Who is Jonathan Coulton, and why should you care?
Well, if you’re a geek, or a geek in training, you’ll appreciate almost every one of this man’s lyrics. I like to think of it as witty music for adults (or those that are in an adult frame of mind). Almost three years ago, he quit his job as a computer programmer to pursue music full-time. He started a project called “Thing-a-Week,” a regimented approach to his creative side, and one that would cement a great connection to his fans. The concept was simple, but required dedication to pull off. Every week, he would release something. Anything. Most of it was cool stuff. Some of it was übercool. Much of it was about monkeys, and other everyday topics. He’s also the man behind the song at the end of the Valve game, Portal, but you have to play it through to fully appreciate the lyrics in that one. His recordings, while good, don’t come close to the experience at a live show. I had the privilege of attending (and helping out a bit) at his first show in Canada, and it was a truly fun and ama
