Can We Do A Challenge?

March 11, 2020 8:55 PM

Let's do it! Even if it's not great. Even if it's bloody brilliant! Even if I, one Rando Calrissian, call for it yet never myself contribute! Even then! Let's do a thing! Brainstorm below maybe?
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue (12 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite

I'd do this, for sure. Something pandemic-themed would be the obvious choice.
posted by curious nu at 7:43 AM on March 15, 2020 [1 favorite]


Whoops! Forgot I posted this, but I stand behind it! Pandemic seems very Now and do-able, but tbh I'd prefer a different theme just for a break from it all (plus I don't want to spend my life looking in the mirror at the guy who deeply regrets concocting his "We're All Gonna Die!" sea-shanty, or whatever).

What about a sixty-second challenge like has been done before or something similar? Or something different? Anyone ele interested?

(For context: similarly to many people the last week has gone from thinking I'd have too much time on my hands, to way too little, to just hoping I still have hands. If there's room for fluffery or puffery though, I'll give it a go!)
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 7:23 PM on March 18, 2020 [1 favorite]


Hang on, I'm doing this wrong. Bear with me.
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 7:28 PM on March 18, 2020


Whoops! Forgot I posted this, but I stand behind it! Pandemic seems very Now and do-able, but tbh I'd prefer a different theme just for a break from it all (plus I don't want to spend my life looking in the mirror at the guy who deeply regrets concocting his "We're All Gonna Die!" sea-shanty, or whatever).

yes, I've had a lot of thoughts since, uh *checks timestamp* three days ago, so I'm good for something else. I am a very nascent musical talent so 60 seconds sounds like a good thing to me.
posted by curious nu at 9:06 PM on March 18, 2020 [1 favorite]


This is not inspired by my MeFi handle, but how about making up some songs about American Tall Tales or if you're from another country your favorite folk tale? Some have nearly definitive or multiple songs already, but check out the "other" category here:
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/American_tall_tales#Others

Too old-timey? Make up a new tall tale for some kind of missing character (not seeing too many Native Americans on the list) or whatever a contemporary take on it would be (Recyclin' Rita? Votin' Vernon? Zebulon and His Pet Polar Bar 'Pete' Who Put The Vortex In A Jar?)

Doesn't have to be a folk song - any style, but there's your theme. I didn't check to see if this has been a challenge before. These characters are all public domain, so they are fair game.
posted by AppleSeed at 7:54 PM on March 19, 2020 [2 favorites]


For those that have used Zoom for video conferencing, you are likely familiar with Zoom's speaker test tune (mp3, transcribed, MIDI) of E-C-D-F-C-E-D.

Use that for your song.
posted by ShooBoo at 12:13 PM on March 22, 2020 [1 favorite]


It would only take 528 or so of us to each put a part of the Treaty of Westphalia into an epic song cycle. We could cover many genres and languages and have the first late-night soundtrack for our cryogenic sleep as we zoom our way across the universe to the future gay space luxury communist paradise of our dreams. YMMV.
posted by riverlife at 12:43 AM on March 27, 2020 [1 favorite]


Going by recent submissions "pandemic" wins. I just figured - no hurry.
posted by AppleSeed at 6:53 PM on March 27, 2020 [1 favorite]


AppleSeed pointed out to me that it's the end of the month so a good time to start any challenge, maybe over April and May.

If people are doing pandemic/similar themed songs already that makes sense (and those people could choose to tag them as part of the challenge if they wanted) although I guess if we make the category suitably broad then people don't have to spend time with a subject they're not in the mood for, So e.g. "going viral" online could fit the challenge too.

Me no talk good today, can anyone help work up a set of words that encompass the idea, which we could poke a mod with? Something like the following, but I've (obviously) never done this before and am not comfortable with attempting to dictate terms to others without any standing and largely on a whim (should have thought of that before starting this thread, ha!)
The Metafilter Music Challenge for April/May 2020 is here! Mefites are encouraged to create something inspired loosely or specifically by the current pandemic. It can be an ambient air capturing your mood; a lay about living in lockdown; a funny, furious or thoughtful filk of a favourite song; a ditty on a day in the life of a disease; a vaguely-related song about going viral online; a bedroom DJ banger to battle boredom or anything else you can think of.

If you make something, please share it with us!

posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 4:25 PM on March 31, 2020


Meant to include "the Zoom tune" in my overly alliterative list!
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 4:42 PM on March 31, 2020


I think that sounds great
posted by InfidelZombie at 3:00 PM on April 1, 2020


Done and tagged "MeFiMusicChallenge". Technically I cheated because this is a song from 2018, but just too apropos not to post. I usually do instrumental music - hoping my voice doesn't detract too much from the song.
posted by AppleSeed at 3:52 PM on April 2, 2020


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