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Wednesday, February 05, 2003
Well, let's see… things have been reasonably quiet these last few days. The folks are fairly OK. Been gathering myself for whatever's next, and hoping it's mostly productive and not destructive. I'm going back to Cali. I think so. Feb 20 through 26, to visit friends Claudia and Brad and ol' pal Rich Honig. Miles Hunt is also out there, and I don't know how we'll get through a night of our brand of cheer considering the notorious LA smoking prohibition. We shall see. Maybe it'll be houses and store-bought. (Anybody got good ideas for what else to do out there?)
Been especially taken with Milo's song "Amongst the Old Reliables" lately. Quite a fucking piece it is, and there are 2 versions on 2 albums to compare …except I can't choose, so it hits me like Alan Price's "Between Today and Yesterday" (a masterpiece, that) which bookended the same-titled album in minimal and maximal versions. Gotta listen to them both. I guess there are others… "Hey Hey My My" and its acoustic counterpart, etc. Which reminds me that "Helpless" never got to me at all, and I don't know why it's so beloved. It sounds like "Knocking on Heaven's Door" which I feel the same way about anyhow. If one gets into my head on the constant random-select, the other combines with it and I go batshit trying to rid myself of them. Well, anyway…
I made a cdr comp of Irish and Scottish songs I plan to send Brian O'Connor, and while making it I found myself playing a song "Farewell! But Whene'er You Welcome The Hour" over and over. It's by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), who was famed for his arrangements of ancient Irish melodies, to which he set original lyrics. Moore was the Irish equivalent of Robert Burns, but is, for some reason, far less celebrated and commonly known. He was the major influence on the songwriting of Stephen Foster, and one can sometimes find examples where Foster out-an-out lifts musical passages (talent borrows, genius steals, eh?). The song in question is a bittersweet toast to friends no longer known. Damn it's gorgeous. So that's what I'm on about tonight. I'd dwell on it in detail, but nobody needs any more song analyses from me.
It's gotten weird with this blog… I think of things, and instead of hitting the keyboard I just ponder them through and leave things at that. The same thing has happened with songwriting. Something comes to mind and I develop it mentally until I'm satisfied and that's all. Actually realizing these things in words or sounds seems beside the point anymore. Some funny spiels, my friends… and some nifty tunes… lost as soon as I turn on the tv or read some comic book. So it goes. My medium is woolgathering. It wastes no resources, requires no collaborators, and it's nobody else's to review or ignore. I won't say this is healthy, nor will I say it's especially troubling. Just my way of explaining why the entries are getting rarer. Well, stay tuned; who knows?
Been especially taken with Milo's song "Amongst the Old Reliables" lately. Quite a fucking piece it is, and there are 2 versions on 2 albums to compare …except I can't choose, so it hits me like Alan Price's "Between Today and Yesterday" (a masterpiece, that) which bookended the same-titled album in minimal and maximal versions. Gotta listen to them both. I guess there are others… "Hey Hey My My" and its acoustic counterpart, etc. Which reminds me that "Helpless" never got to me at all, and I don't know why it's so beloved. It sounds like "Knocking on Heaven's Door" which I feel the same way about anyhow. If one gets into my head on the constant random-select, the other combines with it and I go batshit trying to rid myself of them. Well, anyway…
I made a cdr comp of Irish and Scottish songs I plan to send Brian O'Connor, and while making it I found myself playing a song "Farewell! But Whene'er You Welcome The Hour" over and over. It's by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), who was famed for his arrangements of ancient Irish melodies, to which he set original lyrics. Moore was the Irish equivalent of Robert Burns, but is, for some reason, far less celebrated and commonly known. He was the major influence on the songwriting of Stephen Foster, and one can sometimes find examples where Foster out-an-out lifts musical passages (talent borrows, genius steals, eh?). The song in question is a bittersweet toast to friends no longer known. Damn it's gorgeous. So that's what I'm on about tonight. I'd dwell on it in detail, but nobody needs any more song analyses from me.
It's gotten weird with this blog… I think of things, and instead of hitting the keyboard I just ponder them through and leave things at that. The same thing has happened with songwriting. Something comes to mind and I develop it mentally until I'm satisfied and that's all. Actually realizing these things in words or sounds seems beside the point anymore. Some funny spiels, my friends… and some nifty tunes… lost as soon as I turn on the tv or read some comic book. So it goes. My medium is woolgathering. It wastes no resources, requires no collaborators, and it's nobody else's to review or ignore. I won't say this is healthy, nor will I say it's especially troubling. Just my way of explaining why the entries are getting rarer. Well, stay tuned; who knows?
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