Snail Races

...where even the winners are slow and slimy. It's all a matter of degrees, really. Reality based since 1692.

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Sunday, April 30, 2006

Rockschool with Professor Lightfoot



The estimable Bobby Lightfoot is conducting a master class on making music. I have been enjoying his recordings for the last few months, and often find myself thumbing the little joystick forward past Al Green and the O-Jays to hear Bobby's (and his big bro's) stylings.

I found my copy of ROCKSCHOOL 2 mixed in with the vinyl when I rescued that box from 15 years of neglect in the basement. As with most of the albums, it doesn't hold up all that well 20 years on. (I certainly am not holding up much better after these past 20 years, but that's for a different post.) The black and white photos of the luminaries of post-disco pre-grunge popular music are depressing, not least because both the Commodores and Van Halen are cited as exemplary of anything other than suckfulness. Fortunately, there appears to be no mention of Grand Funk RR.

The quantum leap from the technology of that day (I had never heard of the Prophet 5 or the Yellow Magic Orchestra) to the marvels of GarageBand and podcasting is remarkable.

Bobby should write a book updating this volume. Maybe he has Herbie Hancock's phone number? There could even be a PBS series in it, although some of the graphics may need to be vetted by legal and standards at CPB. Posted by Picasa

Friday, April 28, 2006

not a stupid girl at all

pink live from youtube, singing for our dear leader.

go watch, powerful stuff.

friday musical selections

An Easy Winter - Bobby Lightfoot
Ooh, Girl - The Chi-lites
Planet Smashers - Surfing in Tofino
Not Ready to Make Nice - Dixie Chicks
Dear Mr President - Pink
Let's Stay Together - Al Green and Bobby L, back to back
Love and Happiness - Al Green
The Worst That Could Happen - Brooklyn Bridge
Love (Can Make You Happy) - Mercy
Spill the Wine - War

Monday, April 17, 2006

Late For The Sky

Neddie steps outside the social convention of inquiring after one another's well being by way of casual greeting, but realizes there is always a point where you can have too much information. Dada factor chartreuse (middling).

Reading along, I instantly thought of Jackson Browne. Late For The Sky (1974) was in heavy rotation on the dorm-room turntable, and I think I remember having an 8-track of it for a while as well. Maudlin, I know, but still with me after 30 years. And a cover inspired by Magritte. So it has that goin' for it.

Back then, I thought this was weary, cynical and worldwise, but the kids today have blown past that post and aren't looking back.

THE LATE SHOW

Everyone I've ever known has wished me well
Anyway that's how it seems, it's hard to tell
Maybe people only ask you how you're doing
'Cause that's easier than letting on how little they could care
But when you know that you've got a real friend somewhere
Suddenly all the others are so much easier to bear

Now to see things clear it's hard enough I know
While you're waiting for reality to show
Without dreaming of the perfect love
And holding it so far above
That if you stumbled onto someone real, you'd never know
(You'd never know)
You could be with somebody who is lonely too
(Sometimes it doesn't show)
He might be trying to get across to you
(Words can be so slow)
When your own emptiness is all that's getting through
There comes a point when you're not sure why you're still talking
I passed that point long ago
(Long ago)
Now I'm so tired of all this circling
And all these glimpses of the end
(You know it's useless to pretend)
That's all the voices say:
"You'll go right on circling
Until you've found some kind of friend"

I saw you through the laughter and the noise
You were talking with the soldiers and the boys
While they scuffled for your weary smiles
I thought of all the empty miles
And the years that I've spent looking for your eyes
(Looking for your eyes)
And now I'm sitting here wondering what to say
(That you might recognize)
Afraid that all these words might scare you away
(And break through the disguise)
No one ever talks about their feelings anyway
Without dressing them in dreams and laughter
I guess it's just too painful otherwise

Look--
It's like you're standing in the window
Of a house nobody lives in
And I'm sitting in a car across the way
(Let's just say)
It's an early model Chevrolet
(Let's just say)
It's a warm and windy day
You go and pack your sorrow
The trash man comes tomorrow
Leave it at the curb and we'll just roll away

(c) 1974 SWALLOW TURN MUSIC

Saturday, April 08, 2006

in our time

BBC Radio 4 has a great discussion program called In Our Time. The miracle that is podcasting has allowed me to enjoy discussions of 17th Century Print Culture, the Abassid Caliphate, and the Royal Society at my leisure, pausing when interrupted, going back to repeat a tricky exposition, and actually engaging with the presented topic even more than is possible while listening to the radio.

Taking even greater control of the technology, yesterday I broke down and bought a USB TV tuner and video capture card. Installed it on the rec room machine this morning, and I will now be able to see Lost even if I am busy on Wednesday. Expect to see random screen shots of mundane televisual moments posted here soon.

And thanks to Neddie and Bobby for their musical stylings. I have finally figured out how to save the mp3 files I was only streaming prior to this week, so I will be burning some of their stuff to push on people as we move into this summer's social scene, proving my theoretical, if not applied, hipness.

New wireless card this week, too, so I am back to recliner-and-loungewear blogging.