Spontaneous Musings

1. From J. Scalzi - Twitter:

2016 hates us. Each and every one of us. On a personal level that's hard to grasp. It's just sitting there mouthing "you know what you did."

Ugh. Yes.

2. So, Prince...

I adored him in the 1980s and 1990s. Sort of lost track of him, after he changed his name, which he changed back again. Still adore him actually. He was such a kind soul. Did you know that he helped struggling artists? The bands in Purple Rain said in interviews afterwards, how he'd discovered them and furthered their careers.

What he also did, much like David Bowie, although in some respects even more so, was make it okay to be different. More than okay, cool. He embraced his eccentricity and encouraged others to do the same.

Here's an article in The Guardian - Prince Broke Expectations for Black American Men.

He exuded love, kindness, and acceptance wherever he went. He was possibly one of the greatest musicians that ever lived, on piano and guitar, with extraordinary vocal range. A good businessman, who held onto the rights of all of his songs.

And his favorite color was Purple. (Which you know, is as it should be.)

Spike Lee threw a block party last night in Forte Green to celebrate his life, and buildings around the world turned purple. New Yorker's turned the Prince Street subway station into a makeshift memorial within hours of his death..

So yes, I adored him. And I know he's still dancing...in the afterlife.

Two renditions of on my favorites...Let's Go Crazy

( SuperBowl Performance - 2007 Live )

( 1985 Performance - with the Revolution )

The Lyrics:

Dearly beloved
We are gathered here today
To get through this thing called life

Electric word life
It means forever and that's a mighty long time
But I'm here to tell you
There's something else
The after world

A world of never ending happiness
You can always see the sun, day or night

So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills
You know the one, Dr. Everything'll Be Alright
Instead of asking him how much of your time is left
Ask him how much of your mind, baby

'Cause in this life
Things are much harder than in the after world
In this life
You're on your own

And if the elevator tries to bring you down
Go crazy, punch a higher floor

If you don't like the world you're living in
Take a look around you
At least you got friends
( Read more... )

Been listening to the cast album of Hamilton and it's really frigging good, which is coming from someone who doesn't like Hip Hop or Rap.

Here's a link to the 60 Minutes special on IT

Some of the lyrics haunt you....

Hamilton: "I'm not throwing away my shot, I'm young, scrappy, and hungry, just like my country, and I'm not throwing away my shot."

Thomas Jefferson: "When Britain taxed our tea we got frisky, imagine what we'll do when you tax our Whisky."

Hamilton: "Thomas that was a real nice declaration, welcome to the present, we're trying to run a nation, would you like to join us, or run back to whatever it is you do in Montecello?"

See below - as done in the White House - which basically explains why we ended up with a Civil War 100 years later. After my mother read the book upon which this was adapted from, she stated, well it's not at all surprising we ended up in the Civil War.



And...King George who sings a hilarious British style invasion love song from the 1960s..

"You'll be back, like before, I will fight the fight, and win the war for your love, for your praise and I'll love you till my dying days, when you're gone I'll go mad, so don't throw away this thing we had...cause when push comes to shove, I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love."

Highly impressed by the Cast Album. And I can see why people have gone nuts over it. It's not just Hip-Hop, he blends various Broadway and other musical forms and redefines them.

I'm also intrigued by the book by Chernow, which my brother told my mother he'd read in the space of a week and found to be a page-turner. Took her a bit longer.

Thanks to cjlasky, I was able to catch the David Bowie Documentary Five Years, which is a fascinating look at his musical career, and how he created his music, and his performance art, and to a degree his persona.

Littered with quotes, and interviews with Bowie and various musicians who worked on his various albums, it shows how he changed his style over the years and continued to redefine himself. He states at one point that he defined who he was, the world and no one else did.

It highlights five key musical stages in his career from the early 1970s to the early 1980s, featuring bits from the 1990s. The documentary features the creation of the songs: Fame, Life on Mars, Major Tom, Let's Dance, Ziggy Stardust...China Doll. There's a fascinating bit with Brian Eno, regarding the LOW album, which my brother gave me for Christmas one year. David Bowie -- I was introduced to in stages, first by the theme song to Cat People, then in France with Let's Dance, and then through my brother, who discovered him via his love for King Crimson and Brian Eno.

End quote:

"I never expected all of this to happen, in the sixties I was told that I was too avant-guard to be successful."

Which in a nutshell states what I always admired most about him -- he did not cater to others. He did what was in his heart. And he defined himself. He explored who he was and the world around him through his music. It is also an inspiring quote for all of us who have been told we're too this or too that...for our art to truly resonate with others. Bowie clarified that it's okay if the world thinks you are weird and undefinable. Heck, it's better than okay.

Trailer for the Showtime airing of the documentary is below:

1. Empire Magazine's 500 Greatest Films of All Time - is a fun little quiz to take - check to see how many you've seen. I've 370 of them or 75%. I also don't agree with a lot of the choices on the list.

Honestly, as much as I enjoyed the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, the only ones that belong on that list are Star Wars - New Hope, Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Arc, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. All the others? Not so much. And seriously, "The Transformers" , "Grease", "Superman Returns" and "Batman Returns"??

Also where are "Peggy Sue Got Married", "Body Heat", "Beckett", "A Lion in Winter", "Guys and Dolls",
"West Side Story" (yes, Grease made the list but not West Side Story), The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Red River (which is actually a better film than The Searchers), Strangers on a Train, Shadow of a Doubt, and they ranked Howls Moving Castle above Spirited Away???

2.) Hmmm, was reading londonkds's posts on songs that fits Buffy villains, and he chose a rather good one for Spike S2 -Till the Following Night" (properly titled "Big Black Coffin", until the record label objected) by Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages. .

So I was thinking, in regards to Spike, who seemed to become a different character for each season of the series, what songs would fit him for each season?

* S2 - Till the Following Night by Such and The Savages is perfect. (or I can't come up with a better choice.)

* S3? (Lover's Walk) -- I'm thinking a ragged breakup song -- going with Billy Idol's White Wedding.

( Vid of Spike with White Wedding )

S4 Buffy and S1 Angel? Dancing with Myself by Billy Idol

( Spike Dancing with Himself - S4 )

S5? The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated

S6? Two possibilities:

* Florence and the Machine's "A Kiss with a Fist"

( video of Buffy/Spike with the song for S6 - a Kiss with a Fist )

or

* Bad Romance by Lady Gaga -- but sung by someone else.
( Spike Buffy vid with an interesting rendition of Bad Romance )

Personally, I'm swinging towards Kiss with a Fist.

S7? - Pavlov's Bell by Aimee Mann

Pavlov's Bell

Angel S5? -- My Way by the Sex Pistols

( see vid )

or maybe...

Carry on My Wayward Son by Kansas

What do you think?

For Women's History Month: Three ladies that revolutionized the music industry and broke through barriers.

1. Etta James - 1950s, blues singer who defied classification and opened for the Rolling Stones in the 1980s. She died just a few years ago. And struggled with drug addiction throughout her life.

Here's one of her tunes:
( Read more... )

Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins; January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012) was an American singer. Her style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, gospel and jazz. Starting her career in the mid-1950s, she gained fame with hits such as "Dance With Me, Henry", "At Last", "Tell Mama", and "I'd Rather Go Blind" for which she wrote the lyrics. She faced a number of personal problems, including drug addiction, before making a musical resurgence in the late 1980s with the album The Seven Year Itch.[2]

James is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and is the winner of six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008.[3] Rolling Stone ranked James number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etta_James


2. Nina Simone

http://www.ninasimone.com/about/bio/ - Known as the high priestess of soul, she was also a strong social activist, and wrote and sung songs about the Civil Rights Movement.
( Read more... )

Here's one of her songs, a favorite of mine entitled Four Women written and sung by Nina Simone in France. It's about four different women, who are different colors.



3. Tina Turner

Tina Turner battled domestic violence against Ike Turner and the music industry to become a powerful female performer in her own right and a pop icon.

From wiki:
( Read more... )

Here's my favorite signature Tina Turner Song, which she originally sang with Ike Turner, but now sings on her own quite well:



Two earlier versions of the same song as performed by Turner:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqIpkMDRjYw&feature=related

( And here's the Ike and Tina Turner version of Proud Mary )

And for Tina and the current fight in the US Senate/Congress for the passage of the Violence Against Women Bill, I'm including one more songstress who wrote about domestic violence, Janis Ian - "His Hands".



[As an aside, in a former life...I volunteered with the Domestic Violence Coalition - Legal Aid of Western Missouri, to obtain orders of protection. (Not restraining orders, we couldn't get those under the law at the time, but we could get an order of protection which was basically the same thing. What a lot of people don't know is many states still have laws on their books that permit husbands to beat their wives, since "wives" were considered "property of the husband" under the old laws. This shocked me when I found out about in Missouri. Most states have fought to put new laws in place.]

The Grammy's weren't as good as last years, in part because a lot of musicians were protesting due to the elimination of various categories which pissed everyone off.

That said there were some interesting moments.
( Read more... )

Okay off to bed. Thank god I have tomorrow off. Sleeping in. Then researching singing lessons and exercise programs.

1. I think I need a really good book to read, to escape into and away from the world, not to think deep meaningful thoughts or crack-wise/snark at the world (I apparently am quit good at doing that on my own, I don't need help). Bit depressed. Work has sucked the soul out of me and I just want to crawl into a hole somewhere. It's complicated and not worth boring you with.

( my attempts for hunting a good or rather just enjoyable book, but not a satire because clearly not in a satirical mood. )

2) Finished watching the premiere of Luck - which has an amazing cast, as well as a great production team. ( Luck Review )

Off to watch a movie I think, maybe bake some gluten-free cookies. Try a mindfulness exercise. Feel a little less...bummed out.

3) I feel as if all week long I'm lying. Lies by omission. Restraining myself. Suppressing something. Playing a role. Do you ever feel like an actor in your own life? Saying the words...with a bright smile, a laugh, but not quite feeling it even though you do appear to? Poker face fixed, smile intact? Quip at the ready? Not sure I want to know the answer to that. Don't want advice. Just want ...well there's a lovely song by Janis Ian that fits what I'm feeling right now perfectly.

Here it is:

( Janis Ian's Arms Around My Life )

It's late and I'm restless. Taps internet impatiently. Did finish watch S3 of Fringe finally, very weird series. Impossible to follow if you don't start towards the end of S2. There is no way that show can attract new viewers. It's more complicated than a soap opera. It has dual universes. At the end of S3? It merged the universes. And introduced a whole new wrinkle about the first people, which frankly made no logical sense. Think LOST's bit with time travel and magnets but thrown into a meat grinder. It is brilliant in places, there's an episode in S3 that takes place in Olivia's mind that pays homage to Art Linkater's animated film about Dreams, Chris Nolan's Inception (someone on Fringe is a Nolan fan - there's a lot of Nolan references in that show), and Star Trek (although that may just be Leonard Nimoy's presence).

Been thinking about criticism.

Me to Momster: You need to be critical of entertainment medium. Of things. Of information. You can't just accept it at face value. Thinking it through is crucial. Regardless of what it is.
Momster: Except for politics apparently. People seem to take that at face value.

(Newt Gringrich won South Carolina. Momster isn't that upset, because it means the Republicans don't a viable candidate and well the Republican Establishment hates him.)
( politics, look away, look away )

Anywho...criticism is important. Critical thinking is important. Particularly with all those choices. So much information is sent to us on a daily basis. On tv? At least in the states, we have more channels than I know what to do with. Then there's the internet, also lots of information, competing blogs, etc. I remember having a discussion with a professional film critic/reviewer and writer about this. This guy has a degree in film studies, he worked hard to hone his craft and he writes beautifully. No text-speak, OMG, or CAPS. He knows his craft. It's Glenn Kenny who once upon a time wrote for Premiere Magazine.

Me: Is it harder to get jobs as a professional writer/freelance writer now with the internet than it was before?
Glenn: Harder? Try impossible. It's harder for everyone. There's so much competition, mainly from amateur bloggers. People who have no background, no knowledge, no film history or literary history.

He's right. I've read some of the upstarts, who's idea of writing is well "OMG" or "EVERYONE, I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" They haven't honed their craft. You read some of them, and think, has this person read a variety of literature? Have they seen a variety of films? Go read Glenn Kenny, who I seldom agree with but has taken time with his craft. Or go read Rob Will Review - a guy who also honed his craft, read and watched a wide variety of series and has taken the time to explain what works and what doesn't in each in detail. He is more emotional in his reviews than Glenn, but he is also genuine. And blatantly honest. He's worked at it. Each review is different from the next. It's not boilerplate.
Rob is sort of like Mark Watches, except...more genuine, smarter, and a much better writer. Go read him instead.

I think reviewers and critics who make a living at their craft, require the same scrutiny and critique applied as those who make a living creating art. We are all evaluated at our jobs. I am.
You are. Whether it is as a student getting a grade, a teacher teaching a course, an actor playing a role, or a database builder - building a database. I do however agree with a poster, I think it was sue_world who told me a year ago that I shouldn't apply that level of criticism to fanfic or fan posts...she may be right about that. Should we be critical of the person who plays real well for free, who is doing it for love not money? After listening to a Harry Chapin Carpenter tune - Mr. Tanner several times at work...my ipod keeps landing on it for some reason...it strikes me that a line must be drawn.

( Mr. Tanner )

It's a song about a man who sang in his free time and loved to sing. He makes the mistake at his friends bequest to sing at a public performance in front of a Simon Cowell style critic. The critics tear him apart. And as a result he never sings again.

Criticizing someone like Joss Whedon or MARK Watches or Steven Speilberg or Nora Roberts or Stephen King...or even Glenn Kenny, isn't a big deal, we should do that. But not someone who is merely blogging on lj, or blogger, who is not a professional. Is not making his livelyhood at it.

It reminds me of another song...this time by Joni Mitchell, as sung here by Mitchell and James Taylor:
( Read more... )

This song expresses more than anything else...the pure pleasure of seeing art that one creates for nothing more than the love of it. To not make a dime. What I loved about the Buffy fandom that I discovered in 2001 was people wrote and blogged real good for free. Constructed websites. Created vids. And art. They did it for love. Not money. The only applause...the posts and comments they may or may not get in exchange.

Feeling a bit culturally compulsive tonight - also bored of my television choices, so I read Neil Gaiman's journal and decided to ask him a question on his Doctor Who episode. He's taking questions. Mine aren't great and I'm hoping he didn't answer similar one's elsewhere. The first was about process - the degree to which Stephen Moffat and the show-runner contributes or influences a writer's episode and how much of it was influenced by Moffat to maintain the arc. The second was how he writes - what the jumping off point is - a specific theme or a character - ie. The Tardis. See, not great questions, but I was bored.

( me and my weird music tastes and current addiction to downloading tunes from itunes, which I am stopping now! There has to be a free downloading music site somewhere on the net. )

Speaking of Repulsive? Read in the Metro that novelist Jonathan Lethem moved to LA from NYC, because NYC is repulsive with novelists. He's not wrong. In the last ten years - it seems as if anyone who ever got an MFA in Creative Writing or wanted one has moved to the city. I've never seen so many writer's meetup groups in my life.

I don't usually do this but instead of just leaving after the concert, I descended the creaky wooden stairs to the undercroft and shook hands with Janis Ian. She's a small woman. Half my height. With pure white hair. And warm brown eyes. When she thanked me, I leaned forward and said, "you are one of the few singers that make me cry, and I've loved you since I was 15." And this incredibly warm and kind woman, who came up to my bellybutton, took my hand in both of hers and warmly thanked me, her eyes wet. She wore corderoys and a flannel shirt, no makeup. 60 years old.
With a voice that sounded the same as it did at 15. And she sang in my church, looking up at it in awe and a bit of foreboding. I kept wanting to tell her - it's Unitarian, we're pretty much all inclusive - ie. Jewish, all Christian, Buddhist, Cultural Humanist, Atheist, Agnostic, whatever your faith...you are welcome here. But hard to tell by the stained class, and deep mahogany wood.

It's hard to explain why this little woman is my hero, why I have loved her since the age of 15, and yet no one seemed to sing her songs in college, Dylan, yes, or Neil Young or Joni, but Janis Ian...seemed to sit lonely, her tape wedged between Tracey Chapman and Suzanne Vega, listened to until it broke. And the first song that I heard of her's? Taped off the radio at 15. Her voice is quiet like, and her songs pull at my heart. Ella Fitzgerald said Ian is one the best singer's out there, Chet Atkins stated, forget singing, have you heard her on guitar? Her first song? She wrote at the age of twelve. Her first concert at 14. Her first hit at 15. And a has-been at 16. She also has written science fiction short stories and is an avid sci-fi fan. Several Science Fiction Short Stories by Janis Ian and other sci-fi writers were published in 2003.

At the Toronto Sci-Fi Convention - she married her long term partner, Patricia. Then wrote a song about how interesting an experience it was to be treated like a normal couple in Toronto but no in the US. With dry wit and honesty, she made me laugh hard and cry, silently. I think the only other musician that I've seen in person that moved me in that way was Peter Gabriel way back in 1987 at Wembley Field Auditorium in London.

What follows are two songs, written at different time periods and sung at different ages, which explain better than anything else why this woman is a hero of mine and I love her.

The first song is about inter-racial love, the second about same-sex love. Both are about love and both are about society preventing it.

Janis Ian at 15 singing Society's Child on Smother's Brothers and years later in 2008 in the pouring rain at Groversnors Island, NY.




Janis Ian's story about marrying her long-time partner, and the song "Married in London" - regarding Gay Marriage:




I really hope both of these make it to LJ.