Podcast Episode 6 - JayDingo

Here's episode six of the new Synchronicity Arkive podcast, Arkiving Synchronicity. This episode features frequent Arkive contributor, JayDingo. Jay is the creator behind Jaws Like Swimming, one of the Arkive's Featured Synchs. Again for your listening enjoyment...

Click here to download it (approx. 9Mb, 28 min.).

Click here to buy it on CD.

A Transcript follows after the break...

MJ: Welcome to Arkiving Synchronicity, the Synchronicity Arkive podcast. This is your host, Arkiver, webmaster of the Synchronicity Arkive. Joining me today is a frequent contributing member of the synching community, JayDingo.

Jay, thanks for being here.

J: Thank you MJ. The pleasure is all mine.

MJ: So, my favorite starter question is always, how did you get into synchronicity and what were some of your first experiences with it and the community?

J: Well...that's always a good one to start with. Like most others I was introduced through the Dark Side of the Rainbow phenomenon. I'd say roughly around 1994-1995. Even though earlier as we spoke I thought it was much earlier, but I was wrong. I was tending bar at the time and it was brought up as a drunken debate between two patrons. It was late, they were drunk, I was sneaking shots myself, so I just brushed it off. Another night in the pits, you know? It was actually a friend of mine Tim who told me that by playing Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album together with MGM's film The Wizard of OZ...strange coincidences occurred. We cued it up one night and it went south...HARD! We heard about the "third roar" scenario and tried again. I don’t know if I truly understood what was unraveling but I did realize that I was witness to strange occurrences of what by definition alone was "synchronicity". Before that.... I only knew that term as a Police album. I did go to school in Kentucky after all. By coincidence a few months later a club in Lexington announced that they were holding a screening of DSotR and I attended. I was relieved that they actually set it up correctly (or what most synchers find to be the correct starting point) but I do think that the wonderment was lost on most who attended. Some expect the synch to be so painfully obvious and with synchs I believe the viewer must own at least some degree of imagination. I liken it to someone who's satisfied with the state of current radio programming or the musical climate in general. If someone thinks what they are listening to on most Clear Channel-owned radio stations is diverse or imaginative... I would imagine that person wouldn't be into less radio-friendly artists such as Weather Report, Gong, The Derek Trucks Band, King Crimson, Damien Marley, or even Muddy Waters for that matter. But as my wife says I'm a music snob. I do not agree...it’s just I may be a bit more eclectic and diverse musically than others. I do find that most synchers are diverse in this same way which is appealing to me. Through the years I set up DSotR in various social settings and was really amazed by how many people enjoyed it. It never really occurred to me at the time to pursue or seek any one thing out that related to DSotR or synchronicity as I knew it. Through the years I continued to do what I loved which is collect and listen to unreleased live performances by artists that I really enjoy. I have a vast collection of unreleased CDs and DVDs mostly by trade friendly bands like The Allman Brothers, Black Crowes, The Grateful Dead, Ben Harper, Keller Williams, Sound Tribe Sector 9, and many others. I have never paid for anything in my music collection, it was all through "snail mail" trades via sites like Phishhook and db.etree. In ten years of trading only one person ever burned me and if I ever get to Flagstaff... his ass is mine! Anyway... it was through trades such as these that I noticed synch titles starting to appear in the trading community. I noticed now familiar titles like Dark Side of the Rainbow, The Dark Side of OZ, Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite, 2001: A Pink Floyd Odyssey, Alice On the Wall, and even Contact Echoes. I understood right away that there was no way this fell under the category of "free" or legal trade so I started to spend time looking at who, what, & where these ideas were coming from. Soon after, I stumbled across Stegokittys The Definitive List site. After that it seems like a micro-second...then I was dipping my toes into The Synch Ark. Unfortunately it was during a time when The Synch Ark was under threat by someone you know all too well. I thought if this was the general "vibe" of the site.... forget it man! But this wasn't the case and since then I've been having a lovely time and have met some very kind, creative people who I talk to almost daily.

MJ: I always find it a little fascinating to try to track down where Dark Side of the Rainbow might have started, so the date you mentioned there kind of caught my eye. Initially we thought that might pre-date when I’d heard about the match, in ’95, on the newsgroups. Did that conversation you overheard by any chance have any indicator where they might have heard of such a thing? Not that you would necessarily remember, since it was a while ago… but I’m curious.

J: I did some research even contacting WKQQ radio station who ran a live remote that night. Their records show that DSotR was shown publicly in Lexington in 1995. This came from the head of programming Tony Tilford. I also contacted my friend Tim and he confirmed that we tried the synch ourselves in 1994. I'm still wondering why I thought it was much earlier, I'm usually very good on timelines.

MJ: I also find it a bit interesting that your “point of entry” into synching, beyond DSotR, was the trading scene. Have you found that there’s some overlap in the mindset and approach between the trading scene and the synching community? Does your participation in the trading scene “inform” how you approach synching?

J: There are a few things alike. My connection with the music trading community grew out of my personal need to hear more music from artists I was/am into and like you with Napster, I could hear music from bands I was curious about but didn’t want to throw down $14.00 for the album. Besides, being somewhat of a musician myself...my motto has always been "live is where it’s at." If I liked a live show, more than likely I bought the album. One difference is that when a music trade is finished, usually you never hear from that person again unless they want another trade or there was a problem with the copy. I think people at the Arkive are more communal simply for the good of synchronicity and the art form itself. As far as mindsets, there definitely was a drawback when I first started to really contact others on the Arkive. My nature to trade landed me smack into the middle of a crossroads of sorts that totally blinded me. I stopped trying recipes and went straight to asking for DVDs of synch creations. Now don't get me wrong, others have sent me DVDs of their synchs and I love to watch them but I got away from the DVD to CD-R set up that I enjoyed so much in the first place. I made it a goal to never lose sight of the part of synchs that drew me in to begin with. I'm not saying I'll stop watching synchs on DVD, it’s just not my main focus.

MJ: What was it that caused you to move away from the DVD version of synchs? Obviously copyright is one of my big “issues,” and I’m curious if it was that issue that maybe holds that aspect back.

J: And that’s one thing I wanted to bring up, MJ. I've learned quite a bit about copyright from your posts, rants, and links. They have been very informative! Thanks for that. Copyright issues have been the big road block for every synch project I've come up with lately, some of which I've asked you about recently. As for this particular situation... no it really had nothing to do with copyright at all. And I'll add that I haven't given up on synch DVDs, I simply found I was searching for them more than I was trying recipes and trying my own. I'm sure I'll still welcome the synchs that I may acquire on DVD (I just received one in the mail today). It is after all a great textbook of sorts to peer into the many different types of synchs other then the straight single cue synchs that are most common. Baker B has been very vocal lately about needing progress towards new things and ideas concerning synchs and of course, he's right. I still think that single cue synchs will always hold water if they are imaginative but new ground must be broken. In what direction do you feel a/v synchronization is headed MJ?

MJ: Well, I do think A/V synching is still developing. I think the copyright thing tends to keep the official community “down,” so to speak, at least a bit, but the reality is that people are remixing and mashing things up like crazy on the net. To me, that’s a synching mindset at work, even if those participating aren’t familiar with our community, or some of that older history. Just like our own history draws on the art of collage, and other “remix” type arts. Like Baker, I think the community does need to make some progress, and has a little receded lately. I still feel a bit responsible for some of that, with my own interest dipping or just getting caught up in other things, just generally being an “absentee landlord,” in some respects. And changes to the Arkive that haven’t been completed really haven’t helped either.

But on the plus side, there are a lot more tools now to do all of that, to participate online, and create. I’ve got an Arkiver’s Reflections posting that I just did a draft for, that talks some about that (it may even be online before we finish this podcast episode). My own interest right now has really made a comeback, I’ve found the podcasts very motivating and fun to do. I’m not sure how much appeal they have outside of the synching community, but the general response has been positive, and they really are a lot of fun to do.

As for the future, I hope to get into doing a “live” podcast or two, and also get a little away from the computer voices. I was surprised at how well those worked out actually, but they were still a way of getting going without doing things live, and have, to a certain extent, filled that purpose now. And in looking at the future, I’m always interested to know what people would like to see. So, I guess that’s my cue to say, your turn now… what would you like to see, both in the community and within the Arkive as a site?

J: That is one of the biggest problems I have too, I simply can't spend as much time here as I would like but I certainly wouldn't call you an absentee landlord. I consider you fairly hands on with keeping yourself visual on the Arkive. I like to hear that you've been quickened by the podcasts. So as far as what I would personally like to see? Hmmm... the podcasts obviously are great and I want to see more of them. I haven't a clue as to what the Arkive looked like before but I hear the synch vets describe how they've missed certain parts of it. I would however like to see things utilized more. Things that are already here. I like to go back and read old posts, I did that for months before I even signed on as "Jaydingo" and I still do that a lot. Currently it’s been 39 weeks since anyone has utilized or left a comment in the Shared Projects section and I believe that was by Leighton. Eventually, I would like to see more done with the Technical Discussion forum. I think it would or could be a hotbed for discussions on downloads, transfers and web-site construction. I think this particular forum is marred by the copyright issue to a degree. Other than that, at the moment for me anyway... the water’s fine.

MJ: My own involvement tends to go in cycles, and right now I do seem to be kind of at a high point. Like I’d told Karl, the frenzy back in 1997 did take a lot out of me, and it’s taken a long time to kind of bounce back from that. I definitely feel the same as you about areas of the Arkive that aren’t really utilized to the full extent. It is sometimes a bit frustrating, but one thing I’ve definitely learned from the site is that you can’t make a community do what you want it to. At most, you’re able to guide it a little. And that has also gone “hand in hand” a bit with realizing that, as the owner, I have a responsibility to do that guiding, and to step in when things get out of hand. But it’s a tough line to walk sometimes.

So, moving on… let’s dig into some synchs, shall we? Beyond Dark Side of the Rainbow, what was the first synch you saw yourself? And what did you think of it?

J: Absolutely! But first let me say you don’t exactly come off as the "Mussolini from the balcony" type. You do what you have to as an effective mediator. OK... beside DSotR? Before I'd ever reached the cyber-shores of The Synch Ark, I was trading a lot. A trading partner of mine named Jes sent me a video-CD which had the last part of 2001: A Space Odyssey (Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite) synched to Pink Floyd's Echoes. It didn’t have a name on it so I simply created a cover and started to refer to it as "Echoes of 2001". I watched it quite a bit! This definitely led to my scanning the web for other examples of synchronicity films and related websites. I always liken it in my mind to the scene in "Empire" where Vader dispatches scout droids across the galaxy to hunt for the Rebels’ hidden base. Instead of Hoth... my droid landed on The Definitive List! Yeah... I'm a SW geek. Anyway, being that it was such a short synch, (what like 24 minutes long?) I liked it but in the shadow of DSotR... it just didn't have the same impact but it did waken me to the fact that other synchs were out there, so it would only make sense that other synchers were out there too. Also keep in mind that I hadn't seen many synchs in general so early on, each one I ran into "floored" me. Shortly after I'd gotten to see 2001: A Pink Floyd Odyssey and Alice on The Wall. To a person new to synchronicity films... these two of course blew my mind at the time I saw them. If I only knew what was coming around the bend!

MJ: Yeah, as we all seem to agree, they certainly are the big two. I still find it interesting how different people react to different synchs. Like Karl not really seeing Jupiter and Beyond (Echoes/2001) as that great, others seeing DSotR as superior, and even a few who, like me, think of JaBtI as superior. Outside of these two, what was the next synch you ran across? And beyond that, were there any others that had a greater impact on you, as a syncher?

J: I ran across two. Stegokitty's Contact Echoes and another synch called The Nightmare Before Lateralus. I will definitely say that to this day, besides DSotR, when someone asks me to show them a synch I show them Contact Echoes. I was sold 2 seconds into that synch film! I really enjoyed Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite but by this time I wanted to see synchs that went in a different direction than Floyd. Don't get me wrong, I love Pink Floyd and always will but I was hungry to hear other soundscapes and experience different textures. It got to the point where my motto was "when in doubt... synch it with Floyd". I just thought that they were very safe to synch with and wanted to experience something different. As far as JaBtI and Echoes/2001, more then anything I'll simply remember how exciting it was during this time for me. The ball started to roll and I started to hear more from other synchers who gave me glimpses into their particular synching styles. I guess in a way, every synch I've seen, every recipe I've tried effects me as a syncher. Some that stand out at the moment are Dave Bytor’s The Rushian Matrix, The Rush Wonka Project, and Being Geddy Lee absolutely blew my head off. I recently caught Rush in Cincinnati on Sept 1st and could not stop thinking of several moments of The Rushian Matrix. I love Jesus Who? by Whytless Physh and I also like the flow of his A Door Behind the Sun synch. That type of a/v synching is something I can only aspire to achieve at the moment. I'm proud of my synch discoveries but where those two guys are Renaissance painters, in a sense... I'm the guy who painted "Dogs Playing Poker"!

MJ: I love that Dogs Playing Poker stuff, though… and everyone starts somewhere. Let’s talk Dave Bytor for a minute, since he was my last podcast victim. From the public discussions at least, it seems like you have a pretty good connection with Dave, as a fellow Rush fan. What is it about Dave’s synching work that appeals to you? You mentioned his most well-known synchs, any lesser known Bytor creations that really sank their teeth into you?

J: I personally can't say enough good things about Dave even beyond the synch realm. I mean, the guy takes his family to see the Flaming Lips and all four end up dancing on stage in Santa and alien garb no less! That cat is a true original. Even though I've been a Rush fan since junior high, Dave did spark my renewed interest in the band, no doubt about it. That coaxed me to attempt my own Rush related synch Snakes On a Plane and Arrows which I did post here. It went south after the sixth song but other then that I liked it. I'll have to revisit that one and tweak it sometime. The Rushian Matrix was the first synch I saw that actually incorporated parts of the film’s dialog with the music he was synching to. I like that level of synching a lot. Plus, one thing I hope to do on a larger scale came from this. As difficult as it may be, I hope to start using my library of live shows and edit them for my own synch discoveries like Dave did during the Bytor and the Snowdog segment of The Rushian Matrix... brilliant! Another synch that left an imprint on me was his Jesus and the Tramp synch that was really good and before I'd ever seen that, I'd read the cease and desist letter that he posted when I was looking at his other sites like Being Geddy Lee and The Rush Wonka Project. I won’t ruin the ending of Jesus Who? but the nod Whytless gave to Dave at the end is hysterical! Dave wondered if I caught that and I did. Even his Into The Mind’s Eye stuff is cool and I can not go on anymore without mentioning not only his segment in Shared Fantasia but the voiceover role he took on during this project is so cool I can’t stand it! What else can I say... the guy’s a mac.

MJ: Other than Dave, any other stand-out influences in the community? And, on the flip side, if you could get people to view any one (or two, or three) of your own synchs, which ones would you really want them to see?

J: Even though I know very little about him, Whytless is a person I've sought out, to no avail. A few people who have known him have shed a bit o' light about him and have turned me onto a few of his creations. Amazing. I also can not go any further without giving thanks to The DeVille. Even though it seems we took different paths, he did allow me to peep into what he was about. I do wish him luck in the goals he has set for himself. As for myself, I know where I want to go with a/v synchronicity and I'm clearly not there yet. I'm having a lot of fun at the moment plain and simple. I'll step it up a bit in time but it has to remain fun for me. I understand the significance of synchronicity’s physical, metaphysical, spiritual, & psychic aspects and have enjoyed and digested everyone’s points of views on the subject. I'll definitely keep an open mind and address these matters when I feel the need. Until then.. I just want my peers and even people outside The Arkive to dig what I put out there as far as synchs go. As far as synchs I've brought to the table, without a doubt "Jaws Like Swimming" is my mark so far. I never toot my own horn but that really is a very good example of a good single cue synch. It was a blast putting it together and to be honest I could take it further if I wanted to. I've set that up quite a bit and I've gotten tons of feedback on it. I've loved the film since my mom dragged me kicking and screaming from the movie theater in 1975 and as far as the band Morphine goes, well, they're just the essence of "martini time cool". I get a kick out of people who I play their music for and they go "Hey....I heard that song on The Soprano's!" Most have heard Morphine’s music and don't realize it. I was really jazzed to not only hear Karl Tune dug JLS but that his wife liked the music. That meant a lot. Equally, I'm also very proud of the synchs "InnuenterView" and "Mr. and Mrs. Mo'" which Looney Runes gave nice reviews and if I'm not mistaken the latter may be the first synch at least listed that incorporates one whole blues album? Which is a huge part of who I am musically and otherwise.

MJ: That sorta leads me to another one of my favorite questions to ask… a lot of the community seems to involve sharing influences, in both music and movies. What influences have people turned you onto, in either media? And what influences, like Morphine, would you perhaps like to turn others into the community onto?

J: Not a whole lot so far MJ. I have purchased more Alan Parsons Project and Flaming Lips since all I had was Clouds Taste Metallic. I would like to see Karl Tune watch more horror related synchs though! No really, everyone is affected eventually by the need to try other peoples’ synchs. I never thought I would buy an Enya album but I did. First for its synch value then I found myself listening to it. I was never into anime so much except for the RoboTech series a long time ago but because of synching I have started to add classic cartoon features to my DVD library and I would love to do something with all the Buster Crabbe Flash Gordon movies I collect. As far as influencing others...hey, I got Looney Runes to admit that he thought Keb' Mo' wasn't half bad! That’s enough for me right now!

MJ: Kewl! I tend to think some of that stuff drifts a bit towards “acquired taste,” myself. I can recall the first time I heard Floyd’s Piper at the Gates of Dawn, their first album. It had been described to me as an “acquired taste,” and my first listen did indeed throw me, for a while. But I did acquire the taste too, pretty quickly, although not everyone does. And the same for Japanese anime… (btw, I personally recommend Ghost in the Shell and Akira, both classics).

In doing these podcasts, I’m always curious to know, are there any areas or types of questions that I haven’t really been hitting, that you’d like a “closer look into the community”? If you could ask some of my previous “victims” any one or two questions, any that spring to mind?

J: Awesome MJ. My main reason for not getting into anime is... it looks like something that I could get addicted to rather easily. But I guarantee I'll check out those two suggestions! As far as questions I don't feel we've addressed and would like to? There is one. Since I've been a member of The Synchronicity Arkive, I've read many ideas and opinions concerning intent. Of course I have my views on whether it was intentional or not. I know your answer to this already MJ, but for the other synchers that believe DSotR was intentional, I want to know did any of them get caught up in the hysteria surrounding the Publius Enigma posts that came about the same time as DSotR's discovery? My question is if so many people could subscribe to the idea of intent concerning DSotR, why do you think so many people were so quick to disprove the existence of the Publius Enigma? Some say the Enigma was solved, some say it’s still out there, some say it was a great marketing tool. Lastly...I would like to ask previous interviewee Dave Bytor something. Ahem...Dave, by the Mayan calendar on December 21st, 2012 at precisely 11:11 universal time, there will be an alignment of the Sun with the center of our galaxy. My question is in two parts: a) will you throw a party....and b) CAN I BE INVITED?!?!? Start icing down the beer bro, I'll bring the sun chips and dip!! \m/ \m/

MJ...though my interview may not have scraped anywhere near the center of synchronicity "technically", it was a blast! Back to you!

MJ: Like I think I mentioned in one of our sidebars, I do remember the Publius Engima a bit myself, but it always struck me as a bit on the “tinfoil hat” side of Floyd fandom. Of course, some people see DSotR that way, so I suppose it could just be that whenever I saw postings about it, that they tended to be vague and hard to follow, whereas the DSotR postings were at least clear what they were talking about. To each their own, I guess…

Your comment on 2012 jumped out at me too, I like that whole Mayan idea of the “end” of time, and also the whole technological Singularity thing. It’s pretty kewl to think you might potentially live through that, although I’ve also read some criticism of that idea as the “geek rapture”, which I thought had some valid points.

Well, Jay, thanks again for taking the time to do this interview. Any parting thoughts you’d like to throw out the community, or anything you wanted to ask me that we didn’t cover?

J: Well I’m not out looking for the seventh crystal skull or anything, but I do think we owe a lot to past civilizations like the Mayans, and the Aztecs, or the Romans for that matter. All roads lead to Rome. And every time I flush my toilet, I praise them. The alignment on that date is accurate but I totally see it as a celebration. I certainly have enjoyed the opportunity and like I said, it was a blast. I would like to say some parting remarks to both older and newer members of the community. To the older synchers I would like to express my gratitude for all the creativity and enthusiasm that’s so apparent here on the Synch Arkive. They have truly left their mark here and I hope they'll continue to not only inspire the newer synchers but also be permanent staples of the Synch Ark. As for the newer upstarts... strive to keep changing and evolving with every synch you try but all the while keep in mind that the synchers before you took their time and had fun with it too. Don't get discouraged. It was John Lennon who said, "Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans", don't try so hard that you miss the wonderment unraveling before your eyes. Bring it...knock us out! I do have one more question for you MJ. "Elvis" man or "Beatles" man? HaHaHaHaHaHa!

MJ: Beatles all the way, man. Although I like Elvis too, just not as much. Thanks again, J, for doing this podcast.