Earl Nightingale, The Magic Word: Earl Nightingale was a famous American motivational speaker and author who rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s. His most notable work, "The Magic Word," is a timeless piece of wisdom that continues to inspire and motivate people to this day. In "The Magic Word," Nightingale emphasizes the power of one simple word: "Attitude." He argues that the way we perceive and approach life has a tremendous impact on our happiness, success, and overall well-being. According to Nightingale, having a positive attitude is crucial for achieving personal and professional growth. Nightingale believes that our attitudes are not predetermined or fixed but are something we can consciously choose and develop.
Interview: Surf Curse
Indie rock band Surf Curse are riding their distinct indie-rock wave to a worldwide break. With a name inspired by a hippie uncle’s astral projection into hallucinatory hell and ultimate exorcism into devout catholicism, the band carves between the strange and familiar, filling tracks with head-banging, garage party riffs, and psychedelic introspection. On their new album and major label debut, Magic Hour , the band blends their indie-rock roots with aspects of alternative, punk, power-pop, psych-rock, and no-wave to create their most ambitious and engaging project to date.
The band recently sat down with Nuance for a video interview to discuss the band’s independent origins, sudden blow-up into the mainstream, and recording process for Magic Hour.
Formed in 2011 in Reno, NV, by lead vocalist/drummer Nick Rattigan and guitarist Jacob Rubeck , Surf Curse had been independently cultivating their sound in relative obscurity for nearly a decade. “We’d always liked playing music together growing up in Vegas because there was really nothing to do,” Rattigan says, “We appreciated music together. But then we started taking it more seriously in college. More seriously, I guess being like actually playing shows.”
That changed in 2020 when their song “ Freaks ” suddenly blew up on Tik-Tok, earning 500 million streams worldwide and an RIAA-certified platinum plaque despite being released eight years before. With the viral success came a record deal from Atlantic Records . Thus the band, adding new members Noah Kohll (guitars) and Henry Dillon (bass), were faced with the beautiful problem of needing to create their first major-label album:
“It sort of came out of nowhere,” Rattigan explains, “it came out of left field because we weren’t doing anything. There was nothing going on. And then the “Freaks” blow up happened, and we got offered a record deal, and we were like, ‘Shit. I guess we have to write a record.’”
With the major-label backing that Rubeck describes as “unlimited power” in an Emperor Palpatine voice, the band bunkered down at New York’s iconic, Jimmy-Hendrix-commissioned Electric Lady Studios to record Magic Hour, falling in love with the place’s historical energy and creative atmosphere. Inspired by their surroundings, Rubeck explains how the band’s appreciation for rock music defines the album: “The whole album is a collage of us loving, and wanting to make important rock music.” Despite the intense focus on the album, it was impossible not to appreciate the lofty new surroundings. Guitarist Noah Kohll remembers sitting in the lobby, forty takes in to a guitar solo recording, trying to recreate an improvisation he did on a demo, and having his attention broken by Frank Ocean and Lorde walking past him.
Inspired additionally by the Jean Luc-Goddard documentary Sympathy for the Devil and the Rolling Stones, Surf Curse differentiates Magic Hour from their previous catalog by its increased sonic depth, careful songcraft, and expanded musical palette. Emotive string arrangements, carefully placed bridges, raging guitar solos, and even saxophone features create an engaging sonic journey across the album’s tracklist, all the while anchored by the band’s initial sound. “It’s very much still a Surf Curse record,” Rattigan said. “It’s not changing us,” Rubeck added, “as much as it’s just crafting more.”
Working extensively on the project with producer Chris Coady (Beach House, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear), who the group now treats as “family,” the band was equally impressed with his production prowess as his storytelling chops: “The way that we know him as a person, he’s so sweet and direct and knows how to keep things tamed,” Rubeck explains, “and then he just tells us like the most insane stories, and we’re like, ‘this guy has lived a life for someone who seems so well put-together.’”
Even with the help of Coady, the support of their label, and the ambiance of Electric Lady Studios, the band still had to execute, and execute they did. From the blistering opener “ Arrow ” to the intimate, slow progression of closer “ Randall Flagg ,” “ Sugar ” delivers a power-pop anthem with thick guitar riffs with an explosive vocal performance, “ Lost Honor ” steps to a punk beat before unleashing an infectious guitar and vocal harmony, while “ Self-Portrait ” grabs you by the throat with its impeccable guitar riff, perfectly executed screams, and immaculate mixing that retains the energy of a live performance.
“ Unwell ” might be the band’s most impressive song to date, cycling from an upbeat, folksy bounce to heavily distorted metal riffs before slicing both sides together seamlessly with pianos and live strings. However, “ Fear City ” makes its claim with its incredibly fast-rhythm, gripping narrative, and show-stealing saxophone feature.
Speaking of the latter, Rattigan recollects his ambitious writing process on “Fear City:
“That is like, the most words that were put in a song my entire life. And I just was meticulously writing that song like for hours and hours when everybody else is doing their parts and like crafting it to be this perfect little thing that was super challenging…What was interesting about that record is I wasn’t on any social media, I wasn’t drinking; I was completely sober. So, I had to take all that energy and put it into something.”
Rattigan also remembers how the track’s defining saxophone solo came about in a magical session with the instrumentalist Stuart D. Bogie:
“We were listening to some stuff, like James Chance and crazy New York No Wave. And I was like, ‘just do that.’ And then he did it over the entire song, like vocals and all everything. I was like, Whoa, that was crazy. Alright, we’ll put it here here here…he just crafted all of it, it was crazy.”
Inspired by a movie called Eureka, specifically Gene Hackman’s gold-finding billionaire immorality, Rattigan, co-director Nathan Castiel, and actor Sarah Ritter create a visually impressive, sinister fantasy world in the music video for “Self-Portrait:” “The human story here is humanity being corrupted by something.”
With their first big-budget video, Rattigan creates a twisted, Wes Anderson-adjacent winter fantasy world around the concept of greed that he describes as “dark Disney.” The video visually portrays how the band has used its newfound support to further a vision brewing organically for years.
After the band’s highly-anticipated European leg, Surf Curse is back in the USA on their Epic World Tour, with tickets available here .
Surf Curse Popped Off at DRKMTTR Collective
What happens when an LA-based Surf Punk band comes to play a sold-out show in East Nashville? Chaos, but in the best possible way. On October 7th, 2019 Surf Curse, a band consisting of Drummer/vocalist Nick Rattigan and Guitarist/Vocalist Jacob Rubeck, played at DRKMTTR collective in East Nashville. Accompanied by Nashville bands Promweather and Peachy, as well as the New York-based Dirt Buyer, the lineup was stacked, and the energy in the room was electric all night. When Nick and Jacob finally hit the stage, they started out running, playing “Heathers” from their debut album Buds . The audience ignited into a mosh pit that did not die out throughout the duration of the evening.
Courtesy of Surf Curse
Very rarely does a drummer succeed in singing as well as Nick Rattigan does. As he pounded away at his drum set, his voice tore through the air as he sang songs from their new album Heaven Surrounds You . The audience was reacting just as fervently to these new songs such as “Maps to the Stars” and “Labyrinth” as they did with their older songs such as “Ponyboy and “All is Lost”. Rattigan, who’s other project Current Joys is just as popular as Surf Curse, shows two very different ways of performing with these two projects. Current Joys is more stripped-down, with Nick playing guitar instead of drums, and Surf Curse is incredibly high energy, making the listener just want to dance. The one thing that is the driving factor in both is Rattigan’s voice, which can captivate a room with a single sound, which Rattigan displayed Monday night at the beginning of the song “All is Lost” where he opens by screaming out “STAY!” Nick and Jacob switched off on vocals throughout the evening, each injecting their own personalities into the performance while still maintaining the Surf Curse sound. The two musicians fed off of each other as they played, and it is clear to see how they are able to collaborate to create great music.
The show consisted of little commentary from the duo, but the words they did speak were worth being said. At one point Rattigan stopped and asked if the audience wanted to hear a joke, to which he responded with “the Healthcare System in America.” Rubeck spent a period of time requesting that someone should grab him a “Colorado Kool-Aid” as a worker handed him a Coors Light. He then made the claim that Coors Light is superior to water itself.
Taken by Brynn Demers
The peak of the night came at the end of their set when the duo broke into the lead single off of their new album, “Disco”. The opening bars of Disco had the meekest concert-goers jumping into the middle of the mosh pit, and towards the end, even Rattigan hopped off of the drums to join in. By the time the song ended, the smell of sweat filled the air, and many voices had been lost. But as Surf Curse walked off the stage, the word “Freaks”, a song off of their debut album, filled the mouths of the concertgoers. Rattigan and Rubeck came back on stage and played “Freaks”, which was just as receptive by the audience as “Disco” was.
Surf Curse’s show at DRKMTTR showed just how fun rock music can be as the performers and the audience poured their hearts out during the entire performance. If Surf Curse comes to a city near you anytime soon, it would be a shame not to see them play.
Check out their new album Heaven Surrounds You here:
Heaven Surrounds You
The beachy post-punk duo are at their most confident on their third album, with a sense of anguish that brings emotional depth to otherwise plain lyrics.
Facebook Email PinterestLos Angeles musician Nick Rattigan has always kept his artistic personas clearly divided. There’s the somber, introspective Rattigan, sole member of Current Joys, whose seclusion manifests in downtempo guitar pop that echoes like a tinny speaker in a cave. Then there’s the bolder Rattigan, drummer and singer of Surf Curse, whose self-deprecating heartaches spiral into restless guitar riffs. Current Joys songs feel like private reflections—particularly on last year’s A Different Age—but his music with bandmate Jacob Rubeck pulls you in by the hand. While early Surf Curse often fell victim to juvenile songwriting (“I’m Not Making Out With You” and “Forever Dumb” appeared on their 2013 EP Sad Boys), their third album, Heaven Surrounds You, is the most confident Rattigan’s ever sounded.
Lead single “Disco” is the best song here, driven by clean, racing strums reminiscent of Vampire Weekend’s debut. But where Ezra Koenig bobbed his head under a chandelier somewhere near the Columbia campus, Rattigan shuffles and twists beneath prom-night decor with a Mia Wallace type. “Disco” invokes the allure of legendary couple dance scenes, the kind that make you want to fall in love with somebody just so you can replicate the choreography. As Rattigan coos “I can’t wait for you,” the track imparts a corresponding salacious urgency: Nothing is more important than right now.
The closest Heaven Surrounds You comes to matching “Disco”’s silver-screen magic is “Safe,” with a whirling keyboard refrain worthy of a climactic montage. “Safe” swaps the lust of “Disco” for complacent loneliness. “I held you away… I can’t leave my home/I’m safer at home,” Rattigan sings, opting to withdraw entirely rather than risk getting hurt again. “I’m safe alone,” he concludes, though his repetition of the line suggests he’s second-guessing himself.
With help from violinist Eliza Bagg of Pavo Pavo, songs like “Opera” and “Trust” exude a baroque-pop eeriness that compliments Rattigan’s occultish references: “Beware of the witching hour/’Cause I can feel you in my room/Is that still you?” he warns in “Hour of the Wolf.” “Tie my wrists and fuck my mind,” he demands in “Opera,” seeming more sinister than inviting. Rattigan isn’t the strongest vocalist—when he belts, it sounds like he’s really trying—but there’s an anguish that surfaces in his quiver, bringing an emotional depth to otherwise plain lyrics.
When things get too plain, the album falls short: Lines about “another night of feeling lonely and confused” feel like they could’ve come from anyone. Dull melodies make tracks like “Labyrinth” and “Dead Ringers” mostly forgettable, and a borrowed title like “Midnight Cowboy” relies on the classic cinema reference to conjure what Rattigan’s uninspired lyricism can’t. In its final moments, Heaven Surrounds You attempts to deliver profound awareness of mortality: “I love all the people in my life/All my friends keep me alive,” Rattigan sings. As with much of the record, there’s likely a far deeper implication behind the clichés—he just needs a more insightful script.
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Nightingale believes that our attitudes are not predetermined or fixed but are something we can consciously choose and develop. He encourages his readers to cultivate a positive mental outlook by focusing on gratitude and optimism. By shifting our mindset and adopting a can-do attitude, Nightingale suggests that we can overcome obstacles, attract success, and create a better life for ourselves.
"The Magic Word" also emphasizes the importance of action and taking responsibility for our own lives. Nightingale argues that it is not enough to simply have a positive attitude; we must also actively work towards our goals and take decisive action. He emphasizes the power of persistence, discipline, and continuous learning in achieving success. Nightingale's teachings in "The Magic Word" go beyond personal growth and success; he also emphasizes the importance of kindness and empathy towards others. He suggests that by treating others with respect and compassion, we can create a positive ripple effect and make a difference in the world. In conclusion, "The Magic Word" by Earl Nightingale is a timeless piece of wisdom that teaches us the power of having a positive attitude, taking action, and treating others with kindness. It serves as a reminder that our thoughts and actions have a profound impact on our lives and the lives of those around us. By adopting a positive attitude, taking responsibility for our actions, and cultivating empathy, we can create a life filled with success, happiness, and fulfillment..
Reviews for "Earl Nightingale's Path to Success: Taking Action with "The Magic Word"
1. Lisa - 2 stars
I found "Earl Nightingale: The Magic Word" to be highly repetitive and lacking in substance. The author seemed to go in circles, repeating the same ideas over and over without presenting anything new or insightful. The book felt like it was just trying to sell me the idea that positive thinking is the solution to all problems, without providing any concrete strategies or actionable advice. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to others.
2. John - 1 star
"Earl Nightingale: The Magic Word" was a huge letdown for me. I expected to discover the secret to success and happiness, but instead, I found myself listening to endless anecdotes and vague concepts that offered no real value. The author's writing style was dry and uninteresting, and I struggled to stay engaged throughout the book. It felt like a waste of time, and I regret spending money on it. I would advise others to look elsewhere for self-help and personal development books.
3. Sarah - 2 stars
As someone who has read various self-help books, I found "Earl Nightingale: The Magic Word" to be highly repetitive and lacking in originality. The content was nothing new or groundbreaking; it felt like a rehash of common concepts already covered in other books. The author's writing style was also bland and uninspiring, failing to capture my attention. I was hoping for something fresh and insightful, but unfortunately, this book fell short of my expectations. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a meaningful and impactful read.
4. Mark - 2 stars
While "Earl Nightingale: The Magic Word" had some interesting nuggets of wisdom, overall, I found it to be an underwhelming read. The author seemed to stretch out the content unnecessarily, making the book longer than it needed to be. The anecdotes and examples used were often trivial and didn't contribute to the main message of the book. It felt like a missed opportunity to delve deeper into the subject matter. I would have appreciated a more concise and focused approach, rather than wading through repetitive and irrelevant material.