Last night, aside from struggling to fall asleep and waking up several times in the wee hours of the morning, I had some amazing dreams. One in particular had me sitting in the side balcony of a dark crowded theater somewhere in Las Vegas, listening to new songs from top bands (much like a product demo CES or MacWorld but for artists). I was shocked and amazed to see a girl supposedly from Circa Survive come out and perform with some other band and then next up was Circa Survive! It was crazy, they performed a new song (apparently from their new album which has yet to be released in real life) and it was great. This song was catchy but it had that same Anthony Green sound we all love.

So I woke up, now at like 5:40am, and I had this song in my head! It’s hard to say whether it’s what they were singing or something else but it was a new song and I sprung over to my Mac and started recording it with one of my favorite programs, WireTap Studio. I even got my guitar out and quietly started trying to figure out the chords. I’ve captured something new that will become a start for a song someday but I can’t say it’s as good or even the same as the dream. This has happened before and it’s a real challenge, invigorating but also frustrating because I want to capture the beautiful sounds I dream but I can’t write music and the memory is fleeting upon waking. When I was younger I once dreamed a whole orchestra sounding something like Beethoven, instruments that I don’t even know exist, all playing this beautiful symphony.

The more I learn about and play new music the more active my creative mind becomes and songs start to take form. Singing and playing the guitar are the most inspiring and challenging activities in my life right now. Regarding the dreams, I’m convinced that they are a way that our body and mind combine actual information, risks and opportunities to give us an obstacle course, a realm to explore safely and then apply the learning to real life (just like I did this morning).

This is the funniest, most clever video + marketing I’ve seen since Colbert attached Miracle Whip and they responded during a commercial spot on his program using his name! Tosh.0 (in case you don’t know him) is a commedian that uses the web and sort of rants about videos and events. Sometimes he actually meets people in real life to give them a “web redemption” but most of the time it’s just him commenting on videos and making some of his own. The one below is called Smoking Smarties, transcript to follow.

[cut to Tosh.0] alright, there’s one thing the Truth campaign can’t deny. Smoking really does look cool.

[cut to young black kid smoking smarties] “right now I’m gonna teach you how to smoke smarties, you’re gonna bang ‘em on something hard, like real hard, and like this (he slams them on a dictionary, then breathes in the smartie sugar powder then puffs it out his mouth and nose).

[cut back to Tosh.0] I didn’t know smarties came in menthol? …alright, I just worry about his little sister, who has to breathe all that second hand smartie smoke. It’s not fair, smarties are a gateway drug, before you know it you’re blowing your entire allowance so you can mainline starbursts. I should know, I’ve been there… (tosh then puts a pink starburst into a spoon, uses a lighter to liquify it, then loads a syringe and injects it into his left arm, he experiences a happy trip and tries to grab a fish, then he wakes up) fuck! I only have yellow left. Now that’s a sugar high! Comedy Central wants to remind you that you should not mainline starbursts.

Just below is the Mayo commercial with Stephen Colbert and if you visit this page you can see their two response ads… Now that’s marketing!