WEBVTT

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♪ (David Byrne music) ♪

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♪ I used to think that
I should watch TV ♪

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♪ I used to think that
it was good for me ♪

NOTE Paragraph

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The recording part of music
has gotten much cheaper.

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People can record on their laptops.

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They can edit and compose
on their laptops,

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and the quality is fine.

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The means of production
have been handed to the creators,

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which is kind of wonderful,

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but it means that
there's a lot being created,

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and not all of it is good.

NOTE Paragraph

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♪ And I would lose myself
and it would set me free ♪

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The software that allows us
to record on laptops

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tends to encourage us
to record in certain ways.

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It tends to make the songs
very regular, repeatable.

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The tempos are usually
very strict and steady,

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which at some point in the past
was an ideal,

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but an absolutely steady tempo is
maybe not the best thing in the world

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In some ways computers and technology
push us in a certain direction,

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and we have to know creatively
when to resist that.

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When to resist the things that
computers make too easy.

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Depending on what kind of music it is,

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I'll start off with maybe a guitar
or something first to get a framework.

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Starting without the computer allows me
a certain kind of freedom.

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I'm not restricted by what
the computer tries to get me to do.

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♪ I know, I like,
Behold and love this giant ♪

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♪ Big soul, big lips,
That's me and I am this ♪

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♪ Everybody gets a touched up hairdo ♪

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♪ Everybody's in the passing lane ♪

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♪ Adoration makes you touch dark shadows ♪

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♪ Weird things that live in there ♪

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I don't think the quality of recordings
is the most important thing.

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The music that I heard when I was young,
I heard on a horrible-sounding little radio.

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But it completely moved me.

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It completely changed the way
I thought about music and other things.

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Obviously when I'm recording
or capturing a piece of music,

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I try to get the sound to be
as good as possible.

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But I realize that
somewhere down the line,

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people might be listening
on their phone with their headphones

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They might even be listening
holding their phone in their hand.

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Maybe on their computer speakers,
that's very likely.

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You know, the speakers that
are maybe this big.

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So I realize that
it's there if people want it.

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But if they don't want it,
or can't afford it or don't need it,

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I hope that the song and music works,
in whatever format.

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♪ How am I not your brother? ♪

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♪ How are you not like me? ♪

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When I see people listening to music
on their phones,

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maybe without even headphones,
just holding the phone up,

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it makes me wonder:
what kind of music works well like that?

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A global pop music?

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Is that the kind of music that
sounds best like this?

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Or is it some other kind of music
that sounds best?

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Like maybe a solo violin,
or something very, very simple.

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If one were to compose music that
sounds good when you just hold up a phone,

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what would it be?

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I don't know.

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♪ Maybe someday understand them better ♪

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♪ The weird things inside of me. ♪

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(applause)