The Sound of the Life of the Mind

I am back after taking a little break.  I'm sure you are thrilled and that you missed me and my wacky wacky song sharing shenanigans. 

Today's song is special, because I've been waiting for this music for 13 years.  Last month, Ben Folds Five released their first album since 1999.  Truly, it's everything I had hoped for too, great music, great lyrics, good beat.  It's everything a BFF album should be- piano pounding rock mixed with heart breaking and beautiful melodies.

This song is the title track, "The Sound of the Life of the Mind."  From what I've read, this song is about Sarah Vowell, who is an author, essayist and historian.  I only know her from two things, she is a commentator on "Gigantic" a documentary about They Might Be Giants, she also voices Violet, the teenaged daughter from "The Incredibles."

Author Nick Hornby wrote the lyrics to this song.  The message of this song is clear, about a youthful girl who loves learning in school, and watches her peers waste their time screwing around and missing the amazing things that academics have to offer. 

Sarah Vowell, I'm afraid that I would not have been your friend in High School.  And although you've turned out to be the cool one- I assure you I was much cooler than you were in High School. 

For example, Sarah Vowell, let me tell you a story.  When I was sixteen I was very very very small and very very very skinny.  I was also very flexible.  I had this trick I liked to do where I would get on my knees and cover my knees with pants, tucking my feet into the pant leg giving the illusion that I had no legs.  I even had the amazing ability of curling my feet over my bum so that my feet were well hidden.  There is no way I could do this now, but it looked very real and it was very funny.  My favorite was to do an impression of Liutenant Dan. 

 

 

 

 

So, being the clever and really cool kid I was in High School, me and some friends decided to go to a local supermarket with me in my clever disguise as a legless teenager.  Since we didn't have a wheelchair, I was placed inside a shopping cart.  My friends posed as my family and we pretended to "shop for groceries."  When we got to an aisle with a large crowd of people, two of my friends started to argue:

 

"What do you want for dinner?"

"I want Rice-a-Roni"

"Well, I want Hamberger Helper!" 

 

This fake argument escalated into yelling (we were in theater, we were really really cool, Sarah Vowell) and I broke up the arugment with possibly the most convincing acting I have ever done:

"Stop it!  Stop it!  Stop it!  You keep saying you want this and you want that, when all I want is legs!"

 

(I could have sworn at the time some people nearby wiped away a few tears.  I know now they weren't falling for our "gag," didn't think it was funny, and wanted nothing more than for us to go away) 

 

So there you have it, Sarah Vowell.  Not only did I THINK I was cool, I was also ridiculous and insensitive to those with disabilities.  Look at what you've grown up to be, Sarah.  And look what I've become.  The sound of the life of my mind is clearly much quietier than that of yours. 

Good song though.... thanks for inspiring it.