Danica Swanson

@danicaswanson

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Time for a re-intro. I'm a GenX writer, eldergoth, senior editor, and music journalist. I've lived solo in a studio in Portland, OR for 16 years. I was born in NW Illinois but grew up in Honolulu, Hawai'i. I'm long-divorced, feminist, queer-identified, and have no kids or pets. My life pretty much revolves around reading, writing, learning, music, home decorating, and religion. I'm basically a monastic without a monastery. The majority of my interests probably qualify as niche. Here are some interests I’ve rarely casted about, but would gladly do so more often in the right contexts + cozy corners. - gift economy and culture - dark ambient music - "shop talk" for professional editors - cottages and tiny homes - goth home decor - darkness retreats/meditation - car-free living - dance (especially bellydance) - subterranea (basements, caves, etc.) - right-to-die movements - my Swedish + German ancestry and family history - monasticism in modern polytheistic religion - philosophy of work and leisure

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Good point. I like this framing. Reminds me to keep a sense of perspective about it all.

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Definitely. I don't drive, so I rely on walking, occasional rides with friends, and public transit. If I have to take Tri-Met I'd much rather take the streetcar than the MAX. Buses are pretty sketchy these days too. But as your experience demonstrates, people who drive are not exempt!

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This thread made me wonder what the band is up to, so I did some further digging on YT. Look what I found! They performed "We Can Get Together" in 2017, and it sounds fantastic. Also gotta say they've all aged like fine wine. Lookin' sharp, Iva Davies! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz_VtGUYcac

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Love to hear it. All those tracks are deeply etched into my memories of the '80s too, though of course I have different associations with them. I agree that musically there's still plenty worth appreciating, all these years later. Electric Blue and Crazy got the most radio play in the US at the time, as I recall.

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I just flipped a best-of Icehouse playlist on in Spotify and I'm getting chiills on every track so far: - Great Southern Land - Electric Blue - Crazy... Opening this little aural memory box is unearthing and spinning up long dormant programs in my nervous system. Feelings, smells, the optimism of so much to come. The location for me, Hahei on the Coromandel over the unending NZ summer holidays. That was my 'great southern land' Gotta say, musically, this has really stood up well, 30 years on.

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Yikes. I would've been spooked too in that situation. Sorry you went through that. Glad no one was hurt! I've definitely had several close calls with really frightening situations with individuals on the streets of Portland, particularly on Tri-Met. Things have worsened in the past several years too. But like you, I can't help but feel compassion alongside the uneasy feelings. I mean, there are many reasons for homelessness... but for one thing, there simply aren't enough affordable homes for the population, and Portland can't build them fast enough.

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Cassette walkman! Yes, I had one of those too. Having a Sony Walkman was such a big deal at that time for me. I had a long bus ride to school every day, and music kept me sane. Did you have a favorite Icehouse track?

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The "Icehouse" self-titled track is another classic from the early '80s. I didn't learn to fully appreciate this one until I got into the goth scene later on. But I love it now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXelzDCdKmA

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Thank you. Added to my reading queue! Looking forward to reading more.

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That's a great track too. Musically it's fantastic and memorable. But I also recall feeling a little spooked by the "little girl, where will you hide" theme at the time, so it didn't end up in my favorites list.

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Touché! I'll definitely take some more time to read your work. I've been really out of the loop for the past month or so, and I've only started catching up in the past few days. Any specific pieces you'd recommend re: "more to the story"?

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Who else was a fan of Icehouse in the '80s? Their later releases got more attention. But "We Can Get Together" is the track I keep returning to most often all these years later. Still love it as much as I did back then. I recall searching record stores for a 45 RPM record of this song, but couldn't find it anywhere. Just had to hope I'd see it show up on MTV... lol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjW9drEedRI

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I’m giving 30k $ANON each to 10 good posters to onboard them to @anoncast. 30k is the minimum to post to Anon - currently worth $300. Who are the best posters you know?

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Privacy is not about who has something to hide; it's about who has the right to choose what to share and with whom.

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I've found short-term intermittent contract work through FC contacts in the past. I've also been approached with an offer for long-term senior-level editorial work because of essays I published on @paragraph. (The timing didn't quite work out for that one on either side, but nonetheless it really made me feel that FC was the right place for me).

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"A thoughtful and deliberate approach can leave a lasting impression in a world oversaturated with content." - #EricsBlog https://blog.epr.net/share-your-art-with-care-and-purpose

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It's true that thoughtful work can leave a lasting impression. It's also true that thoughtful work can just get quickly buried by algorithms and overlooked, precisely because of that oversaturation of content you mentioned in your piece. I don't mean for that to sound cynical. I like your framing a lot! And I enjoy writing thoughtful deep dives myself, so I'm on board with the idea. I just think there's more to the story.

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Maybe someone could cast this in /quotes? It deserves more attention than it'll get through my quote-cast. (I'm not a member of /quotes and I don't see any info on how to become one).

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"Content is having to say something. Art is having something to say." Brilliant. 💜

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