{"id":973747,"date":"2019-11-26T10:46:36","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T17:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=918752"},"modified":"2019-11-26T10:46:36","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T17:46:36","slug":"handy-man-5-practical-lessons-we-learned-from-james-taylors-twitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/music-news\/handy-man-5-practical-lessons-we-learned-from-james-taylors-twitter\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Handy Man\u2019: 5 Practical Lessons We Learned From James Taylor\u2019s Twitter"},"content":{"rendered":"
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James Taylor<\/a> told us he was a \u201chandy man\u201d<\/a> way back when, but his Twitter<\/a> is the ultimate reminder. His \u201cHandy Man\u201d<\/a> fix-it posts are rife with important lessons and tricks.<\/p>\n

Although the singer-songwriter uses the account for professional purposes \u2014 like announcing upcoming performances<\/a> and hinting at new music<\/a> \u2014 his tweets can also be lighthearted and humorous<\/a>. He excels at hashtags (see his photos of his adorable pug, festooned with #puglife<\/a>) and hilarious photos that read \u201cCaption this!\u201d <\/a><\/p>\n

Most important are his fix-it posts, because, after all, he\u2019s not the kind that uses pencil or rule. Most of the videos are shot at TheBarn, Taylor\u2019s home studio in Western Massachusetts \u2014 where he\u2019s currently recording his upcoming audio memoir<\/a>. From making buttons out of pennies to inventing tools for callouses, here are five practical lessons we learned from his Twitter.<\/p>\n

1. He vastly improved the boot jack. <\/strong>
Taylor gives a modern update to the boot jack, a device that\u2019s used to remove the shoe by the heel. He lines it with speaker cable for a better grip \u2014 and also to prevent tearing the boot.<\/p>\n

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Improve the design of a boot jack? Of course he can! #procrastination<\/a> #IReallyShouldBeWorking<\/a> #JT<\/a> #JamesTaylor<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0VFyIuGn1Q<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 James Taylor (@JamesTaylor_com) November 26, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

2. He invented a callous tool.<\/strong>
Every guitar player needs to keep their callouses in shape. Taylor made the ultimate DIY tool by drilling old guitar strings against a piece of wood. It\u2019s especially helpful for new guitarists, who build stronger callouses with time. \u201cYou keep it in your pocket,\u201d Taylor advises. \u201cWork on your thing!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Popular on Rolling Stone <\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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James shows off his latest DIY gadget. An essential tool for keeping those fingers ready to play! #JT<\/a> #JamesTaylor<\/a> #Handyman<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/9wPnVGlsH7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 James Taylor (@JamesTaylor_com) October 27, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

3. He\u2019s partial to an extreme flashlight. <\/strong>
Taylor sheds more than a little light<\/a> with a ginormous flashlight. He explains his co-manager Michael Gorfaine\u2019s quest to find the flashlight with the largest amount of lumens, and sends Taylor one with a whopping 100,000. It even comes with its own cooling system. \u201cWhat is it used for?\u201d Taylor asks the camera, before testing the device on his driveway at night. \u201cAircraft carrier landings, football games, forcing trees to go into bloom\u2026I think he\u2019s outdone himself now!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Shed a little light\u2026 or in this case, a LOT of light! \ud83d\udd26\ud83d\udd06 #JT<\/a> #JamesTaylor<\/a> #flashlight<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/jIFhqcCFdA<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 James Taylor (@JamesTaylor_com) November 19, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

4. He makes buttons out of pennies.<\/strong>
Taylor made a button out of a copper penny, complete with four perfect holes in the center.<\/p>\n

\n

What does a “handyman” do when a button breaks? Make a new one, of course! #JT<\/a> #JamesTaylor<\/a> #ImYourHandyman<\/a> #DIY<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/AlIuFVFydA<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 James Taylor (@JamesTaylor_com) October 5, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

5. He crafts the perfect setlist \u2014 literally.<\/strong>
Taylor constructs his setlists with an industrial paper cutter. He arranges individual cards with his songs on them and puts them on a wall. Famous tracks like \u201cMexico,\u201d \u201cSteamroller\u201d and \u201cIf I Keep My Heart Out of Sight\u201d can be seen in the clip.<\/p>\n

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Ever wondered how a setlist is put together? No surprise that for James, it involves sharp tools \ud83e\udd23 #JT<\/a> #JamesTaylor<\/a> #handyman<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Mko3zhbnaC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 James Taylor (@JamesTaylor_com) September 26, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

via:: Rolling Stone<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James Taylor told us he was a \u201chandy man\u201d way back when, but his Twitter is the ultimate reminder. His \u201cHandy Man\u201d fix-it posts are rife with important lessons and tricks. Although the singer-songwriter uses the account for professional purposes \u2014 like announcing upcoming performances and hinting at new music \u2014 his tweets can also be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-973747","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-14 02:12:51","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KFMU Solar Powered Radio","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=973747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973747\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=973747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=973747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=973747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}