# The Death March... - Site: Analog Industries - Author: Chris Randall - Date: 2010-10-26 - URL: https://analogindustries.com/2010/10/the-death-march/ [![The Death March...](https://analogindustries.com/images/ext/farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/5066081979_a4e67df651.jpg)](http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisrandall/5066081979/) I had to go to L.A. this weekend; it's no secret I've been working on a project I can't talk about, and that has been sucking up the majority of my time, but that project is pretty much done as of yesterday, with only some minor things left, and I'll be able to talk about it soon. It is simultanously not as cool as you might think and far cooler than you'd think, if such a thing were possible. But this final Death March to the finish would hopefully explain my recent silence. Anyhow, the stretch of Interstate highway between Phoenix and Los Angeles is a radio no-man's-land, unless your taste in radio runs to modern country, Mexican oom-pah-pah, or classic rock, in which case you're well sorted. I long ago reached saturation with classic rock radio as a result of touring; I could easily make it to the end of my life without ever hearing another Pink Floyd or Eagles song and die happy. I can't stomach the other two genres, so I load up the ol' Pod with NPR shows when I make the drive. Car Talk, Wait Wait, This American Life, and whatever episodes of Fresh Air that look interesting will get me all the way to L.A., unless I'm in one of my Silent Moods. You're wondering at this juncture if there's going to be a point to this post, and I'm pleased to inform you that I'm getting there. One of the Fresh Air episodes I had with me was [this one,](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130704771) which is an interview that Terry Gross did with Jon Stewart at the end of last month. There were a couple things that Jon said that I found had dovetailed nicely with points I've been trying to make for some time, either here or in my columns for Computer Music (and specifically the column I just wrote the other day, which will appear in the December issue.) In talking about the routine that is necessary to create the Daily Show ever day, he said that (and I'm paraphrasing from memory here) he felt that, creatively, it was important to have a strict set of creative limits within which to improvise, rather than complete freedom. I can't remember the exact phrase, but that's the general idea. There is also a lengthy riff on developing your voice as an artist, and some other subject matter that is interesting from an artistic standpoint, and easily applicable to music. It is well worth the 45 minutes. Anyhow, we will now return to our regularly scheduled programming. Or something along those lines. ## Comments (10) **unexploded cow** (2010-10-26): Listening to people talk about their creative process in a field other than music is somehow always more inspiring and helpful than listening to interviews with musicians (which, by the way, always kinda suck, unless it's Robert Rich or Philip Glass). The Creative Screenwriting podcast is great, as well as Marc Maron's interviews with comedians on his WTF podcast. **M7C** (2010-10-26): "In July 2009, Time magazine held an online poll asking who America's most trusted newscaster was; Jon Stewart won with 44 percent of the vote." Ironic, sad, true... **shamann** (2010-10-26): Haven't listened to the podcast yet, but I will in a bit. I generally hold that developing your voice as an artist imposes creative limits naturally, that the act of honing in on your strengths is in itself an establishment of needed restrictions. **bongo_x** (2010-10-26): This American Life is the best program of any kind anywhere. So stop looking. My second most-listened-to-while-driving/painting podcast is probably In Our Time from the BBC. Selected Shorts, Jazz Profiles are on the short list. After listening to Fresh Air for so many years, my wife and both realized that Teri Gross is a little odd. Not "bad person" odd, just sometimes seemingly naive and strangely not really seeming to follow everything. bb **Glenn** (2010-10-26): "After listening to Fresh Air for so many years, my wife and both realized that Teri Gross is a little odd. Not "bad person" odd, just sometimes seemingly naive and strangely not really seeming to follow everything." That's because she is a horrible, horrible interviewer. She sounds like a student journalist with a list of questions from which she will not deviate. Very few follow-up questions, and certainly no taking the interview in unexpected, interesting directions. Nosiree, she has her script and she's sticking to it. And then there's her irritating breathy voice. Feels like I'm listening to a Smooth Jazz station every time she opens her mouth. Unfortunately, she often has interesting people on her show. So I'm left swinging between, "hey, this is really interesting!" and "oh god, I can't stand it, turn it off!" This American Life, on the other hand. Well, that's just plain good stuff. No two ways about it. **somethingbig** (2010-10-26): I heard that Jon Stewart interview and noted those same remarks. He also talks about how very structured their staff's day is, which came as a wake up call to me. I need to structure my creative time better. @bongo_x - I have a friend who actively despises Teri Gross for those very reasons, which to me is an odd response to odd behavior. **unexploded cow** (2010-10-26): I like her. **4lefts** (2010-10-26): nice photo chris. i was going to say "holga?", but your flickr had me googling more obscure toy cameras - i'd never heard of yunon before. **Chris Randall** (2010-10-26): Yeah, I found that Yunon at a yard sale. Brand new. I'd never heard of it either. It's not very good, though. I prefer my good pictures to be because I meant them to be good, not accidental. Regarding Teri Gross, my only problem with her is that she doesn't sound anything like she looks, which is typical for NPR's national shows. Most of their hosts have faces made for radio. Her interviews are full of softballs, of course, but I only listen to the ones I want to hear, so that doesn't bug me. -CR **puffer** (2010-10-26): I'll second Marc Maron's WTF podcast as being great listening and generally a good exploration into a creative process (comedy in this case). The 2 part Louis CK episode is fascinating and hilarious. Maron's emergence as, erm, an audio personality was one of the few lasting legacies of Air America even if they completely mismanaged his talent and destroyed a really entertaining morning show before it had a chance to find an audience. The WTF podcast is even better because it's entirely the show Maron wants to do, and while it doesn't provide a quite the same voice for my sputtering rage, you don't feel like Maron is going to slit his wrists by the end of the day. And now it's Ira Glass endorsed: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/blog/2010/10/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast