“Album of the Day (Ep. 9): Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – Cold Roses”

What I love most is the crooked glasses!

1. I found out about this from Matt Holt, of Wiley Publishers. He’s a diehard Ryan Adams fan.
2. Matt found this video from Ryan Adams’s tweet:

Best Review I Ever Got. Honored. http://t.co/cgXEEK1W

— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) November 30, 2012

Fans just can’t get enough (Did you catch the Depeche Mode reference?? That’s what fans do, quote lyrics, evidencing their tribal affiliations and sending smoke signals to try to find like-minded individuals.)

We live in a world that percolates from the bottom up, as opposed to the top down. Music has gone from snow to grass. It’s no longer something shaken down from the sky, but something nurtured that grows up from the ground.

Play to everyday people. They live to adore you.

3. Tweeting

You’ve got to play for all this to happen, and Ryan Adams did. And what I love is the lack of irony, the lack of hipsterdom, he’s being as sincere as he possibly can, he wants to send a message to both the reviewer and his fans that he APPRECIATES IT!

4. Just start

You’ve got the tools. You’ve got the laptop with the built-in video camera, you’ve got the Internet connection, you can post on YouTube for free. Don’t be afraid to play. Only by doing so can you get lucky. And better.

5. Music makes live worth living

Especially when you’re alone and dorky. The Internet allows you to hook up with the rest of those who are alone and dorky. It’s the best anti-suicide machine ever invented. Technology kills loneliness. The only people bitching about the perils of tech are those too old and too entrenched to see the benefits.

6. Normalcy

What’s appealing about this video is it’s the anti “American Idol,” the anti “X Factor.” The kid’s not remade to fit in, to win, he’s just being himself. Nerds rule the world. One of my favorite e-mails from the past week was this:

From: Rob Getzchman
Subject: When the Nerds Go Marching In

Hey Bob,

Take a look at this photo of Obama’s tech team and tell me it doesn’t look like Canned Heat or some other ’60s act. I think you’re right – tech is the rock and roll of this era. I haven’t seen a photo of a band look as cool or authentic as this in years.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/11/when-the-nerds-go-marching-in/265325

cheers,
rob

Click the link. You’ll be stunned.

It’s what’s on the inside that counts.

If you’ve got a stylist and are putting gel in your hair, you’re doing it wrong. You’re a fashion accessory, not an artist.

7. Artists

It’s not Rihanna or Bieber or any of the Top Forty wonders the media tells us the kids adore. Rather he’s reviewing Ryan Adams and Bright Eyes and Stephen Kellogg…

We want substance, that which touches us, we can tell fake from real.

8. Honesty

He could have just chopped off the intro, where he talks about screwing up yesterday’s take. Makes you love this kid. He’s so real! It’s our imperfections that bond others to us. You think if you’re cool and have a perfect nose you’ll have better relationships. WRONG! Be yourself and interact and your life will work out fine.

9. Schedule

He’s got none! It took him longer than usual to come up with his next “Album of the Day.” I love that! He wanted to get it right.

(I’m not saying sticking to a schedule is wrong, but sometimes you’ve got to break the rules, sometimes you’ve got to wait and get it right.)

10. Knowledge

You think he’s reading off the computer screen at first…but then you realize he knows quite a lot. He even riffs on Lost Highway. Fans want to know everything, and they do!

11. Reality

At 1:45:

“Sorry I got a cough drop in my mouth, so I’m trying my best to keep it in there. Just let you know that, I apologize for all the noise.”

My favorite moment in the whole clip! How could he be so unselfconscious!

12. The Room!

A Hollywood professional couldn’t get it so right. With the banners, the poster, the guitar and even the teddy bear nightlight!

Looks like my room. Different posters, same identity.

13. Non-Promotion

If you Google his screen name, you don’t get a website where he’s selling stuff and begging you to make him famous. He’s doing it for the love of it

We’re gonna be just fine. The Internet’s gonna save us. We’ve inherited the earth, taken it away from the hipsters and the rich who always told us we were inadequate, who pissed on us. This kid may be bullied at school, but he’s a king in his bedroom. And he’s not alone. None of these clips have gone viral, but most have hundreds of views. Pre-Internet you were lucky if you had one friend, never mind this many!

P.S. I’m not writing this so this kid will get famous. I don’t want him on Jay Leno, I don’t want him being plucked from obscurity to end up back home wondering what happened to him a short while later. But I do want to give him a pat on the back. We all want this encouragement. Maybe he’ll be grow up to be an astronaut, maybe an accountant, even a fireman. One thing’s for sure, he’ll never forget the music he grew up with, it’s the bedrock of his life.