The Fourth

"I Like Everything"

I almost gave up blogging. Instead, I'm piggybacking on someone else's post. Freaky Weasel is right. Great lyrics are great and people who say "I like everything" when you ask them what kind of music they like are full of it.

A Freaky Weasel excerpt:

The first thing I do when I hear "I like everything" is turn the radio to NPR or 92Q (for those not familiar with Nashville, 92Q is our local "urban" station. Don’t say black, you fucking racist). Suddenly, they will reveal that they do not, in fact, like ‘everything’.

No offense to those who really, really do like everything, but I don't even phrase the question like that to strangers anymore because I don't want to hear "I like everything" ever again.  Actually, what I like to hear even less is "I like everything (beat) except rap." Why does everyone have to pick on rap? There's good and bad in every genre and rap has some pretty good stuff going on if folks would just give it a chance. And to those folks who "like everything," might I suggest some Tuvan throat singing CDs to share a space on the shelf with your Kenny G and Mariah Carey discs? Or shall we lump that in with rap music as well? (Why do I pick on Kenny G and Mariah Carey? Because I am more of a snob than I should like to admit. I don't like their music, but they're incredibly sucessful at making it and selling it so they win.)

While I'm drinking, I'll add that one of my favorite song lyrics is less a lyric than a simple statement to the consumer. Jon Bon Jovi starts off "It's My Life" exclaiming "This is a song for the broken-hearted." I'd like to thank him for letting the rest of us listen to the song as well. And it's nice of him to announce beforehand that some of us might not receive it as other less happy in love listeners might. Maybe more singers should start their songs like that. It would save some people some time while really drawing in the attention of those for whom the song was written.

Anyway, three beers in and I'll stop before I start thinking I'm the next Chuck Klosterman. Anyway.

"Hold On"

"But inside your head there's a record that's playing
A song called 'Hold On', hold on
Babe, you gotta hold on
Take my hand, I'm standing right there
You gotta hold on"

from "Hold On" by Tom Waits

For My Jovi Girl

That was a close one. Several pagagraphs of woe-is-me and woe-is-us almost posted. I'll just go here instead: I love my wife. She has put up with me and all of my short-comings as if she loves me, too. I love like heck that she does that and just hope, hope, hope that I can reward her for loving me like she does someday.

We all know the drill. It's been hard as nails lately for so many families and we're no exception. She's a big time Bon Jovi fan and we're Tommy and Gina from "Living On A Prayer." "We'll make it I swear," is the famous refrain. For my lovely wife of almost seven years (August 3rd!), here's her favorite guy singing a song written by my favorite guy.

Fan Fund This Record

Good people The Joiners are going into the studio to make another record and would appreciate any help to cover studio costs. Jill Sobule reached out to her fans and made a record with donations. Linda Thompson is doing it, too. Let's help support Nashville's The Joiners. Your donation gets you a hard copy of their Olives and Oil and also "advance recordings, alternate mixes, love, and good fortune."

Visit The Joiners for more info.

Sibling Dynamic. "Kiss me." "Nope."

Maybe I'll just be a truck driver.

Aside from the idea that properly backing up in one of those things to loading docks across the country seems like the most impossible thing to accomplish for a guy like me (I'm rarely perfect when backing up valeted Toyotas into their spots), I've recently been enjoying the fantasy of traveling the highways and biways of America. Making more money for my good family and listening to Tom Waits, Johnny Cash and public radio while keeping my eyes on the road seems like a beautiful thing to a guy like me.

Of course, I know nothing about vehicle maintenance so if it's important that a truck driver knows how to fix his truck, I'm sunk. Still, it's cool to read the wonderful blog The Daily Rant and see her beautiful photos and read her interesting tales from the road. She introduces you to the blog with these words:

"Born and raised in New York, I now drive an 18-wheeler, traveling the country with my very handsome boyfriend, Eddie. I have been to all 50 states, 11 Canadian Provinces and 3 Mexican border towns. I love waking up every day in a new place and being able to visit family and friends at any time along the way. What a life!"

I promised my daughter I'd take some pictures of pretty flowers today so I did.

"Pretty ones, not creepy ones," she added.

Spider-Man towel

Nocturnal gaming with tiny tv and old-school console

"These Items Will Be Held For You"

Library nerd that I am, my favorite emails tend to be the ones from the library branch near me which state that "These Items Will Be Held For You."

Of course, sometimes I wonder what prompted me to request certain titles to begin with. The Very Best of Robert Palmer is currently on the hold shelf under my name. "Addicted To Love" must have been a recent earworm and my brain decided to fight it head on by seeking it out and listening to it on purpose. Actually, it's a pretty good song. I just don't recall requesting the CD. Looking at the track list now, I'm looking forward to picking it up tomorrow.

I'm watching "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On" on YouTube now and it's very mesmerizing. As I remembered it, it's not much of a song and it drags where it sounds like it should move along a bit faster, but watching it now I think it might be a little bit genius. According to the credits, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have something to do with it and now I hear some of that "Minneapolis sound" that I like so much. Also, the overall tempo is damn near hypnotic.

Anyway, I haven't really written in awhile and I'm forcing it tonight so this is what you get. Me, trying to dissect the music of Robert Palmer in the year 2009. I'll just read your blogs now and post some pictures tomorrow.

Have a nice night.

By The Road

"Que Sera Sera"

We spent the morning dancing to Arielle Dombasle's C'Est Si Bon on the iPod and then we went outside to take some pictures. One thing about Ari, she'll smile all day until you ask her to. I tend to prefer shots like these anyway, so it's all good. Whatever will be, will be.

"White Lines"

Can someone with the time and talent for such things analyze for me why I think this is the best thing television has given us in recent memory? I'm just grateful I got to see it. Wild!

When it's this beautiful, I forget to be afraid of snakes.