About 3/4 of the way thru this, but already read Harmony Codex at the end. Rather different from the approach in Joe Satriani's book. Lots of things in it I can relate to.
At first I thought he was repeating himself a bit, but later Chapters don't feel that way. I am finding it interesting, and relate to much of the record collecting side of things, taping stuff off the radio and music discovery, but I never stepped very far from rock/ pop /metal/ synthesizers. I never borrowed a record from a Library, but I did join a Record Club when I was in High School and I could afford it.
I was never the "most successful musician you have never heard of". I could have been a bit the guy that designed "some cool stuff you may have lusted over", from Roland or Fairlight Instruments, and similarly, you have never heard of.
But, since the later 1970s I have been making recordings, building synths and gear. Had a PortaOne 4 track, so never as serious as Steven was. My career was electronics design, or so I thought. May be more like one of his keen friends. I am some 8 years older than Steven, even older than Rick Beato, so things were even more different back then, and I was in quite backwards Australia.
I didn't upload any music I had made for anyone else to hear till the 2010s when SoundCloud happened. Have stuff under name Megacurve on SoundCloud. But I haven't put anything on Soundcloud since I joined as Megacurve on Bandcamp.
Bandcamp having the features I want that Soundcloud doesn't, like being able to sell music, but more importantly, being able to update the track or album after it has been created. I just use that all the time. Must say, I have never sold any of my music, but I did sell illustrations and cartoons, outside my engineering career, that paid for the gear to make music. And that is actually good enough for me.
I have written the much shorter 50 page WHERE THE SMOKE COMES OUT, webcomic on a bunch of my memories and career. Do I need to add lists or more family details? Mostly no. {I should add I wanted to learn the guitar when I was in junior high school, but my mother, with no interest in music and only ever listens to talk back radio, thought that was a waste of time, and I should play sport instead. So I did soccer. I was terrible at it, and took up every weekend. Had to wait till leaving High School to buy my own guitar and teach myself. }
But back to Steven's book, he explains what he did to get where he is now, and all his concerns with Social Media and all. Social Media, and what is popular on it, what goes viral, very much has the stink of BIG BROTHER about it. He doesn't use those words though. The dumber something is the more likes it will get liked, whereas some art that has taken years will be almost ignored. I so feel that. He also goes into details about his family, and that is something I have done little of in my work.
In Absentia, the album they finally get a big label behind them to make, they all feel great about it, but upon release it doesn't make the charts. The feeling is the world has moved on since that kind of music ruled the world.
Lots of things in it I can relate to, but when it comes to his favorite books, movies or songs the opposite is true. Few of any of them I had even heard of. Much he likes is so "down", but he is British, and that is part of their character. Makes you realize how unusual and glorious Supermarionation and THUNDERBIRDS where to spring from that wet island.
Interesting influences. An interesting read. He has OCD tendencies, as do I.
We can be found at ArtAndTechnology
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