ok people -
here is some very important information.
my new website launches TOMORROW, and from that day forward i will update my blogs only on the new site.
which makes NAOMILAND a thing of the past.
let's not be sad about this.
let's not dwell in days gone by.
let's embrace this newness that is www.terranaomi.com.
in all its glory.
embrace it with me now.
there, doesn't that feel good?
NAOMILAND will remain online, archived forever, or at least as long as i remember to pay the monthly hosting fees.
here's what you need to know about the new website:
1. sign up for the EMAIL LIST and get a FREE DOWNLOAD!
2. sign up to be a member on the website and you can do all kinds of interactive stuff, like comment on my photos and blogs, upload your own videos/photos/art/etc, use the new message board, and other things, too! (you can view the site without signing up, but signing up is really easy and lets you have more fun!)
3. there will be NEW MUSIC on the new website! Demos for the upcoming album. Yay!
4. you can order the signed 2002 CDs and HELP ME MAKE MY NEW ALBUM, since i'm funding the whole thing (and producing it!!) myself.
5. there are also a few other fun sorts of things to purchase - like a private concert anywhere in the world, a personalized DVD, a day in the studio while i record my new album, and more!!!
6. the new website is my design! i created all the little elements you will see - the look, the concept, the art - and i'm really proud of it. this is all part of my new approach to my music and career - i want it to be completely 100% ME and i am designing everything myself. even the CD, which i have decided to produce MYSELF. (this was a bold decision. i'll post a lot more about it later, on the new website, but i'm SUPER EXCITED!!!)
that's it for now!
www.terranaomi.com
launches tomorrow
yay!!!
xox
terra
:)
as some of you know after reading YESTERDAY'S BLOG, i went to the dentist.
plus, he has this:
a
constantly changing screen of soothing images meant to distract me from
the torture of a dental technician scraping away at all kinds of left
over english shit on my teeth.
after the scraping, it was time to talk to my posh dentist about "the plan."
aka
"fork over the cash and i'll keep your teeth from falling out. and try
to sell you a teeth whitening package because i'm one step away from
used car salesman."
i knew i was in for some pain when he opened the conversation with:
"so, did you really let your dental hygiene go in the last year?"
bring it.
and now for the best part of my trip to the dentist:
i needed to share that with you.
because i have no shame.
now i'm off to sign more CDs and guitar picks.
and sort out the details of recording my album.
and
because i'm so excited about all this stuff and can't keep myself from
telling you before i'm supposed to, here's something really cool:
i'm
selling all kinds of stuff in order to help fund this album, and one of
the things which will be up for sale on the website when it launches in
the next couple of weeks is A DAY IN THE STUDIO WHILE WE RECORD THE NEW
ALBUM!!!
and i'll give you lunch, too.
(i think the studio will be up in malibu, which will be super cool, but don't hold me to that, because details could change.)
there will be lots of other cool stuff up for grabs, but that one is particularly cool in my opinion.
ok - time to get to work.
i hope you are enjoying your day!
love
terra
it seems that everyone and their mother went to BED, BATH & BEYOND this weekend.
(that
expression is truly fitting in this instance, as there is a great
chance that all of our moms actually DID go to bed, bath & beyond
this weekend!)
i went in search of a food processor, and found a whole lot more.
art like i've never seen it.
i
would post the photos i took, but james gunn already posted these fine
works of art, complete with titles and commentary, so check out HIS BLOG if you want to read all about it.
(warning: james has a DARK sense of HUMOR. don't read his blogs if you're an uptight bitch/prick.)
yesterday was spent signing things for you people.
i
asked for some special free gift ideas, and you guys basically wanted
everything i already had planned for you - signed guitar picks,
tshirts, buttons, etc.
some of you wanted predictably weird shit
like "go on a date with you!" and i'm sorry to inform you that i will
not be sending "go on a date with you" along with your CDs.
first of all, i have no concept of how to package and ship that, and secondly....just NO.
as many of you know, most "autographed" band stuff is not actually autographed by the band.
(and for those of you whose dreams i just shattered, i apologize.)
HOWEVER - now, when you order TERRA NAOMI AUTOGRAPHED SHIT, it will actually be SIGNED BY ME.
not
a printed signature (like the guitar picks that came with my
'virtually' cd - those were printed in a factory. i never even touched
'em.)
here is the proof:
i signed 1000 picks and 1000 CDS.
half way there.
and here's why:
i'm re-releasing THIS CD from 2002:
2000 copies.
that's all.
and every CD will be signed.
there will be other stuff to order with it, and i'll post more info on that very soon!
the
CD will be sold through my NEW WEBSITE (coming soon!!!) and every penny
made will go towards the recording of MY NEXT ALBUM!!!
i will explain it all very soon.
watch this space!!!
so i just finished my second bowl of raisin bran.
i remembered this TV commercial from when i was a kid, and it showed the sun with 2 SCOOPS of RAISIN BRAN!!!
so i poured myself another bowl because the TV told me to.
but then i remembered that the sun was actually pointing out the TWO SCOOPS of RAISINS in kellogg's raisin bran.
and now i'm just fat.
if it weren't for that darn vomit phobia i could just puke it up and fix my mistake, like everyone else in this city.
oh well.
at least i still have enamel on my teeth.
and speaking of which - i'm going to the dentist in a few hours.
totally scared that he'll notice my lack of flossing over the past year and a half.
flossed
like 20 times last night and this morning, trying to make up for it,
and now my gums are swollen and sore and he'll probably try to sell me
something.
like teeth whitening.
("that's just blood, doctor.")
more tomorrow.
unless i find something better to do with my time.
xox
terra
i just posted a new blog, but you'll have to go to myspace to read/watch it.
because it's MY blog and that's how i feel this morning.
now go:
xox
terra
my friend james is writing a blog so i felt like i needed to write a blog, too.
i feel guilty and lazy when i think about the fact that somewhere, someone is blogging, and it isn't me.
thing is, there are people blogging all over the world, all the time.
people are twittering and zanneling and blogging and fucking and...i'm off topic.
and then i start to feel bad because i know my blog won't be as good as james' blog.
see, he's blogging because he actually has something to blog about.
also, he's really mean, so his blogs are more fun to read.
i'm guilt-blogging.
just wanna keep up.
nothing to say.
not really.
just don't want to be lazy.
here are some things i've experienced in my recent past:
i went to nyc and had a fantastic time.
this drawing represents my first night in NYC, but i'm not going to tell you why.
my friend james will, because he's way more mean than i am.
so you can go find his blog if you want to be entertained.
read mine if you just want to be confused.
i played a show at joe's pub and met some awesome people, some of whom i have corresponded with online for the last couple of years. it was neat.
i also played the yahoo! billboard ad week showcase at the nokia theater in times square and it was super cool. i played with three guys - friends of my friend jeremiah - and they totally kicked ass.
here's a photo from sound check. (it's very exciting, as sound check photos tend to be.)
a funny girl group played after me that night.
they were 12 years old and looked like three little jonbenet ramseys.
for that reason, they kinda creeped me out.
my brother and i spent a few hours in ABC carpets on broadway and 19th.
that's one of my favorite shops in the whole entire world and someday i might be able to afford to buy a pillowcase or a soap dish.
i mention this store in the updated liner notes of the re-issue of my 2002 CD, which will be available mid-october. (are you paying attention??)
here's a photo of me and my brother sam, surrounded by high end home furnishings:
i went with my friend james to howard stern's studios and got a super cool tour from richard christy.
richard showed us one of the funniest videos i've seen in a long long time:
then he offered to let me ride the sybian machine, and i politely declined.
(no photo, sorry)
we went to the san gennaro fest in little italy, which was the bane of my existence back when i lived on mulberry street.
i like gelato.
finally, here is a photo from the airport in NYC, waiting for my flight, smiling and looking happy, pretending to be thinking about something other than my plane free-falling from the sky and what those final few moments of life would feel like:
i have some other things to tell you.
i'll do it another time, in another blog.
did you catch the CD release thing?
ya - mid-october - the demo CD which started it all.
i've been embarrassed of it for the past 6 years but finally let my friend arlan talk me into re-releasing it.
why?
because i am going to fund my next album with the money i make from selling off pieces of my humiliating past! including old recordings of the first songs i wrote!
yay!
and now....it's almost rosh hashanah!
new year's eve for my people.
on rosh hashanah it's customary to eat apples dipped in honey - a symbol of the sweet new year to come.
i will celebrate by eating raw shellfish with some pornographers.
happy new year!
i hope it's a sweet one.
xox
terra
sorry!
i just can't help myself.
i.
fucking.
hate.
her.
but this is fun:
YOUR NAME IF SARAH PALIN WERE YOUR MOTHER (GOD FORBID)
i would be "speck backfire palin."
thank goodness my parents were smart hippies rather than stupid creationists.
so i'm on myspace, trying to write a one-line update to describe my feelings this morning.
i settle on "can't believe 2001 was 7 years ago" without much thought, and then it's time to choose a descriptive word to capture my mood.
the list is long - everything from "sad" to "contemplative" to "insignificant" to "jedi" (whatever that truly means is anyone's guess) and every word has a corresponding animated smiley face emoticon.
i choose "thoughtful" and get a little yellow winking smiley. totally inappropriate for my "remembering september 11th" state of mind. why do they force these smileys on us? i want to be thoughtful or contemplative or grateful or pensive without looking like i'm mocking the sentiment.
"i'm feeling 'thoughtful' wink wink!! ;)"
even "neutral" has a smiley face. can't my little yellow guy just exist without emotion? why must he emote?
it is simply his nature. and nothing i say will ever change him.
i think i've written some pretty sad blogs on september 11ths of the past.
but i'm pretty much feeling the opposite of sad today, so i'll just acknowledge the date and move along to something else.
if you feel like reading something sad or thought-provoking or contemplative, check out one of my september 11th blogs from another year.
like this one:
A SAD SEPTEMBER 11TH BLOG FROM 2006.
back when i was miserable and the date served as a perfect vehicle for my mood.
i started a blog yesterday and it looked like this:
just in case you think you are my friend on facebook because you have been corresponding with me through the page below....
this is NOT ME!
if you would like to be my friend on facebook, go to this address:
OFFICIAL TERRA NAOMI FACEBOOK PAGE
it's really strange to think that someone has created a facebook page in my name and is pretending to be me and actually accepting friend requests and corresponding with people i know.
it really freaks me out.
whoever you are - you freak - stop it right now.
OK
now that we've settled that....
IF YOU ARE IN NYC ON SEPT 21, COME SEE ME AT JOE'S PUB!!!
it's my first nyc performance in over 2 years.
and my first time playing at joe's pub.
***
that's what i wrote yesterday.
it kind of looks like i'm inviting the freaky facebook impostor to my joe's pub gig.
that was not my intention.
today i'm thinking about this song i wrote and recorded recently.
it sounds fucking amazing.
i'm sorry for the unbridled passion, but i'm really excited.
and i'm excited about going to nyc in just over a week!
and i'm excited about this:
DECLARE YOURSELF!
and so many other things which i cannot talk about at the moment.
i'm working silently and trying to keep my big mouth shut, and i don't know if i can accurately express the level of difficulty involved in that exercise.
it's hard.
especially when i'm caffeinated.
but i will not talk about things i'm not allowed to talk about.
nope.
ok.
with non-hippy-bullshit-free-love to you all,
xox
terra
check this out:
the best thing about los angeles, aside from the perfect weather, the ocean, the mountains, the fresh local produce and the rampant narcissism, are the mobile petting zoos.
on any given weekend afternoon, you can cruise over to your local strip mall parking lot and interact with baby animals. these guys were super cute and i'm sure they didn't find the 97ยบ heat to be too oppressive.
thanks to my new iPhone, i will have the memories forever.
that's all for now.
enjoy your afternoons.
xox
terra
ok people.
well, not really.
but i'm thinking about california, which, of course, makes me think about california songs, and that is definitely one of the very best.
yes, it is true. just over a year after arriving in london, i am about to return to LA.
i'm mostly thrilled, and a little bit sad.
this year has been so many different things -
amazing
thrilling
disappointing
full of love
infuriating
anxiety-ridden
satisfying
frustrating
fun
enlightening
character-building
painful
exciting
excruciating
unbelievable
wonderful
embarrassing
unstable
just a few words that come to mind.
i have learned so many things.
i have become such a better artist and musician.
i have discovered who i do and do not want to be.
i have experienced some big ups and downs.
i have learned a lot about peoples' intentions and the way they treat you when they think it is beneficial/not beneficial to them.
i have learned about control and pride and selfishness and ego. (not necessarily my own)
i have learned not to be so quick to trust.
i have learned to do what is best for me, even when it is not what another person wants me to do.
i have learned that some people are actually able to separate what is best for me from what is best for them, and sincerely wish for me to pursue what is best for me, even if it is not ideal for them.
i am so excited to move forward. this past 6 months has been very difficult for me. stagnant.
not entirely, as i have written some of my best songs yet...but i am happy to be moving on to the next part of this journey.
i will miss london.
but i know i will be back very soon.
if only because there is no way in hell that i will be able to take everything back with me this time!
if i had a garage i would have a garage sale.
(isn't there a song like that?)
anyway - more later...
xox
i'm so excited.
playing new songs and old songs with the guys who play music with me and i haven't been this excited in a long time.
i am happy.
truly happy about the way these songs are sounding.
everything is a bit crazy and stressful and uncertain, and i am feeling more fulfilled and more satisfied than ever because i am making the music i want to make and loving it. i am singing the way i want to sing, playing what i want to play. i am being creative in the way i want to be creative. it's a fantastic feeling and i wouldn't trade it for all the record sales in the world.
it also helps that i believe that these songs, done in the way they are going to be done, will bring all the other sorts of success i would like to have. including the record sales. we will see. but i believe in what i am doing. 100%
there is no one to blame but myself if i do not make the music i want to make this time...if there is anything i have any regrets about, it will be entirely on me. and i am so ready for that responsibility.
hindsight is such a crazy thing. especially when you can forsee something and choose to push it aside. hindsight is painful at that point.
a lesson learned.
honesty with oneself.
painful shit.
we move past it, though.
and take from it what we can take.
and so it goes.
ok - back to the music.
the music is what matters.
not the other shit which sometimes accompanies it.
the truth, not the facade.
just the sound and the authenticity of that sound.
everything else is just noise.
because most news having anything to do with human rights is really awful, violation after violation, here is something wonderful:
just go read about it on arlan's blog. easier than trying to write something which she has already written so well.
for all of you who can now legally marry the person you love - congratulations.
for everyone who is now one step closer to being acknowledged as a legitimate member of society with the same rights as any other member of this society, it's about time. sad that it's taken this long, and yes, this is only one small step, but it's one step closer, and i'm grateful for that.
lots of love
terra
was fun fun fun.
haven't had that much fun on stage in a while, so thank you to those of you who made the night what it was!
tequila shots with my new girlfriends was a blast...
got home way too late...or early, i guess is more accurate...
and so much happens in the time i've been away from LA.
reconnected with an old friend and found out that he is now the lead singer for a band we both love. they're coming here in september, and i can't wait to see him and see the show.
feeling the joy of sunshine here in london.
it's perfect weather.
the pigeons are feeling the love, as well.
it seems like every time i look outside i see pigeons procreating.
it's gross.
saw some on top of a monument in central london on my way to the show last night.
looked out the window and was like 'why is that one pigeon on the other pigeon's back?' and then...ewwww...i understood the reason. gross.
salvador realized today that we don't really have birds over here on the east side. only pigeons.
as soon as we go west the birds begin to sing. but here it's just those lovely winged rats.
fucking.
uggh.
anyway -
life continues to get stranger every day.
i'm just trying to coast along with the ups and downs and enjoy myself a little bit.
i love my new loop station.
was so much more exciting last night - trying to coordinate my feet and hands and voice. felt like i was doing a spastic little dance at certain points in the evening, triggering the loops with my feet while playing the song. i hope to become more graceful sometime in the very near future.
someone i work with at island thought i made a racist comment when i pointed mentioned the japanese people from the last troubadour show. she didn't realize that i was actually talking about people from japan who came specifically for the show. thought i was pointing out the fact that last time there were a bunch of asian people in attendance! hahaha
was a funny moment.
had to explain that they were actually from japan. no, i was not calling out the various ethnicities of my audience.
it is interesting - seems like every show there is at least one group who has flown in from another country.
last night it was canada.
i'm getting very spoiled by my international fans, though....starting to expect it.
don't let me down, guys!
buy your plane tickets now!
just kidding.
a good 8 hour drive from the north of england will suffice.
hehe
anyway -
going to get ready for rehearsal tomorrow.
i can't wait to play with the guys again.
this time it will be bryan on drums, salvador on bass and my friend giorgio on guitar.
giorgio and i have been playing a lot of music together and i want to see how it works with him in the band.
that's all for now.
xox
terra