Everybody's on MySpace

[Charlie]

Trawling through the search, we find some names you might expect:
Aiwa
Dead Combo
K'naan
Ojos de Brujo
Think of One
Seasick Steve

But I was a bit surprised to find:
Mariza
Youssou N'Dour
Salif Keita
Titi Robin
Carla Bruni

And I was glad to find:
LaXula, who has posted four songs from her still-unreleased albums
Holly Beth Vincent, of Holly & the Italians, who recorded a single for Oval back in 1979
Laura Fares and Nuwella, collectively Tense, who have recorded for Oval recently

For reasons I can't explain or justify, I've opened a site myself, and populated it with friends including several of the above-named. I think my notion is that I might lure some unsuspecting new listeners to this site and to the World Service show. But as the number who have visited is pitifully low, compared to the thousands and tens of thousands visiting the sites of many of the above, it's going to take an awfully long time. I might do better going round knocking on people's doors.

I seem to be allowed just one downloaded piece of music (taken from somebody else's MySpace site), and for the moment am pleased to choose Soberbia by LaXula.

There seem to be a lot of DJ Charlies already, so as I couldn't use that name, I've registered in the name of my alter ego, Jack Daw.

www.myspace.com/djjackdaw

[John Leeson]

But I was a bit surprised to find:
Mariza
Youssou N'Dour
Salif Keita
Titi Robin
Carla Bruni

And I was a bit surprised to find that recently that the biggest source of hits on my music website (http://www.to-music.ca) was Aster Aweke's My Space page, linking to a photo of mine I'd taken when she'd played in Toronto last year.

There seems to be a lot to be said for them, for the ability to find new sources of connections. However, from what little time I've spent viewing them, it seems there's a constant need to keep expanding that collection of Friends. Everywhere, somebody's Friends are saying "thanks for the add".

I've hesitated to jump in to there, but it may be worthwhile.

[Gordon Moore]

I haven't got any friends... so sad (he he)

[Dayna]

I haven't either I guess, not like that. Not any I can put pictures of.

I don't have Flash Player so I could only see a little of it & that was it.

[Gordon Moore]

I haven't got any friends... so sad (he he)

So I went and created a site. No pseudonyms for me, just plain old
http://www.myspace.com/gordonfmoore

And now I have a friend called Rob!. Oh, I think he's everyone's friend, I think he's just there to make you feel happy. :(

Whatever you do, do not add me as one of your friends or I shall puke.

The photo is from 10 years ago (or even more) I shall organise a new one.

here you are then:

[Gordon Moore]

Well you could at least have said "Ahhhh" and then been sick!

[Dayna]

Ahh! That is cute! It doesn't make me sick. Where I work at the hospital, everytime a new baby is born they play a Lullaby over the speakers, so where ever you're at, you can know what just happened. It's hard not to have a soft heart when you hear it. I heard it once today.

[Ian A.]

For reasons I can't explain or justify, I've opened a site myself, and populated it with friends including several of the above-named. I think my notion is that I might lure some unsuspecting new listeners to this site and to the World Service show. But as the number who have visited is pitifully low, compared to the thousands and tens of thousands visiting the sites of many of the above, it's going to take an awfully long time. I might do better going round knocking on people's doors.

General wisdom is that you need to be pro-active for the first month or so, add a few hundred, and then the snowball starts rolling. I've done very little activelly sending friend link requests on either mine or the fRoots one in the last six months, but they roll in at the rate of 5 to 10 a day. Only about 15-20% are opportunist spammers, and we deny requests from people musically inappropriate.

I'm not particularly bothered about linking us up to famous names - most of their sites are run by proxy anyway - but I've discovered an extraordinary amount of great music among interesting-looking unknowns from around the world in the past year, possibly more than on the CD deluge which pours into our office. LaXula were one, back last spring. Toubab Krewe and Lisa Knapp who've both ended up on fRoots covermounts were others.

If you've got time on your hands, check through interesting looking names in my or our "friend" pages, we've accumulated loads of good ones. fRoots is the obvious www.myspace.com/frootsmag and my own one is www.myspace.com/vulturama - like Charlie, the world has too many namesakes.

I seem to be allowed just one downloaded piece of music

Ah, that's because you opened a personal page rather than a 'band' one - easy error, I did that for my own at first, had to scrub it and re-start. If you open a music one you get the statutory 4 tracks on the player.

[Charlie]

I'm not particularly bothered about linking us up to famous names - most of their sites are run by proxy anyway - but I've discovered an extraordinary amount of great music among interesting-looking unknowns from around the world in the past year, possibly more than on the CD deluge which pours into our office. LaXula were one, back last spring.

Yes, I can vouch for Ian's comment about the unknowns and have discovered some parallel talents, including Wasi, a Brixton resident who notes that she played on Clapham Common last summer, Maluwa, a North American woman with a deep voice just the way I like 'em, Israeli singer Ma'ayan Castel and Shakti, an Asian New Yorker. I had discovered Bole2harlem by a different route, and recommend them as an Ethiopian outfit which merges music of their homeland with modern rhythms.

Not all the big name sites are run by proxy - I agree that it's hard to imagine Tom Waits and Mercedes Sosa getting up in the morning to check their emails, but David Byrne probably does, and both T-Bone Burnett and Titi Robin sent personal comments back in reply to my messages to them.

www.myspace.com/djjackdaw

[Charlie]

we deny requests from people musically inappropriate.

Only just noticed this comment. So far I've been admirably broad-minded and have not censored anybody, thereby allowing one Ian Anderson to become a friend. I must admit that the music that springs into action upon accessing the Ian's site is very agreeable.

[That Was Jonathan E. Then]

There seem to be a lot of DJ Charlies already, so as I couldn't use that name, I've registered in the name of my alter ego, Jack Daw.

www.myspace.com/djjackdaw

What an amazing coincidence! Jackdaw, sometimes prefixed with DJ, is also the name of one of my alter egos. Unlike Charlie I always run theâ€

[That Was Jonathan E. Then]

I forgot — when I first read Charlie's post, I asked him "Are you serious that Jack Daw is your alter ego?" and outlined my use of the moniker. I then became immediately paranoid that this sounded a bit, err, paranoid as though I felt he was trespassing on my turf. I would like to be absolutely clear that I find this an interesting and amusing coincidence, not a matter of trademark infringement or any of those other silly things. After all, there are several DJ Jonathan E.s around, none of whom I know, but I feel a certain friendly familiarity with them.

Anyway,

yes and I think this could be a question that I could answer in public

So now it's his turn and I'm going to shut up for awhile.

[Charlie]

We pry out the shiny little pieces of music,

In a conversation with radio promo man Gareth Davies about a year ago, I was explaining that I don't like any genre as such - "I don't like all reggae, rock 'n' roll, soul or world music indiscriminately. I just pick out the shiny things, like a jackdaw."

Gareth pounced on my remark. "That's it, you're Jack Daw, that's your name, you should start again and relaunch yourself." So now all the packets he sends are addressed to Jack Daw.

It would be interesting to see what kind of programme would emerge if I started again under that name. I've been thinking of stealing concepts initiated here by Gordon 1, Gordon 2, Des, Ritchie, Tom, Howard and everybody else, a programme of great British female singers, another of left handed guitarists who play it the wrong way round, etc - would you folks be upset if I did?

But first I have to get well. Which, bit by bit, I think is happening.

And meanwhile, you're right Jonathan, I haven't followed up the notion in the Myspace site. And in fact it was confused on two levels, because I didn't have my full name there either, so it didn't come up on a search within Myspace. I've rectified that now. And will think about whether and/or how to folllow up on the Jack Daw idea.

[Gordon Moore]

I've been thinking of stealing concepts initiated here by Gordon 1, Gordon 2, Des, Ritchie, Tom, Howard and everybody else, a programme of great British female singers, another of left handed guitarists who play it the wrong way round, etc - would you folks be upset if I did?

I think I'd be devastated, but would probably force myself to listen to it (hehe)

Gord 2 Don

p.s. don't you dare miss out on twangin' bits of metal... :()

[Gordon Neill]

Jack Daw said:

I've been thinking of stealing concepts initiated here by Gordon 1....

Is that me? Did I have a concept? My mum will be so proud. Steal away old chap. Will I get royalties? Should I keep my day job for the time being?