Greetings Earwormlings,
Wilemena has decided Jan. 28 will be her last as Earworms host, which provides a timely opportunity to review the series and its future. Please murmer amongst yourselves below.
I’ll be Mum in the meantime, and fresh Earworms will pop up Feb 5. I am moving house and look forward to reading your ideas when I get back.
One change I propose is swapping release days with amylee’s 11 to 10 (or whatever it is called). Earworms is six songs chosen for catchiness while the 11 require many extra listens.
Thank you, Wilemena, for your tenure. I hope it was fun.
I shall add that the post of ‘Worm Tamer is an enjoyable one, and only slightly time consuming. I’d jump back in if it wasn’t for a full time job and a burgeoning career as a hopeful artist. And the children, too, of course, but they were around before the other two occupations cropped up.
Hmm. Reminds me I still haven’t commented on this weeks’ worms.
I wish that I could find the time for taking on the role of Worm Tamer, but unfortunately my job takes up too much of my time.
I would be a very unreliable custodian.
Well, I am a big earworms fan but I’ve noticed in recent weeks that those of us who comment seem to be dwindling in number. Does this mean overall enthusiasm for the series has waned to a point at which we should bid it a fond farewell? Or is it just in the nature of such things that they go through boom times and quieter periods? I don’t have an answer – and should personally be sorry to see earworms go – but I thought someone should name that possibility. (If there is enthusiasm for keeping them going, well, YAY! And I’m happy to have another go shepherding – although I feel fresh herders tend to be the way forward!) x
Hope Wills gets sorted out soon, so she can join in again.
Earworms isn’t really my thing, but would feel strangely disappointed if it wasn’t there on its regular time slot – like the ‘Spill’s version of The Archers.
OK. I’m not in paid employment now as I’m looking after young Munday, so I could have a go as “Mother” if you want to carry on with it. Might need help with techy side but tfd has shown me how to post music so should be OK.
Might be blips if / when young Munday is ill, but I should be able to keep up, it would help me focus on something as I’m lost at the mo.
Do we need a twist to make it more interesting? i thought the ‘guess who submitted what’ livened it up a bit.
For my part there have been quite a few songs I haven’t liked, so rather than say something negative I haven’t commented. Perhaps we should allow for constructive criticism and then there would be more comments? I don’t want to disrespect anyone’s musical taste.
And yes, Ali, if you’re up for doing some worm-mothering, you get my vote!
As for less-than-effusive comments, I think they’re OK. Not sure any are really likely to be constructive – we’re not setting out to change others’ tastes/convince anyone they’re ‘wrong’ to like a particular piece of music here (although we’re perhaps all seeking to broaden our own tastes) – but I think there’s space for explaining why a piece doesn’t work for you/isn’t to your particular taste.
Ali, I reckon you’d do a great job in the role. There’s an Earworm Manual out there which will hopefully help with the techie side, and there’s former ‘Wormers who are happy to help, myself included.
One thing that helped me was to get a few lists sorted out and schedule them when I had the time to do it. Only works if there are plenty of worms, of course…
As to the negative comments, I tend to gloss over the ones I dislike – but, personally, I don’t mind if folks don’t like my choices. Why should they? It’s actually quite nice, sometimes, to have a bit of a discussion going.
Zala – I’ve posted a comment at the end about the manual, and a request to you. Pretty please?
Have you got info on the new player? I haven’t used it. To be realistic, I won’t have time to edit the manual until the weekend at the earliest.
Ali, I think you’d be a brilliant Worm Mother, and maybe the likes of me/Carole/anybody else not able to take a post on regularly could form a back-up team for any times Master Sam’s situation has to take precedence. Any other takers for the sub bench???
I always mean to comment on Earworms and then never get the time. Hopefully that’s something that should be changing soon. And Alimunday, you’ve my vote for next worm-tamer
Bless. Send me your punkiest.
Whether or not to switch off the worms with the Spill Game lists isn’t just my decision – it’s also up to all of the folks who sign up for a date too. If i get a vote though, i’d vote against the switch. For a few reasons – a) Like Shoey said about the Archers – just used to the time slots. b) Unlike the earlier Spill Challenge series, which went up on Tuesday nights, folks have been pretty good about getting the lists up fairly early on Tueday mornings – that still gives a good chunk of time before the Thursday RR list goes up. c) There are some long playlists that go up on Sunday or Monday that are worth at least one listen, and if time, a few – those are Shane’s (MIA lately, but i’m sure he’ll get back whan he’s ready) and Shoey’s lists. Not everybody listens to them, but i’d say you’re missing out there.
On that note, I know I signed up for the Spill game and I know my slot is in March… but I’ve forgotten the date…
‘s ok Punky, i post an updated schedule each week. If someone seems MIA for awhile, i’ll email them the week before their time to see if they’re still planning to do it. Like i’ll probably do to DsD who’s up for next week…
I think the days work fine as they are. I like a monday earworm and think it would be a shame for it to stop. I wonder if it might be better if I didn’t comment when I don’t like tracks? I attempt to be polite, but would people prefer a dignified silence? *hope I didn’t offend barbryn*
Me too! I think I’ve got less diplomatic as time has worn on and I’ve been feeling mean about it. Mind you, I’m about to post a list on Tues that I suspect no one much will look, so my chickens are probably about to come home to roost! (Is it chickens? Pigeons? Kittens? I dunno…)
Like, not look. Doh.
beth – Not at all! I like girly voiced girls, you like growly voiced men, each to their own.
It always surprises me when people don’t love all the music I love, but it certainly doesn’t offend me.
I nearly always listen to Earworms, but don’t always comment, because generally I just kind of like most of them, and don’t feel I have anything particularly germane to add.
oh I am relieved! All the same I think I’ll keep quieter in future.
I’d hate to see earworms disappear. I haven’t really been paying attention to earworms (or the ‘Spill truth be told) for the past year or so – too much other stuff going on. Might be a good idea to offer it to one of the new people (AIP?) and see if they can drum up a little more collective enthusiasm.
It’s had an exceptionally good run compared to other series. I hope there’s life in the old dog yet.
Punky does Earworms:
“Well, folks, none of the tracks I was sent last week seemed catchy at all, so I’ve dug a few classics out of my CD collection for you” *cue three hours of Fall Out Boy and Brand New*
Somehow, I can’t see that going down well…
Seriously though, you should have a go sometime, Punky. (After Ali’s tenure perhaps!) It’s lots of fun. And when I did it, I found myself really warming to all sorts of tracks I wouldn’t previously have considered ‘my bag’, simply through repeated exposure as I tried to collate lists.
OK, I’ll give it a shot at some point!
I look forward to Earworms every Monday even though I sometimes don’t have time to listen to them more than once before attempting some kind of comment.
I think, if it does continue, I’m going to have to do a few more general reactions rather than a comment on each and every song based on one quick run-through – which isn’t really fair on the contributors.
Unlike Ali I am hopeless at posting the music or even the thread itself.
Maybe at some point when work is less manic I could have a go at receiving and playlisting the songs – if I could than pass the results to another blogger for the posting thereof.
I like the earworms and would be sorry to lose them. If Ali wants to have a go I think that’s really good.
I really look forward to earworms and always listen. Lately I have been really busy with something and so I have not been commenting as much as I used to, but I do enjoy it very much and I do hope it can continue.
What a shame that Willy has to stop ! I was looking forward to a rather “eccentric” stewardship.
Oh well, hopefully it can continue, I do try to listen every week.
Are you saying I’m not eccentric? There are many people who would beg to differ …
Meant to say: hope the move goes/has gone well, tin!
I haven’t been able to get into The Spill more than a couple of times (briefly) in the last few weeks as my anti-virus blocker has kept me out, so I’ve not been able to catch up on Earworms yet, but I will.
I am so, so glad that Ali has stepped up to offer to take over the role. It is fun. As Zala says there is a manual, templates and a spreadsheet. All of these have been passed on. The manual may need a bit of updating for the option of the new player. I have reservations about doing updates on such a high quality manual and possibly messing it up, so I didn’t. I wondered Zala, if you might be willing to continue to be the manual guru and do the odd update periodically regardless of who’s in the hotseat?
The template is exactly as was handed to me by Zala and the spreadsheet different only in that I added a formula and made different sheets for worms that are available, scheduled and used so that I could track if questions were asked. It can be continued or not depending on the new wormeister’s preference.
Personally, I feel uncomfortable with people “dissecting” people’s earworm choices. I think with the Spill Challenge that’s normal and expected, but I would like to think that Earworms is a moderately safe-haven for peoples treasured tunes (unless they are being offered up for a laugh) and a reasonably polite “not my thing” is good – although we know that Chris hates drum machines and any songs featuring those WILL get a comment, and Pairubu is going to think any songs that are normal are boring. I’m an advocate of a no cruelty to worms policy.
DsD had some good ideas to keep earworms fresh, and there are probably others brewing in your heads.
I had to pull back a bunch of worms I submitted for reasons I can’t go into, but I’ll submit more in due course. And quantity as well as quality of worms submitted is so important. Think bulk!
And bless you, Wilemena, for doing such an outstanding job. It was a real pleasure and delight working with you on the hand-over. x
OK, I will try to be as eccentric as possible but I can only post what you all send me – so Fall Out Boy welcome, also Pairubu weirdness and whatever else comes along. I will boldly go … and I don’t have to say whether I like them or not if I’m posting them so that lets me off the hook.
Zala, grateful for instructions if you have them. Lowercase tfd has shown me how to post music so I think I can do that. If you need my email address, let me know. And many thanks to Willy and all who have gone before.
DONDS TO ALL THE ABOVE!
Sorted then.
Next week’s Earworms are done and scheduled to appear Feb 5 at noon. Hopefully none will repeat or be lost – there’s been so many handovers in such a short time! And then the eccentric Ali regime kicks off Dec 12. Woop Woop.
excellent news, but do you mean Feb 12, rather than Dec 12? Hope the move has been as untraumatic as possible.
December sounds good to me.
erm yes Feb not Dec. And it’s Feb 11, not the 12th.
Also next Earworms is Feb 4, not Feb 5.
I think I got the woop woop part right though.
I find it so encouraging that I’m not the only person out there over the age of 20 who doesn’t know this kind of stuff!
Time to learn *about all of it*.