In Need of T-Bone Burnett's Service

Friends,

To explain the title of this post, T Bone Burnett is the guy who is a master compiler of soundtracks. I can only think of O Brother Where Art Thou right now as one of his masterworks, but he's done plenty.

While surfing around, I found on Bronson's blog (see link to the right) a reference to a timekiller on Darren's blog that I found interesting. Essentially, you build the soundtrack to the movie of your life using tunes (or tunage, it's your call) you have in your possession.

What you do is load up your electronic music player of choice. Next step is set the player to random. Then take out a piece of paper and write down the following headings in the order presented:
Opening Credits / Waking Up / First Day of School / Falling in Love / Fight Song / Breaking Up / Prom / Mental Breakdown / Epiphany / Driving / Flashback / Getting Back Together / Wedding / Birth / The Final Battle / Death Scene / Funeral / End Credits

Now, fire up the music player. The first song randomly chose corresponds with the Opening Credits of your life-movie. Hit the next button, that song corresponds with the Waking Up moment of your life, and continue with that through the entire list to compile your life soundtrack. You are allowed to skip interlude tracks (anything under a minute), duplicate songs, or possibly restrict yourself to your most frequently played tracks if you choose. Emily and I both did the task....and here are our results: (Emily's answers follow mine...and are in blue)

Opening Credits: Tool - 46&2

Waking up: Green Day - Longview

First Day of School: Elliott Smith - Waltz #2

Falling in Love: Arcade Fire - Wake Up

Fight Song: Pearl Jam - Inside Job

Breaking Up: James Brown - Papa Don't Take No Mess

Prom: The Chubbies - Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me

Mental Breakdown: OK Go - Here It Goes Again

Epiphany: Radiohead - No Surprises

Driving: Weezer - American Gigolo

Flashback: Stone Temple Pilots - Kitchenware & Candybars

Getting Back Together: Aerosmith - Remember (Walking in the Sand)

Wedding: Foo Fighters - Everlong

Birth: Muse - Time is Running Out

Final Battle: Deftones - Rickets

Death Scene: Bob Dylan - Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again

Funeral: Local H - Money on the Dresser

End Credits: Patti Smith - Break It Up

Opening Credits: Groovie Ghoulies - Time Warp

Waking Up: Yellowcard - Only One

First Day at School: U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday

Falling in Love: No Doubt - Just a Girl

Fight Song: Muddy Waters - She Moves Me

Breaking Up: Van Halen - Finish What You Started

Prom: Barenaked Ladies - One Week

Mental Breakdown: The Mooney Suzuki - It's Showtime Part 2

Epiphany: Matisyahu - Youth

Driving: Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies

Flashback: U2 - Acrobat

Getting Back Together: Jefferson Airplane - Crown of Creation

Wedding: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Here Comes My Girl

Birth: Cake - End of the Movie

Final Battle: Buddy Holly - That'll Be the Day

Death: Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with Butterfly Wings

Funeral: Blind Willie McTell - Lord Send Me an Angel

End Credits: Frank Sinatra - I Get a Kick Out of You

There that was. It's interesting. Emily's funeral song is spot on I'd have to say. Same with her wedding song. I find that my break-up & prom songs are pitch perfect as well...especially since my prom song is a cover of that Rocky Horror Picture Show song when Janet seduces Rocky into some steamy love in that tank in Frank-n-Furter's lab. And the mental breakdown song is pretty good too, considering it's that OK Go song that they did that video with the treadmills. I am a bit concerned that my opening credits is some moody, dark, encrypted prog-rock song...really sets the mood a little low. And because I can obsess over music from time to time, I did another randomized soundtrack to my life with my iPod (the lists above were done with iTunes). Hey, sometimes movies have two CDs. Wasn't there two Trainspotting soundtracks? Anyways, here's my alternate list....

Opening Credits: Marcy Playground - Sex & Candy

Waking Up: Bob Dylan - I'll Be Your Baby Tonight

First Day of School: George Harrison - If Not For You

Falling in Love: Smashing Pumpkins - We Only Come Out at Night

Fight Song: Smashmouth - Can't Get Enough of You, Baby

Breaking Up: Deadboy & the Elephantmen - Misadventures of Dope

Prom: Dandy Warhols - I Am Sound

Mental Breakdown: Prince - When Doves Cry

Epiphany: Bob Dylan - All Along the Watchtower

Driving: Sleater-Kinney - One Beat

Getting Back Together: Coldplay - A Message

Wedding: Tommy James & the Shondells - Mony Mony

Birth: Violent Femmes - American Music

Final Battle: Perry Farrell & D.V.D.A - Hot Lava

Death Scene: The Rentals - Friends of P.

Funeral: Local H - Cha! Said the Kitty

End Credits: U2 - Elevation

Well, that was fun. I want to keep trying with that random thing until I get something that really fits into the scheme correctly, or getting that real kizmet moment with the songs, like a song from my wedding actually popping up as the wedding song...or some other manufactured crud. I suppose if I clicked around long enough it would come to it...but who has that much time to kill. I do like that my mental breakdown songs & the very appropriate wedding song in the purple list. And I do find it odd that both Apple software programs chose Local H as my funeral songs.

Time, consider yourself killed.

Viva El Mustache!