if you really knew me, you’d shake your heads

Rand: It just so happens that I've had some amazing adventures that a lot of people would like to read about.

Rook: You're cute, but you're dumb.

- Robotech: New Generation, “Symphony of Light”

Kevin’s post from yesterday reminded me that I had been meaning to do something similar for a while now, but have been putting off for various reasons. There are about twice as many of you out there reading (or more likely scratching your heads over) Amagideon Time now that there was at the beginning of 2007, if my logs are to be believed, so I should probably provide a meet-and-greety, mission statement sort of dealy-o for those folks who have only recently tuned in.

My name is Andrew. “bitterandrew” was an affectation carried over from my precursor journal, so as not be confused with these guys, but “Andrew” is what I usually go by. I’m a 35 year old quasi-techie type (explaining exactly what I do would take more effort than it’s worth) who shares a house on a hillside northwest of Boston with his wife, two dogs, a family of rabbits, and many, many cats both feral and domesticated. Oh, and there’s a chinchilla around there somewhere, too.

About a year and a half ago, I got the brilliant idea to start up a music blog after discovering the mp3 blogging scene. My previous plan was to create a comics-oriented site, but I was never able to figure out a proper angle for the project that wasn’t already being done better elsewhere; music felt like a much better fit. It started off rather mundanely, as I tried my hardest to color within the lines of “real” musical criticism, but I soon jettisoned any pretenses along those lines, decided to play it by ear, and let the site mutate into what it is today -- Tristram Shandy as written and musically annotated by a popcult obsessed slacker in his mid-thirties. I tend to be own harshest critic, but the formula -- an endless series of digressions from one hobbyhorse to the next -- seems to work more often than not. (I have been told by more than a couple folks that I have a knack for casting the mundane in epic light. I’m not sure what to make of that.) Who knew there was a modest audience for rambling, recursive messes incorporating autobiographical, polemical, and trivial musings set to music?

As for the musical selections, I’ve worn a lot of subcultural hats in my time. None have fit as well or been as loved by me as the punk rocker’s chapeau, though I’ve long since given up on pigeonholing myself into a single narrow role. Most of the material I post has a retro cast to it, though more recent tracks do pop up with some regularity. Armagideon Time is not, however, about plugging away for the current BIG THING, as most of that stuff falls outside my retrologist’s purview and there are hundreds of other music blogs covering that beat already. The choice and presentation of tracks on Armagideon Time has been likened to the concept behind the Back to Mine series of compilations, which --besides being a massive compliment -- is a comparison that captures the essence of what I’ve been (informally and unintentionally) doing here without having to go into messy over-explanations.

I’ve you’ve been enjoying Armagideon Time, great! If my tortured prose hasn’t entertained or enlightened, I hope that you’ve least enjoyed the music, and perhaps have been turned on to some artists and genres you may not have been aware of (and made use of the kickback-free purchase links to follow up on that interest). Feel free to comment, too -- but no pressure. I’m sparse with the comments myself, so I understand. I can always be reached at the email address in the sidebar to the right, should the need arise. (It may take time for me to reply, depending on my current situation.) I also have last.fm and Twitter accounts for those of you into those sorts of things. (My last.fm account is configured to scrobble only what I listen to at work, so the tallies are a bit lopsided.)

Something of a musical grab bag today, featuring some favorites which may or may not have been featured in previous posts:

The Clash – Armagideon Time (from the b-side to the “London Calling” single, 1979; collected on The Story of The Clash, Vol. 1, 1988) – The spiritual alpha and omega of the blog that bears its name.

Bill Haley & His Comets – Rock Around the Clock (from The Ultimate Collection, 2006) – This slice of teenage rebellion holds up pretty darn well after five decades, while Puddle of Mudd’s latest CD turns stale in the time it takes to take the shrinkwrap off the case. It makes you stop and think, doesn’t it?

Jamie Wednesday – I Think I’ll Throw a Party for Myself (from the We Three Kings of Orient Aren’t EP, 1986) – The jangle pop precursor band to Carter USM knows the right way to celebrate.