Totally like whatever, you know?
By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

In case you hadn't noticed,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you're talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you're saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)'s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren't, like, questions? You know?

Declarative sentences - so-called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true
as opposed to other things which were, like, not -
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don't think I'm uncool just because I've noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It's like what I've heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I'm just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?

What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . .
I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we've just gotten to the point where it's just, like . . .
whatever!

And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness
is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we've become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.

Hey whats up!! So the tritone substitution is used to harmonicly change the sound of the 2 5 1 progression.  Just thought id let everyone know that.  So i played in jazz band today and Josh showed up while I was playing my solo on Big Bruiser. Man and you know of all days to be on I was on today.  After I got done playing my solo Kurt looked at me and he gave me a hand clap.  This is awesome because sometimes Kurt doesnt say anything about my solo, not that he should but it is nice knowing when he really like my solo.  He is a great teacher that knows a lot about Jazz. Every good jazzer knows that one must go through a faze of analyzing the music he or she is into.  Thats were I am.  Anyway back to the subject at hand.  Seeing as how Josh showed up to play first bone, Rhoadell thought that it would be most fitting to give him a tribute of some sort. If not anyone else, everyone in the trombone section new exactly what he was doing even Josh did.  Rhoadell ripping the changes apart stuck in a nice Josh pattern that could be heard on ever solo. Anyway after I played a little and I pretty much proved my ability. You know they say its not a comp. but it felt like it to me. Everytime I see him I want him to eat his words and I want him to remember me for when he told me that he didnt think I could do it.  After jazz band I went to play with Archie at applied. Man I think I did a good job on the changes I know things that Id like to do better, but it came out ok.  Archie though maybe because he wrote out a solo but man that guy was blowin. He had some nice licks. Cezario man quoted Cannonball Adderley he blew me away with is style. He is becoming amazing quickly. I can see both of them blowing up in LA one day.  Well this is enough for me im gonna let Rj get to his xanga site now. Bye