Here are my notes from the talk Neil DeGraide of Dirt Poor Robins and I shared on May 2023 that premiered on my YouTube Channel. You can watch/listen to it below, and view my notes below that.
Prelude to Firebird
The EP will be released on May 31, 2023, and will contain the first (ish) four songs of a 9-song album 'Firebird' - to be released in August 2023.
The album will be a a 2-act story. The full record will be produced with vinyl in mind. Deluxe version will include talking memoir tracks - possibly a 2024 release.
Neil "starved of color" after the black and white ‘Queen of the night; project.
Music presented on YT like he always hoped it would - with interactive art, reminiscent of Queen’s album ‘News of the World’.
Societal Control & the Bargain of Compliance
Bo Bername’s netflix special, Inside - outside world too dangerous; isolated world inside the internet is the real place for men to live.
The bargain of Compliance - 09:00 - afraid to loose something; end up losing yourself more than you lose the thing you are trying to hold on to.
Societal control at a higher level - influencing our storytelling - ex every little issue politicized
Two sides of fragility: 1) be careful of the words you tell people, be encouraging; 2) be bulletproof, be above flatery and the insults.
Neil's goal: help people connect to deeper meaning that helps them not get tossed to and fro by the waves of change. People are exhausted, disconnected, and disenchanted. "This record gives more hope than anything we've ever done"
The Deadhorse universe and historical timeline. Deadhorse anticipated world events to come in 2020.
In a "safety first" culture, we view the world through media; we participate in someone else's hallucination, not seeing the world outside us as it is.
Neil’s writing process
Wrote songs first, then realized that they were part of the DH universe. Kate more involved with song writing in this project.
The story generation happened unconsciously, unpropoganistically. When new ideas come, “things hit you as profound as they come to you.”
Make your art solve internal problems that are frustrating you. Comes out as a story or as a dream
Deadhourse Fulfillment
News of a crashed UFO in Deadhorse. ChatGPT conversation with Buddhist monk and Christian A.I. answering the meaning of life questions.
Death by affirmation and flattery - ex celebrities receiving endless compliments.
Did Neil Watch Star Wars: Andor?
No. He believes that we shape the world with our purchases. Neil is unwilling to invest in Disney because he doesn't like what they are doing.
Overall, Disney is producing Incipid storytelling, like it’s written written by chatgpt.
"I don't go to a sewer because it gives off fresh water once a year."
How we hallucinate reality
The job of an artist: look at a pattern and project it into the future.
How we see reality: hallucinating reality just before the events happen based on our expectations - ex hitting a 100 mph fastball; anticipating the window shattering.
We go through the details of our day, and stories connect us with deeper meaning in a condensed, acceessable way. Good stories remind us and help us become better.
The true role of entertainment in a drug dealing world
Authority needs to convince (not force) people to play voluntarily.
The dark side of entertainment is that is turns into a commodity and can lead to escapism.
The antidote: real connections in community.
Authoritative control uses the implicit side of control - ex the pide piper. It can’t force (power) but it can convince and coerse. The whole world is filled with drug dealing scenarios. People will trek across the desert to get their fix for their addictions.
We encounter psychedlics (in the broad sense) all the time. Hypnotic pace of life. Psychedelics offer insight without the structure to support it. Leads to pride, not connecting it to the world. Political leaders can offer psychedelic experience at speech events
Artists exaggerate the problem to help people recognize problems. Neil exaggerating the problems of psychedelics and authoritative control in Firebird.
How Firebird fits into the Deadhorse Universe
Firebird is nested in second act of DH, between 2077 and 3077.
It’s a rumplestilskin story, falling asleep for a long time to see how the pattern played out.
analog: "things sound better when they are spinning"
Firebird was written in the environment of Daytona. Neil lives in Daytona and the city is having influence on him. Spirit of the 80s is alive in Florida. Synth music fits well. This record fits the area
Make marketting arcs for songs. Treat each song like they are their own character.
A.I. in Art
A.I. is in everything now. It supports the apps we use, like recording and production software. You can’t avoid it. You need to learn how to use it and direct it. Neil uses it in Firebird. There’s some deep faking with AI going on.
Driving cars didn’t replace walking. Drum machines didn't replace drummers. Digital pluggins upped the value of sound gear; gave it a vintage nostalgia.
Using AI makes you amazed and disappointed at same time.
Crazy moment. We can have a presidential candidate that doesn't exist.
Relevant Links
Prelude to Firebird - Listen on Spotify
Dirt Poor Robins YouTube channel @dirtpoorrobins
'Queen of the Night' silent film - watch film for free
Derek's film essays of Queen of the Night
More Neil + Derek conversations
Roundtable discussion on Myth-making with Neil, Derek, Nicholas Kotar, and Richard Rohlin