Oblique Strategies : Search and Destroy

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You know, the eno box of cards with suggestions when you are 'stuck' for progress in a musical or a real-life situation.

I always liked "Take the part you are most proud of, and get rid of it".

Perfect for a recording studio. (e.g. that blinding guitar solo you end up listening to instead of trying to do a better bass line than the one you have.) Classic.

But in real life? You have the perfect girlfriend so get rid and your life progresses? Um Dud.

(In truth its the only one I know. Are these online or something?)

So anyhow. Pick one and enlarge upon it for real life situation and a creative situation.

This is one of those threads that occurred to me about six months ago and at various times since, but kept forgetting it when I was here...)

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 06:35 (twenty-one years ago)

'The mistake is the hidden intention' has always been one of my faves.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 06:43 (twenty-one years ago)

list here

― zappi (joni), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 06:44 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.rtqe.net/ObliqueStrategies/

Probably the best site...has a run-down on each card and the various decks in existence.

For all the intelligence and playfulness of the cards the one I find most effective (it always works) is "TIDY UP"

― winterland, Wednesday, 18 August 2004 06:46 (twenty-one years ago)

"There were only 4000 copies of this fourth edition made, and they were presented privately to friends."

He has a lot of friends...

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 06:47 (twenty-one years ago)

gah! you guys beat me to it. I was just about to post that rtqe URL.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 06:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I suppose to answer your real life scenario, 'the mistake is the hidden intention' certainly covers those Freudian situations where you do something you didn't consciously want to do, and later it becomes clear to you that you secretly did want to do that thing.

It's probably worth remembering that the cards are for use when you're stuck - not when things are going fine. So, in life, if you were unhappy, the solution could conceivably be to remove that thing or person you have convinced yourself is perfect.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 06:52 (twenty-one years ago)

good point.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 06:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 07:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh! you mean I posted this before?

OK, this time I'm removing amiguities and converting to specifics.

to whit, a thread based precisely on the Oblique Strategy cards.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 09:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Make a beautiful frame with no picture in it.

― Super-Masonic Black Hole (kate), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 09:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I always thought that 'When You Carry A Hammer, Everything Looks Like A Nail' is a great lost oblique strategy. I'm told it's a hacker/programmer's saying.

― mzui, Wednesday, 18 August 2004 09:36 (twenty-one years ago)

That's a great saying.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 21:17 (twenty-one years ago)

"To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail" should predate haXors.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 21:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh man I am so printing these out - I never actuaslly read Enos strategies before now, and these seem really inspiring for all kinds of projects I have sitting going stale in my head.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 22:04 (twenty-one years ago)

There have been several threads about Oblique Strategies, but I keep forgetting to actually look up what they are. I kind of like it that way.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 22:11 (twenty-one years ago)

compelling evidence:
"Look closely at the most embarrassing details and amplify them"

― sexyDancer, Thursday, 19 August 2004 01:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, I use that one all the time!

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 19 August 2004 01:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Rino Breebaart's adaptation of Oblique Strategies for writers. You click on the button and up comes a random strategy:

http://rino.rummage.net.au/oblique_writing.html

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 19 August 2004 01:19 (twenty-one years ago)

"Make a U2 album" was my favourite one.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 19 August 2004 09:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Perhaps that one was actually 'The mistake is the hidden intention'?

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 19 August 2004 09:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I want to see a pack of un-oblique strategies.

No.1.- Erm, could you turn me up a bit?

― mzui, Thursday, 19 August 2004 11:14 (twenty-one years ago)

No. 2 - and everyone else down a bit...

― winterland, Thursday, 19 August 2004 11:16 (twenty-one years ago)

No 3. I want that big 'Albini' drum sound?

― mzui, Thursday, 19 August 2004 11:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I so want a deck of these.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Thursday, 19 August 2004 11:32 (twenty-one years ago)

No 4. Honour thy hangover as a hidden intention.

― mzui, Thursday, 19 August 2004 11:34 (twenty-one years ago)

No 5. I don't hear me!

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 19 August 2004 12:29 (twenty-one years ago)

No 6. Can we like, record shit and then make it backwards?

― mzui, Thursday, 19 August 2004 12:33 (twenty-one years ago)

No.7 Honour thy father and mother as a hidden intention

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 19 August 2004 12:55 (twenty-one years ago)

8. Take the part of you you are most proud of, and throw it away.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 19 August 2004 20:47 (twenty-one years ago)

9. Stay "in the pocket" at all times.

― Joseph Pot (STINKOR™), Thursday, 19 August 2004 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

10. Red near the pink to middle pocket, come off the cushion to land nicely on the black.

― matthew james (matthew james), Thursday, 19 August 2004 23:40 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

encore!

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 29 November 2004 11:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I might use these more. I am SO printing out a pack of these.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Monday, 29 November 2004 11:27 (twenty-one years ago)

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