Jeff Lagerquist
Online Editor
Meet Brian Lesser, the director of computer and communications services (CCS). He’s been at Ryerson since 1989 as an instructor for the School of Image Arts. He accepted a position at CCS in 1995.
CCS is one of those things, like running water, that we take for granted until it stops working. Brian and CCS are responsible for essential campus services like the my.ryerson portal, Rmail, WiFi, and our phone and faxing systems. It was a little over a year ago when I last met with Brian. I remember gently grilling him about network outages and Rmail delivery slowdowns. He earnestly assured me that these types of problems are to be expected, and that CCS is always up front with students when things go wrong.
More recently, Brian encouraged Ryerson to switch to Google Apps for Education. He also worked on the Ryerson Mobile app and Ryecast. Ryerson’s system for recording and streaming lectures and events.
When he’s not appreciating cubism, taking pictures around Toronto, and worrying about what types of devices are draining parts of our network (he has a graph), this is what he listens to.
We give you Brian Lesser’s RyeTunes Top 10.
Béla Bartók – String Quartets
“Here’s the part that first put the hook in me. If you have hours to spend listening and re listening, the 1963 Julliard Quartet version is the best thing I’ve ever heard.” – BL
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBs53SlEkso[/youtube]
Billy Holiday – Strange Fruit
“Even when I think I’m inured to hearing about racism, this song destroys me.” – BL
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs[/youtube]
John Coltrane – Coltrane Plays the Blues
“I’ve listened to this album so many times.” – BL
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0J2V0pvFjg[/youtube]
Tom Waits – Step Right Up
“Still makes me laugh inside.” – BL
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URp-Dbhr7EU[/youtube]
“I have a soft spot for what people have done with Ravel’s Bolero. Here’s Maya Plisetskaya
performing Bejart’s version.” – BL
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aK68IdDuGM[/youtube]
Brian also like the Jeff Beck version.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmO0OZC6Ifk[/youtube]
Jimi Hendrix & Band of Gypsies – Here’s Who Knows
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-3JiDVl1O4[/youtube]
Sibelius – Violin Concerto in D minor op. 47- 3
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdP-B4zWdbw[/youtube]
Leonard Cohen – Bird on a Wire, here’s KD Lang
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvhD1cORBrU[/youtube]
Django Reinhardt – Georgia on My Mind
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt3adbpz-D8[/youtube]
Bessie Smith – Gimme a Pigfoot
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBzkXFFcBik[/youtube]
Next week we’ll feature music from a man who may know where you live.
Want to submit a RyeTunes top 10? Send us your favourite songs of all time, your current playlist, or some random b-sides that you feel we all need to hear. Hit me up at online@theeyeopener.com.
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