102 Beats That
Freaky Trigger – remarkably – is three in March. I’d like to do something to commemmorate that, and here’s what I’ve come up with.
What is FT all about? Records, mostly. Not just the records themselves – talking about the records, getting other people to hear them, the experiences we have with and through them. When I write about a record, there’s little more rewarding than finding out that somebody else heard it because of what I’d written. So what we’re going to do is set up a feature where you write about a record and at least one other person is guaranteed to hear it because of you.
Here are the steps.
1. You write 102 words about a record you want other people to hear. We’re going to be fairly exacting about “102 words”, and fairly vague about “about” and “a record”. You can choose anything from a box set to an MP3, and you can use your 102 words in whichever way you think gets over the greatness of the record best.
2. You send those 102 words, in text in an e-mail (no attachments please!) to me at ftrig@netcomuk.co.uk. You can use any pseudonym you want, but please also give me an e-mail address that you don’t mind being published on the web.
3. I print every contribution I get, with the e-mail address of whoever sent it, in part one of the big birthday feature, which will probably go up in the first week of April.
4. I also print a list of contributors, and the record they have to hear for the second part. Every single contributor will be asked to listen to a record that one of the other contributors wrote about.
5. You find that record – emailing the original writer if you want – and listen to it.
6. You write 102 words about it and send them to me.
7. I print the whole thing again with the second comments now added on.
8. (Provisional) I decide to celebrate FT’s 4th birthday with a single self-penned haiku.
Here are some questions you might have about this.
Who can take part?
You can. I don’t care who you are, or whether I know you, or whether you’ve written for Freaky Trigger before, or whether you even think you can write. You don’t have to ask me first either. If you fancy having a go at this, you’re in. I want as wide a variety of people, and records, as I can get!
What if I can’t find the record I’m asked to write about, or I can’t afford to buy it?
This is the most important paragraph on this page. If you send in a piece then somebody will be asked to write another piece about your record. It is ultimately up to you to make sure they can do this – in other words, you might have to send a tape or burned CD to that person, or give them access to an MP3, or whatever. This might mitigate against choosing the Merzbox, even if you can write 102 brilliant words on it. This is also why you have to give me a valid e-mail address. You will also of course have to write a follow-up piece yourself, and this might involve chasing up someone else for their chosen record. Please don’t take part if this all sounds too difficult!
What’s the deadline?
This paragraph is really important too! The deadline for the first 102-word piece is the end of Saturday March 16th, GMT. The deadline for the second 102-word piece will be in June, but will be announced exactly when the first pieces go up.
Why 102 words?
Because it’s 3 times 34. And yes you do have to stick to it – any more and I’ll edit, any less and I reserve the right to add words and make you look like a cockfarmer.
And that’s all. If you have any questions e-mail me (address above). Please tell your friends or readers about this if you think it sounds like a good idea – FT has always survived on word of mouth. I think this will be a pretty spectacular feature if even half the people who’ve said they’re interested take part, and if you do take part then you quite possibly get a great new record out of it. A no-lose situation!
And thanks, as usual, for reading.
Tom.