I know what you are thinking: "She couldn't possibly have anything more to say about this cd". I know I wrote way too much, but there are still a few things I want to say:
1) I will not be posting my liner notes on the blog. You already have them with the cd, and, more importantly, I don’t want them on the internet. When I made the cd, I was perfectly ok with everything I had written. However, when it came time to mail the cds, I became hesitant, embarrassed, nervous. I don’t reveal any secrets in my liner notes, but I still feel a little exposed, a little naked.
2) I made the cd and wrote the liner notes a long time ago. I had forgotten what I had written until I assembled the booklets this past week. I did not write the notes in order. Instead, I randomly annotated songs, in no particular order. It was only after writing all of the notes that I added song numbers. As always, my intro was written last.
3) I wrote the liner notes in less than an hour and did not proofread them. There are typos. I did some white-out business, but I think I left the run-ons and comma splices. From what I gather, most of you are in the business of writing, so I apologize if I have offended your sensibilities.
4) The cd was ordered based on songs not people. That means I organized it by the way songs flowed together rather than by chronology of events or association of people and experiences. I think this is important to note, considering the way certain people were put together. The men on this list, for instance, with whom I have had relationships/relations are lumped together in the middle of the cd. Their proximity was completely accidental, as was the back-to-back liner notes about lesbian tendencies. These are coincidences.
5) I am sorry to have repeated so many artists. I guess I am not as original as I would like to be.
6) I feel slightly guilty for not including a song about the man I am with now. To be fair, I made this before we really got together, but I still feel a little bad. So, to appease my nagging conscious, here is the bonus track I would have included for him:
Ozomatli- "?Donde Se Fueron?"
Adrian, 26
This song reminds me of our first date. Adrian took me to a chamber music concert that featured a piece by Brahms (my favourite). So how does Ozomatli remind me of that? Afterwards we went to Café Sarajevo, and there was a band playing music that instantly reminded me of Ozomatli. We danced, talked, drank, and kissed, and it was my best first date ever…possibly my best date ever. How could I not fall for a man who is smart, funny, and interested in music?
7) I don’t really know why I felt the need to attach the ages of those included within. Part of me feels like I put the numbers in there because age is something tangible and objective; maybe I attached ages to provide a balance to the obviously subjective interpretations of relationships and experiences included in the notes. It is kind of silly, though, especially considering that Duncan, Ali, Omar, Steph, and Ken are all having birthdays within the next month and a bit. Lauren just had hers. Perhaps before you even listen to the cd or read the notes, the one 100% factual, indisputable detail will no longer hold true. This is why I love autobiography: you never know why people include certain things, how valid they are, and what they mean for your interpretation of what is included.
Ok, I will finally shut up. Enjoy.
May 4, 2006 at 2:49 am
Robyn! You did an incredible job! I was totally astonished when I opened your CD today…. the care and thought that went into the liner notes alone (which i read on the subway, with a smile) are worth the price of admission.
I haven’t even heard the CD yet, but I’m looking forward to it. Well done…. no need to feel sheepish or shy about your work. Like at all. Like at all at all.
THANKS! the bar keeps getting set higher and higher…
May 4, 2006 at 8:02 pm
oops, i just wrote the exact same comment in the feild of the first song. but to add, i read the liner notes on the skytrain on the way to work too! here’s to checking the mail before leaving the house…