This is not the post that I intended to write today, but sometimes things come up and make you change your course. I was listening to this mix CD that I made for someone else's cross-country road trip and the song "Apache Rose Peacock" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers came on. It's one of my favorite songs by them.. just a happy little tune, nothing life altering, but good morning music. Fun to listen to and sing along with on the drive to work. However this morning, I was singing along and noticed that I was a little off, but I couldn't figure out why. I'm not talking about vocal harmonies here or being on the right key (because that's never going to happen anyway), I'm talking about timing.
Well. I always thought that the lyrics were "My favorite place to be.. Is not a land called harmony". No, no. Upon further inspection (i.e. googling) it appears that the correct lyrics are, in fact, "My favorite place to be.. Is not a land called Honah Lee." To which my visceral reaction is "Well, what the fuck is Honah Lee?" I guess it should be "Where the fuck is Honah Lee?" Anyway. I had to google it and Urban Dictionary revealed that it's Puff the Magic Dragon's home. Which I wouldn't have known anyway, because it's a little before my time, but I guess that's neither here nor there.
Clever, Anthony Kiedis. Clever.
Still, this kind of blew my mind a bit this morning. It really changes the whole meaning of the song for me.. I thought he was waxing poetic about how New Orleans is diverse and full of discord, but he loves it anyway. Apparently not. It also kind of bothers me, because usually I'm so good with song lyrics, and I've been singing the wrong words for, um, years. Awesome.
My favorite part of the song though, is when he sings "You fair well in stormy weather.. I never met a girl that I liked better." Kind of lisps the word stormy. *Sigh* On a semi-related note, I read his autobiography "Scar Tissue" a few weeks ago and it's a real trip and quite enlightening. I like hearing about what influenced certain songs or lyrics and whatnot; it makes you feel more personally invested, I think. I'll have to go back through and see if anyone in particular inspired this one. It's a sweet song if you don't mind several overtly sexual references (I don't, but then my tastes don't always run along the same lines as your average female).
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
like the chorus to the verse
Sorry for the hiatus. A bit of actual news though, for your wait.. I saw Third Eye Blind last Saturday. It's the first show I've been to in a few months, for various reasons, and it was at Universal Studio's Mardi Gras.. which was an offbeat venue, with kind of a dull crowd. Well, it started with a dull crowd, and then halfway through the show many of them dissipated, and the crowd was suddenly rather lively.
I want to take a moment to ruminate on how much the audience can effect a show.. Because it can. Remarkably so. A "bad" crowd, or being in a bad section, can make you alternately distracted, tired, or thoroughly annoyed. The variety of things that can make the turnout at a show "bad" varies. For example, the "bad" crowd at the Green Day concert three years ago was a group of frat boy wannabes, who smelled like they hadn't showered in a week, and kept stomping all over me and the people I was with. The "bad" turnout at Third Eye Blind, which I will blame on the locale and nature of the event, was comprised primarily of older people who didn't know who they were watching and kept staring at me and everyone else who was crazy excited and screaming along with the music.. Note: screaming lyrics at a concert is decidedly less thrilling when you can hear yourself.
Third Eye Blind itself was better than I expected. I'd been pretty excited about seeing them, I've been a fan of this band for the past 12 years? But, they haven't been doing a lot in the past 9 or so.. a 2003 album notwithstanding, and I was afraid that they would be old and out of practice. Stephen Jenkins is looking a little worse for the wear and he can't hit all the notes that he could before, but really, they were good. They opened with "Losing a Whole Year" and they played "Narcolepsy", "Semi-Charmed Life", "Deep Inside of You", "Graduate", "Wounded", "Never Let You Go", "Motorcycle Drive-By" (which I taped for my dear friend who is in Scotland right now) among others.. I wanted to hear "Good for You", "Blinded" or "I Want You" but.. we can't always get exactly what we want, right? They also played some stuff off of an album their working on now, which I thought was pretty cool. I like when they sample a few new things, but I was glad that they didn't play a ton of obscure stuff.
They had staying power, too. Their set was about an hour and a half long and they did an encore. I actually thought it was kind of fitting when they ended with "Stairway to Heaven". Despite the atmosphere and the company, the show was thoroughly enjoyable. Not a spiritual experience or anything.. but still a great way to spend a Saturday night.
I want to take a moment to ruminate on how much the audience can effect a show.. Because it can. Remarkably so. A "bad" crowd, or being in a bad section, can make you alternately distracted, tired, or thoroughly annoyed. The variety of things that can make the turnout at a show "bad" varies. For example, the "bad" crowd at the Green Day concert three years ago was a group of frat boy wannabes, who smelled like they hadn't showered in a week, and kept stomping all over me and the people I was with. The "bad" turnout at Third Eye Blind, which I will blame on the locale and nature of the event, was comprised primarily of older people who didn't know who they were watching and kept staring at me and everyone else who was crazy excited and screaming along with the music.. Note: screaming lyrics at a concert is decidedly less thrilling when you can hear yourself.
Third Eye Blind itself was better than I expected. I'd been pretty excited about seeing them, I've been a fan of this band for the past 12 years? But, they haven't been doing a lot in the past 9 or so.. a 2003 album notwithstanding, and I was afraid that they would be old and out of practice. Stephen Jenkins is looking a little worse for the wear and he can't hit all the notes that he could before, but really, they were good. They opened with "Losing a Whole Year" and they played "Narcolepsy", "Semi-Charmed Life", "Deep Inside of You", "Graduate", "Wounded", "Never Let You Go", "Motorcycle Drive-By" (which I taped for my dear friend who is in Scotland right now) among others.. I wanted to hear "Good for You", "Blinded" or "I Want You" but.. we can't always get exactly what we want, right? They also played some stuff off of an album their working on now, which I thought was pretty cool. I like when they sample a few new things, but I was glad that they didn't play a ton of obscure stuff.
They had staying power, too. Their set was about an hour and a half long and they did an encore. I actually thought it was kind of fitting when they ended with "Stairway to Heaven". Despite the atmosphere and the company, the show was thoroughly enjoyable. Not a spiritual experience or anything.. but still a great way to spend a Saturday night.
Monday, February 11, 2008
I think you are blind to the fact that the hand you hold is the hand that holds you down
So, I don't think Everclear is the best band in the world or anything. Their music is OK.. fairly distinctive, but not epic, in my opinion. Lyrics are often mediocre and their singer lacks charisma. But, their music is not only catchy and fun to sing along to, but very honest in a way that's easy to connect with. And every so often, I'll stumble across a certain lyric or song and it's in my head for days. That reason, more than any other, is why I reach for their CD more often than bands I think are maybe technically better.. They've got heart.
I was driving to visit a friend yesterday and I put in So Much for the Afterglow. It's not that great, once again- in my opinion, I really like Sparkle and Fade better.. for both individual songs and the album as a whole. However, "Everything to Everyone" came on and it really spoke to me. I'm sure that it's because of the point in my life that I'm at right now.. trying entirely too hard and feeling like I'm constantly failing at life in general. It was a not so gentle reminder to chill out and let things be.
The song itself is catchy and the lyrics are just bitter enough for you to be able to sing along with them in your car when you're having a bad day without tearing up or making yourself feel worse. Or ridiculous. I won't lie and say it gives you the warm and fuzzies the way that "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore" or "Strawberry" does.. but it was exactly what I needed to hear yesterday and sometimes, that's just enough.
I was driving to visit a friend yesterday and I put in So Much for the Afterglow. It's not that great, once again- in my opinion, I really like Sparkle and Fade better.. for both individual songs and the album as a whole. However, "Everything to Everyone" came on and it really spoke to me. I'm sure that it's because of the point in my life that I'm at right now.. trying entirely too hard and feeling like I'm constantly failing at life in general. It was a not so gentle reminder to chill out and let things be.
The song itself is catchy and the lyrics are just bitter enough for you to be able to sing along with them in your car when you're having a bad day without tearing up or making yourself feel worse. Or ridiculous. I won't lie and say it gives you the warm and fuzzies the way that "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore" or "Strawberry" does.. but it was exactly what I needed to hear yesterday and sometimes, that's just enough.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Nothing ever goes according to plan..
This blog certainly won't always be about music, but it's the only thing I have time to fit into my life at this particular moment in time. Without really going into to it.. I have been quite the busy bee recently.. not a lot of time to sit and watch movies or good TV and definitely no time to read. Lots of time spent in the car, listening to all sorts of things. Driving around with the windows down and singing along. That sort of thing.
Moving on. I'm not entirely sure if it's the weather or what.. It's beautiful today and all I really want to do is go to the beach for a few hours and play. (And I can't..) But, I was walking into work and this random song popped into my head. Mind you, I want to do all sorts of summery things. And I can think of lots of other very summery songs. But, "Emit Remmus" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is underneath by skin today. Specifically the whole.. "The California flower is the poppy, child.." portion. And it has this whole guitar section that sounds oddly like cicadas in the middle of a super hot Floridian summer day.
This could, of course, be influenced by being around a plethora of RHCP fans recently.. Plus, I just finished reading Anthony Kiedis' semi-autobiography "Scar Tissue" so, I've had them on the brain quite alot recently.. Regardless. I'd love to be at the beach right now.. listening to good music, all sand in between my toes, salty lips and slightly scorched skin. I know it's February and I should be thankful that it's 68 degress out right now and sunny. But, summer can't get here fast enough.
Moving on. I'm not entirely sure if it's the weather or what.. It's beautiful today and all I really want to do is go to the beach for a few hours and play. (And I can't..) But, I was walking into work and this random song popped into my head. Mind you, I want to do all sorts of summery things. And I can think of lots of other very summery songs. But, "Emit Remmus" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is underneath by skin today. Specifically the whole.. "The California flower is the poppy, child.." portion. And it has this whole guitar section that sounds oddly like cicadas in the middle of a super hot Floridian summer day.
This could, of course, be influenced by being around a plethora of RHCP fans recently.. Plus, I just finished reading Anthony Kiedis' semi-autobiography "Scar Tissue" so, I've had them on the brain quite alot recently.. Regardless. I'd love to be at the beach right now.. listening to good music, all sand in between my toes, salty lips and slightly scorched skin. I know it's February and I should be thankful that it's 68 degress out right now and sunny. But, summer can't get here fast enough.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
"She followed a bald man named Billy onto the wrong tour bus.."
OK, so I probably shouldn't be starting out a new venture with this incredibly obscure quote from Maynard James Keenan about Paz Lenchantin leaving A Perfect Circle to join Zwan with Billy Corgan (I dare you to try to find it online) but, if I don't break you in rough now, you'll never be able to follow along. I should, probably, also preface all of this with some sort of mission statement about what I want this blog to be and things I'd like to talk about on it and blah blah blah. Sorry, I'm kind of frantic and write lots of things on whim, so there's no telling what kind of tangent you'll stumble onto on here. That all being said, I am incredibly passionate about, well, all sorts of things and I promise to be as entertaining as possible.
I'm currently on a Smashing Pumpkins kick, and yeah, I fully admit, they're not the freshest faces on the music scene, they make lots of things that I consider to be mistakes, and I'm still pretty bitter about this whole concert that I drove to Atlanta for that got postponed the day of.. but. There is something about their music that is positively epic. The combination of lyrics and Chamberlain's drums and Corgan's voice.. it's incredibly effective at conveying emotions. It's a band that you never mistake for someone else even though their overall sound changes from album to album.
I could go into all of the controversy surrounding them.. Corgan's ego's reputation, Chamberlain's drug addiction, deaths, the break-up and the reunion (minus Iha and D'Arcy, of course) but that's nothing you can't find for yourself if, for instance, you're bored at work and need something to google.. I won't even tell you my favorite songs or lyrics or album.. What I will say is that the song "Muzzle" has been present in my life at some pretty important junctures. It always reminds me of who I am and where I've been. And when I have no idea where I'm going, or what I want, it's a good time to sit back, take stock, and put it on loud.
I'm currently on a Smashing Pumpkins kick, and yeah, I fully admit, they're not the freshest faces on the music scene, they make lots of things that I consider to be mistakes, and I'm still pretty bitter about this whole concert that I drove to Atlanta for that got postponed the day of.. but. There is something about their music that is positively epic. The combination of lyrics and Chamberlain's drums and Corgan's voice.. it's incredibly effective at conveying emotions. It's a band that you never mistake for someone else even though their overall sound changes from album to album.
I could go into all of the controversy surrounding them.. Corgan's ego's reputation, Chamberlain's drug addiction, deaths, the break-up and the reunion (minus Iha and D'Arcy, of course) but that's nothing you can't find for yourself if, for instance, you're bored at work and need something to google.. I won't even tell you my favorite songs or lyrics or album.. What I will say is that the song "Muzzle" has been present in my life at some pretty important junctures. It always reminds me of who I am and where I've been. And when I have no idea where I'm going, or what I want, it's a good time to sit back, take stock, and put it on loud.
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