...WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO, JEREMY?

...What are you going to listen to today?

I asked my brother Jeremy, via cellular telephone.

- "The song I'm going to be recording in a little bit. Again and again. And again."

Oh.
I said.
What's the song called?

- "Actress."

I asked:
If it were going to co-exist with a Beatles song, what Beatles song would it most resemble?

He thought briefly.
- "If you took every single Beatles song and put them together, then that's what it sounds like."


Okay.
I said.
You just defined the word 'hubris.' Like Alexander the Great.


This led to a further discussion about hubris and Alexander, and this in turn jarred his memory.

- "Oh yeah, I've also been listening to Machiavelli's 'The Prince.' On tape."

Nice.
I said.
He was not a very nice man.

- "In between, I've been listening to Mule Variations."

Let me get this straight.
I said:
You've been listening to Actress, the song you're getting ready to record. And you've been listening to Machiavelli on cassette. And you've been listening to Tom Waits in between the cracks.

- "Yes."
He said.


Cool.
I said.
I have a conference call in a little bit so I can't let my phone go dead.

- "Alright. But what have you been listening to?"

Thanks for asking, Jeremy.

I said.

 Umm...a lot of Classical. On record. Mozart. Liszt. After I'm done talking to you I'm going to put on System of a Down. I'm kind of in a phase with them right now.

- "I remember when you introduced me to them."
He reminisced.

Yep. I remember that too.
I said.

----

And now, he is going to record a song that sounds like every single Beatles song mashed together. I am looking forward to it. I wonder what it will sound like.