FRIENDS
Continuing with yesterday’s theme of how music affects the soul, I now give you songs that make me cry. It could be the music, it could be the lyrics, or it could be the memories and emotions associated with said song. These songs cut deep into my soul. Once again, Song names go to Youtube videos.
In ascending order
5) The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned) by The Decemberists
4) What Sarah Said by Death Cab for Cutie
3) The Pass by Rush
2) Closer to Fine by The Indigo Girls
1) Tony by Patty Griffin
FRIENDS.
Music is the key to our souls. Lyrics especially have a way of reaching us, affecting us with their messages. I have always been connected to certain lyrics, and here is just a quick sampling of lyrics that I love. The name of the song is a link to a Youtube video of the song. If you haven’t heard it, check it out! Tune in tomorrow for a list of songs that make me cry!
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In no particular order
“In Berlin I saw two men fuck in the dark corner of a basketball court/ just the slight jingle of pocket change pulsing/ In the tourist park/ I lose fifty Euros to a guy with the walnut shells and the marbles/ It really pissed me off/ so, oooh, I thought I’d go back to get my money/but all my homies warned me/’oh no! Those gypsies probably got knives’”- The Hallows by WHY?
“And god is whoever you’re performing for/ and god is whoever you perform for”- Untrustable Part Two (About Someone Else) by Built to Spill
“From the moment I could talk/ I was ordered to listen”- Father and Son by Cat Stevens
“We looked like giants/in the back of my gray sub-compact/ fumbling to make contact/ as the others slept inside”- We Looked Like Giants by Death Cab for Cutie
“Find him/ Bind him/ Tie him to a pole/ and break his fingers to splinters/ drag him to a hole/ until he wakes up, naked/ clawing at the ceiling of his grave!”- The Mariner’s Revenge Song by The Decemberists
“The things you feel outsmart the things you know/ It’s almost time/ It’s almost time to go”- Almost Time To Go by Jason Webley
“I cannot emphasise enough that my body /Is a badly designed, poorly put together vessel/ Harbouring these diminishing, so-called ‘vital organs’/Hope my heart goes first/I HOPE MY HEART GOES FIRST!/ And we are beautiful/ We are doomed.”- We Are Beautiful! We Are Doomed! by Los Campesinos!
“Your father made fetuses with flesh-licking ladies/ while you and your mother were asleep in the trailer park”- Oh Comely by Neutral Milk Hotel
“All of us get lost in the darkness /Dreamers learn to steer by the stars /All of us do time in the gutter /Dreamers turn to look at the stars /Turn around and turn around and turn around /Turn around and walk the razor’s edge /Don’t turn your back /And slam the door on me”- The Pass by Rush
“Now, the world can be an unfair place at times/But your lows will have their complement of highs/And if anyone should cheat you, take advantage of, or beat you/Raise your head and wear your wounds with pride”- Ambling Alp by Yeasayer
“Two sips from the cup of human kindness and I’m shit-faced”- Use It by The New Pornographers
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I find it interesting that in our interconnected world we can have intense connection to people we have never actually met. A long time ago, maybe when I was in about seventh grade, I knew this girl named Krissi. She was crazy and is now a model in Thailand (True story! We’re Facebook friends!). She introduced me to this girl named Alanna, who lived in Central California. Alanna and I started talking on the phone like crazy, becoming really good friends. Then life happened, and for some reason we lost touch. But a couple months ago, I noticed that my StumbleUpon account had imported my Hotmail contacts. It just so happened that Alanna was one of them. I searched Facebook, finally finding her. We reconnected, discovering that we still had many things in common, and had both grown up to be obnoxious X-Files loving hipsters! (She even looks like a hipster version of Scully!)
This is her favorite song lyric, from one of our favorite films, Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
“Last time I saw you/We had just split in two/You were looking at me/I was looking at you/You had a way so familiar/But I could not recognize/Cause you had blood on your face/I had blood in my eyes/But I could swear by your expression/That the pain down in your soul/Was the same as the one down in mine.”- The Origin of Love from Hedwig and the Angry Inch
FRIENDS.
Last Saturday, I was walking home from a pleasant day in the park with friends. As I was walking down the main street in my town, a homeless man with a dog waved at me and handed me a piece of paper as I passed. It was credit card sized, with a fake credit card facade on the front. On the back was this message:
Smoke Responsibly
WARNING! Cigarette smoking is hazardous to your health, but it doesn’t have to be! Mixing herbs from the mint family in with your tobacco (ratio: 1/3 tobacco to 2/3 mint) will prevent the tars in the tobacco from sticking to your lungs. (if smoked out of a clear pipe, it will only leave water droplets!) Mint will also help to clear out the mucous created from smoking tobacco.
I was intrigued by this piece of paper. Where had it come from? What is its purpose? It told me it was InfoCurrency: for use in creative bartering. It then told me to Youtube “123homefree” for more info. I listened to this card, and went to their channel.
123homefree seems to be a homeless man living in my town, giving people tips on how to survive while homeless. He has videos on how to make handy items such as water filters for your water bottle and pocket guides to edible wild plants. The region I live in is rather rural and has a large homeless population, so the service this guy is presenting is a pretty wonderful idea. In America, we have had the problem of ignoring our homeless, throwing them to the side, blaming them for being homeless. It’s such a breath of fresh air to see someone actually attempting to help these people survive.
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FRIENDS.
I would like to discuss with you an artist that has been overlooked and under-appreciated in the US for too long. Her name is Kate Bush and I love her.
Catherine Bush was born in Kent, England in 1958. She was given a recording contract at age 16 after being discovered by David Gilmore. She released her first album, The Kick Inside, at age 19 and instantly became a sensation. She holds various records in England and is one of the most respected singer-songwriter of the late 20th century.
Before I go into how she made me want to read a book, I would like go into how I discovered her.
This story, like many stories of the past two and half years of my life, starts with Kyle, my wonderful roommate and technical administrator on this blog (I am not what you would call tech-savvy). Last year sometime, Kyle and I were heading back from grocery shopping when this goth-like song came on his iPod. It was dark and beautiful, captivating and frightening. I asked Kyle what we were listening to, and he told me that we were listening to Placebo, covering a song called “Running Up That Hill” by British singer-songwriter Kate Bush. Every time I heard this song for the next two months, I was so enthralled that I would ask Kyle yet again what it was. Finally, I began listening to it on Youtube on repeat. On the side of the video, I saw a video for the original. I clicked on it, and immediately fell in love. Her voice was like nothing I had ever heard, almost an other-worldly presence. I was hooked. I searched for her album Hounds of Love, which has been out of print in America for some time, finally finding it online. My love affair began.
Now, you may be asking yourself where a book comes into this. Kate’s first hit was a song called “Wuthering Heights” and is based off the book by Emily Bronte. Now, English Gothic novels are not my cup of tea, but Kate’s emotion during this song has made me want to read this book so badly. You can hear the anguish of the main character in her voice, and it is so passionate and fascinating.
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Wuthering Heights
Running Up That Hill (Original)
Running Up That Hill (Placebo)
FRIENDS.
Last night, something that no one expected happened. Something that brought happiness to my soul. As you may know, the Grammys were last night. Well, one of my favorite bands, Arcade Fire, won Album of the Year. They were the complete underdogs who no one expected to win. I mean, they were up against the likes of Katy Perry, Eminem and Lady Gaga, pop world/ Grammy darlings. But these theatrical indie rockers from Canada won. I’m glad, because The Suburbs, the album they won for, is a masterpiece (with the exception of two awful songs).
I’m sure hipsters are pissed, but a lot of the hipsters I know stopped liking Arcade Fire long ago. Others are probably pissed that Arcade Fire have “sold out”. I, on the other hand, am ecstatic that they have gotten the recognition they deserve.
I’m pissed Robyn didn’t win a Grammy, though. She deserves to be bigger than Gaga.
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Acceptance Speech and “Ready to Start”
FRIENDS.
It seems that Facebook thinks I have been single too long. I am going to go out on a limb and agree with it. For those wondering, I’ve been single since July of 2009, when my only serious relationship so far dissolved. Facebook wants to remedy this.
How in the world would Facebook remedy this, you ask? By giving me ads for dating sites.
And you know how they attempt to lure me in even more? By putting cute guys in the ads. (Yes readers. I am gay, and this could be considered my coming out post. My personal friends and family of course all know, but now you all know, readers. Although almost all my readers are friends at this point. But someday, when this blog is as famous as Hyperbole and a Half, people will be reading all the posts and find this one. And they will know how important it is.)
So, does it bother me that Facebook is passing this judgment that I have been single too long? Yes, but at the same time, it’s right, so I can’t get too mad at it. But it’s CREEPY. It knows I’ve been/ am single, it knows I’m gay and it knows my weakness for skinny hipsters. The internet is getting smart, and it bothers me. But at the same time, it makes me giggle. Facebook tries so hard. It trys to target you with good ads. It’s like that friendly acquaintance that listens to all the music you like in an attempt to get closer to you so you will like them and have conversations together about your musical enjoyments.
So, Facebook’s gay?
FRIENDS.
As you know, I have been viewing the original Star Wars trilogy lately. The other day, my wonderful friend Theo sent me a video. This video is a compilation of Wilhelm screams, mostly found within George Lucas movies.
What is the Wilhelm Scream, you ask?
According to Wikipedia, the Wilhelm scream “is a frequently-used film and television stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film Distant Drums. The effect gained new popularity (its use often becoming an in-joke) after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games. The scream is often used when someone is shot, falls from a great height, or is thrown from an explosion.”
Even if you are unsure if you have, you have heard the Wilhelm scream. It is one of the most recognizable sounds in all of film. It is created a life of its own.
While used in cult classics, it has become a cult classic itself. I would love to meet anyone who witnessed the creation of the Wilhelm scream on that set in 1951, although I am sure they are all gone. To witness such a piece of cultural history. Yes, this sound effect is now an overused joke, but it is still a cultural milestone.
AHHHOOAH!
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Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Scream
The Video
FRIENDS.
I made a mistake. I was at the grocery store the other day, and I was in the cereal aisle. I wanted to pick up a box of My Favorite Cereal, but it was no longer on sale, now costing close to 5 dollars a box! I would not give into this absurdity. So, in a fit of rage, I searched for a substitute. I came upon Honey Bunches of Oats with Strawberries, which seemed like an appropriate substitute.
I WAS SO WRONG.
This cereal is half as sweet as Kashi Strawberries Fields, and twice as soggy.
It seems that although I am a poor college student, I am unable to skimp on my cereal.
FRIENDS.
Today, I discovered a video on my News feed on Facebook that screamed “PUT ME ON YOUR BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOG!” So, I have decided that this video deserves my time.
As we have established on this blog, I love food. I especially love meat. And bacon. These things make my life complete. However, this video is making me doubt my love. and that is not a good thing.
I mean, did you see all that bacon?! AND MEAT GLUE?! I can understand a turducken, because that has cultural significance, and actually looks delicious. But this is gratuitous and makes me stomach hurt. I feel that everyone should have a right to eat what they want, which is why preachy vegetarians and vegans have always gotten on my nerves, but I feel this is a level of gluttony that no one should achieve.
At least they shared it…
FRIENDS.
I would call myself a pop culture aficionado. I read Entertainment Weekly, watch I Love the 70′s, 80′s AND 90′s on VH1. I read as much as I can about pop culture, and try to be as knowledgeable as possible.
HOWEVER.
I have never seen ANY of the original Star Wars films. I have seen the new three (I know…), but the original three have eluded me…
UNTIL NOW.
This evening I watched Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope. And I have opinions. I should clarify that I watched the remastered version, so Han didn’t shoot first. Sad days.
This film was highly enjoyable. I understand why so many people love it, and why it has become such a cornerstone of modern film. I could tell that it was a labor of love, and also that it was the most expensive film of its time. It’s the classic hero’s journey, and it has action, suspense and just a bit of romance. But of course, I have to have some criticisms about this film.
Luke is way too whiny. I know you’re a great pilot. I know you are going to be a great Jedi, but you WHINE. Oh how you whine.
I have come to Star Wars very late in the game, so there is nary a surprise. Most of the lines seem familiar, and I know pretty much everything to come. In this same vein, every time the force was mentioned, I giggled. I could not take these famous lines seriously. “May the force be with you!” and “There’s a disturbance in the force” were just absurd. I have heard them said by people and made fun of television and in movies since I was little. I just could not take it.
Overall, I enjoyed it. Tomorrow is The Empire Strikes Back. Perhaps I shall tell you how that goes.
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The other night, I made a Kate Bush Pandora station. I made it because I wanted to listen to lady singer-songwriters with weird voices. Instead, they decided I need 80′s New Wave and Evanescene. Umm, I’m good. Also, I seem to have opened the floodgates of Trip-Hop just by liking “Teardrop” by Massive Attack. Portishead, Massive Attack and The Cocteau Twins are great musicians, but when I hear them on my Pandora station, I’m suddenly in Kyle’s dorm room freshman year, and I just get confused.