HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
[SIMG]http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/11265ipodthereforeiam-sml.jpg[/SIMG]
By Devlin Smith, Contributing Editor
2005.11
Is it possible to love an inanimate object? If it is, then it seems that Dylan Jones, editor-in-chief of British GQ, may very well be in love with his iPod. In his first book "iPod, Therefore I Am," Jones discusses the fanaticism he feels not just for the Apple hardware but also for the music it delivers.
The book shifts between personal memoir and corporate bio, juxtaposing Jones's own life story with the history of Apple and the iPod. Jones is a music obsessive, someone whose life has been completely impacted by music and the thread holding the book together is Jones's attempt to import his entire music collection into the iPod.
Chapter 1, and every few chapters following, is about Apple. While much of this information is interesting, it does tend to drone on. Like any fanatic, Jones thrills at minutiae, packing in little factoids about Apple founder Steve Jobs's favorite songs or the type of car iPod designer Jonathan Ive drives. Learning about the beginnings of Apple and the iPod are interesting but the rest seems like overkill.
What doesn't bore, though, is Jones's life-long love affair with music. From being taken to see The Beatles’ "A Hard Day's Night" at age four through his glam rock phase and current completist leanings, the true passion Jones feels for music resonates throughout the pages of "iPod, Therefore I Am."
Thankfully, the personal stories outweigh the Apple history, keeping the book from being just another corporate bio and making it something so much more relatable. Whether it's music, sport, film, whatever, all of us feel passion for something and can relate to the intensity of Jones's feelings for music and the joy and frustration he feels over the iPod, a machine that can both limit and expand his collection.
The book ends when Jones finally uploads the last of his collection of LPs, EPs and CDs onto the iPod. Having cataloged his entire life into a tiny piece of machinery, always within reach, always there to take him back to the best and worst times in his life. Certainly any object that can do that is worth a little fanaticism.
By Devlin Smith, Contributing Editor
2005.11
Is it possible to love an inanimate object? If it is, then it seems that Dylan Jones, editor-in-chief of British GQ, may very well be in love with his iPod. In his first book "iPod, Therefore I Am," Jones discusses the fanaticism he feels not just for the Apple hardware but also for the music it delivers.
The book shifts between personal memoir and corporate bio, juxtaposing Jones's own life story with the history of Apple and the iPod. Jones is a music obsessive, someone whose life has been completely impacted by music and the thread holding the book together is Jones's attempt to import his entire music collection into the iPod.
Chapter 1, and every few chapters following, is about Apple. While much of this information is interesting, it does tend to drone on. Like any fanatic, Jones thrills at minutiae, packing in little factoids about Apple founder Steve Jobs's favorite songs or the type of car iPod designer Jonathan Ive drives. Learning about the beginnings of Apple and the iPod are interesting but the rest seems like overkill.
What doesn't bore, though, is Jones's life-long love affair with music. From being taken to see The Beatles’ "A Hard Day's Night" at age four through his glam rock phase and current completist leanings, the true passion Jones feels for music resonates throughout the pages of "iPod, Therefore I Am."
Thankfully, the personal stories outweigh the Apple history, keeping the book from being just another corporate bio and making it something so much more relatable. Whether it's music, sport, film, whatever, all of us feel passion for something and can relate to the intensity of Jones's feelings for music and the joy and frustration he feels over the iPod, a machine that can both limit and expand his collection.
The book ends when Jones finally uploads the last of his collection of LPs, EPs and CDs onto the iPod. Having cataloged his entire life into a tiny piece of machinery, always within reach, always there to take him back to the best and worst times in his life. Certainly any object that can do that is worth a little fanaticism.
