Today I filed my taxes. Better late than never, right? But that's the way life has seemed the last couple of years. I had every intention of keeping up this blog thing going, but something "always came up." Work, kids' afterschool activities, grading papers, avoiding work, marathon screenings of the entire series runs of Mad Men, Greek, and Dr. Who, sleep....
My original intent was to provide some kind of lasting memory for my kids (but really for me) of the truly important things in life. Pop culture. Great movies. Great music. Anything that might be asked on a game show. Bridging the Pop Culture Gap between my kids and the things they'll never learn in school but I thought were important. Pretty pretentious of me to think they would ever care about New Wave. Or Ferris Bueller. Or why Next Generation was so much better than the original Star Trek.
But isn't that what a blog is all about? Writing something that is really for yourself, thinking other people might care. And here I am...I'm back. If you're reading this, perhaps you care. Perhaps you're bored and thought this could pass some time. Or perhaps you're my wife wondering why I'm not doing something more productive. No matter. Thanks for reading.
The reason I'm back today is that I was listening to my iPod this afternoon, set for shuffle, and came across a song that I truly loved - "Blue Monday" by New Order. I realized that I've heard this song dozens, perhaps hundreds of times on my shuffle and it hit me that I'd never hit the skip button, always listening to the entire track. Never even realized I loved it so much...but clearly I do.
It got me thinking of the whole Desert Island Discs lists that were so popular in the Tower Records magazine in the '80's (and stolen from the BBC). "Blue Monday" clearly would be one of my DID's. So tonight I worked up my DID list, and couldn't narrow it to less than 30 tracks...but out of 4091 songs in Julia and my iTunes list, that's not too bad.
What else is on that list? Some obscure songs, a few classics, and a lot of songs in between. Even a song that's on the charts now, that may not stay on the list...but for now it is. They're not really my DID's, but actually my perfect iPod playlist. What do you think?
(Not in any particular order other than when I found them in iTunes
1. Battle Flag – Lo-Fidelity AllStars
2. Blue Monday – New Order
3. Down by the Water – PJ Harvey
4. Fell in Love with a Girl – The White Stripes
5. Add it Up – Violent Femmes
6. Hate to Say I Told You So – The Hives
7. Light and Day – The Polyphonic Spree
8. Last Night – The Strokes
9. Longview – Green Day
10. Secret is Sharer – Clare Quilty
11. Steady as She Goes – The Raconteurs
12. That’s Entertainment – The Jam
13. Velvet Pants – Propellerheads
14. American Idiot – Green Day
15. Cantaloop - US3
16. Dear God - XTC
17. Eleanor Rigby – The Beatles
18. Foundations – Kate Nash
19. Nightswimming – R.E.M.
20. Hometown Glory – Adele
21. Janglin – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
22. Live and Let Die – Original McCartney or G&R version
23. Money (That’s What I Want) – The Flying Lizards
24. Power – Kanye West
25. Rocketman – The Red Elvises
26. Santa Monica – Everclear
27. Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye feat. Kimbra
28. Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones
29. Territorial Pissings – Nirvana
30. Violet – Hole
I know, I know...some of this stuff is pretty crappy in other people's minds. But there's something about each of these songs that makes them practically "skip-proof." They're not necessarily the best songs by these artists, but they're the ones that work for me. I tried to keep it to one song per artist, but Green Day and Jack White appear more than once. I can live with that, even if it violates the first rule of mixed tapes.
OK, you've made it this far...I'll try to keep up my postings, and I expect that I'm the only one who really cares if I do...but if you like what I wrote, or it makes you think of your own list, well I'm happy to help.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Thursday, May 6, 2010
How would Bob Dylan and Kurt Cobain do on American Idol?
Watching 17-year old non-wunderkind Aaron get booted from American Idol last night was kind of like eating a single piece of chocolate. For a moment it's a really good thing, but a couple of days from now it will be forgotten forever.
Which leads me to today's topic...Ethan and Claire's (seemingly) constant negative comments when I play them music from rock-era legends that they just can't sing very well (or so they think with their untrained ears!).
Today it happened with John Lennon...it was a cover he did of Ben E. King's classing "Stand by Me," and admittedly it wasn't Lennon at his best. Ethan liked the song, and that he was a Beatle, but Claire would have none of it. "Turn that off!" was followed quickly by "he's no good at all."
I was crushed.
But that got me to thiking of American Idol, with the sweet taste of another never-was having his future crushed, and how John Lennon would do if he sang "Stand by Me" as his audition, and what if all artists of his and subsequent generations had to withstand Simon Cowell's honest and generally accurate assesments, or Randy's "yo dog...that wasn't good" snarkiness.
"John, there were moments that was ok, but if I'm being honest...very pitchy," and with that an icon of the rock era would be gone.
Or Bob Dylan... "Yo dog, I get the whole Rolling Stone thing, but it was just all right for me."
How 'bout Britney Spears...let's face it...the girl just can't sing well. Outside of her studio enhanced albums, she's all over the place vocally. I'm not saying she needs to be in the same conversation (or any conversation) with Lennon and Dylan, but I'm just saying that she would have never made it past the bottom of the top 10 on Idol - and that would have been on looks alone. "If I'm being honest (he does say that a lot), that was very cruise ship."
And what about the entire grunge era. Outside of an Eddie Vedder or Chris Cornell (and I should say my wife thinks there's few rock songs better than their sort-of supergroup Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike"), there's an awful lot of "interesting" vocals coming out of Seattle circa 1993. Kurt Cobain (and I won't even get into the fact that neither he nor anyone else from his generation would have ever considered Idol as an option - nor should they have if it existed then), but most also don't have the vocal chops to get through the national vetting process that is American Idol.
I guess that's why I watch the show. It's not about the music, or even the judges...it's about the process. There is nothing more democratic than a national voting competition. The music, the judges' comments, the order they perform each week, the stupid comments they or their fans make about them...all of this is part of the process. And in the end, whether you like Taylor Hicks, or Kris Allen, or Fantasia, or if you find them over-the-top, dull, or caricature-ish (respectively) as I do, the show is an incredible predictor of what will sell.
At least for one album.
So, to Dylan and the late, great Cobain, I salute your talent, your vision, your creativity, and the music you produce, and I am equally happy that you didn't have to live in the era of the Idol generation.
And for you, Kris Allen, I know you're making some people a lot of money right now, and I wish you the best in your future career, whatever that will be.
Which leads me to today's topic...Ethan and Claire's (seemingly) constant negative comments when I play them music from rock-era legends that they just can't sing very well (or so they think with their untrained ears!).
Today it happened with John Lennon...it was a cover he did of Ben E. King's classing "Stand by Me," and admittedly it wasn't Lennon at his best. Ethan liked the song, and that he was a Beatle, but Claire would have none of it. "Turn that off!" was followed quickly by "he's no good at all."
I was crushed.
But that got me to thiking of American Idol, with the sweet taste of another never-was having his future crushed, and how John Lennon would do if he sang "Stand by Me" as his audition, and what if all artists of his and subsequent generations had to withstand Simon Cowell's honest and generally accurate assesments, or Randy's "yo dog...that wasn't good" snarkiness.
"John, there were moments that was ok, but if I'm being honest...very pitchy," and with that an icon of the rock era would be gone.
Or Bob Dylan... "Yo dog, I get the whole Rolling Stone thing, but it was just all right for me."
How 'bout Britney Spears...let's face it...the girl just can't sing well. Outside of her studio enhanced albums, she's all over the place vocally. I'm not saying she needs to be in the same conversation (or any conversation) with Lennon and Dylan, but I'm just saying that she would have never made it past the bottom of the top 10 on Idol - and that would have been on looks alone. "If I'm being honest (he does say that a lot), that was very cruise ship."
And what about the entire grunge era. Outside of an Eddie Vedder or Chris Cornell (and I should say my wife thinks there's few rock songs better than their sort-of supergroup Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike"), there's an awful lot of "interesting" vocals coming out of Seattle circa 1993. Kurt Cobain (and I won't even get into the fact that neither he nor anyone else from his generation would have ever considered Idol as an option - nor should they have if it existed then), but most also don't have the vocal chops to get through the national vetting process that is American Idol.
I guess that's why I watch the show. It's not about the music, or even the judges...it's about the process. There is nothing more democratic than a national voting competition. The music, the judges' comments, the order they perform each week, the stupid comments they or their fans make about them...all of this is part of the process. And in the end, whether you like Taylor Hicks, or Kris Allen, or Fantasia, or if you find them over-the-top, dull, or caricature-ish (respectively) as I do, the show is an incredible predictor of what will sell.
At least for one album.
So, to Dylan and the late, great Cobain, I salute your talent, your vision, your creativity, and the music you produce, and I am equally happy that you didn't have to live in the era of the Idol generation.
And for you, Kris Allen, I know you're making some people a lot of money right now, and I wish you the best in your future career, whatever that will be.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Ethan's Three Dog Night
Parenting isn't such a tough thing, no matter how much we parents might say it is. We use our best judgment to teach our kids in a way that will make them grow, learn, mature, or otherwise become the people they are going to become.
Actually, writing that out makes me realize that it is kind of difficult at times.
One such example: last night. Ethan has a tendency have bad dreams, scary encounters in his mind that he doesn't like to talk about. Probably from having to watch all those Hannah Montana episodes his sister makes him watch (that's enough to scare anyone)!
So last night, he calls me into his room to say he was feeling scared and couldn't get to sleep. Ethan has a tendency to use his stuffed animals, of which most are of the faux canine variety. He has a favorite one, which you can see in his arm in the adjacent picture, but he also has some big dogs. On nights like this, he tends to bulk up the number of stuffed animals, sometime to the point of almost burying himself in them. Last night was one of those evenings.
As I looked at him, after he had fallen asleep, I was reminded of the story of how Three Dog Night got their name. For those of you who are not familiar, the band has said that it came from one of their girlfriends (at the time), who shared a story read in a magazine. It basically goes like this: On cold nights, indigenous Australians would customarily sleep in a hole in the ground whilst embracing a dingo, a native species of wild dog. On colder nights they would sleep with two dogs and if a night was especially cold, it was a "three dog night." With the band having three lead singers, it seemed like a good name for them.
So...I sensed an opportunity to teach Ethan about pop music. This morning I related this tale to him, so that he would be intrigued enough to want to hear Three Dog Night's "Joy To The World," one of the greatest pop songs of all time. I related the story of how the band got their name, and that last night was like a three-dog-night for him. He seemed to like the comparison, actually understood what I was trying to get across, and when we came downstairs for breakfast, on went the youtube clip.
"Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine...," and he was hooked. He's bopping his head back and forth and dancing in his seat in a way that only a six-year old boy would think was cool. He loved it.
He listened to the whole song, I got my pop culture education dose in for the day, and all was good.
Until Claire said very sternly and somewhat loudly..."I hate that. I never want to hear that AGAIN."
50% ain't bad, is it?
Next up: I just discovered that the woman who plays the mom on Claire's new favorite show (Sonny With A Chance) is Nancy McKeon, the actress who played Jo on The Facts of Life. I see an opportunity...
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Peace And Love, But No Understanding
At the end of last evening, as I was getting Ethan ready for bed and with his new fascination with the Beatles, I decided to push my luck a bit. Ethan, made a comment about how much he wished for peace, and in the course of the ensuing conversation (about why he brought this up, what he was thinking about in particular when he said it, etc...), I mentioned that John Lennon was a big believer in peace as well.
I went on to talk about the song "Imagine," asking if he'd heard it at school or anywhere else. Receiving a blank stare, I asked if he wanted me to sing him a little bit of it. Despite the fact that he (like everyone else) knows I can't sing at all, he said he would.
After getting through the key part, he asked if he could see the video for it this morning on youTube (a common way for me to present music for the kids), and I of course jumped at the chance.
But things didn't go quite as planned. Just after breakfast, while Claire turned on her new favorite show...Disney Channel's "Sonny With A Chance" (more on that another day), Ethan retreated to the couch to play with his Nintendo DS...some game about dinosaurs. I asked him if he wanted to see the "Imagine" video. He did, and I turned it on.
And he kept playing his DS. "Ethan, it's on."
"I know, Dad. I can hear it, DAD." And he kept on playing.
"Ethan, you need to hear the words, to get the meaning. It's a beautiful song."
"Dad, I KNOW! But I've got to kill this dinosaur first. I've been clubbing him and hitting him, and I've almost got him dead."
Dinosaurs aren't people (although to Ethan they might as well be), but I think perhaps the message of "Imagine" was going to be lost on him, at least for today.
I went on to talk about the song "Imagine," asking if he'd heard it at school or anywhere else. Receiving a blank stare, I asked if he wanted me to sing him a little bit of it. Despite the fact that he (like everyone else) knows I can't sing at all, he said he would.
After getting through the key part, he asked if he could see the video for it this morning on youTube (a common way for me to present music for the kids), and I of course jumped at the chance.
But things didn't go quite as planned. Just after breakfast, while Claire turned on her new favorite show...Disney Channel's "Sonny With A Chance" (more on that another day), Ethan retreated to the couch to play with his Nintendo DS...some game about dinosaurs. I asked him if he wanted to see the "Imagine" video. He did, and I turned it on.
And he kept playing his DS. "Ethan, it's on."
"I know, Dad. I can hear it, DAD." And he kept on playing.
"Ethan, you need to hear the words, to get the meaning. It's a beautiful song."
"Dad, I KNOW! But I've got to kill this dinosaur first. I've been clubbing him and hitting him, and I've almost got him dead."
Dinosaurs aren't people (although to Ethan they might as well be), but I think perhaps the message of "Imagine" was going to be lost on him, at least for today.
The Beginning
Yesterday was an event day for me. I'm an event planner who leads a non-profit organization, and I was away from the house for most of the day. Days like this are tough, not for me but for my wife and kids. Saturdays should be family-time, there's no arguement from any of us.
But as an event planner, I miss a lot of Saturdays during the year, and on these days my kids go pretty much bonkers when they see me. "DADDDDDDDDDDYYYYY," they scream in unison, jump all over me, and then tell me all about their day. It's a good life.
Yesterday, we met at Silver Diner in Merrifield after my event was over, and my guess is the screams could be heard in Bethesda. It's good to be loved. Or idolized. Or stalked as the case may be. I digress.
So, at Silver Diner they have these jukebox units at each table, and more than the food, the kids like to go to SD just for the music...music that all pre-dates not only their birth, but most of my life as well. On this evening, each had one quarter to spend (one song) each. Claire, the female half of our six-year old twins, chose Stevie Wonder (who she sometimes accidently refers to as Stevie Underwood, confusing him not with Steve Winwood but rather with Carrie Underwood...geez). Claire likes Stevie Wonder's music, but thinks it's cool that he is blind. And plays music. And his name (both "Wonder" and "Underwood" versions).
Then Ethan chose the Beatles, "I Want To Hold Your Hand." Ethan loves the Beatles, but only because he heard them incessantly on those Kidz Bop CD's, but last night was different. I try to pass on morsels of information about pop culture, so that he understands there's more to the world then what he sees on televison. After the song, he asked me when we got home if he could hear more Beatles music, but not with those kids singing, but the REAL Beatles.
I was so proud of him. I've already taught him to identify songs by the Beatles, U2, and even Coldplay simply by the musical style, but for him to request it...well that is breaking new ground. And I couldn't be happier.
Claire wanted no part of it. "If I have to listen to it then you have to play me "Party in the USA" (a very catchy song by Miley Cyrus)," she yelled. She wants no part of pop culture history. Ethan...I think he craves it, either to be like Dad or just because he senses it's importance to me. I sense he will be the repository for my pop culture obesession as he grows up. But Claire...I don't know if there's hope for her. If it's not on Disney Channel, she hates it.
Anyway, that's where this Blog begins. To Bridge the Pop Culture Gap between me and my kids. Enjoy, comment, share...I welcome your thoughts.
But as an event planner, I miss a lot of Saturdays during the year, and on these days my kids go pretty much bonkers when they see me. "DADDDDDDDDDDYYYYY," they scream in unison, jump all over me, and then tell me all about their day. It's a good life.
Yesterday, we met at Silver Diner in Merrifield after my event was over, and my guess is the screams could be heard in Bethesda. It's good to be loved. Or idolized. Or stalked as the case may be. I digress.
So, at Silver Diner they have these jukebox units at each table, and more than the food, the kids like to go to SD just for the music...music that all pre-dates not only their birth, but most of my life as well. On this evening, each had one quarter to spend (one song) each. Claire, the female half of our six-year old twins, chose Stevie Wonder (who she sometimes accidently refers to as Stevie Underwood, confusing him not with Steve Winwood but rather with Carrie Underwood...geez). Claire likes Stevie Wonder's music, but thinks it's cool that he is blind. And plays music. And his name (both "Wonder" and "Underwood" versions).
Then Ethan chose the Beatles, "I Want To Hold Your Hand." Ethan loves the Beatles, but only because he heard them incessantly on those Kidz Bop CD's, but last night was different. I try to pass on morsels of information about pop culture, so that he understands there's more to the world then what he sees on televison. After the song, he asked me when we got home if he could hear more Beatles music, but not with those kids singing, but the REAL Beatles.
I was so proud of him. I've already taught him to identify songs by the Beatles, U2, and even Coldplay simply by the musical style, but for him to request it...well that is breaking new ground. And I couldn't be happier.
Claire wanted no part of it. "If I have to listen to it then you have to play me "Party in the USA" (a very catchy song by Miley Cyrus)," she yelled. She wants no part of pop culture history. Ethan...I think he craves it, either to be like Dad or just because he senses it's importance to me. I sense he will be the repository for my pop culture obesession as he grows up. But Claire...I don't know if there's hope for her. If it's not on Disney Channel, she hates it.
Anyway, that's where this Blog begins. To Bridge the Pop Culture Gap between me and my kids. Enjoy, comment, share...I welcome your thoughts.
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