Why It Matters

Blog

wimwords.com/

Profile

wimwords.com/author/jostafford

Homepage

jamesostafford.com

  • Deep Cuts: 8:22 Songs

    The other day I sorted my iTunes by time just for giggles.  It’s an interesting way to look at one’s music collection — not as random as shuffle, not as ordered as sorting by title, album, or artist. So for no good reason other than that I found it interesting, here are the songs on…

  • 84. Happiness I Cannot Feel And Love To Me Is So Unreal

    If you could have one superpower what would you choose? The answers are as hackneyed as the question:  I want to fly for the freedom; I’ll take strength for the invincibility; give me invisibility for the peeping.  Fair enough, but I think I’d go for the power to understand people’s true motives.

  • Keep On Stomping Update

    The paint is still wet and my photo is crooked, but how cool is Cinder’s final?  Once it’s dry we’ll get it properly photographed and off to the printers.  Good times!

  • From The Stacks: Herb Alpert Going Places

    “Say, Tommy, let’s take TJB1 out for a spin.” “Yes, sir, Mr. Alpert!  Where to?” “Doesn’t matter, baby, I just want to feel my new silk scarf blowing in the breeze.”

  • Cinder “Keep On Stomping” Update

    Cinder sent me this work in progress photo of the first ever Why It Matters print.  “This is just the dead coloring,” he says.  “The approach is to alternate between the final and their compliment color layers, lightening each as needed to bring up highlights. ”

  • Deep Cuts: Ken Nordine’s Colors

    Michael Stipe made his name by mumbling.  R.E.M.’s early albums weren’t about the words but the tone, the feel. But a couple of generations earlier words were everything.  People enjoyed a past time known as “reading,” which was a primitive sort of television.  At the same time they enjoyed music, jazz in particular.  These two…

  • 83. Not Everyone Can Carry The Weight Of The World

    “What are you doing here on your day off?”  Steve The Manager couldn’t fool me.  His tone was harsh but his eyes smiled behind his thick glasses. “I’m a customer today.” “Well, don’t bother any of your friends.  They’re working.” I flipped through the record bins, not sure what I was looking for.  Maybe a…

  • Deep Brushstrokes: Coming Soon — Why It Matters For Your Walls

    Here’s the thing:  Cinder is a pop surrealist whose work is easily worth five figures, but due to some bizarre miracle he’s working with me for significantly less.  Not only is he cooking up this extraordinary piece for Why It Matters, but he’s also working with me on the performance flavor of  WIM,   Major Manatee’s…

  • From The Stacks: Born To Add

    This 1983 album is a must-have for two reasons:

  • Deep Cuts: The E Street Shuffle

    True record collectors and music geeks don’t stop at their favorite artists.  The official catalog of even well established artists isn’t particularly hard to compile.  Take Springsteen, for example — The Boss only has seventeen studio releases to his credit. So off we go, hunting for b-sides, bootlegs, alternate cover art, foreign releases, soundtracks, and…