Category: memories

Saturday’s Theme Music

My monthly cycle is on the upswing. Love it when that happens. Much better than the dark troughs.

Dark days come once a month. I call it monthly but, you know, it’s a few days shorter than that, just a time when my optimism surrenders to my pessimism, and discouragement bludgeons encouragement into despair. During the worse of them, I’m in an echo chamber asking myself, “What’s the use? Is there a point to any of this crap?”

But today, it’s a triple high. Discouragement runs away, pessimism flees, and optimism and hope take office on high, declaring, “Everything is going GREAT.”

In honor of this monthly mini-holiday, Peter Gabriel’s 1987 song, “Big Time”, has entered the stream.
Big Time, I’m on my way I’m making it, big time, Huh!
Big time, I’ve got to make it show yeah, big time
Big time, so much larger than life
Big time, I’m gonna watch it growing, big time
Big time, my car is getting bigger Big time, my house is getting bigger
Big time, my eyes are getting bigger
and my mouth
Big time, my belly’s getting bigger
Big time, and my bank account
Big time, look at my circumstance
Big time, and the bulge in my big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big, hi there

h/t to AZLyrics.com

 

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Friday’s Theme Music

This song, “Hold On” (1983) is by Yes and comes from one of my favorite albums, 90125. The song entered today’s song when I was corresponded with someone down who was thinking about different career options, I told them to hold on, of course. Later, reflecting on the exchange, the song came to me. So, I share it with you.

Hold on. Wait. Take your time. See it through.

 

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

I was doing my pre-writing walk through Ashland this morning, shuffling through golden leaves that’d lived their last, pushing against a nippy chill and leaning toward thin morning sunshine whenever it was found, when songs streamed in from the ethos. First up was the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” but “Get It On (Back A Gong)” by T. Rex replaced it after a few blocks.

I decided the latter would be a good theme song this morning, but I wanted to go with the cover. Who the hell did the cover?

Well, my mind quickly abandoned that question, returning to writing — that’s what the walk is all about — but as I entered the coffee shop at the end of the two miles, my brain said, The Power Station, 1985.

Oh, yeah.

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

I was walking and thinking yesterday (amazing that I didn’t hurt myself), pursuing a flotilla of random thoughts when a scene between a traveler and a Tesla driver caught my eye. Traveler is the name given to homeless around here. Homeless is an easy term for a complex situation. Local agencies have interviewed a number of homeless and discovered that some are homeless by choice and enjoy traveling from area to area along the I-5 corridor. Ashland doesn’t welcome travelers but the community strives to enjoy everyone has a few meals a week and shelter during cold weather.

I don’t know what the conversation was about between the Tesla driver and the traveler. I knew the man was a traveler because I’ve seen him before and had bought him food a few times. I hadn’t seen him for a while, and thought he’d moved on. Maybe he did, and came back.

Watching the exchange, though, lyrics from the 1968 Sly and the Family Stone song, “Everyday People” came to mind. I feel fortunate that Sly and the Family Stone was making music then, as they released several terrific albums. This song is just one that I remember and enjoy.

The song’s sentiment is timeless.

Sometimes I’m right and I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my song
The butcher, the banker, the drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I’m in
I am everyday people, yeah, yeah

There is a blue one
Who can’t accept the green one
For living with a fat one
Trying to be a skinny one
Different strokes
For different folks

And so on and so on
And scooby dooby dooby
Oh sha sha
We got to live together

I am no better and neither are you
We are the same, whatever we do
You love me, you hate me, you know me and then
You can’t figure out the bag I’m in
I am everyday people, yeah yeah

There is a long hair
That doesn’t like the short hair
For being such a rich one
That will not help the poor one
Different strokes
For different folks

h/t to AZLyrics.com

Yeah, we’re all everyday people.

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Monday’s Theme Music

Thinking about novel writing brought song lyrics into my stream yesterday:

We always did feel the same, we just saw it from a different point of view.

That summarizes much of my writing approach. I’m a fan of the unreliable narrator. Most people are unreliable narrators of their lives and stories, blinded by perceptions that weren’t there, changing what they said they saw and felt later, revising their approaches and feelings. I enjoy juxtaposing the clash of facts and memories, and letting emotions spill over.

The song line is from Bob Dylan’s 1975 song, “Tangled Up in Blue”. I’ve always enjoyed the sort of abstract, complex and yet surprisingly simple sentiments and reflections the song delivers through its point of view. So human.

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Saturday’s Theme Music

Today’s music comes from visiting Mom last week. Whenever I’d talk about driving to my sister’s house, Mom would ask me which way I was going to go and then tell me which way she was going to go. My route varied by time of day, what I was seeing along the way to fill in memories, and what I’d learned about the road construction and congestion during my stay. Mom always took the same route. By the third day of this, Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” (1976) was in my stream.

Fleetwood Mac’s song is about relationships. In a way, that’s how it was for me, when thinking of Mom and remembering this song.

Although I like the studio version of this song better, I chose this live version. I like the nakedness and clarity of the band members. Seeing them reminds me of the people behind the song. The song had a lot of personal reasons behind it as Nicks and Buckingham had broken up; this song was written out of his pain.

Beyond that, I love watching Mick pounding away on the drums. Wow.

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Friday’s Theme Music

Today’s music comes straight out of Facebook. A friend mentioned it was Meat Loaf’s 72nd natal day, and linked to some of Meat Loaf’s music. “Bat Out of Hell” (1979) leaped into my mental stream. It’s a sort of bombastic, over-the-top progressive rock song, just the sort that sucks me in and rocks me back, a good theme song for this first November day of 2019. I don’t think it got any chart action in the U.S., but who cares?

 

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Monday’s Theme Music

I was with family yesterday. Two of my little sisters are grandmothers. One of them has been dubbed Bebop by her granddaughter. I was trying to remember a specific bop song and could not. I half-heard it in my stream. Everyone thought that I must mean “Bee bop a lou, she’s my baby.” No. I gave them the rhythm.

Oh, yeah, they said, “Unskinny Bop.” Two of us – older people, thought, White Snake? No, the young corrected us: Poison.

Here you go, from 1990 — before sis was Bebop.

 

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Today’s music emerges into the stream from interactions with others – hearing tales and stories, wondering about the truth, searching for nuances of understanding about who they are and what they’ve gone through.

Pictures of the situations pool and splash, shifting with more, diluting with doubts. Just one clear moment, you know?

That invites the old Little Feat song, “One Clear Moment” (1989).

I see you cryin’ and I don’t know why
The way you look you should be flyin’ high
In that one clear moment

h/t to Genius.com

Little Feat was already in my head, as one of the members Paul Barrere, passed away. Some reflection is always demanded when one of those that provided the music to our lives departs the scene.

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