I'm 100% onboard the Obama/Biden train, so the convention doesn't have to convince ME of anything... and trying to watch the coverage, well... the media coverage, it burns us, oh lordy it burns us. So I've been avoiding it... there's too many weeks to go for me to burnout early... those of you who can keep this up pedal to the metal all the time... God bless ya and thank you, but I gotta take some breaths and listen to some tunes....
OK, I've seen some great speeches and will continue to do the same, but one thing is bugging me. What relic is picking the music that's playing between speeches?
The music for Tuesday night was kind of a grab-bag -- a bit of a let down from Monday night's funk-fest, if you ask me. There were many fills that I didn't recognize, and most of the ones I did know didn't really seem thematically related to the speaker they introduced (or to the one who was exiting... unless I'm totally unclear on the concept. Which is quite possible!) Some seemed vaguely familiar, but they didn't last long enough for me to place. It also seemed to me that in many cases there was a melody or other identifying element left out -- I kept thinking things like, "I know that bassline!" or, "that drumbeat sounds so familiar!"
It was basically like playing 'Name That Tune' in hell!
Follow me over the jump to see how I did, and feel free to comment with any fills you recognized that I missed. Thanks!
Last night I watched the Convention coverage on C-SPAN while playing in the Convention Open Threads. I observed some strong reactions in the threads, both pro and con, to the music that the house band played between speakers. I'm a pianist and composer, and I write a music appreciation blog called Miss Music Nerd, so to me it was an educational moment.
I decided it would be fun to do a run-down of the songs that were played. No in-depth analysis -- just a few observations and tidbits. If you were one of the ones who couldn't stop rolling your eyes at the song choices last night, there's nothing here that will change your mind. But if you dug it, here's some documentation (how will history judge us? :P ). Enjoy!
I remember standing in line at the supermarket and seeing the headlines in the newspaper. "Oh, God", I said, "They're shooting students."
Before long everybody was hearing about it on the radio. "Four dead in Ohio. Four dead in Ohio".
This is a cross between a Change The World With Music and a Music That Changed The World diary because Neil Young is still doing it. He's playing music today that changes the world tomorrow.
I'm watching a lot of the campaign coverage, and going to watch some of the speeches tonight, but there aren't a lot of places in the continental U.S. that are much further from Denver than Vermont, so I'm watching from afar.
Many of you know me (Julie Waters) through birding and photography, though some of you know me through puzzles and some know me from some of my psychology-related diaries.
I don't write a lot here about music. I love music, and have a lot to say about it, but I don't always know how to articulate it.
As things happen, however, I needed to get a new computer and the MacBook Pro I got has a nice little feature: a built in webcam. So this afternoon, I played around with it and got a video of some of the stuff I do:
I hope you enjoyed watching / listening to it as much as I enjoyed creating it.
Feel free to use this as an open "I'm not in Denver" thread.
OK, this'll be an interactive diary, intended to set the mood for convention day 1. If you're a fan of Old Crow Medicine Show, go fire up iTunes and look for "I Hear them All" from their album, "Big Iron World". If you don't have it, just get it off bittorrent. NO. Don't do that. that's wrong. Well, ok, do it, but when you're done reading the diary, go buy it for 89 cents on Amazon. For the time being you can refer to the embed video at the end of the diary.
OK. Now fire up whatever liberal beverage you like to drink: chai, $12 Starbucks (if you hate supporting local businesses), 2 buck chuck (wait - don't. you might as well be drinking the blood of migrant workers), Stella Artois (I bet you pronounce it AR-TOYS when you're in the 7-11, don't you - I know I do), etc.
I'm going to reflect on this song as it pertains to the political zeitgeist, and it might get uncomfortably sappy. Bear with...
The commons refers to a common grazing area where anyone can take their sheep or goats to graze.
Copyright limits the right to make copies by restricting that right, the right to publish, to the copyright owner. The copyright owner might be the creator of the work or it might be someone who hired the work done or it might be someone who purchased the copyright after the work was completed.
The Creative Commons allows copyright holders to use their copyright to place their work into a commons, sharing the work with some restrictions. There are a variety of Creative Commons licenses ranging from NC-ND (non commercial and no derivatives) to BY (attribution required). *
So after reading Hunter's poem, A Plea To That Guy At The Podium, last night, I thought it would be fun to put it into a little folk song in the tradition of Dylan or Guthrie with a little Coen Brothers thrown in. So I spent a couple hours writing and recording it when I realized, I have no way to post an MP3 file.
No problem, I thought. I'll just do it as a Youtube video with maybe a picture of Barack sitting there. Famous last words.
I can't speak for Hunter, but to me this song is not meant to be disrespectful to Obama in any way. It's just a gentle plea not to be swayed by the voices of mediocrity and the status quo.
We all know the PUMA types will come out in force today.
It is already just early morning and already they have come out in force.
I already feel my head set to implode.
So I do not know about you, but I need a break.
If I keep going and talking the same basic conversation with different or even the same people who just do not get the obvious conditions of the above I will either:
a) scream
b) rip out my hair
c) want to go after the person causing the feelings in me and yell "Boooooooga Boooooooga"
d) All of the above.
While we're all waiting for the veep announcement, what songs would you like to hear played at the DNC? I remember this spring during the primaries and after a few of Obama's speeches, I would find myself hearing a song and thinking to myself, "Boy they should play this at the DNC convention..." What songs have inspired you or made you think of the race this year?
My .02:
"Shaking the Tree" - Peter Gabriel
I don't know if I can take anymore of it, but "We are family" can be really right for the moment sometimes.
"I have the power" - Snap
"Heart and Soul" - T'Pau
"Born at the Right Time" - Paul Simon
Remember they need inspirational stuff, as well as stuff that's just good to dance to.
(Oh, and I can't resist: "Peace Train" - 10,000 Maniacs. Maybe save this for the private parties.)
I got this myspace message from Timo and Saini in Finland.
Hi Hairy Larry,
We found your videos from the internet and have watched them with great enthusiasm and have really enjoyed them. We are a Finnish couple arranging a combined garlic and blues party in August and would like to ask you a great favour and surprise... Is it in any way possible that you could send us a video greeting to be shown during this party? We plan to show some of your videos as well.
A silent slip from vertical to sideways pondering
moonless and wet
cosmic jokes and falls
from death to crawling
and here i am bawling
on mantles and ashes
mountains and bronze
flying only hurts when you land
so stack those crumbling towers high
and save your conversions till the end
it's late night rendezvous at the diner down the block
it's freeways and stop signs
some faded neon too
take these dreams tonight
take these dreams with you
OK, so I'm listening to CSPAN's Washington Journal, and they are asking viewers to call in about possible suggestions for Secretary of State.
It's a really, really stupid topic, and I get to thinking about the Obama cabinet, and it hits me, there should be a staff level position for the promotion of music....As in make music, not war.
Then the question is, who should it be, and it hits me: Mike Nesmith.
(Yes, I know it's an old pic, but that shirt just screams out, "Post me on the innertubes!")
In addition to being an accomplished musician, he is pretty much the father of the rock video (he turned down an offer to run MTV when it was founded and won the first Grammy Award (1981) given for Video of the Year for his hour-long Elephant Parts.), and in the event of a coverup being required, he has the liquid paper, as his mom invented the stuff.
Now, I live in Arkansas, but there was a period of time in my life when I liked nothing better than to get in an old junker and head across the river to Mississippi to enjoy some music. There is something in that North Mississippi hill country Blues that rings my chime.
So please, "Mississippi Goddam" is a song title. Not my sentiments. But what a song.
Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddam
Thanks to Deoliver47 for turning me on to this recording. It is upbeat and Jazzy and devastating. Extremely powerful especially taken in historical context.
