I'm here for the ramblin' prose as much as the music. My opinion on AI tends to be 'why should I be bothered to read what you couldn't be bothered to write' but it is becoming frustratingly unavoidable. I appreciate that you're keeping clear, hope that you continue to do so. The prevalence of AI nonsense everywhere only makes real human creations more valuable by comparison.
Lastly, sorry if this is sounding like a pep talk, but nothing in nature blooms year round. Resting and regrouping is part of the creative process. ✨️
Thanks Monika! I appreciate a pep talk :) and you’re right about resting and regrouping- sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of that when the productivity mindset is so much a part of our culture. I’ll keep ramblin’ as best I can . Hope all is well and thanks for tuning in :)
It's interesting how the meaning of the lyrics for The Day The Mississippi Died seems to have have evolved or become more clear, maybe were a premonition all along.
Hi Joel, I hope all is well. Don't worry about with being late with posting things on here it’s no rush. Also thank you for talking about AI. I am also concerned about it and its effect on art like music, writing, and etc I have been reading about that topic for months now. Great post though I enjoyed reading through it have a good day. :)
You’re welcome Joel, I’m looking forward to reading more Window Inn posts in the future as I enjoy them very much. I’m hoping there will be a show in Dartmouth or Halifax added to the summer dates I will be there if so. Take care though for now! :)
Joel, Thank you for this. I am also deeply concerned about the consequences of AI generated language for the future of writing, art, and the affairs of humans on the planet in general. I am writing about this now, or at least struggling with writing something about this. If you are interested in talking about this, I would appreciate that very much. I am speaking with a number of artists, writers, songwriters. My email is plee@stu.ca. Send me a note if you are interested in talking about this. The writing machines are writing us to the end of human writing. That's where I am at the moment. Philip Lee, Fredericton, NB
This issue is also what spurred me to write v1 of my first post before other factors interfered with coming back to clean it up: a great discussion with my adult kids about why I think we’re *far* further from generalized AI than most think forming the foundation of what I wrote.
Thanks Phillip. Yes, big repercussions for writing, art, education and the whole shebang as these technologies get more powerful and pervasive. Good you are digging into it. I’m fairly in the dark about much of it other than what I’m reading about it (I’ve never actually used Chat GPT) but nonetheless I sense its impact.
Email correspondence isn’t my strong suit as writing takes me while - but if you have questions for your research/writing you’d like to be in touch about feel free to reach out to my manager, Sheri (addy on contact page on my website) and she could arrange a time for a chat. She tends to know my schedule before I do and keep me on track :)
Look forward to seeing you there, Cassie! Peter Elkas is opening my Ontario shows that week but will definitely keep you in the Rolodex under both your name and “moody openers” ;)!
Thanks for the long note. I appreciate your thoughts. I know it's not always easy.
It was so fine seeing you in person I'm Hamilton in February! I'm looking forward to listening to the Danforth Music Hall performance from 2018. I remember seeing William Burroughs there back when, and I think Laurie Anderson too one time. Take your time recharging. It's a dissetling time in the world right now. You help to keep yourself and your audiences grounded with your music. Thank you for that. 💙
Thanks for this note and for coming to the show in February. That Hamilton gig was great fun - after a long day of flying to Toronto via St John’s I felt like Indiana Jones grabbing his hat just before the door closed.
Burroughs and Anderson at the Danforth! Beam me in next time :)
I'm also very much here for the poetic rambling. But it's no use forcing it if not felt. Inspiration ebbs and flows and I'm happy to hang around watching the tides shift.
Thanks for sharing the bootleg, Joel! I was in the front row at that Danforth show. What a great night! Loved the solo gig this past December too. I felt like we were just hanging in the living room with you, looking at photos, singing and shooting the shit. ❤️
I hear you, it seems the escape from X/Twitter meant that people have flooded Substack with their OPs and essays. In a way, it's a better change from deluge of fragmented tweets, and a return to the ole 'blogging'. It's also where established persona brands/notables are now herding their existing followers, so it does feel like another place for 'Content Competition' and more of the usual race for influence and impact. I do wonder about the demographics behind the authors -- just how comfortable are they with finances, since time to think, research and write is a luxury and privilege.
The golden line that I treasure with what you wrote is this:
"...where I live less in my head and more in my heart, hands and feet."
Amen. May we all have the means and ease, to nurture the soul with The Arts, without tainting it too much with audience capture and distribution metrics.
To more experiencing life on the ground, and in physical social fields!
Thanks for the support + kind mention as ever, and for conversations IRL ;)
Thanks Rina! Very well said. It’s easy to lose sight that it’s a privilege to have the time to make art, write, putter and to overthink things. My gig on tour is often when I feel most embodied, in motion and in the moment - yet when I get off the road with some free time on my hands - I get online more, into my head and start feeling more anxious about the state of the world. Maybe I just need to pretend I’m on tour at home - although not sure putting the family through that experiment would be fair! With “life on the ground” in mind it may be time for a walk- I can’t seem to write my posture on this iPhone ;)
Appreciate your writing and I owe you a postcard. Just gotta work on my penmanship- it’s chicken scratch these days!
I'm here for the ramblin' prose as much as the music. My opinion on AI tends to be 'why should I be bothered to read what you couldn't be bothered to write' but it is becoming frustratingly unavoidable. I appreciate that you're keeping clear, hope that you continue to do so. The prevalence of AI nonsense everywhere only makes real human creations more valuable by comparison.
Lastly, sorry if this is sounding like a pep talk, but nothing in nature blooms year round. Resting and regrouping is part of the creative process. ✨️
Thanks Monika! I appreciate a pep talk :) and you’re right about resting and regrouping- sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of that when the productivity mindset is so much a part of our culture. I’ll keep ramblin’ as best I can . Hope all is well and thanks for tuning in :)
I love your letters. A breath of fresh air. They are extraordinary!
It's interesting how the meaning of the lyrics for The Day The Mississippi Died seems to have have evolved or become more clear, maybe were a premonition all along.
Yes! Beautiful tune - writing around the edges to frame what matters and make its point.
Hi Joel, I hope all is well. Don't worry about with being late with posting things on here it’s no rush. Also thank you for talking about AI. I am also concerned about it and its effect on art like music, writing, and etc I have been reading about that topic for months now. Great post though I enjoyed reading through it have a good day. :)
Thank you, Emma :)
You’re welcome Joel, I’m looking forward to reading more Window Inn posts in the future as I enjoy them very much. I’m hoping there will be a show in Dartmouth or Halifax added to the summer dates I will be there if so. Take care though for now! :)
Joel, Thank you for this. I am also deeply concerned about the consequences of AI generated language for the future of writing, art, and the affairs of humans on the planet in general. I am writing about this now, or at least struggling with writing something about this. If you are interested in talking about this, I would appreciate that very much. I am speaking with a number of artists, writers, songwriters. My email is plee@stu.ca. Send me a note if you are interested in talking about this. The writing machines are writing us to the end of human writing. That's where I am at the moment. Philip Lee, Fredericton, NB
I hope you can each/together make some headway.
While ChatGPT is bullshit, that doesn’t mean it’s not having a profound effect on our world, BS, hallucinations, and all.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10676-024-09775-5
This issue is also what spurred me to write v1 of my first post before other factors interfered with coming back to clean it up: a great discussion with my adult kids about why I think we’re *far* further from generalized AI than most think forming the foundation of what I wrote.
https://open.substack.com/pub/digitalcanary/p/on-minds-imperfection-and-the-role
Thanks Phillip. Yes, big repercussions for writing, art, education and the whole shebang as these technologies get more powerful and pervasive. Good you are digging into it. I’m fairly in the dark about much of it other than what I’m reading about it (I’ve never actually used Chat GPT) but nonetheless I sense its impact.
Email correspondence isn’t my strong suit as writing takes me while - but if you have questions for your research/writing you’d like to be in touch about feel free to reach out to my manager, Sheri (addy on contact page on my website) and she could arrange a time for a chat. She tends to know my schedule before I do and keep me on track :)
Best,
JP
See you in Gravenhurst!
And y'know if you ever need a moody opener 👀 I'm available
Look forward to seeing you there, Cassie! Peter Elkas is opening my Ontario shows that week but will definitely keep you in the Rolodex under both your name and “moody openers” ;)!
Thanks for the long note. I appreciate your thoughts. I know it's not always easy.
It was so fine seeing you in person I'm Hamilton in February! I'm looking forward to listening to the Danforth Music Hall performance from 2018. I remember seeing William Burroughs there back when, and I think Laurie Anderson too one time. Take your time recharging. It's a dissetling time in the world right now. You help to keep yourself and your audiences grounded with your music. Thank you for that. 💙
Thanks for this note and for coming to the show in February. That Hamilton gig was great fun - after a long day of flying to Toronto via St John’s I felt like Indiana Jones grabbing his hat just before the door closed.
Burroughs and Anderson at the Danforth! Beam me in next time :)
I believe "Beholden" could be construed as being a JP song version of this post.
I was there in 2018, and it was a damn good show!
I'm also very much here for the poetic rambling. But it's no use forcing it if not felt. Inspiration ebbs and flows and I'm happy to hang around watching the tides shift.
Thanks for sharing the bootleg, Joel! I was in the front row at that Danforth show. What a great night! Loved the solo gig this past December too. I felt like we were just hanging in the living room with you, looking at photos, singing and shooting the shit. ❤️
This is great, thanks for sharing Joel! Can’t wait to hear the Hermit recording too! 👌
Hey Joel,
I hear you, it seems the escape from X/Twitter meant that people have flooded Substack with their OPs and essays. In a way, it's a better change from deluge of fragmented tweets, and a return to the ole 'blogging'. It's also where established persona brands/notables are now herding their existing followers, so it does feel like another place for 'Content Competition' and more of the usual race for influence and impact. I do wonder about the demographics behind the authors -- just how comfortable are they with finances, since time to think, research and write is a luxury and privilege.
The golden line that I treasure with what you wrote is this:
"...where I live less in my head and more in my heart, hands and feet."
Amen. May we all have the means and ease, to nurture the soul with The Arts, without tainting it too much with audience capture and distribution metrics.
To more experiencing life on the ground, and in physical social fields!
Thanks for the support + kind mention as ever, and for conversations IRL ;)
Rina x
Thanks Rina! Very well said. It’s easy to lose sight that it’s a privilege to have the time to make art, write, putter and to overthink things. My gig on tour is often when I feel most embodied, in motion and in the moment - yet when I get off the road with some free time on my hands - I get online more, into my head and start feeling more anxious about the state of the world. Maybe I just need to pretend I’m on tour at home - although not sure putting the family through that experiment would be fair! With “life on the ground” in mind it may be time for a walk- I can’t seem to write my posture on this iPhone ;)
Appreciate your writing and I owe you a postcard. Just gotta work on my penmanship- it’s chicken scratch these days!
Joel
I love the right ups! Thanks for giving us the latest!