Trex - Fullerton

This is a piano jam spliced together from two parts. The lyrics refer to my sloppiness. The music is okay.

I'm guessing this was recorded a few days (or minutes) before "I Got Monday". This would place the date in early October 1996, which was during my second trip to Fullerton.

This is a jam that turned a bit "poundy". When I chose the title, I attributed the banging to lots of caffeine. It's unlikely that that was recorded at night, though; I usually jogged to the piano practice room during the day. So I'm not sure what the title means; something about caffeine at night?

My motel had a pool. Every evening for a few weeks, I swap laps. It was a short pool, so I had to swim lots of laps in order to get a decent workout.

The music is repetitive and kinda trancy, but loses it at the end.

This is definitely noodling. The "rama" in the title refers to my habit of eating raman noodles. I didn't know how unhealthy they were.

The lyrics pretty much sum up Trex. Like the music, they're completely unnecessary to anyone. However, they exist, so are documented just like all the other stuff that goes on tape.

I was eating an apple, and was being intentionally annoying about it. For this and the rest of the songs, I'm not sure if they were recorded in October or November.

I was trying to play this simple riff faster and faster and soon reached my limit. It's pretty bad.

The title is a pun on Julian Cope's "Rite" recordings. The music attempts to have the same intense trancy feel. However, it's too sloppy to maintain much of a groove for long.

This simple piano ditty was kinda catchy but didn't go anywhere.

Semi-melodic banging, not too bad. I think the title refers to the aggressive, repetitive pounding.

The title is an intentional misspelling; on the way to the beach I often passed an aqueduct in a Mexican neighborhood (hence the "aqua"). The music is pretty, but kinda sad.

I lived near Anaheim, which was full of traffic. The traffic was hectic (like this short piece of music), but Anaheim itself felt boring ("ho-hum").

When I was living in Fullerton, I became a big slave advocate of routine. Yes, it could get boring (like this song), but it allowed me to get a lot done. I recorded lots of music (this Trex stuff) but also created my first web sites, posted my first songs on the internet, and exercised enough to lose 35 pounds.

I don't know why I misspelled "routine" in the title. Perhaps I was trying to stay that routine is the root of productivity?

I felt Hollywood was cheesy. So was this song idea. Fortunately, it was short.

This is how it felt to drive in the city. It was crazy. At the time, I wished my work were closer so that I could jog to it. After work I always jogged to dinner and chores instead of hopping in the dreaded car.

Country driving was also a little nerve-racking because of being in the desert. However, there was more beauty to see once I got used to it; this is represented by how this song turns melodic (though slightly cheesy).

After swimming became boring, I started jogging every day. This little "run" on the piano has nothing to do with jogging, but I like puns, so puns you get.

I was squeaking or creaking something, but I have no idea what. It sounds like a cross between a balloon and a fan. Maybe it was just my shoes?

These a cappella lyrics are about my long distance relationship. I was in California, and "my baby" was planning to come visit me from New Jersey.

According to my records, "my baby" visited me on 1996-10-17, which was a Thursday. This suggests that the final "Thursday" mentioned in the lyrics was that day (1996-10-17).

Since I count out at least a full week's worth of days beforehand (starting with Monday), I'm guessing that I recorded this on a Sunday a week and a half before she arrived. That means I probably recorded this on 1996-10-06. It could have been a week or two (or more) earlier, but I don't think I would have been counting the days so precisely if that were case. So, 1996-10-06 is my best guess.

Silly lyrics with fake mouth noises.

Distorted, boring beat-box noises. Mercifully short.

Simple rhythmic idea. Dumb lyrics.

I guess I was cold from swimming? Or else I had on the air conditioning too high? It certainly wasn't very cold outside; it was about 75 every day when I was there.

I have no idea what these lyrics mean. Perhaps I was refering to a road kill?

My notes say I wrote these lyrics on 1996-10-25. However, I'm a little skeptical of that date, since I left Fullerton on 1996-11-08, and there are a lot of songs between this one and when I left.

I probably wrote out these lyrics beforehand, because they'd be tough to remember. The bridge, on the other hand, was probably an improv, which is why it collapsed.

I was hyper.

The lyrics refer to my feelings of having a "double life". I'd spend a boring day in a huge, impersonal office building staring at computers, but then after work I'd go jogging and/or swimming, play some music, and eat at fun Asian restaurants. Sure, I guess we all have lives like that, but not all of us are manly enough to sing about it!

This is another attempt at creating piano trance similar to Julian Cope's "Rite" projects. It's boring, though. Very, very boring. Fortunately it's over in a little more than a minute.

There was a lot of smog in California. I guess you knew that. Either that, or you're brain damaged from all the smog intake.

The music really has nothing to do with smog, but hey, it's a neat title, so it stays.

The title is Spanish for "security". People were wondering about my safety while jogging through "Mexican" neighborhoods. I wasn't worried, though. I never had any problems in all the months that I was there.

This is a fast instrumental version of "Lunch Time". I'm not sure why I placed it several songs later. Maybe I recorded this on a different day?

This is a silly but kinda catchy little piano and vocal ditty. The lyrics are shaped like a circle, so that they can be sung forever. Who would do that, though?

Some notes suggest this was written in August 1996. I'm guessing that was just the lyrics, because it appears on the tape labeled "October - November 1996".

This is the piano-based demo for "First Thing in the Morning", which I recorded as Tripecac on Where's My Muse.

It's kinda sloppy (especially the solo), but the heart-felt essence of the song is definitely there. To me, this feels like the centerpiece of the Fullerton recordings.

Some notes suggest this was written in August 1996. I'm guessing that was just the lyrics, because it appears on the tape labeled "October - November 1996".

I guess I wasn't happy with "Early in the Morning".

Each morning I had continental breakfast in the motel's coffee room. The food was free, so I also kept some for lunch. The only food I had to buy was dinner, which was usually $4.95 buffet at the local Mongolian grill.

The music doesn't really match the title except maybe for the chiming bell-like melody (like an alarm).

This almost-pretty melody is supposed to represent the sweet fading of the day. I got out of work early (around 4 or 5), so had half of an afternoon to myself each day. It was kinda of sad to be by myself all the time, even during "fun time", but I tried to make the most of it by exploring the area and staying productive.

This was the first vocal song that I recorded in Fullerton. I recorded it in two parts (one with vocals and one focusing on melody), and then unartfully meshed them together for this version.

The lyrics refer to an artist getting insecure about a talented girlfriend.

My notes say that the lyrics were written on 1996-10-13. However, parts of the music were recorded in September. I'm guessing the final bits were from late October or early November.

I started rollerblading when I was in California. Great place for it (given the weather and lack of hills).

Neat idea, except I kept coughing. I was trying to make fun of non-creative people. At the same time, I was saying that I didn't feel creative at work.

My notes say that I wrote the lyrics on 1996-10-16. I'm not sure when I recorded it, though.

I guess I felt like I had a good excuse for playing poorly (the wrist pads).

This musical improv introduces "How Fun Is This", which was the last song I recorded in Fullerton.

This is a weird, epic, abstract piano improv over which I read some notes and lyrics that I had scribbled down in a notebook. The music is all over the place. The lyrics too. Oh well.

This is the last song I recorded in Fullerton. I flew back to Alexandria on 1996-11-08, so this and all the songs before it were recorded before then.

Final words from Fullerton. If they were refering to "How Fun Is This", then they's a joke!