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kottke.org posts about Alanis Morissette

Alanis updates Ironic with modern situations

On The Late Show with James Corden, Alanis Morrissette sung an updated version of her hit song, Ironic. Here are the lyrics:

An old friend sends you a Facebook request
You only find out they’re racist after you accept
There’s free office cake on the first day of your diet
It’s like they announce a new iPhone the day after you buy it
And isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?

It’s like swiping left on your future soulmate
It’s a Snapchat that you wish you had saved
It’s a funny tweet that nobody faves
And who would’ve thought it figures

Get Alanis in the studio (alone), produce it, cut it, release it.


The sounds of Asia

Since recording the walk signal sounds in Hong Kong, I’ve been a bit slack in documenting the sounds as I travel around Asia (because frankly the iPod is one more thing I don’t want to lug around with me all day). Stuff I’ve missed:

  • Bangkok river taxis are manned by two people, the driver and the guy with the whistle. When the boat nears the dock, the whistle guy โ€” who stands at the back of the long boat โ€” sounds a short burst to signal to the driver to cut the engine. Then a few other bursts to help the driver back into the dock in such a way that a gentle reverse keeps the boat close enough to the dock so that passengers can get on and off. A final whistle signals that everyone is on/off and the driver can go. It’s a neat system, if a little ear-piercing if you’re standing near the back of the boat.
  • The cover band at Saigon Saigon, the bar on the 9th floor of the Caravelle Hotel in Saigon. The woman was almost screeching during a rendition of Alanis Morissette’s You Learn. (Re: the bar…the view is awesome, but I thought the bar was really cheesy, which is unfortunate for such a great location.)
  • When trucks back up here, they don’t annoyingly go “beep beep beep” like they do in the US. Instead, they play music; it’s like backing-up ring tones. The first one we heard played Happy Birthday, the rear of a delivery truck belted out It’s a Small World After All, and there was one yesterday afternoon that played some classical tune I couldn’t place.

In lieu of hearing any of those things, check out Quiet American’s field recordings from Vietnam. (via np)