@anildash@me.dm
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anildash

@anildash@me.dm

I'm a big fan of being a big fan of things. you can email me at a@anildash.com or SMS/signal at +1 646 541 5843. kind but not nice. #tfr

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anildash, (edited ) to random
@anildash@me.dm avatar

Okay, here's a story for you: At this moment, on this night in 1984, Prince walked into Sunset Sound studios, and walked out 36 hours later having produced, arranged, composed and performed the entirety of When Doves Cry. 10 weeks later, it was released as a single. It became a Prince's first number one song, the biggest song of the year, and one of the greatest pop singles of all time. He was 26 years old. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG3VcCAlUgE

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

The song itself is extraordinary. Stark, sexy, and searingly introspective. There had literally never been a song that sounded like this on the radio before — because Prince had pushed his drum machines, voice, keyboard skills and guitar well past any of their designed limits in order to produce the song. When I asked him (on this night, 8 years ago) to tell us a story about its recording, he demurred instead with a joke. "YES. WELL, IT WAS A STARRY NIGHT..."

Prince replying, "YES. WELL, IT WAS A STARRY NIGHT..."

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

It's not surprising that Prince might have been reticent to talk about the process of creating such an unusually personal song, which goes deep (in its chorus, no less!) into his relationship with his parents and his own insecurities. But as Duane Tudahl notes in his extraordinary book about Prince's studio sessions of the era, Prince was also coming off having been blanked at the Grammys the night before (it would be Michael Jackson's record-breaking night for Thriller). https://amzn.to/49wR8cI

anildash, (edited )
@anildash@me.dm avatar

But Prince took that energy and channeled into something that had never been heard before on the radio. Its nearly skeletal structure was due to a now-legendary choice to remove the bass from the final mix. In Prince's own words, as I found in the lost liner notes he penned for his Greatest Hits collection, he credits Jill Jones with inspiring him to turn the song into something "bassless and stark". https://www.anildash.com/2016/05/28/princes_own_liner_notes_on_his_greatest_hits

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

"When Doves Cry" had a sonic landscape that would change the sound of radio — hit songs today still mimic the sound of its production. And then there's the lyrics, seen here in Prince's own hand (the opening line in purple pen, no less!) which clearly kept their meaning to him as the song remained a staple of his live shows for decades. Though it's perhaps meaningful that, to my knowledge, he never performed the song in its entirety again after the passing of his parents.

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

And over the years, even as other songs like "Purple Rain" have become more synonymous with Prince's legacy, the impact of "When Doves Cry" is undeniable. Take it from no less an authority on pop music than Madonna, who credits the song with helping her escape from some of the hardest parts of her struggling, pre-fame life.

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@tanepiper @anildash Yes! He used variants of the symbol in his work for more than a decade before changing name! It’s also on his motorcycle and spray painted on an overpass bridge in the video.

daringfireball, to random
@daringfireball@mastodon.social avatar

Sony Is Laying Off 900 PlayStation Employees, 8 Percent of Workforce
https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/02/28/sony-playstation-layoffs

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@daringfireball slight typo, Chris Anderson instead of Adamson in the Mastodon post attribution.

anildash, to random
@anildash@me.dm avatar

Glad to celebrate the release of The Freaks Came Out To Write, Tricia Romano’s incredible oral history of the Village Voice. I’m a tiny footnote amongst so many huge voices. And very surreal to read back what I remember about waking up the morning of 9/11. https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/tricia-romano/the-freaks-came-out-to-write/9781541736399/

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@taylorlorenz Tricia did an amazing job with even just the first part I’ve read so far. Think it doubles as an incredible document of a certain era of NYC more broadly.

chriscoyier, to random
@chriscoyier@front-end.social avatar

Where I’m at on the whole CSS-Tricks thing: https://chriscoyier.net/2024/02/28/where-im-at-on-the-whole-css-tricks-thing/

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@zachleat @chriscoyier +1000

grigs, to random
@grigs@front-end.social avatar

@anildash I was listening to Prince (again) this morning and realized his life is still a bit of a mystery to me. Is there a book or documentary you recommend?

I'm already planning on picking up the biography he was working on when he died, but from the reviews, it sounds like it might work best if coupled with another more traditional biography of some sort.

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@grigs yes! In addition to his memoir, I'd suggest one of Duane Tudahl's books on Prince's time in the studio. Seeing his work ethic and process in action is probably one of the best ways to learn about how he achieved what he did.

waldoj, to random
@waldoj@mastodon.social avatar

An interesting use of “the” in English is as a modifier that means “the generic version of this place that I frequent, never mind the specifics.” “The gym,” “the bus stop,” “the car.” But you wouldn’t say “so I’m at the school the other day,” or “I was in the restaurant” in the same context.

We have a mental list of genericizable locations and we understand what“the” means before them. I wonder what rules we use to create that list of locations?

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@waldoj and interestingly it also applies to people — some will refer to “the wife” or “the spouse” or “the kid”, with a familiarity, and then “the doctor” or “the dentist” as generic.

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@HarryLanders @waldoj because it mostly is!

ianbetteridge, to random
@ianbetteridge@writing.exchange avatar

Pet peeve: phrases like "citizen journalists", "citizen scientists", etc. Professional journalists and scientists are also citizens, kids. Why not just call them "amateur"? It's a perfectly good word. And there is nothing wrong with being an amateur at something.

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@ianbetteridge it’s gotten a pejorative implication of late, though you’re bot factually incorrect.

anildash, to random
@anildash@me.dm avatar

Trying to teach my child about culture and have somehow ended up playing a YouTube video of Psy and Hammer doing a live mashup of “Gangnam Style” and “2 Legit 2 Quit”, which is something I never knew existed but also fully believe children need to be educated about.

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@glyph It’s here. The intro incidentally forced me to have to explain to my child why Will.I.Am had beef with me on Twitter. https://youtu.be/0dDeRbB0Xtc?si=rnpneLPXcDT8BefU

anildash, to random
@anildash@me.dm avatar

I've been thinking about doing some kind of "office hours"/AMA thing because I really want to share what I've learned about the tech industry over my years in the business, and also because I know there are things I'm missing by not being in conversation with folks. Would that be useful/interesting?

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@Charlobo super helpful, thanks!

anildash, to random
@anildash@me.dm avatar

Me, a Sheetz partisan: “Has been for years!” https://macaw.social/@jay/111946837477519841

anildash, to random
@anildash@me.dm avatar

This headline is false. https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/14/bluesky-and-mastodon-users-are-having-a-fight-that-could-shape-the-next-generation-of-social-media/

polotek, to random
@polotek@social.polotek.net avatar

Somehow found myself arguing with someone who talks about "the fediverse" like it is a) a singular thing and b) a separate thing from bluesky. It helped remind me of a fundamental truth about talking to people who are mad on the internet. What they're mad about is entirely uncorrelated with how well they understand the issues. Anger is an emotion. So is fear.

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@polotek @janl I understand your argument, but I don’t think I agree. It’s reasonable to be upset at someone for knowingly violating community norms, even if it’s technically doable.

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@repeattofade @polotek @janl yep, it’s an evolving social norm. It’s unfamiliar to people who came online in a context where protocols or formats or platforms were ultimate authority about consent. But it’s changing, and that’s fine, imo.

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@polotek yeah that’s fair.

anildash,
@anildash@me.dm avatar

@tshirtman @polotek it’s worked at chasing off lots of devs and even more casuals. For sure.

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