Blogs are so passe and pretentious. Oh well, here's my blog about music that's stuck in my head when I wake up in the mornings along with adventures of the Cash family and wacky wacky crazy wacky shenanigans.
Some people think because of the blood moon that happened tonight that the world is ending.
I have my doubts.
Ironically I woke up with a song today by Lindsey Buckingham. It's from his 2011 album called "Seeds We Sow." The song is titled "End of Time." I hope this song playing in my head is just a coincidence and that the world isn't really ending.
Here's the song:
If this is my last blog post, it's been a fun ride.
A few weeks ago he released a new album "So There."
It's fantastic. Truly. I apologize in advance for the likely barrage of posts that will follow. I love his music and I find his melodies not only good, but catchy. And since I'm so obsessive compulsive to blog about the exact song stuck in my head on Sunday mornings, I'm certain more are to follow.
So fun facts about Mr. Folds new album:
- He ditched the guitars and opted for a classical sextet called yMusic to join him.
- The album includes 8 chamber pop songs and 3 classical pieces which he recorded with Nashville Symphony
- Lyrically, I think this is the best I've ever heard him.
- Musically, this is very fun and interesting.
The song stuck in my head this morning is the opening track from the album and it's called "Capable of Anything."
I hope you dig. I sure dig.
If you listened to the lyrics, you'll find that the song has to do with a relationship gone wrong where one party is judging and blaming the other for the couple's collapse. The person's response is to throw it back at the accuser saying he/she is capable of causing harm just like anyone else. My favorite lyric is this one:
The thick and holy good guy
I want so bad to be,
But I was weak and wrong,
And when I end it all
It only made you righteous now
You get to blame your life on me
Ben Folds has been married and divorced four times. Who knows why, his business not mine, but sadly the relationships don't seem to work out for him. I think it's done wonders for his music and makes for an interesting story/perspective. Maybe he's happier alone.
As for me, yesterday I found myself on the scariest roller coaster. Normally I don't get scared by this sort of thing, but this ride, Cannibal- at Lagoon in Farmington Utah- is freaky-scary.
The picture doesn't do it justice. That first drop from the top of the tower is 208 feet, which is the highest roller coaster drop in the United States. I want you to think about that for just a moment, 208 feet! The anxiety and anticipation of being lifted (in an elevator) that high and just dropped like that, was perhaps the most frightening thing I've ever done. I really was so scared that I don't know that I'll ever do it again!
I hope a few of you will get a kick out of today's post.
Back in 1987, I believe, I and my brothers were given a Nintendo Entertainment System by Santa Clause. If he had known that the Nintendo would turn us into video playing zombies, I'm certain he would have given us something else instead.
Yes, I played a lot of Nintendo when I was young. The one good thing I can say it did for me is that I spent a lot of time with my brothers playing it together. I actually miss those days quite a bit- not much to worry about in life except completing challenging Nintendo games.
Video games have become so sophisticated that I don't even go near them. In my day (I feel old) the graphics weren't great, the games weren't too challenging and we liked it dammit! We liked it! The 8-bit music wasn't too elaborate as well, but many of the repetitious melodies have stuck in my head after all these years.
Today's song comes from a 1987 NES game called Ultima Exodus. It's role playing game and we loved it!
In the game you choose various medieval characters; knights, wizards, warriors etc. who wander around a magical kingdom fighting monsters. The fight sequence music, being horribly repetitious, wandered into my head this morning.
Here it is- I dare you to listen to all 3 minutes of it- then imagine that the fights went on much longer than that in some instances.
I really loved this game. And I remember it being especially challenging. Despite hours (days, years?) of play I don't recall ever defeating it.
Quick story- teasing and repetitious Nintendo music nearly killed my little brother!
There's a game called "Pro Wrestling" on the old Nintendo. In the game you can pick various wrestlers to fight a match. It's really exciting you guys! But if you are getting wasted by your opponent your character will weaken and become helpless until he is pinned and the match is over.
Here's a sampling, pay close attention to the annoying and repetitious music:
OK, so here's the story. Bucky (my older brother, probably aged 12 at the time) was fighting Devin (my younger brother, probably aged 5 at the time.) Bucky, being older and meaner, was just wailing on Devin's wrestler. The fighter was weak and couldn't do anything but stand there while he kept getting punched, kicked, slammed, bitten, or whatever could be done to him.
But here's the mean part, Bucky wouldn't pin Devin, he just kept beating on him, making the match go on forever. Adding insult to injury, Bucky kept singing along to the annoying music in his loudest voice while the match continued.
Devin, even though, and perhaps because he is the youngest, is naturally the most competitive of all us boys. He was red faced, and frustrated that he was utterly helpless as this match continued for what seemed an eternity.
Devin was chewing a piece of gum and because of the ongoing torment he started choking on the gum- I mean really choking, he couldn't breathe and his face turned red. Bucky acted quickly though and began using the Heimlich maneuver on Devin. It happened in a flash, but soon the piece of gum was dislodged from Devin's throat and fell out onto the floor of our family room!
Man, those were the days. Nintendo and Brothers. I miss it like crazy.
I had a dream last night that I was sitting in a group of performers and some people were trying to put together a production of "Pirates of Penzance." They were ready to do a run through rehearsal of the show and didn't have anybody to fill the role of Frederic. I had played the role before and so I volunteered for the part.
But when we got to the part where I was to sing Frederic's ballad, I couldn't do it. I couldn't remember the words and I was making a fool of myself after boasting that I knew the role. I woke up in a panic and realized that in my dream I was trying to sing the wrong song. What I was trying to sing was the tenor's ballad from "The Mikado" which is also a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta from the late 1800's. Nanki Poo, the hero from The Mikado introduces himself with this song in the first act, "A Wand'ring Minstrel I." Enjoy the song stuck in my head:
I was lucky to be involved in the chorus of a teenage production of "The Mikado" in 1994. It's a silly show (like all Gilbert & Sullivan) about the lord high executor of Japan whose task is to behead anybody who flirts. It's probably G&S's best known work. It really is fantastic. I happened upon a photo of the cast I was in. It's below- I'm front and center (in black) for those who care. I was 15 years old at the time and loved being on stage with so many friends. Incredibly, I still recognize most of the people in this picture. I miss these days....
If you're looking for a good movie, there's a great Mike Leigh film called "Topsy-Turvy" that not only covers the interesting working relationship that Gilbert & Sullivan shared, but also the process of putting together the premier of The Mikado in 1885. It's an entertaining and fascinating homage to the theater. I highly recommend it.
What else? I enjoyed a nice weekend getaway to Lava Hot Springs with my lady. It was a nice break from parenthood, but we're back home and back to it.
