Andy the Barman - 7.23.2010

I like Andy – in a roguish kind of way – he’s not inherently evil – he just assumes that you can take care of yourself and that you make your own decisions.

[audio:andy-the-barman.mp3| titles= Andy the Barman - July 23, 2010 Development|artists=music2work2 ]

Andy was born In East London in the spring and summer of 1999 – having been thrown out of America for absolutely legitimate reasons - my life plan wasn’t exactly going to plan: there’s nothing like sitting in front of a US customs officer as he tells you that you’re going to jail, you’re going to get fined $50,000 and that you’re going to get aids. 

So I came back to London and became Andy the Barman – lived above the pub – drank fruit flavored alcopops for breakfast and waited for the stars to change.  If you need to be lost – a live-in pub gig is great – there’s a big bar separating you from your friends – they can only watch as you leave.

http://www.thewilmingtonarms.co.uk

Life was particularly strange – but brilliant – I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

I eventually found a rehearsal room - a mile or so away from the pub and on my day off, would set out by bus to “keep my hand in." There was a corner shop between the bus stop and the rehearsal room – I would buy a six pack which I would then sheepishly hide as I paid for my rehearsal room – I'd go up – and immediately slam 3 bottles down.

I then sat at the piano and forgot everything for the next hour or two – it was from one of these sessions that this theme appeared.  

Choosing from the many music players available

Digital Music News contained reports today on the release of the Apple IPod nano in Red as part of the humanitarian effort by Bono to assist women and children in Africa affected by AIDS and other diseases, as well as Sony's announcement of an upcoming "video-enabled Walkman," with no specific release date, but 5 new flash music players in a variety of colors and storage sizes available by the end of the year.

With Microsoft's Zune player's scheduled launch on the market on November 14, it would seem that in the near future, even more so than now, chosing which player to purchase could not only be a mind-boggling task but could consume hours and hours of research and comparison. Are consumers actually going to be able to make a knowledgeable choice, based on performance, dependability, capabilities, and the best buy for the money.......or will it just be based on whether it comes in their favorite color or is related to relief efforts by their favorite artist, or just because one company has spent more money on its marketing campaign of the product?

Competition is good, but when does it all become too much? How many versions of the same or similar product can succeed on the market? Or will consumers just keep buying until they have tried them all?