simple made easy: ramones

SIMPLE MADE EASY@jeffsigmon #lambdalounge 12/1/2011

WORD ORIGINS

Simplesim-plex

one fold/braidvs complex

Easyease < aise < adjecens

lie nearvs hard

SIMPLE

● One Fold○ One Braid○ One Role○ One Concept○ One Dimension

● But Not○ One Instance○ One Operation

● About lack of interleaving not cardinality.

● Objective

COMPLEX

SIMPLE

EASY

● Near, at hand● Near to our

understanding/skill○ familiar

● Near our capabilities

Relative

HARD

EASY

Constructs and Artifacts

Software versus Music

RAMONES

RAMONES - WIKI

● The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974.

● They are often cited as the first punk rock group● They performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for

22 years.● Studio albums

○ Ramones (1976) AWESOME○ Leave Home (1977) AWESOME○ Rocket to Russia (1977) AWESOME○ Road to Ruin (1978) PRETTY GOOD○ End of the Century (1980) PRETTY GOOD○ Pleasant Dreams (1981)○ Subterranean Jungle (1983)○ Too Tough to Die (1984)○ Animal Boy (1986)○ Halfway to Sanity (1987)○ Brain Drain (1989)○ Mondo Bizarro (1992)○ Acid Eaters (1993)○ ¡Adios Amigos! (1995)

RAMONES - I THINK OF...

● SIMPLE● RAW● LOUD● GENUINE● MINIMAL

○ barely adequate or the least possible

THE GIST

The Ramones had simple approach to music.

This approach provide a template for others to easily get started with

music.

RAMONES

SIMPLE

"We wanted a simple drummer, a time keeper"

Joey Ramone

SONG

● few chords ● no solos ● play same part ● 4/4 beat● always fast,● always short

LYRIC

● One ConceptBeat on the bratBeat on the bratBeat on the brat with a baseball batOh yeah, oh yeah, uh-oh.What can you do?What can you do?With a brat like that always on your backWhat can you do? (lose?)

BEAT ON THE BRAT

PERFORMANCE ● count 1,2,3,4 before songs● short sets● no time between songs

IMAGE● brothers, family● surname● black leather● torn jeans ● sneakers● look at those

shoes => no laces!

PRINT

● one font● same eagle● album art● one pose

EASY

HOW?

● Near, at hand○ 2,263 concerts (102 year)

● Near to our understanding/skill - familiar○ Startup Kit/Template

● Near our capabilities○ Johnny Ramone: 'What do you do? Are you in a band?○ Paul Simonon: "Well, we just rehearse. We call ourselves the

Clash but we're not good enough."○ Johnny Ramone: 'Wait till you see us—we stink, we're lousy, we

can't play. Just get out there and do it.'"