200: The Genius Who Keeps Retiring
Reconcilable Differences
Is That What You're Talking About?
"I give them complete past to make, to do 40 covers of their songs. If you look at the picture of them at the top of this article, they are looking old," he says. "They've done some good work, whether you like it or not." He adds that R.E.M. would have been better off doing a 40th anniversary tribute with Mike Mills and others.
What's a thing you had as a kid that you kind of wish your kids could've had?
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Links and Show Notes:
Things kick off with Merlin pressing John for some candid advice on a new affectation he's been considering. John is certain that using a Dremel is not actually part of Merlin's job, but Merlin's not so sure. Photos of Mr. Miyazaki are reviewed.
In Follow-Up, John has some toe updates. Mere moments after swearing he's not going to make noises and recoil, Merlin makes several noises and recoils.
Next up, John's favorite band announces a new project to release a bunch of cover versions of songs from their back catalog. This leads to a surprisingly wide-ranging discussion of a music industry that continues to evolve quickly and which now seems to necessitate an entirely new kind of creativity.
This week's member episode is already one of Merlin's favorites, so it's being included here so everybody can check it out.
Is it ahistorical to wish your progeny had gotten to see an epic baseball lineup? What exactly might happen if you tried to recreate your own free-range childhood? Did having less information lead to a deeper understanding of context and the parameters of the world? And, which kinds of community and scarcity feel elusive or even just irreproducible today?
If you'd enjoy hearing more from John and Merlin, we hope you'll consider becoming a supporter of the program.
And, hey. Thanks for sticking around through 200 of these things.
(Recorded on Tuesday, January 10, 2023)
Credits
- Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf
- Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
- Music: Merlin Mann
- The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley
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