The Linear Canvas
This journal is about the wrongs and rights of the world, as I see them.

The Linear Canvas

Tea Bagger Hypocrisy

October 30th, 2010 . by Alexander Fisher

Rolling Stone #1117 Nov. 11, 2010 Responding to a Tea Bagger letter writer in Rolling Stone, writer Matt Taibbi said, "So a movement that purports to be driven by anger against both parties, revolts by…voting for the Republican Party. The same Republican Party that just a few years ago was greenlighting trillion-dollar bailouts and presiding over a record expansion of the federal government. When they screw you again, what’s your next act of rebellion – voting in another batch of Republicans?"

Exactly.

My Newest Recording – Crumblin’ Walls

October 14th, 2010 . by Alexander Fisher

We did it Lyndon and we'll never be caught... I was working for a cable TV company in northwest Ohio as a manager in the early 1990’s. I had an incident where several people thought I broke the rules of political correctness (PC) and made my life a living hell for about six months, including having to go to “sensitivity” training. I wrote this song about that experience.

“Crumblin’ Walls”

[audio:http://www.linearcanvas.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Crumblin Walls 20101014_1050m256.mp3]

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My company’s regional office and training facility was in Newark, Ohio at the time. Newark was about one–hundred miles from my office in Ada, Ohio. They had begun an intensive supervisor training course that lasted for about a whole month. I was more than happy to take part and I still use some of the training to this day. Really there should have been some college credit, it was so intense. We stayed all week and work/class started at eight AM and usually let out for good between eight and ten PM.

I have this observation about evolution. It goes, something like someday in the future, because of natural selection, deer, dogs, chickens, etc. will be able to cross the road safely. Not a joke really, but discussions after I’ve said it have been interesting in the past.

Well, I made the mistake of saying in a mixed group once at Newark and most people thought it was funny. About half the people laughed really hard. But some others didn’t quite understand what I was saying. I will admit, the context of the that conversation did not lend itself to joking very easily. But I thought it worked at that moment.

The next day, I was summoned into an office by one of the trainers. She told me that several people had been offended by the comment and she accused me of being a homophobe, a racist and a sexist. Political correctness was in full swing at the time and the trainers were from southern California. A hot bed for PC then, if there ever was one.

What can you say? “No I’m not” seemed not to be working. I just had to take it. She told me that this would stay between us and basically “she’d be watching me”.

If that’s all there was, this song wouldn’t have been written. Before I even got home I had to explain it to my boss. I got written up for it and had to complete therapy and apologize for all I had said to keep from losing my job.

In the end the trainer apologized to me. After she got to know me, she better understood my sense of humor and the comment. She even advised me on how to pull it off better the next time. Some of those offended by me that day, were used to being the center of attention themselves, When I was in the room, the tall guy must’ve seemed more in control or out to get their jobs. I get that reaction from many people. Those imbeciles flattered themselves thinking I was even considering their puny selves (joke).

The analog tracks were originally recorded on a Yamaha MT-100 II 4 track cassette recorder using high speed (3.75 IPS) and dbx noise reduction.

I made at least two big mistakes on these recordings. I accidentally had erased the beginning and the end of one of the guitars. I was able to restore the guitar to almost original using other recordings of the song. I can’t hear the repair. That’s what I wanted.

I also was able to do a MIDI drum replacement. I was able to mark the drum audio transients and then I mapped them to MIDI notes. The drums are me playing Yamaha MIDI drum pads many years ago. But the drum sounds are from Session Drummer 3. I made a few edits, but it is still me playing.

I played electric guitar on a Fender Stratocaster and maybe an Ibanez Les Paul (?). The bass was a Rickenbacker 4001.  I digitally processed the instrument and vocal tracks using Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 Producer DAW and Sony Sound Forge 9 audio editor.

This was a basket case recording that I was able to rescue. I think it came out very nicely.

My Newest Recording – Does It Matter?

October 8th, 2010 . by Alexander Fisher

Mary and Alexander Fisher-May 29, 1958 Does It Matter is about apathy. But it also about, my perception of, the general lack of inquisitiveness in more people every day. Terrorists attack our cities, and we are told to “Go Shopping”. And we did.

“Does It Matter?”

[audio:http://www.linearcanvas.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Does It Matter 20101006_1544m256.mp3]

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If I were the sworn enemy of the U.S.A. and wanted to defeat it, I would:

  1. Destroy the education system by focusing our tax monies on sports and entertainment.
  2. Close all manufacturing and move it to the third world, thereby eliminating unions.
  3. Sell dangerous products to the citizens, including fast food.
  4. Buy up large amounts of U.S. assets and debt.
  5. Give large amounts of money to the politicians.
  6. Gain control of the news media and use it to spread fear and distrust.
  7. etc…

As this goes on around us, we find ourselves surrounded by the corporate elite whose hand in this whole process. Two-thirds of our elected officials have succumbed under the weight of the cash being given to them to not do their jobs. I suspect when the final showdown comes, the communists, who can lose everything and still win, will be victors. Finally the corporatists will fail, but what will be left in their wake?

The analog tracks were originally recorded on a Yamaha MT-100 II 4 track cassette recorder using high speed (3.75 IPS) and dbx noise reduction.

I played electric guitar on a Fender Stratocaster and maybe an Ibanez Les Paul (?). The bass was a Rickenbacker 4001. The drums and cymbals, plus some digital editing, are from the original recording using my Boss Dr. Rhythm drum machine sounds. I was using a Yamaha MIDI drum pad. I only added bass drum through the fills. I digitally processed the instrument and vocal tracks using Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 Producer DAW and Sony Sound Forge 9 audio editor.

My Newest Recording – Crazed and Hypnotized (Bad Bikers in Love)

October 1st, 2010 . by Alexander Fisher

My 18" Wesco's before rebuild There’s not a whole lot I could tell you about what I was thinking when I wrote Crazed and Hypnotized. I was thinking about Bad Bikers in Love”. That’s what I call this song sometimes.

“Crazed and Hypnotized (Bad Bikers in Love)”

[audio:http://www.linearcanvas.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Crazed and Hypnotized 20101001_1820m256.mp3]

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The analog tracks were originally recorded on a Yamaha MT-100 II 4 track cassette recorder using high speed (3.75 IPS) and dbx noise reduction.

I played electric guitar on a Fender Stratocaster and maybe an Ibanez Les Paul (?). The bass was a Rickenbacker 4001. The drums and cymbals, plus some digital editing, are from the original recording using my Boss Dr. Rhythm drum machine sounds. I was using a Yamaha MIDI drum pad. I only added bass drum through the fills. I also played handclaps, foot stomps, wood block, and cow bell. I recorded my newly rebuilt Wesco 18 inch lineman’s boots stomping on the floor in the kitchen with my MXL condenser microphone. My ankle hurt all the next day. I digitally processed the instrument and vocal tracks using Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 Producer DAW and Sony Sound Forge 9 audio editor.