Holiday

Yesterday was Veterans Day and the end of three days of snow. I heard this song on KRCL as I was driving home Sunday and it was a really good pick (thanks, Linda on Sunday Sage). The Veterans Day part doesn't start until about 4:10 but all of the song is brilliant ("the kids are strapped down like a half laod of pipe" in the back of the car). I wouldn't expect less from my almost-boyfriend James McMurtry.

Going To California

Led Zeppelin's hair is enough to brighten up any Monday.

  

 Damn, they were good.

Old Rock Stars

The Writer's Almanac tells me that 50 years ago today, the Rolling Stones played their first gig. (I have no idea what this news has to do with writers. I think it has more to do with that site's demographic.)

My parents were always in the Beatles camp and so I was, too, but when I saw Gimme Shelter in my 20s I suddenly got what all the excitement over Jagger was about. And any band who loves and promotes the blues is ok by me (even if they are awfully old to be rock stars). 

Here's an early performance of "Little Red Rooster":

Reassurance From The Beatles

Oh yes, I'm still getting my hippie on with late Beatles tunes. I never cared much for this one until I listened to the lyrics (past the "love, love, love" part); now, I like hearing that there's "Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time" and there's "Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be."



Bonus Ringo at the end. Mr. Conductor!

Friday Unrelated Information

1. For cat lovers and font lovers: 20 Cats as Fonts. Including:




2. Comic Sans Cat looks like I feel after this week.

3. I continue to cope with hippie songs. Any song where you can sing "Om" is a good one:

Friday Unrelated Information2.

1. Have you seen Better Book Titles yet? It redesigns book covers "to give you the meat of the story in one condensed image"--one hilarious condensed image, that is:





So many more here.

2. Happy birthday to Marxist/alienist playwright/composer Bertolt Brecht today. I don't know about you, but I'm going to be singing "Show me the way to the next whisky bar" when this week is finally over tonight.

Bad Days

Sometimes all you can do is accept that the bad day wins, get takeout, make a drink, and listen to Bob Dylan (who I find soothing; your mileage may vary). My inner hippie really loves "Mr. Tambourine Man," because my inner poet thinks the lyrics are so pretty:

Then take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind,
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.

Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves:
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.

That last line is like a tagline for bad days! Also, be sure to watch the video soon if you find Bob soothing; I found it on a Turkish (?) site and it may not be up long.

The English Song

How about some Sifl & Olly on a Monday morning? After all, I'm going to be using English all week.


I love all of it, but you know that my absolute favorite part comes at :49. I'll be walking around work today humming "Now that I know your English ways I'll translate all that Satan says!"

Yay America!

Yay Jimi!

Rave On

If you read kottke.org, you've probably already seen this, but there's a collection of Buddy Holly covers coming out and I've been listening to the album pretty much non-stop. There are some clunkers (Sir Paul, I'm looking at you) but "Peggy Sue," "Rave On," "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" and a lot of others are really well done.

Of course, the songs themselves stand up to just about any treatment--major thirds and surf drums are pretty hard to screw up.

Rave On Buddy Holly by concordmusicgroup

Let's Get Some Soul

I've been listening to early (non-gospel) Candi Staton a lot lately, because it is just. so. fab. Who doesn't need to hear some gravelly-voiced, steely-souled lady singing about love gone wrong? Add a horn section and it's just about perfect.

Even if you don't usually listen to anything I post, I think you should listen to this: there's an awesome guitar intro, overdriven vocals, that horn section, a really slick modulation at about 1:45--and Candi herself, of course.


I would love to find this on vinyl. My monolithic media cabinet has space for a turntable...

Sing It, Bob!

Even though Bob Dylan is one of my absolute favorites, I haven't featured any songs here because I know he's not for everyone. But Tuesday was his 70th birthday, "Maggie's Farm" has been in my head all week*, and this performance is pretty great, if only because he seems so pissed.

I don't think this is the 1965 Newport Folk Festival performance where he went electric (because the crowd cheers in the end) but it seems to be from about the same time.




*Gotta love lyrics such as "He hands you a nickel, he hands you a dime, he asks you with a grin if you're having a good time [...] They say, 'sing while you slave!' and I just get bored."

Not Quite An Imaginary Boyfriend

I heard a James McMurtry song Sunday on KRCL that just hit me--I had known of his name before but hadn't really heard any of his songs. It's called "Hurricane Party" and the refrain is "There's no one to talk to when the lines go down," plus it talks about "one great love." Thoughtful, lonely lyrics! Clever guitar! I was hooked. Have a listen:



Although I learned he plays a club in Austin most Wednesdays and I briefly planned an Imaginary Trip, complete with Imaginary Cute Outfits I'd Sew, I think he may a little too close to a hippy to be a true Imaginary Boyfriend. (A couple of years ago I took a vow: No more hippies, EVER.)* But he can be my Imaginary World-Weary-and-Older-Let's-Have-Some-Bourbon-and-Compare-Scars Friend.


*The way he sings "The Lights of Cheyenne" kind of makes me want to recant that vow. But I hold firm! Because I value steady jobs and shampoo!

Moving Time

Oh yes, this week I am packing for a Saturday move.

Toby is helping, of course.

While I pack, I have the Semisonic "Closing Time" song in my head, but I'm making up new lyrics.


moving time,
pack up all the boxes
and stack them up in your house
moving time
time for Dad to rent a truck
and drive everything across town

I do like a line of the original lyrics, though: every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. Oh, the profundities of 90's pop.

Sundays Are My Laundry Days, But I Like The Point Being Made

Etta James had a birthday on Tuesday and I've been listening to her album At Last a lot lately--especially this track, "A Sunday Kind of Love."



It makes even laundry days a little more soulful.

Did Judy Garland Ever Sing A Happy Christmas Song?

As you know, she sang "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in Meet Me in St. Louis, which was such a sad song it featured a small child crying during the performance. But just this week I was watching In The Good Old Summertime and there she was singing another wistful little Christmas song:


Poor Judy. You kind of want her to belt out "Joy to the World" next. (Did she?)

Counting My Blessings

I've been joking lately about "First World Problems," such as not being able to find a suitable new and fancy house, or being irritated with aspects of my specialized office job, or not liking any of the coughfivecough winter coats I have, and you know what? Those are not even problems. It just took Irving Berlin and Bing to remind me.

"Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," from White Christmas:

I Rarely Feel Lonely

I'm pretty happy being a cat lady with Toby, but I heard this song on KRCL Sunday and it made me feel a little wistful. Because who doesn't want someone to bring them booze to ease their suffering from an incurable illness?



...wait, is that just me? Um, I like the singer's voice and he's very in tune. That's what I meant to say. Yeah.

Did You Know?

Did you know that Ray and Charles Eames designed speaker cabinets back in the day? Which were then marketed with kitten pictures? (Click for big)

Hello, gorgeous.


Yes, I'd take an Eames three-way.

When I think of my imaginary house, I think of getting adult electronics like a stereo and a TV with two functioning speakers (imagine!). Except I would want all my equipment to look like this. Then I would listen to Ethiopian jazz and bebop on vinyl, like this:


You can see more vintage hi-fi goodness here.

How Come I Didn't Know This?

While watching my new imaginary boyfriend* Christopher Eccleston in an episode of Dr. Who set during the Blitz, there was some Glenn Miller playing. Which led me to Wikipedia to learn that Glenn Miller is officially listed as missing in action (presumed dead) because his plane disappeared over the Channel in 1944 while on tour with his Army Air Force Band.

And I thought I liked Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo." Dying while on tour to rally the troops in the war effort is another matter entirely.





*I'm sorry, Dimitri, I'm really enjoying your baritone and your t-shirts, but there's such a thing as too much music. I'll call you.