The Differents

Is "shhh" ever acceptable?

I was at a jazz club last night. I was sitting with some new members at the club and they were being wished all the best by one of the volunteers. The band was on stage and they were cooking. Everyone was having a great time...and then it happened. Shhh!
Why does shhh happen? Is it ever appropriate to shhh another adult?
I admit that I took exception to the shhh-er last night and told her to lighten up. In fact, I told her that her experience is no more important than any other persons so don't try to enforce it.
I love jazz but I'm not going to tell someone else to shhh. Your neighbors at a performance are luck of the draw. If you got some noisy ones then so be it. You have choices. You can either move or deal with it. But don't ever shhh other people because it makes you and everyone around you uncomfortable. Nobody wants to be in purgatory like that even for a moment.

Can jazz stand on it's own?

You may or may not know that I am a passionate supporter of jazz - Canadian jazz especially. I host a show on CBC Radio 2 twice a week called Tonic - a show about the jazz family of music. The show cuts a wide swath in the music we play including jazz, blues, funk, R&B, Motown, Hip Hop and remixes just to name a few. I've certainly taken my lumps when it comes to the music we program for the show but it's a discussion I'm willing to have because it's healthy for jazz.

But here's a question that I'd like to hear your opinion on: can jazz stand on it's own?

I LOVE jazz but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. Ke$ha isn't my cup of tea but I tolerate it because my kids crank it up on their iPods every now and then. But even though I'm passionate about pure jazz I'm also very comfortable giving jazz credit for the music it has grown into.

Nothing in life is static. Nothing about any genre of music is black or white. Like every other form of music jazz has evolved. It was never stranded on an isolated island like Galapagos. It was a gift to the world that became so many other gifts.

So for people like Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Joe Sample, Richard Underhill, Brandi Disterheft and Lori Cullen jazz continues to be a challenge for music and musicians to push in all directions. In fact, if I could think of one word to describe jazz I would probably choose "challenge" because that's what jazz has always done - challenged boundaries. Jazz is a dfrnt.

So can jazz stand on it's own? Yes, I believe it can but it doesn't have to. To the purists I say "stay the course" and to the challengers I say "detour as necessary."

In defense of Nickelback.

Nickelback is a phenomena... but for unusual reasons. Rarely has there been a band that has received such incredible success yet so much disdain at the same time. Publications like Rolling Stone and Allmusic seem to revel in taking swipes at Nickelback whenever a new album is released. The band is regularly listed as the "worst band ever" in various polls around the world and joked about by Joe Q. Public when they spontaneously utter the phrase, "Nickelback sucks!" without having a real reason why.

I started thinking about this. Surely, trusted music critics saw something in Nickelback that warranted such hatred. And then I realized that all this criticism of Nickelback is just a form of mob mentality (a.k.a. bullying). Yup, I said it. No critic in their right mind would say that they are a Nickelback fan after so many other critics have gone on record saying the band is crap. That would be career (and reputation) suicide.

A dfrnt perspective

How could a band sell 30 million records worldwide and still be voted "The worst band in the world" by readers of The Word magazine in the U.K.? Clearly there's something happening here that needs some 'splaining. So I decided to shine the "dfrnt light" on Nickelback to give a brand new perspective to the phenomena that they've created.

Full disclosure: I don't personally own any Nickelback albums. They're simply not my cup of tea. My son has a few songs on his iPod though. That's the extent of our Nickelback consumption. I can appreciate what they've accomplished though and I'm not afraid to give them credit for their success.

So how can I defend a band that I'm clearly not a "dyed in the wool" fan of? Simple... I just look at the facts:

• 15 years together
• 6 albums
• 5 platinum albums in Canada and USA
• 4 platinum albums in U.K. and Australia
• 6 countries with #1 albums (Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, U.K. U.S. Norway)
• They are a massively successful touring act
• They are a guaranteed radio staple

Here are some links for you to check the stats yourself:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:w9fixq9kldae~T5

http://bit.ly/cJjFk2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickelback_discography

In fact, take a look at the Billboard Top 100 songs of 2001 and see how many artists are still around. Nickelback is at #23. http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/2001.htm

Why are they so successful?

So why is Nickelback so successful if the critics hate them so much? The answer is simple: they actually like what they do and they're really good at it.

Nickelback created their own success. They know how to write songs that they love, that radio loves and that their fans love. Chad Kroeger knows how to write a hit song. How many songwriters can do that? Not many.

They also weren't afraid to get out there and do the work. In the early days, Chad himself was calling radio stations to talk to music directors about airplay. Not only did he ask... but he got airplay... and he followed up looking for  rotation bumps and chart positions. Musicians don't typically do this kind of thing but Chad had a thick skin and determination. Chalk one up for tenacity.

The perfect storm

Chad Kroeger is an "outlier"; a phenomena that Malcolm Gladwell addresses in his book "Outliers". He explains that an "'Outlier' is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience." In other words, for Wayne Gretzky to become the world's most incredible hockey player a perfect scenario had to be set in place. He needed the perfect parents, perfect community, perfect birth month, perfect opportunities and the perfect amount of support from a wide range of individuals. Bill Gates... same thing. Albert Einstein... same thing. Beatles / Nelson Mandela / Barack Obama... same thing.

Chad grew up in Hanna, Alberta listening to country and hard rock music. If you grew up in a small town, you'd know what that's like. Prior to Nickelback there was no "sound" that captured both country and hard rock... you know, "the sound of your small town". Chad's environment as a youth contributed greatly to what Nickelback would become. Hook laden songs with catchy melodies coupled with crunchy chords and a gravely voice were not the norm. In many ways Nickelback created a new genre of music that no critic has identified. So I'll just go ahead and identify it as "F150 Rock". It's music that you listen to in your truck whether you're a cowboy or a rig pig... and the girls like it too.

Yes, small towns have stories too and Nickelback captures those stories in their songs. Pull up some Nickelback lyrics and you'll see what I mean. These songs resonate with people just like Chad Kroger because in many ways he's singing their story. His brilliance is the way he can consistently tell these small town stories through song.

Resonate and prove it

To be successful (in business or music) you have to provide value that resonates with your customer. Radio has been a huge part of Nickelback's success. Radio was the loudspeaker that took Nickelback's F150 Rock to the people. The first huge hit for Nickelback was "How You Remind Me" back in 2001. Back then it probably appeared that Nickelback was destined to be a one-hit wonder but the world would soon see that this was not the case.

Nickelback was far from a one-hit wonder. They've proven over the years that they know how to write a song that resonates with both radio AND radio listeners. They have a community that includes radio, promoters, record label and fans that will virtually guarantee that their songs will receive attention.

On top of it all... the NEGATIVE press the band gets further boosts the bands brand and presence. I find it ironic that a huge part of Nickelback's success comes from the critics constantly berating the band when in actual fact all they are doing is rehashing the same old ridiculous story. Their rants are actually advertising that there's a new Nickelback album available. 

Are the critics coming up with new angles or reasons why Nickelback is such a terrible band? No. They just put out a poll every now and then that lists Nickelback as one of the choices for "worst band in the world".

Can the critics resonate with people and prove that Nickelback is such a terrible band? Yes, they do resonate with people but they can't prove that Nickelback is a terrible band.

Can the critics sit back and weigh Nickelback against any of the other pop drivel that is currently on the charts and still prove that Nickelback is worse than anyone else? No (proof: see Ke$ha).

Are Nickelback coming up with new songs that resonate with their fans and get played on the radio? Yes. 

Are they selling albums? Yes.

Do they have more real fans than detractors? Yes.

Do the detractors even matter? No.

Critics are like professional wrestlers

Critics are supposed to get your blood boiling. That's why they're called "critics" and not "supporters".

I can't imagine the amount of ink that has been used slamming Nickelback since the 2001 story in Rolling Stone where they wrote "If you're looking for originality, you might want a full refund instead of a Nickelback." Suddenly, critics around the world had all their work done for them. All they had to do was write a negative review of anything Nickelback released from then on despite what their fans thought.

I see it as the equivalent of Nelson on The Simpson's pointing at Bart and laughing "Ha-ha!". Rolling Stone said that Nickelback sucked, then AMG and so on and so on. No critic would want to be on the receiving end of that "Ha-ha!" so they just jumped on the bandwagon instead. Critic sheep explained.

And Nickelback still continues to write songs that matter to their fans. If I were them I might consider taking out a full page ad in the New York Times. Maybe they could license an image of Nelson from The Simpson's pointing at the reader laughing, "Ha-ha!" The caption would simply say, "To all our negative press: Thanks for all the free ink!" Love, Nickelback.

My iPad story

Okay, so it's May 29th and I'm looking out the window at snow here in Calgary. That hurts a bit.

The only good thing about this situation is that yesterday I bought an iPad. It was "iPad day in Canada" and the iPad finally was released to Canadians. I have to admit, I thought about heading down to my local Apple store to line up but then I thought, "It's cold and rainy... is it worth it?"

First coffee... then iPad.

So I stayed at home for a while. I had a nice breakfast and a hot cup of coffee. It got to be around 10 AM and I thought the crowds would be gone from the stores so I called out to my trust dog "Macaroni" to come along for the ride. He was just as enthusiastic about it as I was. So off we headed on our iPad hunt.

I was going to pre-order my iPad online earlier in the month but it just slipped my mind. I know people at two of the three Apple stores in town so I thought it would be nicer to go see one of them in person on launch day instead. If they had an iPad still available then I would but it. If not, then no biggie.

"Line ups everywhere!"

The radio stations were reporting line ups everywhere in town for the iPad. But I found a great parking spot right in front of the store. Hmmm. Was I too late?

But Macaroni, in all his infinite wisdom, threw me a glance that only a dog could give that reinforced my resolve that it was no biggie if I didn't get my iPad that day. So I locked up and meandered my way to the store.

Age before beauty?

When I walked into Westworld Computers, there were only about five customers in the store. Three of them were senior citizens. I thought to myself, "Isn't THAT interesting?" They were all there for iPads. How weird was that? But then I thought to myself, "It makes sense because that's who see the benefits of something so simple."

As I walked up to the counter I looked for the remaining inventory (that were all labeled with large stickers I might add) and noticed that there was ONE 32 GB Wi-Fi iPad left. Hallelujah! I'll take it.

I learned that I had missed the line-ups by about an hour. The store was open at 8 AM and there was 40 people in line. At the Apple store in Market mall there was 200 people waiting in line at opening. Me... I just walked into the store and bought one.

Macaroni is my Buddha.

As I approached my car and saw Macaroni pop his head up as I unlocked the door, I thought to myself, "Maybe Mac helped me get my head around this whole iPad thing."

In terms of owning an iPad, I see it like owning a dog. It's something to relax with and enjoy. It either fits in your life or it doesn't. You might not need it but if it's something you'll enjoy then why not get one. 

Sure, I took some lumps from my wife about buying it. But she's been playing with it for the last two hours and I can't seem to pry it from her hands. My only question is... does that mean I win or lose?

Your summer music festival line up.

Graduation rap speech 2010.

The creator of this video is Josh Shipp, a motivational speaker who actually "gets" teens. My favorite line in the video was "The best job I got right now... I created it."

When do adults stop making life about being "who you are" and start being "responsible" (whatever that is)? I remember how free and liberated I felt in high school, especially grade 11 and 12. I recall a feeling of invincibility and awareness. I was optimistic and goofy. Some may even say I was a bit weird... but aren't we all a little weird in high school?

College was the same thing for me. The biggest take away I got from college was how to make life long friends. In fact, I recommend college to my kids for a completely different reason than you might expect. I tell them that college is a great way to learn a few things and get a diploma but more importantly it's a place to have fun, find out who you really are and make life long connections. I say, "Try your very best but if you end up with a 'C', it's okay with me. 'A' students usually work for 'C' students anyway."

So watch the video and grab some inspiration. If your graduation was a long time ago, think back to those wonder years and try to recall how good it felt to simply be yourself. Just a reminder: it still feels good to be yourself. Take off the mask of responsibility and be a little weird like you were in high school.

The dfrnts between an iPad and a computer is...?

A picture is worth a thousand words.

NOW... do you get it?

My Grandfather: One Japanese Man at Vimy Ridge.

If you go to the Vancouver Aquarium at Stanley Park, you'll find a war monument for Japanese Canadians who fought for Canada in the first world war. Yes, you read that right; Japanese men who fought for Canada in WWI.

Among the men listed on the Japanese Canadian WWI War Memorial is my grandfather, Masuro Tamashiro. (That looks a lot like him... second from the left in the middle row).

Today is the anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge. The reason why I'm writing this is because my grandfather was there. He was actually at Vimy Ridge with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces... and he wasn't the only Japanese man there either.

I'm in awe of the fact that my own grandfather was at Vimy Ridge during a defining moment in Canadian history. In fact, 196 Japanese men volunteered for service in the first world war.  Of the 196 volunteers, 54 were killed, 93 were wounded (including my grand dad) and 49 returned home to Canada safely. 

More than 10000 Canadian soldiers were killed or wounded during the battle. How a 5 foot, 3 inch man from Okinawa managed to survive, I'll never know. I doubt that he even knew how to speak English. But somehow he and many of his fellow Japanese Canadian soldiers came home.

So today, is his day. I didn't know him well but I still am thankful. 

Below is an actual copy of his volunteer record from the Canadian Archives.

The End of Bullying.

I've thought about writing this story for a very long time. Twenty nine years, in fact. I think it's time. This is the story of my bully.

I've been watching the coverage of Phoebe Prince, the young Irish girl who committed suicide possibly as a result of being bullied by students at South Hadley High School in Massachusetts. Having a young daughter myself, I can only imagine the pain her parents are suffering after losing their daughter so tragically.

The story of my bully had an entirely different ending though. He was the one that died.

For the first ten years of my school life in Blackfalds, Alberta... my nickname was "Chink" thanks to Troy Starchuk. He was my bully.

It started in the first grade where I was a young boy of noticeable ethnic difference. I'm half Japanese. Blackfalds was a small town and people who were different stood out. It was 1971 and there was no such thing as anti-bullying programs or ethnic diversity. I was a target from day one just because of my "differents" and Troy took every chance he could to take swipes at me verbally and physically.

I was a small kid. I was skinny. It felt like Troy wanted to dominate me. It felt like he wanted to tower over me and keep me under his control. The name calling and punches, the pinning to the ground and hits in the hallway were always present. In the fifth grade I resorted to spending my money on candy on my way to school so I could give it to him and hopefully get a break. It worked for a while until I ran out of money.

"Hey Chink!", he would call out at me, always careful to make sure there were no teachers around. He was smart... almost diabolical. He would make sure that every comment, threat and punch would further heighten his power over me. Then he discovered the power of using other kids as a way of making my life even more miserable. And they bought in... because they didn't want to get what I was getting.

In seventh grade, I decided that I had enough. I arranged a fight with a group of my friends against him and his friends. He came straight for me. I was the weakest of the group and pummeled me with punches to my head. It didn't hurt for some reason... and to this day I don't know why. The bullying continued.

In grade nine, I was riding my bike uptown early one evening and I came across Troy and a group of my friends hanging out on the steps of the bank. Troy decided to throw his "Chink" name calling into high gear... and my friends chose to join him. At that moment, I decided that I would no longer associate with any of them. Not one.... single... one... of... them. I was devastated.

High school came and we all moved to a new school. Tenth grade offered a lot more freedom and space to avoid both Troy and the others who had called out "Chink" that night. I had a whole group of new friends and life felt like it was starting to work out the way I had always dreamed but there was always that constant threat of my bully showing up.

And then it happened.

It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday and my mom had sent me up to the store to pick something up. I was at the counter paying and the clerk said to me, "Did you hear about Troy Starchuk?"

"No", I replied.

"He died in a car accident last night", she told me.

Silence.

I got on my bike in shock. Starchuk was dead. A truckload of bricks had fallen on me. I was crushed. I was deeply moved... but was it sadness? I don't know. Was it relief? I don't know that either.

When I got home, I told my mom and brother that Troy Starchuk was killed in a car accident. They were shocked too.

I spent the weekend in a daze.

He was just 15 years old but in that time he had a profound affect on me.

Up to that moment, my life meant nothing but "limitations". Beyond that moment, my life was about "possibilities". I was no longer "Chink". I was Tim Tamashiro.

Bullying is nothing more than being "kindness blind" and face it, the blind need help getting to where they need to be. Phoebe Prince didn't have to die. All she needed was some kindness from the people who decided that she should be a target instead of "one of the girls".

Bullying stops when those around both the victim and the ones doing the bullying insist that kindness prevail. It's not enough to just sit back and watch it happen. If you are a victim, tell someone. If you are a witness to bullying, stand up for what's right. If you're being a bully, smarten up. Don't be that way. Be kind.

Celebrate your "differents" and the "differents" of others. Don't let bullying play a role in ANY part of your life, not as a bully, not as a witness or as a victim. Choose higher.

The end of bullying came for me when my bully died.

The end of bullying came for Phoebe Prince when she died.

The end of bullying for the rest of the world should start now!

iPad brings new meaning to "possibilities".

How many times have you heard someone say, "iPad is just a over sized iTouch"?

No, it's not. When you look at iPad from a different perspective, it's far more than that. Actually, iPad is a container that can carry stuff that you actually use on a regular basis. Someone on my Facebook page said, "iPad? Back in the day we used to call a container of stuff you can use a desk."

I haven't even touched an iPad or even seen one in person but to me it's much more than just movies, music and internet. It's a device that makes music, presentations and personal information useable. Just think of the possibilities. Here are just three:

1. iBooks. This new application is far more than just a place to buy books. It's an application that makes books useful. I'm a book highlighter. When I buy a book, I love to highlight passages that are interesting and useful to me. But in order to make those passages truly useful, you have to know where they are for future reference. iBooks lets you highlight and bookmark passages and then it stores that information in a table of contents for you. That one feature makes the iPad infinitely useful to me.
2. iPad is the ultimate music book. iPad will probably become one of the "must haves" for working musicians. Fakebooks are one of the most important tools for any musician and iPad takes fakebooks to a whole new level. Fakebooks outline the basic chord structure for songs so that musicians can all speak the same language through a "lead sheet". You can have thousands of lead sheets on an iPad. iPhones already play a huge role in live music but with iPad, now musicians can actually see the music.
3. Get your idea across. iPad can change the real estate business, design business, retail and food industry because it will be a simple and useable way to get ideas across (and take orders). With Keynote or other yet to be created applications, iPad will be a visual center point to get ideas across. Everything you need will be right there at your finger tips.

New ideas take a while for people to wrap their heads around. Nobody knew that a minivan would become such a huge success until Chrysler made one. Lee Iaccoca worked for Ford before going over to Chrysler. His suggestions to the folks over at Ford met no support at all. To this day, Chrysler is the leader in minivan sales. iPad is for early adopters at the moment... but there will be a lot of early adopters.

The first iPod only came out in 2001. Look at the way the world has changed since then. iPods are containers too.

New ideas meet with resistance. It's part of the process. So before you write off iPad, consider this: the applications that you would most benefit from haven't been invented yet. Maybe it will be you that comes up with an application that would make iPad completely irresistible. 

That's the beauty of iPad applications. They can come from anyone including you.

What kind of iPad application would be 100% useful in your life?