Fitter Happier
A throwback from the uncanny valley
… now we can talk about Fitter Happier — a practical application of a free-associative writer’s block acceptance strategy and surely the most-skipped track from Radiohead’s 1997 masterpiece OK Computer. Thom Yorke described it as “the most upsetting thing I’ve ever written.” To that I’d add: “and one of the most emotionally arresting pieces of musique concrete ever made.” In that track, Yorke used “Fred,” the synthesized text-to-speech voice from the Macintosh “SimpleText” application, to recite a “checklist of slogans for the 90s,” and to observe his own state of mind during a spell of writer’s block. The vibes? The vibes are bad, babe. It’s… dark.
But I love this track, and believe it’s where I subconsciously picked up the idea for using text-to-speech in my own music. I recently used my own algorithmically generated brain-voices “Sad Will” and “Rubi” to make a little Fitter Happier homage, updated for the brain-dead aspirational culture of the modern internet: instead of corporate slogans for 90s yuppie lifestyle trends being delivered via print magazines, tv ads, and late night-infomercials, today it’s short-form self-optimization hacks being delivered via shirtless influencer bros on instagram reels and tik-tok.
Ironically, I put this video on instagram, which has successfully brainwashed me into thinking it’s the only place anyone will actually see it. I intended it as a teaser for my album pre-release listening-party, and I’m not sure it was very successful for that use. So I re-share it here in a fuller context…
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Enjoy and hope everyone has a creatively productive week!
This Saturday!
Paper Pianos
Alarm Will Sound, Mary Kouyoumdjian, Nigel Maister, Kevork Mourad
Deeply-felt… powerful… dives beneath surface musicality to find humanity.”
- I Care if You Listen
Join Alarm Will Sound for a powerful evening of music, storytelling, and visual art with Paper Pianos, a multimedia masterpiece by Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Kouyoumdjian and director Nigel Maister.
Performed by Alarm Will Sound and featuring stunning live animation by Kevork Mourad, Paper Pianos tells the deeply personal stories of four refugees through a vivid tapestry of live music, recorded voices, and breathtaking visuals.
Experience a night where art brings to life the resilience, longing, and hope of those displaced by conflict and where music becomes a vessel for survival and renewal.
🎟️ Tickets available now: $29–$34 (General Admission) | $10 (Students & Youth)
🔗 Reserve Your Seats
Performance Details:
📅 Saturday, May 10, 2025
🕗 8:00 PM
📍 The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
🎶 Program: Mary Kouyoumdjian — Paper Pianos
This event is supported by the Randy Hostetler Living Room Music Project, the Maryland State Arts Council, and The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.
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