March 17, 2005
The Best Composer Alive
Jonathan Newman e-mailed me a few weeks ago after checking his website search referers. (That is, what people typed into Google — or whatever search engine — to end up at his site.) Somebody had typed in “Jonathan Newman, pulitzer prize.”
Although it’s probably just a matter of time, Jonathan has not yet won a Pulitzer. (He’ll certainly win one before I will, as I’ve made obvious.) The cool thing was that somebody seemed to think that, perhaps, Jonathan had won a Pulitzer, and they Googled the combination.
This made me wonder — what were people Googling to end up at my site? So I checked the logs.
My favorite search this month is “crescendo of raw energy.” Yes, if you Google that phrase, the top hit is my site, specifically, the page for my piece “Juba.” How cool is that?!
A whole lot of people found my site after doing a search for Corigliano’s “Circus Maximus.” (In fact, four of the top 10 searches this month were Corligliano-related.) Then you get some random ones. Some of my favorite random searches include:
Steve Guttenberg 2005
oyster texture
qvc feet
loki blog (somebody really wants to read a blog about my cat?!)
kitty mackey (again, is this about my cat?)
ca. = 116
xanax flying
bbbbbbbb (why would you Google this?)
biggest carrot cake tempe
traffic cowboy
and “best white bean puree”
I’m pretty sure there’s nothing on my site about the best white bean puree, but Google’s engine somehow linked that search to me. (I think it’s related to the blog entry I wrote about Jean Georges.) The cool thing is that Google will pick up anything.
That one got me thinking. Why not call a blog entry, “The Best Composer Alive,” and then, after Google picks it up, have everybody I know Google that phrase — The Best Composer Alive — and find the link to my site, and click it. Gradually, it would move up the Google rankings, eventually moving my website into the number one search position for the phrase, “The Best Composer Alive.” This is totally the stamp of legitimacy that my career needs!
As of right now, according to Google, that honor belongs to Hans Zimmer. Come on people — get Googling!
And the next step will be to win a Pulitzer for our friend Jonathan Newman.
It’s fun to have a mission.
Comments
Daniel Montoya, Jr. says
what are the odds that we were both thinking the same thing today? i was trying to think of clever things to title my blog entries so i would have more "search referrers." i guess i'm just a nerd like that...
Anonymous says
If you Google Image Search "crescendo of raw energy " you get a publicity photo of 3 guys in some sort of garage band. If you Image Search "best composer alive" you get an album cover of Pete Seeger's. And really, Stages of Saint Louis or something Musical Theatre comes up for a regular Google for Best Composer Alive, which is an interesting comment on the comparative cultural relevance of various of the arts.
I'm trying to give you something to read in Seattle, but I think I'm probably just boring you further...
Happy wifi coffeeshop-ing.
MJS
Newman says
Nicely initiated. Perhaps if we all chip in and do our part we can make the Pulitzer a reality. 'Cause it sho 'aint gonna happen with only my efforts to show for it...
Also, in the greater interests of your Google-fiefdom, I'll take point in appointing you "Best. Composer. Ever." Which right now is apparently J.S. Bach.
Whatever.
Anonymous says
I tried Googling "best composer alive" (with the quotation marks), but only 51 sites came up, and none of them linked to this blog. Without the quotes, there's about 386,000 results. I like your work a lot, Mr. Mackey, but forgive me if I don't sift through all 386,000 results for your site. ;)
--George
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