HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ DAVE MONKS
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Dave Monks — frontman for Tokyo Police Club, but also a solo music-maker whose latest lovely single ‘Love’ recently dropped with a charming hand-drawn music video (and you can also find the latest single in the HI54 Mix CD ‘EH, CANADA’) // Artist photo by Calm Elliot Armstrong
#1 - WHAT IS THE ONE ALBUM (OR EP OR SONG) THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE VERY NEXT MUSICAL THING THAT EVERYONE PRESSES PLAY ON THE NEXT TIME THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING “WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NOW”?
OLD: Van Morrison, “Summertime In England”. There’s a mix of highly improvisational playing from his band and delicate and ornately arranged strings. I love feeling the mix of off the cuff playing with the thought and preparation that went into the strings. Plus it’s like a 15-minute odyssey that is guaranteed to drop you off somewhere different than it picked you up.
NEW: DEAR-GOD “The Burbs” - this song scared me in an exciting way, and made me feel old with how much it didn’t give a fuck. And yet it totally reaches out and grabs me regardless of the context. Which I think is what good shit does. And, that bassline hits home for me.
#2 - WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE NEXT IN EVERYBODY’S NETFLIX QUEUE (OK, DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NETFLIX, WE’RE ALL INTERNET ADULTS HERE AND KNOW HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ONLINE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)?
If you’re a sci-fi fan, watch Jodorowsky’s Dune - a documentary following the lead up to the greatest film that never got made.
It was almost a coming together of the most ridiculous talent, from Salvidor Dali to Mick Jagger and the film industry artists that did begin the early stages together went on to create Alien, Star Wars etc. I loved learning about how it was this incubator for the shape of film to come.
#3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE LOCAL BOOK STORE (OK, MAYBE THE LOCAL LIBRARY FIRST) TO FIND THE VERY NEXT BOOK THAT I WILL BE PUTTING SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE ‘ME-TIME' ASIDE FOR. WHICH BOOK WOULD YOU GET, IF YOU WERE ME (AND, I SUPPOSE, YOU HADN’T ALREADY READ WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SUGGEST)?
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead is a MASTERCLASS in storytelling. It takes place at a school for juvenile delinquents in 1960’s Florida and I found it to be eye-opening and highly engaging. All his stuff is amazing by the way...
#4 - WHAT IS THE ONE WEBSITE (OR JUST ANY OLD INTERNET THING: APP, GIF, SERVICE, WHATEVER) THAT YOU WOULD GET REALLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT IF IT WERE TO SUDDENLY GO AWAY?
My band’s little-known Web-Based Content series is one of the funniest things I’ve been a part of and I’m really glad it exists. Our career parallels the Internet’s world domination arc pretty nicely and at a time when we were so exhausted by corny label/management suggestions for ways to “stay active” online, we made a tongue and cheek “fuck you here’s your internet content!” project and put way too much effort into it. Or did we?
It was really fun. Oh yeah, and the results are in: the internet wins.
#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITTING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.
If you see yourself creating something - art, cooking, music, writing, acting, dancing - I would suggest (to those who are not faint of heart) that doing a little bit daily is very helpful and incredibly empowering.
Forget about the writing retreat, or the backyard studio or a new set of notebooks. Just begin and do a little everyday in the ordinariness of whatever else your life entails. From there, you will find possibility.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that Dave Monks thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go start a daily creation habit, make sure to follow Dave on the Facebook / Instagram / Twitter and then also give ‘Love’ a listen/watch below…
