
posted by lazaruslong at 10:54 PM on April 28, 2010
except I can't hear the chorus without my brain turning it into that goddamn Jimmy Eat World song goddammit
posted by droob at 11:49 PM on April 28, 2010
posted by droob at 11:49 PM on April 28, 2010
Wow - when I saw the text on the front page I immediately thought of this -- another Ze Frank gem.
posted by suedehead at 12:26 AM on April 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by suedehead at 12:26 AM on April 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
So this is from 2008, apparently, and has been floating around since then, so why is this just hitting the internet now? Mefi isn't the first place I've seen this today.
posted by Arturus at 12:32 AM on April 29, 2010
posted by Arturus at 12:32 AM on April 29, 2010
Re: Arturus, the "making of" story was just posted on Ze's blog
posted by zachxman at 4:47 AM on April 29, 2010
posted by zachxman at 4:47 AM on April 29, 2010
not only did I write the first comment in this fpp, but I rescued drjimmy11's bunny from a terrible fire last night.
posted by HuronBob at 4:50 AM on April 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by HuronBob at 4:50 AM on April 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
I went to bed thinking about this last night, and it made me happy. Thanks.
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:01 AM on April 29, 2010
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:01 AM on April 29, 2010
I've been walking around for the past week with my insides in a knot, waiting (secretly hoping, I guess) for something to trigger some wracking sobs to help loosen it all up. Done.
I'm ok. I'll be fine. Just breathe.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:59 AM on April 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm ok. I'll be fine. Just breathe.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:59 AM on April 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
except I can't hear the chorus without my brain turning it into that goddamn Jimmy Eat World song goddammit
It's Mary Lou Lord's Old Tin Tray for me. Couldn't get it out of my head afterward at SXSW, couldn't get it out of my head yesterday either.
posted by cortex at 7:21 AM on April 29, 2010
It's Mary Lou Lord's Old Tin Tray for me. Couldn't get it out of my head afterward at SXSW, couldn't get it out of my head yesterday either.
posted by cortex at 7:21 AM on April 29, 2010
Um, I can't hear anything when I play the songs. Anyone else having a problem?
posted by Deathalicious at 7:31 AM on April 29, 2010
posted by Deathalicious at 7:31 AM on April 29, 2010
You can't hear it because you have no soul.
posted by Sailormom at 8:09 AM on April 29, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by Sailormom at 8:09 AM on April 29, 2010 [4 favorites]
Share some other chillout songs.
When I want to chill out, I listen to this album.
posted by LogicalDash at 8:11 AM on April 29, 2010
When I want to chill out, I listen to this album.
posted by LogicalDash at 8:11 AM on April 29, 2010
When I'm in a mood like the one Laura describes, I don't think a bunch of atonal strangers singing at me to "just breathe" over the top of a melody that is right out of the "earworms I cannot defeat" drawer is going to do anything other than make me want to "punch people in the neck" even more than I already do.
I want happy fluffy songs when I'm feeling happy and fluffy. When I'm all fucked up, I want some music to match and remind me that I'm not the only one who ever feels that way.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 8:51 AM on April 29, 2010
I want happy fluffy songs when I'm feeling happy and fluffy. When I'm all fucked up, I want some music to match and remind me that I'm not the only one who ever feels that way.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 8:51 AM on April 29, 2010
I want happy fluffy songs when I'm feeling happy and fluffy. When I'm all fucked up, I want some music to match and remind me that I'm not the only one who ever feels that way.
Interestingly enough, studies have shown that not everyone reacts to emotional states in exactly the same way as you. For example, in this instance Laura knew specifically what kind of song she was looking for, asked for it, and got something that perfectly matched her needs. Bully for her!
posted by FatherDagon at 10:20 AM on April 29, 2010 [3 favorites]
Interestingly enough, studies have shown that not everyone reacts to emotional states in exactly the same way as you. For example, in this instance Laura knew specifically what kind of song she was looking for, asked for it, and got something that perfectly matched her needs. Bully for her!
posted by FatherDagon at 10:20 AM on April 29, 2010 [3 favorites]
not everyone reacts to emotional states in exactly the same way as you
Are you lookin' a punch in the neck? Joking aside, I'm delighted that's true. If it wasn't, a financial meltdown, an airtraffic violating volcano and widespread starvation, drought and war would be the least of our problems. I second your bully and admire Ze Frank's efforts.
Speaking of punching people in the neck, Daniel O'Donnell [warning: not a Rickroll, but possibly worse] is playing the theatre next to my office. Because I'm an indolent malcontent, I'm still in the office and his gig is about to start. Thanks to the thin walls, I'm about to get an earful. This is a great office when Motorhead are in town, but right about now, I'm getting ready to do some neck punching.
Reminds me of a joke that was popular where I grew up:
An IRA man is in a room and has three hostages, each tied to a chair. He has a gun with only two bullets in it. His hostages are Ian Paisley, Margaret Thatcher and Daniel O'Donnell. Who does he shoot?
Daniel O'Donnell.
Twice.
All of which also reminds me that I was back in Northern Ireland at the weekend and noticed that one "Ian Parsley" is running for office in my old voting district. I thought it was a joke, but apparently it's serious and that's really his name.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 10:51 AM on April 29, 2010
Are you lookin' a punch in the neck? Joking aside, I'm delighted that's true. If it wasn't, a financial meltdown, an airtraffic violating volcano and widespread starvation, drought and war would be the least of our problems. I second your bully and admire Ze Frank's efforts.
Speaking of punching people in the neck, Daniel O'Donnell [warning: not a Rickroll, but possibly worse] is playing the theatre next to my office. Because I'm an indolent malcontent, I'm still in the office and his gig is about to start. Thanks to the thin walls, I'm about to get an earful. This is a great office when Motorhead are in town, but right about now, I'm getting ready to do some neck punching.
Reminds me of a joke that was popular where I grew up:
An IRA man is in a room and has three hostages, each tied to a chair. He has a gun with only two bullets in it. His hostages are Ian Paisley, Margaret Thatcher and Daniel O'Donnell. Who does he shoot?
Daniel O'Donnell.
Twice.
All of which also reminds me that I was back in Northern Ireland at the weekend and noticed that one "Ian Parsley" is running for office in my old voting district. I thought it was a joke, but apparently it's serious and that's really his name.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 10:51 AM on April 29, 2010
The words, "Hey, You're Okay" immediately reminded me of Dr. Wolper from The Dark Knight Returns.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 11:38 AM on April 29, 2010
posted by Mister Moofoo at 11:38 AM on April 29, 2010
The Ultimate Olympian, I know your pain. Imagine a 24-hour shift supervising a maudlin 70 year old Scot with the intellect of a 5 year old whose favourite activity is watching VHS tapes of Daniel O'Donnell. LOL I've moved on since then. Oh and my pal saw Daniel O'Donnell trying to pull a guy once.
posted by yoHighness at 1:11 PM on April 29, 2010
posted by yoHighness at 1:11 PM on April 29, 2010
...no surprise there...
hey, I forgot to say thank you for the interesting post! so thank you!
posted by yoHighness at 1:20 PM on April 29, 2010
hey, I forgot to say thank you for the interesting post! so thank you!
posted by yoHighness at 1:20 PM on April 29, 2010
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thanks...
posted by HuronBob at 8:19 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]