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If you’ve read my previous interviews with artists and musicians, you may have noticed two common qualities of my questions: 1.) contrary to popular practice, I rarely ask about art or music, and 2.) I prefer “big,” open-ended questions that intend to plumb the depths of the creative soul … (read more)
My sister Sousa is over in Afghanistan, working on behalf of the U.S. Government to bring that country from the 7th Century into the 21st (and I’d guesstimate that they’re well into the late Middle Ages at this point.) She’s told me a little about life inside the perimeter, and it sounds … (read more)
Artist: Barton Carroll
Track: Certain Circles
This track is available on 
Who is Barton Carroll?
A songwriter and plumber from Seattle.
Why do you create?
For the same reason that most people create: to deny death.
I’ve been hounding my band manager friend to take me on tour for years, so far without luck. You’ve been out on the road before: what do you love about it, and what do you hate?
Playing shows is the best and worst part. When it goes well, you are reminded why you do it. When it doesn’t go well, you want to crawl in a hole and quit forever. And it doesn’t really matter how many people are there. I’ve had great fun playing to five people, and I’ve felt like a nuisance to an audience of 1,000 who could care less who the opener is, they just want to hear the headliner play their radio hit. I know it’s my ego talking, and I’ve been trying to get over it ever since I started playing as a teenager. But it can be really bleak out there, man.
you recorded your previous album in 2001, but it wasn’t until 2005 that a record company released it. How did that extended interval between creation and dissemination of your art effect you?
It was a strange sensation to get out in public and try to “sell” a record that [was] half a decade old. It was as if the songs were written by some other person. It was fun to rediscover some of them (and realize that they weren’t all as bad as I had thought.) But it was also really frustrating to have a new album that I was psyched on but couldn’t share.
If music wasn’t an option, what other art form might you use for creative expression, and what would you do with it?
I studied creative writing in college, and I’ve always been interested in the writing of any art form: music, literature, film, etc. I think that’s why I’m such a fan of lyrics, and I tend to enjoy films that are heavier on the dialogue rather than the action.
So I think I would like to write. But I’m not sure what I would “do” with it. Same as music, I guess… try to figure out what my problem is.
If you would like to share your creativity, or you’d like to suggest someone for Required Listening, please send an e-mail to share@yorkrules.com.
I’ve created a page for L.A. Rock Fan (it was previously a series of blog posts.) On my list of personal creative achievements, I rank this right up there with The Anthony Project (though L.A. Rock Fan was more physically draining, less emotionally.) If you haven’t seen this photo portrait series of concertgoers in Los Angeles before, please check it out.
Some of the food & drink recipes here on Cookoo come together with thoughtful care. Others, like Taos Fire, are simple sparks of inspiration. “We’ve got sparkling and lemonade, and we’re sitting in front of the fire in Taos?” That’s one more edible bit of content for the ravenous … (read more)
Artist: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Track: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
This artist is available on
I mentioned previously that I’m cutting back from the usual Ten to Try to a more digestible track at a time format. It hasn’t been easy for me to share less great music, but I’m getting there.
With this post, we’re down to featuring just two artists. By my next non-interview Required Listening, I feel confident that I’ll have reached my goal. Until then, enjoy the latest from Nick Cave and Santogold.
Artist: Santogold
Track: L.E.S. Artistes
This track is available on
“York. Y-o-r-k. Like the city.”
It might be that I’m a mumbler, but I think people typically have trouble with my name because it’s just so unusual.
“Jorg?” the older Latina lady behind the register asked with sweet perplexity.
She needed my name so they could call me to the counter when my burger was ready, but whatever I had said through the clamour of the kitchen just wasn’t listed in her internal database of possible people names.
The closest phonetical match that some folks find in that brief flicker of socially acceptable time between statement and response is Troy. For her, it was Jorge. According to Answers.com, Jorge has 33 variant forms — Egor, Georas, Geordi, Geordie, Georg, Georges, Georgi, George, Georgie, Georgio, Georgios, Georgiy, Georgy, Gheorghe, Giorgi, Giorgio, Giorgios, Giorgius, Goran, Gyorgy, Gyuri, Igor, Jerzy, Jiri, Jorgan, Jorge, Jorgen, Jurgen, Jurek, Jurik, Yorick, Yorik, Yurik and Ygor — so she got about as close as one can get without getting it right.
She had a long line of customers coming, and I knew that whatever she wrote down wouldn’t get me confused with anyone else, so I smiled and affirmed and moved on to await my meal by the self-service soda machine.
Karma in the Eastern religions is similar to the Golden Rule of Christianity. Paraphrased, they both say, “Be good.” I don’t believe in karma as a spiritual force affecting our fates, but it’s the thought that counts when it comes to humanity so I try to maintain my own concept of karma every day.
“Jacg?!” Another Hispanic woman read aloud from the receipt in her hand shortly thereafter, offering up the paper take-out bag for a customer to claim. I stepped up, declined her offer of ketchup, and smiling thank you, headed back home.
I was just out the door when the doubt spoke up.
That’s not yours. Those people who ordered before you were still waiting when you left. Look at the name on the receipt.
Jack. Dammit! But by now my signal said WALK, and I was already crossing the car-swollen intersection.
Should I go back? Why? Jack will complain and get what he ordered. I paid for my food, so it’s not theft (right?), and opening up my lunch will now be like a little Christmas: what did Jack get for me?!
When I opened the door to our apartment, I saw pebbles layering the living room’s wood floor. They radiated out from what I soon confirmed was the impact site of a small potted bunch of bamboo that a friend had recently given us.
Haiku the Little One likes to chew on plants. I had protectively placed the bamboo on top of the behemoth bookcase and out of her reach as soon as we received it, and although she’s a spry and cunning cat, her many daring attempts at the summit were always unsuccessful. Until the time I went out to grab some lunch but instead grabbed someone else’s.
Perhaps karma put her on its shoulder and raiser her up top, or maybe this is the curiosity that I’ve heard kills cats, but if I had known that spiritual retribution might be on my menu, I’d have taken Jack’s sack right back.
When the gas-guzzling…
N.R.A. card-carrying…
red-meat-eating…
folks are too embarrassed to be associated with the current administration, that’s a strong indication that this really is the worst modern American presidency (in case anyone’s still on the fence about that, which apparently they’re not.)
Artist: Automatic Children
Track: Automatic Children
This track is available on
Kati Rudlova was the first visual artist to ask to share her creativity on yorkrules. Automatic Children are now the first musical artists to proactively put their music in front of the yorkrules audience. Adam Lippman, the group’s founding member and — small world! — an old acquaintance of Friend Charlie, also answered a few of my questions about him and his art. … (read more)
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