The Future is Now
OK rabid fan base, it’s time to download. Popular Science’s Future of the Body issue is out, and the songs are now posted on the website. There’s even some cover art you can print out and stick into a CD case if you want to burn and carry around a quaint little “compact disk” for any reason. Or maybe you just want to blow it up to poster size and hang it above your shrine to me, although honestly I think that’s a little creepy. Please tell all your friends, blog readers, podcast listeners, etc.
For those of you who haven’t been following this story very very closely, I will explain. As Contributing Troubadour for the magazine, I was commissioned to write a soundtrack for this issue. Each song is inspired by a particular article. As you might imagine, there is a lot of cyborg business in there, and for that I will not apologize.
Comments
Gordy says
Not to nitpick, but wasn't it the T800 that was all muscular and had the glowing red eye, and the T1000 that was all liquid-metallic?
Still great songs, and I'm pointing everyone I know to them. "Better" might be one of my favorite songs at this point.
JonF says
Awesome job, Jonathan; I especially enjoyed the "Jetsons" reference
JonF says
...wait, wasn't that robot's name Rosie? never mind...
El Chupacabra says
Hey. Way to show that Todd bastard who's the boss. By the way, did the good professor ever get back to you on the song?
JoCo says
Ah yes, both Gordy and JonF have uncovered the secret (even to me) influences that spawned my robot characters. I had forgotten that there is actually already a fictional robot called the T1000 (oops), and I was certainly riffing on Rosie the maid when I thought of poor worn-down Jane. See how we steal when we create? Or technically, see how I steal when I create? Hopefully, someone will sue me. Bring it on counselor!
Senor Chup: no word from the professor yet. Could be a bad email address, or could be he doesn't like jokes about him dying. P.S. Why do you drink the blood of Mexican livestock?
gv says
As the unofficial vice president of the unofficial Caltech chapter of the Jonathan Coulton fan club, I'd like to congratulate you on another job well done. Can you give us an order-of-magnitude estimate on what it would take (in units of free beer) for you to come play here?
El Chupacabra says
Well, because.
I kinda subscribe to that old myth that eating parts of things gives you superpowers related to said things. And I'm trying to learn to samba. Also to grow four legs and chew on flora.
Good work again.
JoCo says
gv: I would say on the order of 10^0 or perhaps the extreme lower end of 10^1, but that might be pushing it. Next time I'm going to be in CA, I'll let you know. I actually might be making a trip out to the west coast sometime this fall on some other unrelated business...
Chemo says
downloaded the ones from pop sci out of curiousity, definetly good, i'm moving them to my Pocket PC (most exclusive place for any of my music), just a question, do you have the lyrics online anywhere?
-Chemo
Austin, TX
Josh says
wow, funny stuff, really good.
Actually I did the illustrations to go along with the mental doping story.
Of course I found your stuff only because I was obssesively checking my own dissemination into the interwebs.
JoCo says
Chemo: thanks, and good point. I will try to get the lyrics up here on this site today.
Josh: nice work! And remember, nobody finds anything except by looking for themselves. Dude.
Patrick Mortensen says
I like the new songs, but when I am old and my brain is blurring and compressing my memories, I will remember "I Feel Fantastic" as a Bare Naked Ladies video where all the performers are replaced by "Spitting Image" puppets of Tom Cruise. There may also be a wacky neighbor.
No disrespect.
JoCo says
Patrick: what a coincidence, that is exactly how I think of it now. And there is ALWAYS a wacky neighbor.
Roy E says
Congrats on the article about your songs in today's (8/21) Boston Globe! How did I (a software nerd and music lover) not know about this stuff before? Just listened to "That Spells DNA" and it's better than I could have imagined it could be. Great stuff ... count me as a new fan!
JoCo says
Hey thanks Roy. I don't know how you could have missed it - maybe because I don't play live and never promote myself, something like that. But now that the Boston Globe is onto me, it's only a matter of time before this thing busts WIDE OPEN.
isaac says
WoAH! "skullcrusher mountain", is my recently new favourite song of all time.
Well done mr coulton.... I thought nothing could've bettered Jafar's "second rate"... but you managed it.
-Isaaaaaaac
Mike O. says
JC your music is both funny & great to listen to but your website has hardly changed.
Will you be posting anymore new song,albums on your website?
-M.P.
Action Ben says
'Better' is just an awesome song. In my head, it plays over the closing credits of the film they'll never make of Warren Ellis's Mek
JonnyBoy says
Wasn't XJ9 a robot in a cartoon show on nickelodeon a while back?