Cat Covid Tuesday, Argus Videos, and v1.39

A great 'Tuesday' performance on Tuesday. I came in early on 'Cat Covid!' and made a few little mistakes, but overall it was fine as a performance, and I was happy with Paul's 'You'll Be The One'. The sound mixing was a little all over the place, which was beyond my control, and my hat hit the mic a couple of times, which I can address.

My performance aside, the rest of the night was really nice. Lots of us stayed behind for 30 mins to an hour, and this social time is an important part of it all. All of the performances were good.

Claire F came to watch, and took some great photos:

I spent yesterday recovering from that late-night high, and programmed a little. I updated Prometheus a bit, to extend the Plugin and Instrument Lists, and updated Argus again after discovering a trivial exploit to the frames/tracks limit. After that, I created a small TikTok Video of Cat Covid, in draft form.

In the evening, I had the first Steam feedback and had to redesign the artwork. I was informed that I had to create some 'gameplay' (actual screen recordings of the program in use) videos. This is a good idea, but I was slightly worried about the technicalities.

I didn't have time to fix these issues. Deb and I went shopping and I found a vet's outfit for 5 to 7 year-olds; which will do for a 'Cat Covid!' video. This is next on my 'to do' list.

I recorded three of the Argus tutorial videos this morning. They were easier than the SFXEngine videos, so all was well. I discovered another (small and easily fixed) Argus bug, so updated it again today to v1.39. The videos are complete. I'm now awaiting the second round of Steam feedback.

One precious day of precious May remains.

Tuesday, Prometheus v3.36

It's another 'Tuesdays' Open Mic tonight, so part of my day has been about practice and preparation for this. Paul Parish has confirmed he'll be there, so he and I will play his song 'You'll Be The One', plus 'Cat Covid!'. He plans on performing one or two others solo too.

I decided to update Prometheus today with some of the new features included in Argus. The display will now stretch to the screen size, filling it for the first time.

That shows the Kabinet V intro music, most of which is a MIDI sequence for export. The orange lights mean those tracks are guide tracks, not sounded. The blue lines are controller events, the long strip being a gradual increase of the MODX 'SuperKnob'.

I'm wondering if, for the first episode of Kabinet V, I explain how I made the title sequence. That may be a bit different in terms of cultural content, but perhaps the 2024 way of making this sort of thing will be of interest in the distant future. It would also serve as a demonstration of Argus.

Kabinet V Idents

Lots of work on 'Kabinet V' videos today. For the show, I'd like an intro sequence and a credits sequence. Both of these are generally not in YouTube videos, which tend to instantly start and stop, although a few have short chats then a quick tune with some graphics. I want to make something worthy of a television programme in quality and scope. A title sequence can set a mood; it is art in itself.

Argus has simplified a lot of this process. I can easily create horizontal and vertical versions, just by rotating the camera:

Half of the day was spent working on the music. The flickery and grainy look can look scary, but I wanted music that echoed something grand and cinematic, and somehow futuristic. The (old and crackly) music to The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, as found on a YouTube video, was in my mind, but also the vast timbre of a Telharmonium (or a simulation, or a Novachord, I don't think there are any recordings of the Telharmonium) - ultimately a vast, organ-like, yet futuristic sound.

Fortunately, my Yamaha MODX is well equipped with such sounds. I found a sound I'd made called Cinema 1929, and played some big chords. I started with C-Major, then Bb-Major, F-Major, and then switch to A-Major, which gave it an odd lift of light. The music really glows with the future, brings it all to life. I liked it enough that I just recorded that and used it for the main intro, adjusting the chord changes to fit the timing strictly.

The end credits needed a longer piece, so I played those chords again, adding a melody too. To make it longer I appended two more chords; G-Major then D-Major. Playing a melody meant that I had no bass. I also decided to do something unusual for me; I ignored the timing and just played it by feeling, so it's not quantised or changed. This is partly because the end credits may, in future, change in length, and such a change wouldn't work if the music fitted the images too closely. Another reason is to give it more of a human performer feeling.

I added a few scant layers to both tunes; a wavy, Theremin-like, sound; some booming percussion; and a simple bass for the end credits.

So, I now have a programme title, some intro graphics, and a time to broadcast (Thursdays at 19:30, the old Top of the Pops slot). I need to work on content, and consider features in detail. As with ArtSwarm, I'll ask people to send things, but not go to great lengths for this. I will want new premiere work, as with ArtSwarm, not videos or recorded music which are already online, but live performances of published songs written by the performer will be fine, if the live performance itself is new.

Physically I'm burning with anxiety. My mood is a mix of despair and excitement. Every day we must face suicide to enjoy life, as Camus knows. I think of Scott Walker in the 1990s. I must keep working, keep doing my best. I am still full of ideas, visions, energy, never down, a hotter lust for life than Vincent's.

Onwards we roll our rock with steadfast conviction. Grave, solemn, certain.

Argus v1.36, Kabinet V

Another night of agonising stomach pain. I feel I'm doing too many things, so resolved to pause a little today.

I fixed a little issue in Argus, where the windows didn't appear if you closed the Splash window by closing it; this is a simple thing that I've never done myself. It's hard to fix these problems, which don't occur for me because I use the software in specific ways.

I watched a few videos. Music now is driven so far more by nostalgia than a quest for something new, meaningful or futuristic. Children can't access music, as it's accessed by smart-phone, and contemporary music is rarely on television. This is something like a cultural crisis.

Most of my day has been making a little intro/ident for Kabinet V. It has something of an epic ancient film about it.

Event Filing, Argus, German Expressionist Film

Another full day. Started by filing the 'Tuesdays' Open Mic events, for my website and for the Fall in Green. Then listing our next Fall in Green event, a small show for Crewe's 'Statue for Ada' campaign. In the afternoon, I assembled Argus for Steam, the final compilation and texting on that platform. All was complete by about 5pm.

I feel tired now, at a loose end, disillusioned with hopes. A few hours rest may be a good thing. My new weeks start on Sunday, which is unusual in Britain, yet I've always thought of the start of the week as Sunday. For the up-and-coming week, my tasks are to create a Cat Covid video, and something for the art video programme. The working title for that is 'Kabinet V', evoking German Expressionist Film. I thought how amazing it is that abstract visual art is now dominant, yet abstract film so rare. I can't recall ever seeing a film designed only to evoke a mood through non-realistic imagery in the way that abstract paintings are.

Pain, Argus, Sales

A night and day of agonising stomach pain. It's been difficult to concentrate for much of the day, a day spent in lumbering swoon, cold and shaky like an infant Nosferatu.

I started this morning by noting the music to 'Desperate Joy', perhaps I could record it as a B-Side. I became more productive as the day wore on.

Much of the day was spent working on Argus. I've finalised the first iteration of the manual, and started to assemble the main package for Steam distribution. I need to test it on more machines. I made a few more changes to the program; making relative paths possible, and made Y or U create a Music event. I put together three (very simple) example animations. Then, spent an hour or two creating the Steam store, the DLC and much of the technical setup.

In the evening, I promoted the new Flatspace IIk sale event, the IndieSFX May sale, and 'Cat Covid!' to my mailing list. I listened to June Holland's new single. Her vocals are wonderful, though I think I could do a better job on the production and mix. She pre-saved Cat Covid! - the only person to do so. She is so generous and talented, truly a special person. I want to get Argus completed as soon as possible, to make time to make a 'Cat Covid!' video.

I read about 'nervous breakdowns'; it appears I've had the symptoms since I was about 4 years old.

I have lots to do, lots I'd like to do.

Onwards we charge!

Positively Little Street, Ian Parr, Argus

A great night at the Positively Little Street last night. The room was cold but the atmosphere really warm, one of sharing and collaboration, generous.

I read the sad news yesterday that the poet Ian Parr had died. He was a central figure in the Nantwich Speakeasy group, the poetry group held in the bookshop that Deb and I attended about every month prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. I read one of Ian's poems at last night's event as a tribute. In poetry, he was a classicist and romantic. A fan of W. B. Yeats (he could quote many from memory) Ian's poems were often lyrical and dreamy, his subjects the lives of ordinary working people. Many of his poems were listed in competitions, with the occasional published. His first solo collection wasn't produced until 2020.

I've spent today doing yet more preparation work on Argus. I've now assembled two show-reels of Argus animations, one at 30 FPS and one at 25. I've also finalised the manual again (admitting it still won't be the final final) and prepared text for the store. I think I need a how-to-use video really. There's still a lot to do. I need to compile text/example videos and materials, and compile the final package, but progress is being made. I'm nearly ready for putting this though Steam.

Cat Covid Live, Argus and Joy

The singer-songwriter, and great guitarist Paul Parish came round on Monday evening to run though a live version of at Cat Covid!, and one of his songs, for the next open mic event. I sent him the sheet music a few days ago and he'd mastered playing the complex tune. I (foolishly) didn't really practice or look at the music until a few hours before he arrived, and felt out of my depth at my clumsy run-throughs, but we got there in the end, and now I know what to rehearse for next week. It sounds wonderful.

After that, two full days working on Argus. I keep thinking it's complete, but the final stages, these little corrections take forever. I've updated the program again, removing the unused second 'music' track option. It would be troublesome to remove in future, and it's better all round to have the 'Screenshots' path on the main film window. One downside to this change is that it invalidates all of the screenshots I've taken.

After that, I added the manual section for the sequencer and updated other parts. At 11,839 words it can be called complete. I'd like to add more, a Menu Reference, some Tutorials perhaps, but that would take a lot more work, and doing this for SFXEngine was time wasted. If Argus proves to be popular, I'll add those things, perhaps after the 50th sale.

Deb and I went to the Crewe Cultural Forum meeting yesterday, which was surprisingly pleasant for a meeting. I (and we) have had my/our most social year since 2019. My plan for 'The Mark Sheeky Show' is feeling redundant, because we now have three regular open mic places to perform at, and a relatively busy calendar.

Today I've rehearsed more of Desperate Joy, and changed the words a little again. These word changes have really made it hard to perform. Here are the final words:

On the fringe of the ultimate high
You'll find her riding
Tracing the sky
On speed
She'll be flashing her glittering eyes
Selling feelings
For a packet of sympathy

And she doesn't care a thing for the world
Except for it all
Except for it all
It's the way
When your veins are on fire

She will grasp
She will catch
But not know why
Watch out for her charms, they're a ploy
They're a cry
of desperate joy

She will love
She will love
She will crumble and cry
Watch out for her tears, or you'll die
of joy
desperate joy

She will waltz with the flowers, their acid aroma
Romancing them all
Romancing them all
Like a queen
like a superstar laser beam

She will grasp
She will catch
But not know why
Watch out for her charms, they're a ploy
They're a cry
of desperate joy

She will love
She will kill
She will crumble and cry
Watch out for her tears, or you'll die
of joy
desperate joy


Today I even changed the music. The first chorus ends in C-minor, rather than Major. This hugely improves it. It doesn't sound like Dylan, but more Gothic, like Depeche Mode or Lou Reed or Nick Cave.

Desperate Joy

I've been wresting for days with Desperate Joy, a new song written for the Bob Dylan night on Wednesday. It was inspired by the life of Edie Sedgwick, and thoughts of Paul America too.

The words were initially:

On the fringe of the ultimate high
You'll find her riding
Tracing the sky
On speed
In the flash of the eyes
of the newspaper's sighs
Wheeling and dealing in deeds

And she doesn't care a thing
for the world, except
for it all, it's the way
When your veins are on fire
With that superstar desire

She'll grasp you
She'll catch you
But not know why
Watch out for her charms
They're a ploy
They're a cry
of desperate joy

She'll love you
She'll kill you
Crumble and cry
Watch out for her words
or you'll die
of hope
of her desperate joy

She will waltz among the flowers
and their acid scent
romancing the bees with a sigh.
Attracting the air
with her glittery hair
everywhere.

She'll grasp you
She'll catch you
But not know why
Watch out for her charms
They're a ploy
They're a cry
of desperate joy

She'll love you
She'll kill you
Crumble and cry
Watch out for her words
or you'll die
of hope
of an overdose
of desperate joy.


I struggled with fitting the music. Firstly (not exactly related to composition!) my voice seems to be constantly tired for some reason. The only bit of the music which I found useful was using the same note for the 'And she doesn't care a thing' verselet. The rest was mostly in A-minor, and it felt a little boring to keep it that way. It needed more of a lift for the chorus, and the pitch needed to be raised a bit. The general feeling reminded me, and still reminds me, of 'Where Do You Go To My Lovely'; which is a nice enough song, but not remotely rock-and-roll, much more of a melancholic French ballad. Perhaps the song and its feelings imposes itself upon this format. Perhaps this songs needs to be a melancholic French ballad.

The first verse then moved into A-minor and E-minor, centered on A and G, moving to ABC and A-minor on the chorus. Today, though, I changed things, centering everything on C instead. I re-wrote the words to fit the music better, as follows:

On the fringe of the ultimate high
You'll find her riding
Tracing the sky
On speed
With a flash of her glittering eyes
Selling feelings
For a packet of sympathy

But she doesn't care a thing for the world
Except for it all
Except for it all
It's the way
When your veins are on fire

She will grasp
She will catch
But not know why
Watch out for her charms, they're a ploy
They're a cry
of desperate joy

She will love
She will kill
She will crumble and cry
Watch out for her tears, or you'll die
of an overdose
of joy

She will waltz with the flowers, their acid aroma
Romancing them all
Romancing them all
Like a queen
like a superstar laser beam

She will grasp
She will catch
But not know why
Watch out for her charms, they're a ploy
They're a cry
of desperate joy

She will love
She will kill
She will crumble and cry
Watch out for her tears, or you'll die
of an overdose
of joy


I decided to make the chorus C-minor, giving it that lift. The tempo remains odd, the run of notes seem to double for the chorus, so the tempo has to slow down to match. The chords follow a descending cycle here: C-min, G-Maj, Bb-Maj, F-Maj, F-min, G-Maj, C-Maj. The chords seem to track the words well; with the F-minor shift happening on 'die' and 'ploy', and the joy at the end rising into C-Major in an almost Catholic way.

I'm still not very pleased with it generally, but I can't say why. The words are poetic enough, and the music tracks them and the mood. However I feel, I'll complete this and keep working, ready for a premiere on Wednesday.

Argus v1.34

Woke late, then another long work day improving Argus. One thing I wanted to do was improve the wide-screen support, so I divided up the skins into two, and made the sequencer automatically stretch to match the screen width, up to a maximum on 1280 pixels wide (double the current maximum). This wasn't difficult. I also created a new layout if the screen is wide enough:

Then, a trip to town with Deb, to show her my mural for the first time. I met David Jewkes there, his is nearly complete.

After that, more work fixing little things in Argus, updates to the settings and documenting the Config.txt options (have just realised that it's not called Options.txt as in all of my other programs!)

I had hoped to write and play and practice the new song for the Dylan night, but I'm unhappy with it and seem to lack energy to run at it. The words seem uninspiring to me somehow, perhaps because they are an imagined portrait, or perhaps because the poetry is difficult to fit into a song somehow. I'm also dangerously short of time. I must work on this tomorrow.

Argus v1.33

A big update to Argus today. the live-record options didn't work correctly, and were over complicated.

The principle is simple and was part of the initial idea of Argus; to make a 3D system like a game, where you can move objects around like game characters, but record the whole scene like a video, making animation as fast as possible. To get it working before you had to pick an object, hit record, hit another key to make the cursor appear, hit play, then life click and drag to animate your object. I've simplified it a number of steps today, and added more. Now you can do that, but also click when the film is paused to place an object, and the appearance of the cursor and recording are linked.

The record feature was part of the initial idea, but I've never used it, which is why it wasn't streamlined. It's there, but in practice, I find I'm using modulators to move everything. I also fixed and tidied up lots of other things, such as fixing Alt-Tab, which never worked - that doesn't matter when I'm using it because I neve Alt-Tab, but for a commercial or professional piece of work, this sort of thing is important.

So, three full days of work on Argus. One problem with it all is that my monitor is 3:4 in a world where over 90% of screens are 16:9. This means the layout itself isn't quite right. This is the reason I don't like MuseScore 4, that's optimised for 16:9 screens so won't neatly work or fit on my screen. I need to get Argus working neatly on both types of screen. This isn't easy because Windows and/or my graphics driver, due to bad design, don't like changing screen modes. You might think it's easy, but just trying to make it switch and remember a setting doesn't work properly.

Sigh.

Anyway. I must set this aside and charge into music. I've written my words for a new song for Wednesday's Dylan night, but need to write and practice the music. I hope to collaborate on a live performance on Cat Covid too in time for the next Red Cow night.

Argus Manual

A full day's work on the Argus Manual, which is now at 10,517 words, though I'm getting exasperated at the slowness of the process, and at new-found bugs in the real-time placement of objects.

One of the key ideas in Argus was real-time recording of the movements and positions of 3D objects, but this far too complicated and exacting. I need to reprogram and fix things tomorrow.

I could call the manual finished. For a free, massively specialist, and (I fear!) destined to be unpopular, tool it doesn't have to be the world's best manual... but I find cutting corners so very difficult. I'll try to move to finish it.

Tuesdays On Wednesday, Bull Dream, Argus Manual

A lovely night all round yesterday. Everyone performed well and the atmosphere in the room was full of warmth and pleasure. There were plenty of performances with gusto, and several which were touching. As soon as June Holland sings though, she does somehow blast the rest of the line-up out of the metaphorical water. Quite stunning. I wish Andy Stubbs could be there. Deb performed Clown Face and Dead Hand brilliantly and I was happy with my performances too, a step better than before.

It was a late night and I woke later after a disturbed night of sweats and a nightmare about a loose bull in a street. I was in some sort of library, in a futuristic town of cobbled streets. The new building had a leaky roof, and was empty, I was somehow early, before it became busy. I can't recall seeing other people I knew in the dream.

I launched a new Flatspace IIk Music Bundle today, and spent most of the afternoon and evening working on the Argus Manual. I have plans but feel uncertain and a little directionless... perhaps too many options.

I'm a little unsure of The Mark Sheeky Show, as an idea of surrealistic arty shorts. Should I call it something else? Once I use my name I can't rebrand later. I had a second idea of an indie music showcase instead, like a micro version of The Tube. Or should that be 'as well', instead of 'instead'. Options options!

I wrote 4000 to 6000 words on the manual. It's a lot harder work than expected, perhaps I should set a time budget, as do not expect success from it, based on recent software forays. I'm charging at many things, not to swim ahead but to avoid drowning.

More Argus tomorrow. I must move onwards quickly and efficiently.

Steps, AI Music

Every achievement is a step to be crushed while moving on to a better one.

Slow going today. Sent out a few emails about 'Cat Covid!', and read about the rise of AI music which will probably swamp all non-AI music within a decade; a huge transformation. This affects all arts, and all creativity, almost everything I do. What is the answer? Running to smaller and smaller areas where AI cannot penetrate. AI may oil paint one day, although this is one of the most complex of skills, oil is so very delicate and sensitive. AI can't interact with real people in daily situations - but then nor can I.

The effects on music will be considerable, and have dampened my optimism for music promotion today, but made me rethink about art for the better. Art must be, at all times, human.

Argus Graphics, 5 Year Ramble

The day has flown. I've worked for a few hours on draft graphics for the Argus release. With everything I feel I'm rushed to an uncomfortable limit, perhaps this is normal now.

I need a manual for it, and a basic video trailer. Given the recent Steam releases, I'm pessimistic about it as a commercial product, but I still find it amazingly useful, and perhaps others will too. Of course, I find SFXEngine invaluable too.

The prime minister today warns us of great and threatening changes over the next 5 years (despite, incidentally, his party's calamitous mismanagement of the past 5 years, not least an economy contracted by 15% due to an uncontrolled and foolish Brexit; which, also incidentally, the equally bad Labour Party is happy to never mention, presumably due to the shame of being complicit). The world certainly feels like it's in a state of great change; due to the rise of AI, the rise of 'far-right' (individualistic vs. social forces) due to uncontrolled immigration and the lack of media controls for internet media (learning no lessons from the same lack of controls over the news media 100 years ago), and climate change.

Of course, life will go on after those 5 years. I remain constantly anxious about the future, though also excited and optimistic for unknown reasons. Perhaps I've become naturally optimistic after a life of pessimism. Perhaps it's a case of nothing left to lose, a triumph of stoicism, the end of a satisfying decade or two lived to the best of my ability. But I have so much I want to do, so much I can do for the world. Oh for a few more resources! A morsal of stability would transform me. This year, the next 5 years, will be a great struggle. It will not stop me working on art every day, creating every wonder I can to the best of my ability. The spectre of death is, as ever, my motivation.

This week, more work on the 'Cat Covid!' release. This morning I created a Flatspace edit of the song.

Onwards we charge.

Rehearsals

Slower day. I completed the preparations for the sheet music release, and assembled the Spotify Canvases. I dislike Spotify. They don't pay artists enough, seeing them as a free source of money rather than partners; an understandable view given the quantity of artists, but I can't see myself always listing must there. The same goes for my distributor Distrokid, who has close ties with Spotify. When I listed music with Emubands, my royalties were considerably higher, with considerably fewer plays. I have over 30 published albums, so any decision here will be important and strategic, something for the long term.

Much of today was spent rehearsing for the 'Tuesdays on Wednesday' performance this Wednesday. I had thought ab out performing a somewhat off-piste version of Incomplete Version, but I'll perform 'Cat Parasites' instead, plus 'Excessive Consumption Has Laxative effects'.

Slower the day may have been but I've still worked for all of it.

More Music Admin, Chaplin, Hopes and Beams

More time consuming album admin today. Scheduled the album for release, registered the technical music details for the album and single with the 4 major authorities, uploaded and queued the 13 lyric-reading videos, and prepared the Bandcamp release. I still have edits and tracks to create for the Flatspace pack, assemble the Spotify Canvases, and create any music videos. It can feel like a never-ending task but I've done this all day every day for a mere two weeks, which is the complete maximum I could manage.

I briefly watched a Rick Beato video about how he makes his YouTube programmes. He has a substantial team, from help with camera operation, to sound clips, to editing, to branding and stills graphics, and more. It's amazing that I do almost the same amount of work alone - apart from, that is, running a regular television programme! Is it valid to call a YouTube video a television programme? I think so.

I watched a bit of Charlie Chaplin's The Circus. I've never seen a Chaplin film before (well, apart from the occasional short). It made me think that silent films were a huge, global cultural phenomenon, unique in style, that vanished as quickly as it appeared. I wonder if TikTok videos and Memes are similar, and that they will be as ignored by archivists as most of those, now lost, silent films.

Deb and I had a lovely night at a new Open Mic event last night at the wonderful Hopes & Beams centre in Crewe. This one was focused on spoken word rather than music, of poetry and short stories, and two extracts from plays were performed too. These are every month. If we attended there, and the two-weekly events in Nantwich, those social occasions may negate the need for The Mark Sheeky Show... but of course all have slightly different circles. I must be careful not to overstretch myself.

Two performances are coming; a paid version of 'Tuesdays' next Wednesday, for which I must rehearse well, and the Bob Dylan themed night the following Wednesday, which needs new material. I've completed much of the work on this album now, so can give some time to those.

A Drive Through Lyric Reading Subtitles

Another full day of work on the A Drive Through The Town media.

Today, I subtitled and edited the lyric reading videos. This involved cropping the recordings, then watching and noting the frame numbers of each spoken line. Then creating images (and mask images, the subtitles have alpha-outlines) for each lyric line, then saving those out. There are 8 to 20 of subtitle images per video. After that, I use an AviSynth script to overlay the subtitles onto the video and voila.

The results this time are my best to date, in video quality, audio quality, and performance. I wonder at times if this is worth it, this unusual medium, but the work isn't huge, and doing anything nobody else does has great value. This is a good philosophy for art.

I've nearly completed all of the same work as I did on We Robot (though for that, I also spent a week making full-screen animated videos for every track). The music for We Robot was completed on 19th July 2023, with mastering complete on 5th August for a release of 27th October. Almost all of August and much of September was spent creating these materials, including a video for the 'AI And Celebrity' single.

If I were a famous pop/rock star, of around now or of the past 20 years, I'd write (or not write, merely perform) 10 to 15 songs and spend a year performing them all over the place, and then probably spend the next 20 years performing them too, and consider all of that a just and satisfying life. I'm already bored with these songs, brilliant though I think they are, I know I can do better. As an artist, I need to make more, do more. I have much more potential to fill, and time is short.

Onwards.

The DNA Of Food

We eat plants and animals.

I postulate the strange idea that the DNA of the food we eat is, to some extent, incorporated into our own DNA. If we eat carrots, we transform a little bit into a carrot. If we eat beef, we transform, a little bit, into a cow.

If so, we can quantify how processed food is by the freshness of the DNA of the plants and animals within it. Food without DNA (synthetic sugars, artificial colours etc.) can be seen as 100% processed, with food being fresher and more healthy the more complete and undamaged its DNA; the DNA of the source organism.

If true, then the healthiest food option, and the healthiest way to prepare food, is based on that which damages its DNA least.

A Drive Through Spotify Canvases

A full day creating the 14 'Spotify Canvases' for A Drive Through The Town. It took all morning to do 4, then the remaining 10 took less time, re-learning the ropes as I went. These were my first to use 25 rather than 30 frames per second. I prefer 25 as a rate (it looks more 'cinematic' and uses less memory), but 30 (240 frames) divides nicely into 8 seconds. I decided to use 192 frames, which has even more divisors.

Here are some stills, from Style Guru, Autumn Tale, Cat Covid:

Many used the fog and tunnel effects which worked so effectively on We Robot, but a few have new ideas. American Lawyer use a scrolling vast plane of video frames, from the old Dragnet episode I used for the audio.

All are drafts, but will do at a pinch, and the graphics are high enough resolution to make full screen videos from (well, this is debatable, the Dragnet film itself is only 320 pixels wide, but it scales up beautifully).

So far this month, I've recorded (but not yet edited) the 13 lyric videos, made and listed the Cat Covid single, and now these 14 animations. I may finish these 'basics' with enough time to list Argus on Steam, start the Mark Sheeky Show, and write and record a new song for a B-Side.

More Album Art, New Profiles, Shed Floor

I awoke late, feeling really tired, exhausted by the endless anxiety of existence and a night which was not satisfying. I have made good progress on my album work. I must remember to make every aspect a work of art, everything expressive, everything my best.

I started by finishing, or doing more work on, the album CD artwork. I now have drafts of 8 pages, including inner tray and rear tray CD artwork. Here's the direct homage to A Walk In The Countryside:

Then I worked on the new artist and social media images.

In the afternoon, things became physical. The shed floor was rotten, and my mother has been clearing out the rotten wood and digging the soil beneath away, to stop the wetness there rotting a new floor. This was completed by about 1pm, so I measured the space and sawed two 18mm plywood pieces for the floor. There are about 20Kg each, so all difficult to move. Once cut, they were painted with some semblance of wood preserver, a few drops from a rusty old tin. If it were down to me, I'd seal them with solvent based yacht varnish, though this would amount to several days, maybe 2 weeks of painting and drying. Perhaps that's overkill.

While the wood dried in the spring sun, I listed the new Cat Covid! single, which is set for a June 7th release. I'll promote that in earnest soon. I've also edited the audio from yesterday's videos, and prepared the single page captions, and experimented a little with possible Spotify Canvases. These details are all time consuming. So much of my life seems to be frustratingly taken up by them; is this art? I feel I would achieve far more doing something else, painting, anything. I can do so much in one day.

Nigel sent me a message to confirm that Deb and I are included in the next open mic, a special event for next Wednesday. This was nice to receive, I would have been sad to be excluded from the line-up. I must work out what to perform.

This evening the new floor was laid.

On the music, nothing is essential but the music. I must remind myself of this. Everything else must be a high quality artistic expression. Everything must be my best, my best, and yet, everything is a compromise of sorts. Time and resources are limited and I want to do so much. I want to live forever, for at least another 70 years. I want more resources, more help, more energy.

I could do with a music video to Cat Covid, and Spotify Canvases for everything.

I'm certainly improving musically, and gaining more followers, plays, attention with each release and month. Many of the older albums need re-making, as I've always intended. I must aim to make good new work too. I'll release at least one more single, Excessive Consumption has Laxative Effects, and will include a B-side. I love B-sides, an excuse to be experimental, a bonus. I remain as excited as every by the idea of making something new.

Portrait Photography, Cat Covid Cover

Some profile picture photography today, finishing a few I took on Saturday. I thought this one was fun, but I don't know if I'll use it.

I want a few optional pictures this time, with separate images for 'artist' and 'social self'. It doesn't hugely matter which. I rather liked this first 'magician' one.

But I think this one of fun, surrealistic energy one might be the one I choose. I'll show lots to Deb and ask her what she thinks.

I spent most of yesterday working on the Cat Covid! single cover (I want to include the exclamation mark in the title - I hope this is permitted). This toy cat is perfect, and I always had spikey letters like this in mind (I drew them in vector format).

The lightning was made with Genetica 3.0, as used on Cycles & Shadows. The cover, in the end, looks like Def Leppard's Hysteria, with a cat, and a slightly anxious or scrappy cat - perfect in a way!

More work today.

Argus Update, Album Work

An update to Argus yesterday, preparing it for a Steam release. The Steam artwork, video, and manual are the main components remaining, each will take about a day; no the manual will take longer, it could take a day just to proof. I feel lacklustre about this. After a year with lots of programming and poor results I'm tired of it. I feel ready to forsake programming and become an artist again, in music and paint. I'm setting Argus aside, but may tinker with the remaining jobs every so often.

My to do list includes: New profile photos for the album; creating the Cat Covid single artwork; creating animated Spotify Canvases for the 14 tracks on the album; creating 14 full screen animated videos for the album; creating a Cat Covid music video, and some short versions in different formats; refilming and editing the 14 lyric reading videos; putting together a new Flatspace music pack for the album, which involves making new edits of selected tracks.

This work can easily take all month, but I must make haste if this album is ever to be released. I will release Excessive Consumption as a single too, and record a new B-Side for it. The work for that can wait.

...and there is the Mark Sheeky Show to launch.

Filming Battles, Mains Hum

Sigh! A day of battles and despair.

Last night I had some great painting ideas. I wanted to set aside my music concerns and plans for the moment, give it all up and charge into painting. I romanced that fantasy, that ache for escape into the loving arms of oil painting. When I paint, I know I was born to do so, yet I've neglected it for months. My dream fell away to reality. With a sigh, but with determination, I thought I would quickly film the lyric-reading videos for the new album, and take some new photographs. I need a new look for the album, just as the bowler hat and glasses were the We Robot look, I need a new one now. I need a new image for the Cat Covid single - for that is the single I've decided upon.

I decided to change my filming system to make things easier, by using the on-board audio rather than recording externally from the Zoom recorder. The reason is two-fold; that the Zoom audio is always out of sync and I have to time stretch it by 99.96% for some reason. I never worked out why. The problem existed on my old Canon camera too, and at different frame rates. I can't understand how time itself can be a different length on the camera and the Zoom. Secondly, synching audio and video was a time consuming chore too.

This is the reason I've recently started to get mic cables for on-camera audio. The old camera didn't have that option, so I thought it was worth a try. The way to improve is to try, try fearlessly. As I make progress it seems I need to work 100% harder to make 1% progress, and today is such a day.

The filming was improved by my performance of the words, so that part was better, but the audio quality was poor on two fronts. There was a persistent buzz/hum, and it was too loud due to my manual level settings which I could not monitor while performing. The latter was corrected relatively easily.

The old recordings, with the Zoom, hummed too. I suspected mains/interference hum. I did some tests and this confirmed that there is no hum when using batteries. There is less hum when using the Rode mic than the new Saramonic mic. Now, I could just use batteries, but this but negates the advantage (and entire purpose!) of having a mains adapter at all, and batteries don't last long when filming (and take 4 hours to charge). If I am to start a new regular video show, I really could do with a reliable studio, so I've located a 'mains conditioner' for £40, which is designed to stop this sort of hum. It might not work. I've spent lots on mics and cables, and to little avail but the sad experience of things not working correctly, but I have to try. I must aim to make each set of videos and better. I must improve, a little, in all things.

Hours spent, money spent, all to so far achieve little. Do I always pick the hardest path? Well, yes, usually. I prefer to do what is difficult; what is difficult is good, but it's not always the best way. I may become a world expert in something which becomes obsolete or irrelevant - but by the same token I may discover things that nobody else has, I may be able to do things that nobody else can. This is certainly true now, even if only myself and my close friends know this.

Today's readings were performed well, and from memory. It's a great shame that the audio is worse than that in the We Robot videos. For now, I'll stop this for a week, and await that power conditioner. I may re-film everything.

It's month 5 of the year. I'm full of ideas, am better than ever at painting, music, and every skill I've learned, yet feel I've done nothing and seem to work constantly to produce mere trickles. It's so very frustrating, but I must keep trying, keep working, keep doing more than ever and to the best of my ability.

One monthly goal is to update Argus for a Steam release this month, but this year's experiences tell me that is probably not worth the work this would involve. Still, as it would be free it might garner a few users. I'm starting to dread programming again, after a few, highly unusual, months of game work. Dread is good, because it appears that programming is a futile occupation and an unrewarding waste of time. I faced this situation before and it led to art.

I will grab fate by the throat said Beethoven, and I say so too. Said in frustration, perhaps like him.

Onwards.

Music Pack Work, Single Choices, Show Lyrics

A full day working on the music packs. All tracks were re-rendered from 24-bits. One, Sea Monsters from The Spiral Staircase appears to have been the 2008 version all along.

Most of the work was creating the artwork (Steam stores require a lot), but there were lots of other jobs; creating the pdf booklets for each pack, setting up the store fronts, converting the tracks, testing, compiling, uploading. I need to work out a release plan and schedule.

I'm uncertain about which track or tracks to release as a single from the new album. Six came to mind as good for this. I removed Incomplete Version, and Cat Parasites from that list because they are too long in an era where short matters. Perhaps it always did. Long singles always make record companies nervous, from Hey Jude to Bohemian Rhapsody. Would the latter be a hit now, if Queen were exactly as popular/obscure now as when it was released? No, because now people stream music. When a song is played on the radio, the presenter plays almost all of it, but the vast majority of streamed songs are fragments.

I digress. My options leave four that I think are the best for length, for the 'typicality'of the album, and for instant appeal: I’m In Love With My Car, Excessive Consumption Has Laxative Effects, Style Guru Fashion Queen, and Cat Covid.

Which to choose? This can be hard. Simon Ladley once said, upon hearing Kimono My House, that 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us' stands out as the best track, as only good song! For me that's not true at all, I think many songs there are equally as good, and that his thoughts were only due to knowing that song so well; a prior experience bias.

What criteria should I use? Am I aiming to please and instantly catch new listeners or show off my best or my most eclectic? All have merits, pros and cons. Maybe I should (will?) release each one as a single anyway at some point.

I just remembered that another thing I did today was record the vocals for the Mark Sheeky Show theme. I made up some words there and then:

It's The Mark Sheeky Show
It's The Mark Sheeky Show
It's lots of fun for everyone
It's The Mark Sheeky Show

Not Shakespeare, but the mood is joyous. The whole thing sounds like an advertising jingle, which is perfect. Every short song should sound like an advertising jingle. I like adverts. I think it's bizarre that Twitter wants me to pay to see the inane comments of strangers and switch off the safe and imaginative advertising! They should offer a version where you only see ads and your own tweets. That would be the ultimate statement of the moment.

Album Filing, Flatspace Music Packs

A slow day, though, as usual, one where I don't stop. Such is life.

I listened to the album carefully last night as a final proof, and all is well, so I started by filing the album today. I'll certainly release a single, and need a plan of how and when. Ideally I need a video, and I have an idea, but need a location and some actors.

Sometimes my dreams seem like pipe dreams, many artist's ideas art, but I tend to plan and finish when I decide it's worth it. Still, I have so many ideas, most do assume the character of a dream. We all dream of escape, that magic moment; 'winning the lottery' or when Godot finally arrives. When will he come?

After filing, I worked on Flatspace and updated it to v1.12, making it better at accepting extra music. The opens up the possibility of adding the original 'music packs' to the game, so I spent the rest of the day until now locating those and checking everything. I file these as albums, so they're well documented, but sometimes only the basic tracks, and one only had the final wavs in 22050hz format. So I spent the evening re-rendering them, re-locating the original song files and doing this sort of thing.

To release them on Steam I need to make the Steam store art, but also, ideally, make a booklet about them (I bet nobody reads, had read, or bothers with it, but I like to do it, it's a sign of quality). I appreciate the work that the Japanese author of the Sekaiju MIDI editor has put in to his documentation.

No sales so far this month and the overwhelming anxiety of money is ever-present. I feel as obscure and ignored as ever, worthless. At times I wonder if I'm as bad an artist as Chris Godber, the depressive whose claim to polymathy is to lack every skill equally, but I'm still full of ideas and recognising that I have many skills, several as good as ever, and that the fluctuation of abilities and achievements is ever churning. At least, even when exhausted, I'm never tainted with depression or a lack of drive. I love life at every moment.

The role of every artist is to keep working. I have no guide to what is welcome, but we never have. We are free, yet it's odd that I still feel the urge to please, to become popular. Please who, I wonder? I wonder if this self-urge is harmful to my art? The only thing an artist can do is express his or her being.

I thought last night about new music. This album was intended as one of snappy pop songs; not themed or particularly avant-garde, or emotional, but I'm starting want to do something more emotional. I'd like to re-record The Dusty Mirror this year, then release something different. And paint, of course, though incentives there are low at the moment.

I perhaps need some videos or Spotify Canvases for the new album, and to record the lyric-reading videos. I can't do much more without a release date and plan. I can't wait long; with each day and week, the album becomes a little more stale - but not very. If I'm a good artist, it will be timeless.

I shared 'Cat Covid' with Mike Drew and he was very complimentary about it, which was nice.

I'm a little directionless. The horridness of programming. The horridness of games. The horridness of anxiety. I will, however, work stoicly tomorrow on the music packs; these will take a full day. In that day I will do more than those on holiday. More than the retired, the ill, the sleeping, those with steady jobs, more than monks.

Onwards we move with joy and love.

Open Mic, Andy Warhol, Backups

A good night at the Open Mic last night. I was unhappy with my performance, which was more difficult in reality than in my rehearsals. One problem with the keytar-like playing is that it's hard to know where ones hands are on the keyboard, as its position shifts. On a real piano, you have a clue where the keys are. Even in the dark, you can get used to, on some level, the position of each note, if you place the chair in the same place each time. That's difficult enough with your eyes closed, but it's easier to work out or target the notes relative to your current position.

With this instrument, that's much more different, or impossible, as the keyboard itself shifts. The keys are mini keys, making more accuracy necessary. You tend to have one hand rather than two to play (making hand-relative judgements impossible), and the keys can be hard to see, as it can be flat to the audience. It's probably impossible to train oneself to play things correctly in this way; looking at the keys is necessary, but that's difficult if a mic stand is in the way. I'm going to experiment with tactile stickers on the keys and markers on the edge (like the fret markers on a guitar arm's edge), to see if this helps. I need at least a guide so that I can feel where the keyboard is.

My playing was basic for Style Guru and innacurate for 'Norman Bates' due to these issues, but I was pleased with my singing which was on par for both songs, though Norman doesn't suit my range.

The night was about 75% of Nigel and Virginia's music, and their respective progeny; they all had 3 songs each, the rest only 2. I had hoped that these open mics might be social occasions, or some sort of help (if not a doorway) to performing locally. This doesn't seem to be the case, though it has only been a few months. How impatient I am! These open mics are very useful as performance training, and to stay in touch with the friends we knew before attending there.

I've been watching a documentary about Andy Warhol. I didn't know much about him, but I never rated is work because I assumed that it was made by assistants and without skill. I was wrong on many levels, and was/am amazed to discover that, perhaps of all artists I've read about or encountered, I seem to be most like Andy Warhol in character and outlook. We both had brief 'normal jobs' (very brief, in my case) that left us dissatisfied with life, then pursued a life of art for its personal merits. We're both naturally shy yet need to promote, act, perform, and interact to pursue this art. We're both supremely eclectic and eternally experimental. I felt more comfortable not speaking to anyone last night, knowing that Andy wouldn't have either. For a man famous for 'advertising', he wasn't forthright - something else that I misjudged.

Today, I awoke somewhat ill; thirsty, throat-sore. I was certainly exposed to many viruses last night, but perhaps my early intervention will help my recovery. Today has been a day of monthly backups and admin on the album. 'An Autumn Tale' had audio problems due to the pure sine waves (these can absolutely never be compressed or cropped or boosted beyond clipping). A new mic has arrived for the camera (another thing, there was also an Andy Warhol Show which was remarkably like my premise for my new show).

I've done more album artwork today, and added a photo of myself from last night to the art. That look, suit and black tie with a red silk shirt, will define the look of this album.

Onwards we march.