Another gay video of a great song: I mean, just how bad did you have to tart it up in the 70s. Worse, they splice three versions of the song together. Doesn't really work. But it's a great song, and I once met the keyboardist, Eddie something, in a music studio in New York.
There isn't a better version on YouTube, though there's a Harry Potter version, which doesn't permit an embed.
YouTube is the ultimate collection of bootlegs. How is this stuff legal?
Now, to a misunderstanding. I was once explaining to an ex-girlfriend about Al Green, and that his song "Let's Stay Together" was, well, super-smooth and one of the great 70s song. She said, "Didn't Brian Ferry [of Roxy Music] do that?" Um, no, I said, that's Let's Stick Together, which is whole 'nuther thing. Dem kids. We didn't stay together.
Golly, this video is from TV's Midnight Special. It was on too late for me to stay up. Yes, I was just a kid in the 70s.
Another funny misunderstanding. I downloaded on Napster what I thought was a pretty obscure song, Alone Again Or, by a pretty obscure 60s band called Love. \
She recognized the song, but not the band. She thought it done by The Damned.
Heck, at this point, both versions are from the Last Century. Still trying to work my way into this century, but I keep getting pulled further and further into the past. And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past ...
YouTube weekend, Bill's Notes Version: In Which Ray Davies Serves as an Apogee
By 1994 I'd spent the previous couple of/bunch of years focused on others things besides music. I was ensconced in a house in Gabon, and a visiting volunteer left behind a cassette tape. Since there was plenty of time for personal entertainment there (being no television), I plunked the tape into my player and heard it out. It was pretty good ...
I was particularly blown away by one song. Which was kinda rare, 'cuz I was (was, past tense) a serious rock snob and tended not to be blown away by anything new. So, in my pretentious way, if I said something was good, that's because it was really good. (God, I was such a snot, but I hid it well. I hope.)
Anyway, the song that blew me away was Smashing Pumpkins misspelled Mayonnaise (which I refuse to misspell). Harry has the link to a video. I won't repost it here. Good choice, Harry.
Anyway, I made a copy of the tape and brought the copy home with me. Several years later, I played it in my car for Jen, and she told me the names of each band. All but "Cracker" I've forgotten. Anyway, that tape is what clued me in that rock had undergone a serious early-90s renaissance.
But that's not what I want to post. I want to keep posting Sweet Jane. Here's Phish channeling the Dead:
Speaking of channeling the Grateful Dead, here's Led Zeppelin sounding like the Dead in Down by the Seaside:
Speaking of Led Zeppelin, here's something where they're back to the Power Chords. I've always thought that the opening guitar riff to The Rover should be the default ring tone on every cell phone in America:
One of Jimmy Paige's best guitar solos. Seriously. And like all Led Zeppelin songs, it ends about a minute after it should. Seriously, weren't you done by the 4:30 mark?
The opening riff may have been borrowed from Wicked Annabella by The Kinks:
Now, one of my favorite Kinks' songs was from an album that came out in 1983. They always say your favorite music is what you were listening to when you were 19. Maybe there's something to it.
I recall "breaking format" back on my "Monday Morning Hangover Hour" with this song, but no one cared except the station director, who went on to radio success on WINS-AM. See the problem? I mean, effing AM? Believe it or not, there used to be AM people at one time in the world. But yes, I was a college DJ for WSOU-FM from 84-85. Monday 10 a.m. -12 p.m. Yes, it was two hours. And I kept it mellow ... for the most part. 'Cuz I was the one who was hungover.
More akin to breaking format, though, was this one. I had just heard that Sioxsie & the Banshees cover of Dear Prudence was No. 1 in England (which of course was the heart of all coolness, Cool Brittania and all that), so I busted format with it. Some people were very impressed. Which of course was the point. It's not that great a song. Either time.
Re this song: There's also a personal story here about a Chicago business trip that quickly descended into a netherworld of strange characters, smoke-filled haunts and non-sequiturs — a Three Stooges routine acted out; catching the end of Jackie Brown in a crowded, rundown bar/theater, encountering a chain-smoking photographer in an apartment full of cats; analyzing the lack of risk-taking in a wall mosaic depicting Jack Nicholson in The Shining; a late night run for fries in a seedy section of town; a shy, boozy girl making a cutting remark while Dear Prudence played in the background; and an Faulkneresque character named Shoe who insisted on showing us all his different sets of shoes. But doesn't everyone have a story like that? It's just so friggin' cliche.
Speaking of Jackie Brown, the last song in the movie (the only part of it I saw) is Bobby Womack's Across 110th Street. The video is the opening sequence from the movie.
110th Street refers to Harlem's boundary. But I've always given Harlem a five or 10 block "grace zone," unless I was near Columbia University, where I had to go several times for various reasons. The song is actually the title track from a 1972 movie. Thanks, Wiki.
And now, just to bring things full circle, here's the Grateful Dead covering what's possibly Bobby Womack's most famous song, It's All Over Now.
And since we're on the Dead here, a very very long version of the next song partially served as the soundtrack to a homecoming weekend in Narragansett filled with strange characters, smoke-filled haunts and non-sequiturs — two women so obsessed with an ex-boyfriend they once shared that one was in therapy and other had previously stabbed the guy; this triad drinking and uneasily reminiscing together, then encountering a cabal of conspiracy-theorists who insisted that Edison had stolen Tesla's research and the Federal Reserve was illegal; putting down one drink an hour for 48 straight hours; an obdurate insistence on having relations because, "When else will I be back in Rhode Island?"; two shy, lonely folks meeting up and beginning what would become a marriage within a year; a costume party in a maze-like, rundown, mansion in which every crowded hallway only seemed to lead deeper and deeper into the depths of the earth — until you were suddenly outside; a pointless discussion in a parking lot with two members of the college's hammer-throwing squad; and a compilation video of college scenes scored by one guy's version of Row Jimmy that had all the URI alumni tearing up 'cuz it was never gonna be like that again. Then we walked back to the hotel in the rain.
Dr. Helen here has an interesting article on what I'll call "confrontational readiness" and the "new feminized majority." Her thesis is something along these lines:
I often think how few people in our society would really know what to do if they were confronted with a mortal confrontation. Sadly, our mindset is now more like The New Feminized Majority in which soft power and discussions are slowly taking the place of the Combat Mind-set. Is this a good thing?
Here's the thing: Unless you've been trained to handle potentially mortal confrontation, or you've actually been tested in a real-life-threatening situation (by another person), you don't know how you'll react. In the military, they talk about troops being "combat hardened." That means they've gotten over their initial combat jitters and actually learned to fight under fire. For non-combat veterans, how you'll react is a question mark. You don't know.
You could step up and fight. You could freeze up. You might do one or the other depending on your mood that day. But if you react effectively and aggressively largely depends on your training to handle a moment like that. And yes, I mean me, too.
1984 Georgetown Hoyas. 1989 Mike Tyson. 2001 NY Yankees. 2007 New England Patriots. 2008 Obama campaign.
I forgot this. There's something about a win streak that makes it look like it'll just go on forever. Like the person/team is unstoppable. Until it stops.
And there's something about a loss that makes it look like, oh, that's the end of it. But no, it doesn't work that way, either. I tend to forget this, too.
The pundits who were screaming Hillary is finished are now busy with Obama's on the ropes. Yegads. How did I get sucked into that? That's not something that remotely would have gotten me interested years ago.
Nothing like getting sick to give you perspective.
So for the past two days I've been sick as a dog. But I still tried to do some work. Got a couple of stories done yesterday, and a couple more today. Then, my computer crashed, and corrupted the Quark file on the issue I'm working on. I can't seem to open it.
If anyone has experience opening corrupted Quark files, I'd appreciate it.
I'm not that good humored about this right now.
UPDATE: I fixed it. Open with WordPad, Cut and Paste, Debaise from there.
I be sick. It's rare that I miss two days of work in a row, but there it is. Home yesterday. Home today.
BTW, regarding our medical-insurance system, it doesn't work too well. I call up a local in-network doctor, and I got a bunch of bureaucratic questions. "You can't come to see us unless you designate us as your primary care physician. Otherwise, you need to go to an urgent-care facility." I mean, I feel like crap on a stick, I want some medical help, and all I get are a bunch of dumbass bureaucratic questions.
It's Monday night and it really bothers me that I posted an odd number of videos this weekend. So here's one more to make it an even 28. This one came out while I was living with Debbie. It was the first newfangled CD we purchased, and she kept the CD in the "divorce" a few years later.
The last album I believe was REM's Green, which I think was Orange. She kept that one, too. Heck, she got the microwave, the television and the VCR. The Bonnie Raitt CDs. The furniture. But she was a sweetheart, and deserved some parting gifts. Me? I went to the Philippines. Then Africa. She didn't want to come with.
About a week ago, I woke from a fitful dream with the strongest inclination that God was sending me a message: That I was guilty of spiritual pride. I found this something like a lightning bolt — me, spiritual pride? First of all, I didn't even know what spiritual pride meant ... and certainly didn't think of myself as someone who looks down on other people. I mean, I fear God for real and don't take anything for granted.
So I put out a bleg here and another place, and a commenter at the other place said exactly what I needed to know: Spiritual Pride = Faith + Hope.
Now I get it. There's something missing in that equation, and that's the same something that's been missing in my thoughts and actions with other people lately, and missing in my walk with God.
Meanwhile, hubris. Normally, this translates as "excessive pride" or trying to place yourself among the gods, that sort of thing. I don't consider myself guilty of any of that. But then I read something along the lines of ... hubris is also the sense that you can do it all alone. That you don't need any help. If you notice in the old stories, the hero always needs help. And I thought ... yes, in the sense of trying too hard to live my life on my own, and cope with the normal obstacles in my life, yes, I've been guilty of taking it all on myself and not allowing or getting any help. So, hubris, too.
That's what I've been thinking about today. Sure is a beautiful day here, though. It's that first warm spring day of the year, the one where you realize that winter's breathing its last gasp, and the sun is coming back. Enjoy!
One problem with feeling very strongly about something is you get into all sorts of logical conundrums when you try to defend your point of view. That is, most people don't say, "I'm on our side because it's our side, and f*** those bastards over there. I don't need to give you reasons."
But it's in the reasoning that comes the trouble. Among the temptations:
1. When your party is in power and doing things you like, changing the rules to concentrate more power is, "Tough-minded approach to get things done." When you're party is out of power, changing the rules is a horrible abuse of power.
2. When your party is in power, you don't understand why your opponents are freaking out. When your party is out of power, your emotions are justified by the extreme abuse of power of the other guys.
3. When your party is elected, it's because of the wisdom of the American people. When your party loses, it's because the stupidity of the American people and they get what they deserve.
4. When your party gets the money, it's good. When the other party gets the money, we need campaign finance reform.
5. When your party is in power and makes a mistake, it's just a goof and can be remedied. When the other party screws up, it's an excuse to say, "See?"
6. When your party is in power, God is running things and all is right with the world. When out of power, we live in a fallen world and Satan is running things.
7. Both sides are fascist depending on who's ox is getting gored.
8. When you have a few facts and can't convince someone, it's because they're stupid. When they have a few facts that will lead you to a conclusion you don't want to make, you need more information.
9. If a study confirms your worldview, it's true. If not, there's a problem with the methodology.
10. Your opponents disagree with you because they are in denial. They have made decisions based on erroneous information, then they've committed emotionally to it, and then surrounded themselves with friends who confirm it. You on the other hand are correct.
11. When your side is enthusiastic and cheering, it's a healthy display of authentic emotion. When the other side does it, it's weird, cultish, quasi-fascist ... and Hitler's coming! Boo!
12. When something unexpected happens: If your party is in power, it's just something unpredictable we need to adapt to. If the other party is in power, it was a foreseeable consequence of the other party's ineptitude.
Via PajamasMedia, comes this video, which was NOT produced by the Obama campaign. Every time I think, OK, I'll give Obama's candidacy the benefit of the doubt, something weird happens. So I'm still sorting out whether we just have a popular campaign with excesses (still the most likely scenario) or something more dangerous is on its way (unlikely, but there are some signs).
Here's what I've got so far:
1. There is a scarily sentimental group of people in this country who have been prepared to follow a leader of enormous charisma, and they can easily be used in all sorts of nefarious ways.
2. I have no idea how big a group of Americans it is.
3. Point two is the scary part, and the scariness is proportional to their numbers. And the really scary part is these people will remain a dangerous cauldron no matter what happens electorally.
4. Barack Obama is just a left-liberal democrat running for president, and his campaign happens to have tapped into something scary. That is, I don't think this was his intent.
5. Nonetheless, this kind of fanatic following means Obama will be tempted and tested in ways that most presidents, and most people, aren't.
6. If it wasn't Obama these people were following, it'd would be the next charismatic leader.
7. Obama isn't, right now, dangerous. But the situation could become dangerous, but unlikely.
That's all I got so far. Chances are, we just have a fad going ... and maybe his followers are just some folks blowing off steam. Obama himself is just a guy who caught fire. What's important is his reaction to this kind of worship.
Lou Reed stole that black t-shirt thing from me. This is not a bad version of the song. I once had a girlfriend who wouldn't listen to anything other than the original studio Velvet Underground version. I played another version, and Tonia said, "Isn't this one of Lou Reed's pathetic 70s bands?" I'm glad I didn't play her the Mott the Hoople version. Or the soporific, somnabulant, Quaaludes-induced Cowboy Junkies version, which will depress you if you weren't already.
Here's Patti Smith doing Bruce's song:
Here's Bruce doing the same song:
Speaking of soporific covers:
A mulatto. An albino. A mosquito. My libido.
Um yeah.
Here's the original. You never hear this song on the radio :)
More Patti, which includes a nude picture of her by Robert Mapplethorpe:
There was this stage in the late 80s when new musicians were making great music. But it was ignored — but I'll say this — it was a heck of a lot easier to find good music then than it is today. Here's one from a Bowie-wannabe.
Speaking of Bowie wannabes (I always get fooled by the intro by some Smashing Pumpkins song):
Speaking of Space Hog, they took a shot at Cruel to be Kind, too. (yes, it's a different song.)
But we were talking about the late 80s. Got some play in the clubs:
And if Vanilla Ice hasn't ruined this song with his perfidious sampling, here's the actual David Bowie backed by a bunch of queens apparently:
And what was my favorite Bowie song, back when Checkpoint Charlie wasn't a museum, and somebody didn't pointlessly cover the song:
And the Heinz commercial almost wrecked this song, but it's another good song by a Bowie wannabe:
Graham Parker. (Gosh, what a stupid video, though.)
The line to remember is: ":Don't ever leave a footprint on the floor." Hey, if you want poetry, read Keats. Or better, study it at Amherst.
Does anyone even remember this guy anymore? Gone the way of Dave Edmunds, Marshall Crenshaw and Nick Lowe, hasn't he? Sigh. What can you do? Someone had to make room in the American attention span for Paris Hilton.
Speaking of Nick Lowe (ignore the gay intro):
Rhyming "my friend" with "wit's end" and "bona fide" and "coincide." Pretty cool.
And a better song with Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello (acoustic version):
Is there only pain and hatred and misery?
Back in my sophomoric days, I used to change the lyrics.
The original version: And each time I feel like this inside,
Theres one thing I wanna know:
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding?
My sophomoric change (which actually rhymes):
And each time I feel like this inside,
Theres one thing I wanna know:
Whats so funny bout sex, drugs and rock-and-roll?
Hey, I never claimed to be Keats, either. It just fits the meter, you know.
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And then there's this one from Flash & The Pan, who were indeed.
This one is also a favorite. Ian Gomm, Hold On.
And now to go into the depths of the 70s. It's silly and Ian Hunter has a little trouble lip-sync-ing, but what the heck:
Berlin, eh? Golly, that used to be so, I dunno, pregnant with meaning back in the day. Sigh. I miss the Cold War. I mean, now that I know we've won. Here's a link to the studio version of the same song. Embed not permitted via YouTube. (Studio version is better.)
And if you want a really good and original version of the same song ... (I'm kidding, sorta), here's Personality Crisis by the New York Dolls.
Took a long nap this morning. Well, it was more like I woke up this morning and then went back to bed and woke up this afternoon. I suspect it may be difficult to get to sleep tonight.
Had some pretty serious mood swings today.Depressed and despairing, but forced my thinking out of it and into a happy place. That's one cool thing about getting older: Better control over the mind. Not like a total mind-control thing, but just better than it used to be.
Anyway, I don't know what the take-home value of this post is for you, the reader. I just felt like saying something because I'm up late. And I've volunteered to do stuff at church tomorrow, so I gotta be there at 8:30. Which means it would be better to sleep. I'll try again.
