song of the week: dynamite walls-hayden

'everyone's wathcing
for animals crossing
through the part of the glass
that's defrosted'

why do i listen to sad music? i'm a sad person, inherently. not depressed. i can get out of bed. i can hold a conversation with you. i have a wicked sense of humor, i'm told. i've even got some people convinced i'm not a ghost!
i've got ghosts. i keep them in my pocket. i feared them as a kid, but, now, they are my companions.
sad music. it's a comfort. an affirmation? yes, i think that's it. townes van zandt asked a european journalist once, rhetorically, 'you don't think life's sad?'. i thought it was the most beautiful thing he ever said/sang.
and hayden. he has a way of showing the sadness of day to day activities. look at the above quote. how does it make you feel? i think of me, jimmy b., and johnny p., driving up to hancock on a winter night, 2 of us slightly drunk, listening to, probably, billy squire, and alive and loving the moment. and it makes me sad to think of what has occurred between then. and it's just life. nothing more or less than what anyone else has gone through.
we got married.
we had babies.
we got divorced.
we buried children.
fuck.
sometimes it's alot.
....
....
fuck.
....
and some of my friends are going through a mid-life crisis. and i can't see why. everyone that i know, in their 30's, seems to be looking for some BIG reason to life. and there is none. and it's ok. there doesn't have to be. just do your thing. it's over soon enough, and there are enough laughs along the way, i suppose. who cares? why take it so seriously? i'm asking myself that, by the way. cuz i feel like three pounds of shit in a two pound bag.

Miles away or just up ahead
It doesn't matter what,
any of us is looking for
We'll never find it, because
it's not even there

i find that comforting where others find it depressing. it's ok, kids. don't worry so much. you're beating you're head against the wall.
besides, i've watched enough football to know how to run out the clock.
goodnight. i'll put up something happy tomorrow. promise!
by the way kids, this is just the way i be, and no one is to blame. except maybe my brain!!

dynamite walls-hayden

Open your eyes
Put it in drive
get on the road and just go.

City lights
turn the tree lines
and National Park signs
Mountains approach
with small winding roads
and the air turns to falling snow

Miles away or just up ahead.
It doesn't matter what,
Any of us is looking for.
We'll never find it, because
It's not even there.

high beams showing
falling rock warning
construction work, slowing

The engine blazes
The elevation raises
The dynamite walls contain us

everyone's wathcing
for animals crossing
through the part of the glass
that's defrosted

Miles away or just up ahead
It doesn't matter what,
any of us is looking for
We'll never find it, because
it's not even there.

Open your eyes
put it in drive
get on the road and just go.

City lights,
turn the tree lines
and National Park signs.
Mountains approach,
with small winds in the road
and the air turns to falling snow.

dynamite walls-hayden

The engine blazes
the elevation raises
The dynamite walls contain us

who loves the sun?

so, it's summer, i guess. i can tell because i'm sweating. or maybe i'm sweating cuz i'm nervous. so i guess it's always summer.
some people really love the summer. and i'm not opposed to it. especially when i see the girls in their summer clothes. girls sunning themselves by the river, in their two-pieces, who won't let you take their picture. but i digress.
i like the out of doors. sure. i guess. but you know what my idea of a perfect summer day is? besides, you know, me and the girl in the two piece? it's me, alone in my room, blinds shut, fan on, and the scratch and pop of a bamboo needle on a shellac disc. i stole most of that line from costello by the way. such a great line. from a great song. 'the other end of the telescope'. but that's another post. but look it up. i forget if i've put it on any mixed discs lately....
uh...summer...perfect day...great lou reed song, btw....oh yeah. me, alone in my room. i did it the other day. closed my eyes, artificial wind cooling me. i listened to 'lie down in the light' by bonnie 'prince' billy. you've heard of him. sure you have. greatest living american songwriter, etc. new one is great. he is an inspiration. one of the few old guard who keeps getting better.
listened to bowie. 'heroes'. sigh...i, i would be king.
oh, and i busted out some old stray cat singles. the 'sexy and 17' single. with 'the girl on my left(is looking better every beer)'. so great. i've got a funny brian setzer story. i'll tell it to you sometime.
and i threw on some ornette colem. 'america'. his classical piece.
and the sun started to sink. and i sweat less. i thought about turning off the fan.
and somewhere, people were outside, enjoying the weather, enjoying each others company.
and i thought i might be missing something.
but only for a minute.

big star 3rd

the author prefaces this pieces by letting you, the humble reader, know he is not in his right mind.

3rd. sister lovers. beale st. green. whatever.
thank you friends.
i'm pretty sure i'm the only one of us (and we're friends, i can say this) who is intimately familiar with this album. i'm AWARE of it. the hint of cowbell in 'thank you, friends'. did you hear it? did i? i'm not really sure. it's never too late to stop. sheeezz....
when was the last time you were really fucked up? i mean, reeeeaaaallllyyyyyyyy.....? can you imagine banging out an album that night? that's kinda what 3rd sounds like. if you were a genius. in that way.
oh, and 'big black car' is the next morning. drivings a gas. it ain't gonna last.
'it ain't gonna last'. i think that would be nice on my tombstone. someone take note.
but the album staggers, it lurches. it falls, gets up, rolls it's eyes, downs a shot, belches a symphony, and falls asleep on your floor. you hate him this morning. but he was sooooooooo beautiful last night.
(the author gets serious) the piano at the end of 'big black car' is a reason to live. seriously. if a human can create something so beautiful, i have to stick around to see what else they are capable of.
jesus christ. i saw big star perform this song on dec.23, 2000. it was the best show i've ever seen. you can tell cuz i remember the date. alex chilton in a suit, barely moving, ultra cool, with that smirk. we're gonna get born!
drums that echo, guitars that chime. and they do. i think of shiny, shiny metal when i hear chilton play. sparks. the coolest fire ever lit.
and how the mood shifts. from despair to euphoria to bemusement to anger to gratitude and back to despair.
cuz the album is a downer.holocaust. all piano seat creak and dead mother and dead eyes and dusty cello and you're a mess.
and then kangaroo. rescued from the ashes by a melotron. a dare made art.
but it's saved by strike it noel! do you wanna dance? is there a more romantic question? answered by those gorgeous violins! asked to a girl who looks so beautiful in that dress. that dress.
listen to it. and picture whomever you fancy. it works. like a fucking charm. easy now.
and we fill the time.
and then it's nightime. and you're alone and the walls close in. or you're outside and the air closes in. the crowds stare and laugh, i suppose. and your mind drifts to something it shouldn't. get me out of here. i hate it here.
and you look up at the blue moon. and memories blur your vision like clouds. for a moment, tlll the buzz of a standup bass and the wind from a clarinet blow them away. if demons come while you're under, i'll be blue moon in the sky. let me say that again. if demons come while you're under, i'll be blue moon in the sky. isn't that beautiful? isn't that what anyone needs? or whatever.
take care.

catching waves again

yep, i've been lazy again. lots of videos. just remember kids, they all have meaning. if not to you, to me.
but i've been thinking too. i've had lots of stellar, musictacular ideas! things that'll make you think. gems like this:

1. tom waits. he's great. we can all agree. but why isn't he called out more on how derivative he is? at best he's a 3rd rate howlin' wolf. at 2nd best he's a 2nd rate harry partch. at 3rd best he's a, uh, 1st rate (?) capt. beefheart. i mean, i love the guy, but has he ever matched 'lick my decals off, baby'?

2. does listening to 'blood and chocolate' in the 8th grade ruin your chances of ever having a healthy relationship?

3. ray davies. don't you just wanna hug him?

4. crosby, stills, and nash. they suck. everything they've ever done (with the possible exeption of the last 2 minutes of suite judy blue eyes) has sucked. trite hippy bastards. why do people love them? side note: stephen stillls is great. i love his voice. and manassas is a motherfucker.

5. 'check the expiration date, man, it's later than you think'. it's a line from a pavement song. why does it go through my head everyday?

6. does the album i listened to today dictate my mood tomorrow? i listened to elliot smith's 'new moon' and capt. beefheart's 'ice cream for crow' tonight.

7. dion. dion....

8. has anyone else noticed how steve perry plagiarizes sam cooke vocally?

9. does syd barrett have any songs on a maxell tape, recorded circa 1976, that no one will ever hear, that would make you shake and weep from their beauty? i'm just asking.

10. the drummer on tupelo honey. i haven't researched this yet, but i love this guy. listen to how he just BEATS those drums during the last minute of that song. gets my pulse racing!!! gets my blood boiling!!! he's an angel!!!!!!!

so, yeah. those are all in the works. feel free to vote on your favorite.

DJANGO REINHARDT - Swing (1939)

just shut up and listen.

THIN LIZZY [ BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN ] LIVE,1983

i'm not a man's man. don't like sports. well, i could watch a baseball game i guess. but only minor league.
i'm kina weak. fidgety and disheveled. not much to look at. feel free to stop me.
but when i hear this song i feel like a brute. like i could take on anyone here. it just has a swagger that i can only aspire to. when lynot whispers 'spread the word around' i, to quote alex chilton, feel like the boss.
i hope you all have a song like this. a song that takes you away. drops you on another planet for a few minutes. a planet where you are king. and all...tremble...below you.

Brenton Wood -

is there anything about this clip that isn't great? i have been know to do the funky chicken to this song.

The Pogues - 'Yeah yeah yeah yeah'

a nice blast of irish soul. that's how i introduce myself, by the way. just a great joyous song. makes me feel good. and who doesn't want to feel good? hope you do.

well said, etc.

'life is sad
life is a bust
all you can do
is do what you must'- bob dylan

Thom Yorke - Cymbal Rush - Henry Rollins Show

i like radiohead. i want to love them but i can't. however, thom yorke's solo album is amazing. a true work of art. i love this performance. check out the guy on the drum machine. his entrance is brilliant!

Bobby Lewis - Tossin' and Turnin'

what a great vocal.

song of the week: like a vibration

i don't often wish to be younger. i'm done. i've shot my load, so to speak. i'm content to ride the rest of this arduous trip out.
but every once in a while i get the bug.
and i itch and squirm. and wanna get out. see a show. drink a 12 pack and play a backyard bbq.
i wanna move back south. put a bubble on a week, savor it, look at it from every angle, try to figure out where it all went wrong.
the whigs 'like a vibration' makes me feel this way.
why? why the south? 'i'm dancing on your front porch', that's why. it makes me think of paul's neighbor saying 'there was a black girl dancing on their front porch'. it makes me think of lizards crawling up the wall on a warm calabash night.
and 'but my perception, of my perception, is my confederate corn, it won't do me no good now'. it's a line worthy of faulkner. or dorothy allison at least.
and the warmth, and the tar, in that voice!
i wish i was 19 and hearing this song for the first time. 'the world below us, it'll never own us', only a young man could sing that line with such conviction. because in 10 years that world WILL own him. and it won't even occur to him. or maybe it will, but only once in a while. like it did to me today.
'can't we just have some fun?' for some reason that line nearly brought me to tears today. don't know why. (just kidding. you long time readers know i don't feel human emotion.) it seemed so desperate. so sad for a young man to sing. i felt so close to it.
so this song made me feel old. but i love it. it made me feel the same way i felt when i first heard 'hold my life'. and i hope you all know how special that moment was to me.
so, fuck, yeah, here are the lyrics. but that's only part of it. you really should listen to it. listen to that voice. listen to those drums. it's youth and it's important.

p.s. i woke up in a really shitty mood today. four thirty. had to get to work. i felt bleak and hopeless. that hasn't passed yet. and i feel like maybe i shouldn't bother tomorrow. but i know the alarm will ring. it'll buzz. and i'll wake. and my head will hurt. but the clock will keep buzzing til i stop it. and i'll feel it buzzing in my toes. like a vibration.


like a vibration
my reputation is hanging around my neck
it's hanging out in bars
but my perception of my perception
is my confederate corn
it won't do me no good now

the world that calls us
it doesn't owe us
could we just have some fun?
could we just make some love?

like a vibration
no, no, no, no

so what you need now
what do you need now?
we need to realise our minds
we need to realise we'll die
the world below us
it'll never own us
I'm dancing on your front porch
you're dancing in my backyard

like a vibration
no, no, no, no

Lou Reed - Waves Of Fear (Live)

a bit out of sync, but an intense performance. robert quine is a genius. i think of metal rods being sheared by a circular saw when i hear him play. i remember a evening in cortland, ny with doug b., drunk on mezcal, falling on the floor listening to this song over and over. i woke up with sparks in my head.

The Beach Boys - Wonderful

life is tough. sometimes we need to be comforted. this is a beautiful song and i hope it makes you feel better.

Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan

just a stunning song. absolutely graceful. this is for my spanish speaking friends. it's a beautiful language.

R.E.M. - All You Have To Do Is Dream

what can i say? i'm a romantic. this is my favortie version of one of my all time favorite songs. writers in the '50's got it right. love songs were free of cynicism. they were simple, but filled with the most beautiful images. and the rhymes! 'only trouble is/gee whiz'. that's so fucking great! i'm really not kidding about this.
and c'mon. isn't stipes voice perfect on this?
so try this. shut out the lights. turn yr speakers up loud. think of someone. and dream...dream...dream...

eddie cochran - nervous breakdown

Camper van Beethoven - When I Win The Lottery

this just seems like the right song to kick off the july 4 weekend. my least favorite holiday.

JoBoxers - Just Got Lucky

you kids know, i love a good soul song. plus, i'm feeling pretty jake.

my psychology today

i'm a simple guy. give me a burger, a comfy couch and some law and order and i'm a happy guy!
but i've got problems.
most people with these problems seek medical attention. therapy. pills. some long term 'rest'.
i prefer to put the needle on the record.
i make mixed tapes in my head all day. you know when you talk to me, and i have that far away look in my eyes? i'm working on that tape. i don't dwell on my mood. i dwell on the music i've been thinking about.
so, how am i doing? lets find out!

1. i will dare- the replacements
2. i've been waiting- matthew sweet
3. my life is in storage- frank black
4. starting over- john lennon
5. almost blue- chet baker (his version is better)
6. VFW- the dead milkmen
7. the first cut is the deepest-cat stevens
8. square room- vic chesnutt
9. she came and she touched me- townes van zand
10. all i have to do is dream- REM (yea, its an everly bros. song but i picked up my athens, ga. video the other day and have been obsessing over it. the flat jet duos are awesome too.)

hmmmmm. i've had worse lists. even the townes song isn't too depressing. except for the 'demons fall faithfully into their place' line. yikes!! the vic song is alarming as is the milkmens. diagnosis: coo coo!