Duophone Dot Com: Mike Britt

Don't Start Anything New

Alexia did me a tarot card reading and my secret question was what to do with my music. The cards told me I will eventually have to settle into one of my many faces although it will be necessary to hold on to a few of them at first until I am accepted, although I must remain true to my inner vision. Does that mean I have to get famous doing techno comedy rap with guitar solos for films before I become a pop radio star?

The thing that startled me was the message "do not start anything new". I found this funny because not only have I went the longest without recording a new song (one month in 5 years) I've been going through the back catalouge trying to assemble some sort of "intro to mike britt" cd, because everyone I meet wants to hear it. I've been trying to hook up with film students who plan to put shit out; Because they need liscence free music and they're poor - you can't just put an interpol song into your movie and get away with it.

The largest problem according to the cards is that someone is interferring with the music reaching the audience. I searched my thoughts and decided that person is me. I realized that during tripping summer when when I rebuilt my ego I kinda purposefully forgot everything I learned. I don't need to trip anymore for theraputic reasons; I feel I've gained all the knowledge I can by looking in the mirror and fall of 2003 looking out lauran's window into New York I decided I'm ready to start focusing my psychic energy on more external subjects. I really like relationship counceling and doing amature psycho-analysis of young bands, and helping them to strengthen their personal bond with each other to avoid or accelerate the inevitable kicking out of one or more members.

If you're singer just isn't cutting it, should you wait a few years hoping he or she will "catch up" or should you just cut them loose and try to find someone already at your level?

I have to go to class now. It is possible that alexia will become my third girlfriend. It is also possible that I'll meet someone new tonight. Maybe I'll get hit by a car on the way to school. Wish me luck.

The Loudest Song Ever

Download mandy moore's "candy" and remember the volume of when she says I'm missing you like candy during the final chorus. Then try to find a portion of any other song that is perceptually louder. Please tell me if you find anything. She's louder than outkast, eminem, flaming lips, slipknot, me, limp bizkit, everything man. Flaming lips was the closest I could get but mandy moore was much more ear peircing. I think it's the loudest recording ever accoplished. There's actually noticable disortion in the midrange, but if you listen to it on a system with extended treble the clean treble (but still hard limited) covers it up and it doesn't sound as fucked up and squished as it should. I don't fucking get it! How did they do that?!?!?

NYC week four

Laura came back to New York for half a week, and it was nice to see the girl in her natural habitat. I spent almost all summer with her and I think washington township really took away from her soul. She stayed on the other couch in Nolan's living room in where I was sleeping. I would lay awake all night whispering the lyrics to a song a friend wrote about her some years back. Previously I had re-arranged the room because it's configuration has been pissing me off for a long time. It was as if they just threw a bunch of stuff in a room and called it a day. I'm not an interior decorator or anything, but I guess my "visual-math" skills could make a pretty creative room remixer.

Speaking of sarcasam, my alaskin friend danny kirby is now at the top of the list for most sarcastic person ever. He is also insane. During a cigarette break at school, he's slouching on these steps of someone's place he doesn't live at and while we were talking a "really hot girl" walks by and he says to her "change for the homeless?" in a really creepy way.

Alternate guitar tunings are my flavour of the month. Guitar players out there you must try this: D - A - E - G# - C - E I did it with ammar this weekend and he was able to write nice stuff for everything I came up with it in. He really brings out what is missing in a part. The riff I wrote became the basis for the one song I continually worked on while living in Nolan's place. I sent the tuning to the guitarist for Aecidium and he claims to have done some interesting things in it, which I would love to hear.

How's school in the mist of all this? In Audio Electronics class we got our first test back and to my surprise I got 100!!! The first perfect grade I got since the ninties. On the other hand, in basics of digital audio class I got an 88 on my first quiz cause I couldn't remember the transmission speeds of USB and FIREWIRE. FUCK!$@$

Alexia and I

[to better serve my memory I changed the posting date to the first night we spoke]

I met a beautiful 24 year old by the name of Alexia. I was at sputnik on a tuesday night and she came by herself, and after a few decades of eye contact mind games she finally followed me outside when I went to have a cigarette. She walked over and I asked her what she was writing and she said it was a letter to a friend. I was like "Isn't that what online journals are for?" -

We proceeded to play "so what do you do and why are you here" and she told me she was a film student who graduated and now she sells high end clothing and she always gets to go to runway shows and occasionally meet models. We sat next to each other when we came back in for another beer and then she took me to this other bar nearby. As I was walking with her I could not believe how I'm walking somewhere with someone I just met like an hour ago.

We stopped at Nolan's place so I could put on something warmer. I asked her to turn around so I could take off my shirt and she thought it was funny. We went to this small but cool bar about three blocks away, and we spent almost twenty dollars on mixed drinks. We spent most of the time smoking cigarettes outside talking about what kind of music we like, and on the way back we talked about movies we liked. It was crucial that we found each other's limitations as quickly as possible before it was too late.

She invites me back to her place so we could smoke. Her male roomate is sleeping on the couch so she wakes him up to show him that she found me, and he's all like yeah way to wake me up. I ask him if it's often that she wakes him up to tell him she brought a guy home. She tells him I'm a recording engineer and he explains that he is the drummer of a goth trio (with a single and a video)

He let us go to the roof alone, where we smoked cigarettes and tried to learn as much about each other as quickly as possible.

Eventually it would drift into a silence and we would smile at each other. I remember thinking what a great first day together if we end up seeing each other again. I considered the absurdity of how the stranger in front of me could evolve into an important person in my life. She breaks the slience by telling me she's so glad she met me. I wanted to kiss her but I couldn't. I had to find a reason not to.

She insisted we walk to the corner store to get something to eat. At this point it's well-past two a.m. so we had to stand outside and do the transaction through a window. We drunkedly negotiated what could and could not be on the sandwich on the corner of this new, unfamiliar neighborhood. She was surprised to find I didn't like onions. But I did like mushrooms. But I didn't like tomatoes. But I did like cheese. But I didn't like lettuce. And so on and so on. She tells me I'm very hard to please. I ask her if we're still talking about the sandwich. Shocked, she says nothing other than "that's really funny..."

During the days that passed I tried to stay focused on the reason why I came to New York. The subconscious takes over in a seemingly-prophetic dream sequence.

[ I went to valley green in virgina borrowing my dad's white truck. I park at this white house that looks kinda upscale and I find amanda vaden inside, apparently working as an indentured servant. She warns me the work is not worth the the benefits, but I stay there anyway. Besides, if she can handle it I surely can! I go outside and the truck has a "for sale" sign on it. My dad is negotiating with the house owner. She explains that as long as the vehicle is parked at her place, it must be for sale at all times. He agrees to this, knowing that the money could go towards upgrading to a newer model. I go around the side of the house to the back to see who's hanging out. It's night now, and amanda is resting with the other house slaves in the field. She does not see me, and something embarassing happens then she notices I was there. So to even things up I do something embarassing hoping she wouldn't feel as awkward. It worked, but we both ended up wishing the whole thing never happened.]

I'm all about clean slates, and there they are walking right past you everywhere you look. It is nice to reminisce, but at all times you have the ability to etch new experiences on your memory. And next time someone gives you warnings that it won't work out, listen closely. Your conscience knows something you've had for a while can be let go; you can get something better, even though this "better" is quite a gamble in itself. It will take alot of work. So this time, don't spy on people, and more importantly, don't do anything potentially embarassing on purpose!

This is because I broke up with Heather. I convinced her I was going to save her, then once I found out the extent of her neurosis I could not see much of a reason to spend time with her other than the possibility of physical pleasure. In that realm we were very attracted to each other and liked each other alot. So I convinced her I was a misogynist and I'm no different than all the other guys who fucked with her to fuck her and sent her broken hearted and jaded to the internet hoping she would find her knight in shining armor. I was that knight but I turned down the position.

I traded this oppurtunity for the "upgrade" to alexia. She is more than I can handle but I want to start challenging myself again. She's a salesperson and an aquarious; (stefan, faye) I think there are things I could learn from how I react to her. The second time I saw her she invited me to do laundry with her. I didn't bring clothes but I agreed to hang out with her. We talked on these chairs outside and it started to rain. Some guy stops his van and asks me out the window if his brake-lights are working. After we left she cooked a pasta dinner that we ate the other night and split a bottle of wine; we watched vertigo and smoked a bowl or two. I was going to kiss her but once I got stoned I started considering if it was a bad idea, or if she wanted just to be friends. Either way, I was instantly hooked.

Every time I call Alexia I get one of two messages (your call not be completed as dialed, or all circuits are busy try again later). The other day I smoked a cigarette on the steps out front and called her over and over again hoping it could possibly go through. Another day she called me and said she couldn't believe it; every time she called she got some error. Cellphones suck!!! [weeks later I found out it was just the area code - this does not explain why she said she always had trouble calling me]

We hung out a third time

then a fourth time

maybe a fifth time and then I write this:

[9.28]
Last night I met a wonderful asian who was a master at talking. She found so many holes in the way I describe my feelings and opinions I couldn't help but start telling her the truth. (I guess you could say she knew how to provoke the personality I used to call 'innervoice') Everything was going well until she asked me how old I was. Then she said she was 33. At this point it became much more obvious how much of an intellect gap we had, although it was refreshing to converse with someone who has such a grasp on how everything works, not to mention her reaction to the typical mike britt fashion of everything. I now wonder if Liz felt anything similar to this.

Our meeting was interupted by a desperate phone call from a drunken alexia... she was drunk beyond drunk and lost in manhattan. Apparently there were free drinks and she went overboard. So I somehow got her to meet me somewhere and I left the asian (never got her name) and competely neglected to get her number and pay my bill (I was pretty drunk and my mind was on other things at this point). I went back to the bar the next day to close out the tab and I decided to throw caution at the wind and I keep it open and get drunk a second night in a row. They tell me I had the longest running tab in the bar's history.

The night I rescued her she asked me to kiss her. Then for the first time I heard Cat Power. I heard it again a week later and I actually remembered certain songs I remembered liking, only after hearing once.

One night she took me to a bar she liked, and we got really really into asking questions about each other and telling each other anything about ourselves we could. I ended up mentioning that "the alaskin" had this theory that her roomate was in love with her and that if I get with her I might have to get with him too, and that she was bait for bringing home a guy because the only way this man would have a chance in hell at fucking the girl he loves is if it was during a three-way. (not an unreasonable idea; I've had girl-friends say they would not have sex with me but would'nt mind if i was involved in a threeway)

Alexia was really freaked out to hear this, and although she later said she let it slide, I could tell it wore away at her opinion of me. Around this point our friendship had started to slip away and we began to develop some sort of routine. Then she stopped calling me. For what feels like months I wonder if I will ever be as excited when I meet a new girl.

If you ever see her please buy her some frozen cookie dough. It's her favorite thing in the world and I curse myself for not buying it while I had the chance. I will eternally remember this experience as the first in a long chain of NY dead-ends which will eat away my passion and motivation, leading to my inevitible breakdown.

NYC week 2 day 2

[copied from my notebook, written yesterday]

I'm sitting at the bar... I'm usually a one-drink a day kinda guy but today is a special occasion! I have found not one but FOUR places to live, each of them like me and one of the lucky contestants will recieve my deposit check tommorow. Here is the rundown:

1. record spinning, pot smoking 18 year old Alaskian kid from my school who likes "depressing soft music" and wu-tang. With some guy I don't know. 2 1/2 bedrooms, border of brooklyn and queens, I would pay $400 a month plus utilities and internet access.

2. converted warehouse inhabited by artists and musicians. I get a "studio" with a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and community access to laundry and roof. The ad says one person only but I could fit another two people into this space. Also the rent of $980 a month would suck up all my loan money by June. I would have to get a job if I wanted to eat. No internet access. Brooklyn ghetto. http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/roo/41359330.html

3. someone I met from a bar who is moving out so her roomates need someone to move in. this place is a first floor apartment. the walls of my bedroom are painted red, and it's a twenty second walk from where mark and emily live. $600 a month plus utilities.

4. two boring normal guys who probably wouldn't appreciate me having you people visit me for extended periods of time. no internet access. $465 a month plus utilities. http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/roo/41632850.html

Each of these options do not require having my name on a lease. I have a new phone number. Call my previous number to get the new one. In the meantime, please post which of these places you would suggest be best for me.

NYC Week Two Part One

arriving at the classon stop of G-train I emerge from the subway, drop my luggage to the ground and sat on the dirty city street. I compiled a list of people in the neighborhood who were in need of roomates. (craigslist of course) only one person answered - his name was Tadeau and to my surprise they had not found anyone as of yet. I explained to him how I had howhere to go and I'll be in town all week so ASAP would be a good time to check out the place.

I bought a pack of lucky strikes ($7.00) and an ice cream ($1.50) so then I sat on the sidewalk enjoying my purchases and listening to a gizmotron compilation cd.

Aecidium
Johnny Miles
Jay Gunnz
Brad
Me
Check Minus
Labors of Man
Stand me down
Nascence
Morning Star
Coma

Watching the people walk by I knew I should be asking if they needed roomates but unfortunately I was not as ballsey as the first week. I am already beginning to feel comfortable here.

I grew tired of waiting in this place so after finishing the ice cream I stopped into a local bar named "sputnik" for a beer. ($4.00) of course I had to tip the guy ($1.00). I dropped my luggage and sat on a couch, where I was greeted by a large but friendly canine. I yell "WHAT'S UP DOG?!?" and began to pet the friendly beast. Dogs seem to not care much about who they get affection from, as long as they get it. This reminds me of most men in general, which probable spawned the saying "what's up DOGG". The lesbian owner watches me pet the animal, as it decides to lay down on the floor at my feet. It is rare that I get along with dogs larger than a cat.

It's Who We Are

It's not what you know, but WHO you know??!?! FUCK THAT!!! The older I get the more evidence I see that everything is based on talking, almost everything involves some sort of negotiation; Who is who and what you have access to and what you can get and etc depends on not what you know or who you know but WHO YOU ARE or what you can do?

I may have been wrong about our group of friends. I used to think we were a bunch of narcissistic assholes who think they're awesome. Now that I can look at us in context of society, I can safely say we ARE awesome. Please come to New York. All of you. We can fuck up this place!!!

Geisa

Yesterday I went to get a NY cellphone number and that's how I met Geisa. I've never been picked up by a girl before! We started talking and after a while she asked me what my sign was; Later on we exchanged numbers. I told her I would call her in a few days after I find a place to live and clean up my act. I didn't have an ATM card yet so I didn't have much cash either. I'm sure the way I smelled was very offensive on this sweltering August day. I was very happy to be in a place with air-conditioning. The next day I went back because I was supposed to get a second battery but they didn't have any left. I never ever saw her again. This was the first of countless buisness cards I recieved and never made use of, but the first and LAST time I never called a female after getting her number.

NYC week one

I was walking a very long walk in the afternoon with an unlit cigarette in my hand, looking for just the right smoker to ask for a light, and I saw a beautiful green lighter on the ground on a busy street corner. I kneeled down and lit my cigarette. Then I placed the lighter back on the ground from which it came, hoping it will help someone else.

The other night an irish bartender explained to me his take on karma. Then he said he thinks god isn't a thing, but more like a force. Then I told him my internet analogy. He was so excited he poured two shots of jameson and we did them together because he said I looked like Frodo Baggins. I love this town!

Here is how my shoulders appeared after carrying all my stuff around for I don't remember how many days. The photo was taken in the bathroom of where Mark and Emily lived at the time.

Sitting in this internet cafe on university ave (THE NEWS BAR), they have some radio or a mix tape on and I heard Suzanne Vega's "caramel" - which not only have I never heard her music by the hands of someone else, but I coincedently purchased the album "nine objects of desire" yesterday. The school gave each of us a new pair of headphones, and so I found myself walking around constantly ignoring everything around me. Needing to amuse myself further while traveling, I decided it was high time to get some new music. I went to a store to see what cds they had and I heard an unfamiliar Bjork song on the overhead stereo. The experience was so magically enchanting that it resulted in adding Medulla to the tab - which included Suzanne Vega's "Nine Objects of Desire". As for Bjork, the first track [the one which was played in the store] so good I had to hit stop. The 1:13 I heard of it was enough to jump start my imagination for hours. I would walk around repeating the first minute over and over until I got over how awesome it was. By the end of the day I found myself skipping the tracks without "percussion" and by the end of the month I only remembered three tracks. It's been a while since I played out a new cd. It's been a while since I purchased a new cd. This first-hand experience of the marketing effects of corporate music and consumer guilibility brought an ironic feel to my first days at audio engineering school.