I had a motorcycle once. I bought it because I wanted to learn about machines in a pure form, with minimal automation, all the moving parts accessible by wrench and oil can. I wanted to see how something worked in a world where understanding systems was growing increasingly complex and inaccessible—purposefully so.
I also wanted to learn about journeys without destinations. While I did ride the thing to work for almost a month straight (I had some inspection sticker difficulties with my car), what I mostly got out of it is that you could put on your helmet and jacket and just ride around without any need for a further plan or map or anything. That was the activity: going out and coming back. It was finding a nowhere road and seeing where it went.
I miss it sometimes. But you don’t need a motorcycle to explore the world, and I’ve found a lot of hidden places along other types of journeys.
So, in the spirit of creative exploration, today’s update is a musical composition I created in GarageBand that is intended to evoke that feeling of wandering. In the same way that a motorcycle grants access to forgotten highways, GarageBand is a tool that grants access to a musical “nowhere road”: pure creation, without the need for any further purpose.
I hope you enjoy!
