Top 5...Phillip Seymour Hoffman

I like movies and music and books and many other things that I can use to make myself feel cooler then you. Now while that may bother some people I am okay with it because that is who I am. At my core I am sure that I am not really cooler then anyone but when I am in the middle of listening to some music that I love or a film that has captured me completely none of that really matters. Once I surface from that little world I wonder sometimes if maybe it is too much of an escape and I would be better served too focus my energies on other non pop culture things. But that is a conversation best left for another day.

One of my favorite films of all time is "Almost Famous" it is a film that for me captures both music and the power of film together. I realize that it is not a film for everyone but for some reason it works just perfectly for me and one that I watch almost as much as both "Fight Club" and "Quadrophenia". As I was watching it today I was reminded of how much I enjoy Phillip Seymour Hoffmans work in the film as Lester Bangs. This led me to today's blog post.



                             THE TOP 5 PERFORMANCES OF PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN


5: Hard Eight

4: Boogie Nights

3: Magnolia

2: The Big Lebowski

1: The Master


I have to give special mention to two films of his that I think exist separately from the 5 above and those are 'Almost Famous' and 'Pirate Radio'. I think his performances in both of those films are just great.

Watch those previews and if you get a chance watch those films. I think you will enjoy it.

Tuesday (Misc Thoughts Edition)

Today is going to be a good day and really there is only one reason why, at least for me, and that is because the pre-season MLS games are starting and MLS.com is going to be streaming them. My chosen squad and my local MLS team the Portland Timbers are starting off against the Colorado Rapids. I am looking forward to seeing what formation the team decides to play since they have a brand new coach and their have been a lot of player changes in the off season. I haven't agreed with all of the changes, but I also felt like the team needed to make some of those changes so I am interested in seeing how the team takes shapes as they move closer to their March 3rd season opener which is at home against the NY Redbulls.

That is really about it for today. I am up and moving and that is always a plus. So I will leave you with a couple of songs that always put a smile on my face and if my ear holes could be smiling then I am sure they would be also.

Three songs. So sue me. That last video is from the ABCFamily show called 'Bunheads' and if you were or a fan of 'The Gilmore Girls' then I would recommend you check this show out. It is available on, I believe, both Amazon Prime and Netflix streaming and shown on Monday nights at 9m west coast time. I was not a fan of 'Gilmore Girls' but I really enjoy 'Bunheads' and not because it has some cute girls doing ballet. I am not sure why I like it but I really do and I have never ever cared about dancing at all. The show just works for me. Check it out.

Thursday...

I am sitting here trying to fire up the energy to get really indigent about something. But, I am just not feeling it today. I have no reason that I can think of to unleash my rapier like wit on anyone or anything around me. I have a job interview tomorrow at 1:30 so hopefully that will result in some gainful employment. Things are beginning to get a little tight and even with my parents help there is an added level of stress to everything that is not beneficial at all for me.

One of the few benefits of being unemployed is that I have the time to do some reading. I like that, mainly, because I enjoy reading. I always have. There is just something about holding a book in your hands and feeling the weight of it and the smell as you turn the pages and escape, however briefly, into whatever world the book your reading exists in. I recently just finished Patrick Rothfuss 'The Name Of The Wind' it is basically a fantasy novel but is written as if the hero of the tale is telling the story if his life to a scribe. I think that is a pretty cool concept and not one that I remember seeing before. It is the first book in a series called The Kingkiller Chronicle. I have not started the second book but I am looking forward to doing so.

I decided to take a break from the world of that book, to read 'The Life of Pi' by Yann Martel. I have not seen the movie so what happened in the book was a total surprise to me. I really liked it. It was not an easy book to read on an emotional level but it was lovely and heart breaking and made me think. Those are things that I really like in a book. I highly recommend it.

I just started a book by Neal Stephenson called 'REAMDE'. This is not a typo. I am not sure fully why he decided to call it that. But anyone who has read Stephenson, knows that while he has his reasons for things they do not always make sense to the rest of us. My issues with the title aside. I am enjoying the book so far. But I am just 20 or so pages in. I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Thus ends my look at literature. I hope I gave you some new ideas for reading. 

Tuesday

It is Tuesday and I am at the office (coffee shop). I am doing my usual drinking 1st my Americano and then my black coffee. To be clear it isn't always black, sometimes I add cream and Splenda to my coffee but never to my Americanos.  The other thing that I do is listen to or eavesdrop, if you well, on other customers orders.

What I do after that, concerns me a little bit. Because I often will hear someones order and then my brain makes some giant sweeping generalization about them. I mean this happens instantaneously. I can't seem to control it at all. I sit here and one part of my brain says, "Hey! You are being a jerk. You don't know that person at all. Just knock it off." Meanwhile the other part is going ahead and building a reason why those people are lame and are just worthy of my condescension.  I think my being aware of it is actually more frustrating to me then my actually doing it. It would just be easier to live a life of unawareness. Things are so much simpler when I am not second guessing myself and my motivations for my behavior.  But...I suspect, that if I was not this way then I would not be doing much blogging. Now I know some of you would say. "Good! We would all be better off." But, I don't think you would be. Think of the emptiness in your lives, if you didn't have me to dispense my nuggets of wisdom for your edification. It would be horrible for you. Actually more horrible for you then life already is. Just face it. I bring you great joy.

I have to be honest, I bring lots of people great joy. They love having me around. I think I either make their life look better  by comparison. (Wow! That blonde lady is tall and gorgeous!) Anyway, keep it together lance. Back to what I was saying...this is what happens when I am free writing. I sometimes totally lose my focus and I just did. I might have crossed the threshold where coffee becomes not so much a stimulant as a handicap because my brain is firing away and the wires are all crossed up. I should stop. But I can't! I will not and you can't make me!! COFFEE IS KING!!

Sometimes...

a kiss is just a kiss. But a kiss in not just a kiss when we are talking the KISS!! The Monsters of Metal!! The Purveyors of Sonic Destruction!! The Master of Musical Mayhem! You wanted the best! You got the best, KISS!!

The reason I am bringing this to your attention today, is because yesterday was Paul Stanley's 61st birthday, so I thought I would bring to you my Top 3 Kiss songs that were written by Paul Stanley.

I love the bass and the drums in that song. Just love it.

I want you. Just a simple love song by a gentle man.

There is something about the last one 'I Was Made For Loving You' that I find so fun. I do not know if it is the obvious disco influence of it or what. But I really enjoy it. It is true that Kiss is kind of a joke now but there was a time when they were the hardest rocking and the biggest band in the world. There first four albums are some seriously good rock n roll. So if you like that kind of thing, hit up the You Tube and give them a listen.

(Catchy Title) That Draws Attention To My Blog

It seems, more often then not, that once I write a blog post I spend just as much time trying to come up with some sort of catchy title that will get people to want to read my blog. But, I wonder how effective that really is or should I even care. I know that as far as labels go. That can have a difference as far what pops up on Google and the other search engines but it may still not translate to hits. It might mean that people pop in. But it for sure doesn't mean that they are going to take the time to read what I have posted. But, you can lead a horse to water. But, you can't make him drink. That is a universal truth. Or it may not be. I am not really sure actually. It is just something that I have heard people say.

Let's talk about music. As I was driving into the office (Broadway Coffeehouse) this morning I was thinking about my last post and the different bands and musicians that I had posted videos of, and I realized that I had not posted anything by one of the musicians that I most enjoy and that is Jack White. I just like how his music sounds and the fact that he seems totally unafraid to try new sounds and attempt new things with his music. So I think I am going to throw up a few videos from his numerous different projects. Enjoy them!

This song was in 'Napoleon Dynamite' but I like it anyway. Not the song above, but the song below.

I love the guitar in 'Jimmy the Exploder' but generally speaking I love how his guitar sounds in every song he plays.

 Along with the White Stripes he also played in a band called The Raconteurs and they did some amazing stuff as well. These are three songs that never fail to get my audio rocks off.
'Broken Boy Soldier'

'Old Enough'

'The Switch and the Spur'

After The Raconteurs he moved on to The Dead Weather. There is a little bit of overlap actually between all of these groups.

There you go. I hope you enjoy the tunes and maybe this will inspire you to buy some music.

If Wishes and Butts Were Candy and Nuts....

We would all have a Merry Christmas!! There is a line in the film 'Pitch Perfect' that goes like this. "If I could sing a lick, I would. But I can't and I hate myself everyday for it!"


I am not nearly as dramatic as that but there are times when I am listening to music and I feel that way about playing guitar or piano or drums or just wanting to be in a band in general and to be able to blow peoples minds. To just be up on stage and to rock their socks off with the power of my rocking! So because of that I thought it might be fun to show you guys some songs that make me feel that way. I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I enjoy bringing them to you.

Now the first instrument I want to highlight is guitar and I am not saying that this is the best guitarist in the world or anything like that. I am just saying that listening to this makes me wish I could play guitar like that.

Let's take a look at drums now and for me this is a pretty obvious choice. But it may not be the choice for everyone else and the same rule applies as before. I am not saying this is the best, it is just the one that brings these feelings out of me. This is Santana's drummer at Woodstock he was 19 at this time and his name is Michael Shrieve and he will blow your mind. Actually the whole of this performance by the band is mind altering.

The Piano and there can be only one Ben Folds

Bass and Rush go hand in hand

There you go folks. I hope you enjoyed listening to it as much as I enjoyed bringing it too you.

I wonder....

if it is just an American thing or perhaps a thing that is distinctly male. I wonder what makes it hard for people to say either "I was wrong" or "I do not know the answer to that, or I have not heard of that let me find someone who can answer that question for you."

Now I don't think it is a distinctly male behavior because I have seen women do the same thing. I used to be the same way. I am sure that there are times right now that I continue to act that way. But, when I am aware of it and actually taking the time to listen to the question or to actually engage in the issue at hand or the conversation. It does not bother me to just plainly say, "I did not know that" or "I don't know." It is easy and simple for me to do that and it doesn't diminish my masculinity to admit my ignorance. What brings this issue to mind for me is a couple of skits that I have seen lately on the Jimmy Kimmel show. They have been going around and asking people what they thought of events that hadn't happened yet. Now I am sure that these questions are edited because that is just the way television is. But they still had to find people who answered a question that they didn't know the answer to and would have no way of even knowing the answer.

What do you suppose led them to do that? Do you think the producer of the segment told them to just go along with the questions and answer them like they already knew the answer? It frankly wouldn't surprise me if there had been some of that because it is actually pretty funny. I just hate to be that cynical to think that they were that artificial in the creation of the segments. Though when I think about that aspect of it I am not sure why I am concerned if it was real or not. The Jimmy Kimmel show isn't a news show. Their job is to entertain and they do not claim to be anything but a show designed to entertain and if the segments make me laugh then they have succeeded in that.

We live in a time right now where it feels like it is hard to tell the difference between fiction and reality and the line between entertainment and news is growing increasingly blurred. This makes it very hard for me to not be cynical since it seems like everyone has an agenda of some sort.  So I continue to try to unpack the message behind the message when I read the news or hear a story on the radio.

 I also try to live my life in a way that doesn't hurt others and be a caring and understanding person. That for me involves me being able to say to to people, "I'm wrong" when I feel I am wrong and "I'm sorry" when I have wronged someone in one form of the other. So for me, part of that process is me making long and rambling blog posts that jump from topic to topic and really while I may have started with a goal I often lose my focus and end up in an entirely different spot then the one that I thought I was headed towards. But what I find amazing is that just the process of writing things down allows me to solve or move through whatever issue I was dealing with.

Thanks for reading this the few of you that do. I know that some posts are better then others. Which reminds me of this Smiths song even though they do not really relate at all. Have a great day folks.

Welcome Back!!

I normally do not get all that excited when an artist retires or comes back or releases new material. But those of you who know me, know that second to the almighty Johnny Cash on my list of most favorite musical artists is the musical genius David Bowie. So I got pretty excited when I woke up and heard that in honor of his 66th birthday, David Bowie was releasing a new single and had plans for an entire new album called The Next Day which is supposed to come out in March. Here is the first single and I am going to follow that up with 5 of my favorite Bowie songs of all time.

It is going to take some more listening to articulate how I feel about the new song but I think I like it. The video feels creepy as hell but I like that as well.

On to my Top 5 list.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. I am fully aware that Bowie is not for everyone but I like to think that not everyone's tastes are not as refined as mine. 

I Still Exist

Hey folks, I hope everyone is well and that the holidays treated you okay. I am still alive and functioning, but even though I wasn't working I was having a hard time finding the time to write and my blog posts suffered accordingly. So I am still functioning but most of my writing has been directed toward me making trolling attacks on AV Club and different entertainment websites that are part of the uproxx group of websites.

It isn't that I am a mean spirited troll but these sites allow me to join in discussions about a lot of things that I like in music and books and other things that I use to entertain myself. Though sometimes there are certain things that set off my nerd rage and those things must be responded to and corrected. There is no option. I must do it. I have no real choice in the matter. I am compelled to do it and must respond. The latest thing that I felt compelled to address was a discussion about the creator of 'Two and a Half Men' was a hack of not.

Myself, I come down on the side of he is a colossal hack and it does not matter to me what kind of ratings his shows have had or how many shows he has created. I think all that does is show exactly how popular mediocre television can be with the mouth breathers. 

Cemetery Junction

I am just now finishing a film that I discovered on Netflix streaming. It was written and directed by the talented duo Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant the team behind the rightfully celebrated BBC's 'The Office'. I am stunned that I had never heard of this film before and am wondering why it didn't get released in the USA. I LOVE THIS FILM.

Often, when I really like a film, there is a sense of sadness when it ends because much like a good book I do not want it to be over. This is that film for me.

I really do not know what to say about it. I think it has nearly a perfect soundtrack and for me when the film and the music work together it is almost a transcendent experience for me. I really do not have much more to say then I would love it if you tracked this film down and watched it. I do not think you will regret it. 

A Moment of Compassion

This was a rough weekend. There was entirely to much death and entirely too much politicizing of the gun control issue for my taste. What happened was a horrible thing and really extending your condolences to the families involved and expressing your shock and horror at what happened is all that needs to be said. The rest is just you climbing up on your soapbox be it pro or anti gun control and speaking to hear yourself heard. 

I do not need to hear it and I do not think others do either. I love Facebook because it allows me to keep in touch with so many people from all over the world and allows me the ability to dialogue with them on numerous issues. But it feels like increasingly it is becoming a tool for the loudest of us to angrily proclaim our position as a "right-thinking" person. I realize that I am as guilty of this as anyone and in some cases I am probably works then others in my actions. But this is something that I intend to work on. 

So, I plead with you. Can we just take a moment among the increasing volume of rhetoric that is being thrown about as we all try to recover from this horrible event. Can we just take a moment of silence and think about these families and how this holiday season is going to taste like horrible ash in their mouths. Can we take a moment and just try to understand how painful that must feel and also recognize that we hope it never happens to us or anyone that we know. Can we take a moment and realize that all of the yelling about the right to control or to bear arms does these families mourning their dead children and parents not a whit of good at all. Can we take a moment and be compassionate of others for a change. Because as one of my friends pointed out "those kindergardeners didn't die to make anyone's political point."

Friday, Friday

It is Friday and the premier of the Hobbit was last night. I thought about going to see it but then I thought that while it would have been fun to go to the midnight show.  I also didn't think I wanted to stay up until 3 in the morning because it seems that the movie is seriously long. The reviews that I am seeing and reading all sound like it is a good movie but goes on far to long. Now anyone who watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy that Peter Jackson did before knows that he is a little prone to falling in love with his films and they tend to go on far too long.

As I write that I just realized that I had no real reason for writing it. I am just kind of mindlessly typing away to give myself something to do while I sit at the coffee shop and listen to the DnD podcast that I enjoy so much. But I now just realized that my nose is plugged up and I am finding it hard to breath through it. So I am sitting here with my mouth open and totally mouth breathing. I am sure that I look like a colossal mouth breathing nerd right now!

Yaaa for you Lance. What a shining moment for you. Now I am focused on my breathing and literally having to keep my mouth closed and make myself breath through my nose. What an odd feeling. I am never usually so focused on my breathing it is just an automatic function of my body that happens. It is oddly fascinating to be so focused and aware of my breathing. In and Out and In and Out. I can both feel the air flow and hear it as well since my nose is plugged. I do try to meditate but even that I don't think what I do is true Buddhist meditation it is just me doing some deep breathing exercises through my nose because that calms me down and helps me go to sleep easier which I like. Because often once I get ready to go to sleep and turn off the electronic distractions around me, my mind starts to try to process all of the days events or too understand the big questions in life and that is not the best way for me to get too sleep.

and that is all I have to say for today. 

Sunday, Sunday

I think that there are days that tend to seem a little more gloomy then other days. I am sure that the weather also has something to do with it as well. but, it feel like Sundays are just a little darker and little more gray then other days. It is also possible that I just tend to notice it more on Sundays then I do on the other days, but I honestly do not know what it is. I just know that it has been that way for years for me. I assume it is also possible that Sunday is also the end of the weekend and maybe my mind just always wants to get me ready for Monday. Because Lord know there is nothing worse then a Monday. The thing is, right now, a Monday is like any other day so there is really no reason for me to dread the day. I know it would feel a little different if I was working every Monday through Friday. Though I am not sure that it would make that much of a difference to me all things considered.

That is all. 

Please, allow me to introduce to you...

A band that I just stumbled upon. Their E P has been out since March but I honestly have not heard of them until today and I really really like their sound. They are a synth pop band and their name is Father Tiger. This is what their website says about them.


"FATHER TIGER is a modern indie synthpop duo with a love of vintage analog synthesizers and everything mid-century modern. Having grown up on opposite ends of Los Angeles county, members Greg Delson and John Russell now both reside in Hollywood, where they met in 2005 at audio engineering school.
Often compared to Cut Copy, M83, Holy Ghost!, Hot Chip, Passion Pit, and Robyn, the band’s sound is nonetheless unique. Combining live drums with programmed percussion, layering numerous rare, vintage analog synths and incorporating a vocal arrangement style reminiscent of the Motown era, FATHER TIGER has crafted a thoughtful, vibrant and upbeat sound of its very own"

So, there you go. I do not think they sound like Robyn at all. In fact I think they are probably far better then she is. But too each his own and I am sure that some publicist wrote that for them anyway. All I know is that I really enjoy their music and I want you to give them a listen. I think you will enjoy it. Listening to them is like getting a nice warm hug from an old friend so just relax into their embrace and let yourself be comforted. You will be all the better for it.

I really like that last Christmas song a lot. It just speaks to me on several levels and I like the guy playing Santa's awesome beard. I only hope I can grow one like that. The next couple of videos are of cover songs the band did and I really enjoy them as well.

I hope you enjoy them and do what I did track them down on Amazon and buy the E P. I do not think you will regret it.

Ke$ha 'Warrior"

Well here goes nothing, I am giving the latest Ke$ha album a listen and I am not sure what to say. I need to be upfront and tell you that this is not my typical style of music at all. That isn't to say that I am against pop music, because I am not but I generally speaking do not choose to listen to this style of music if I am left to my own choices. That being said I sat down to listen to her latest album with an open mind. I honestly wanted to give it a fair listen and I believe I did just that.

The bottom line for me as far as this album goes is that I didn't hate it. I don't think it was great or amazing or earth shattering and I didn't think it was the worst album I had ever listened to either. But it just didn't do anything special for me. Their were two songs that actually made me really sit up and listen. One was 'Dirty Love' and it featured Iggy Pop. I will pretty much listen too anything with Iggy Pop in it at least once and I think that Iggy and The Stooges "Raw Power" is an amazing early punk album. So that being said I was a little surprised that he showed up on her album. Now both of these songs are NSFW unless you have some headphones on or work in a place that doesn't care like I used too.

Now if you got through it and are still with me. What did you think of that drum line? Or the guitar riff after that? Does it remind you of anything? It does me but I am unable to pin it down. It isn't that everything has to be totally original but it is nice if there is some originality. I give her points for getting Iggy to join her. But honestly is he even being used in a good way? I don't think so. It wouldn't surprise me if he just called that in using skype and then cashed his paycheck. Not that I would blame him. She probably paid good money.

The other song that got my attention was 'Gold Trans Am' all I can say is that it is the dirtiest Steve Miller song I have ever heard. Just nasty.

I will give some time to recover from that audio onslaught. I have some friends who I know like and listen to Steve Miller so I just hope that they listened and will take the time to let me know what they thought about this little gem. I can't say that I disliked it. It was kind of fun but it isn't something that I would listen to other then for the novelty of it.

So bottom as far as this album goes...if you like this kind of music and you like Ke$ha then this is just more of the same and you are going enjoy it. But as far as anything new or different it isn't and it is very much derivative of Lady Gaga or Katy Perry or any of the hot new lady singers that are heavily auto tuned. Though to be fair. Ke$ha is not as good as Lady Gaga or Katy Perry. I am not putting her down. I think that is just the reality of her as a performer.

Also on a side note, Rolling Stone gave her 3 and 1/2 stars and I can't tell from the review if that is being satirical or what? So for whatever it is worth. I believe that I liked this album less then the Rolling Stone reviewer whose name is Rob Sheffield. 

Blank Slate

I am writing to you from a place of mental frustration this morning. As I was going to sleep last night, an idea popped into my head. An idea for a story and basic beginning too a story that I thought I would be able to tell without to many problems. I was laying there listening to the story percolate inside my head and I thought I should probably get some of this down in case I forget. But I also felt like I actually needed to sleep and I would be better off if I did that and then picked up the story later. Well as I awoke to a lovely Oregon winter morning I realized that something had escaped me and that was my story. "poof" Just pulled a Keyser Soze and was gone.

But, wait as I began writing this to let you know that all my ideas had vanished, the ideas began  to surface. I could could see them, the words, just swirling below the surface of my mind floating to the top and then sinking. Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! All is not lost. The world will not be deprived of my wisdom. My intellect will be used to impress others and to make the world a better place for me to live in. What's that you say? "But, Lance, what about other people? Shouldn't you be making the world a better place for them to live in as well?" pssshaw I say. That isn't up to me. I write for myself and to amaze others but making the world a better place? That seems to be a bit beyond my meager abilities as much as I wish I had that kind of power.

Sometimes I do think it would be pretty neat to write that earth shattering piece that shakes the very foundation of all that we believe. But, on the other hand, that sure seems like a lot of work. What about writing something that a few people enjoy and get some value out of and maybe one or two find it a little inspirational as well. That just seems more satisfying to me and if I can make just enough to live on while I am doing that. Then more joy for me. So stay tuned folks. Who knows what might happen.

Musical Legacy

The other day, the AV Club did an article on 21 artists among multiple fields who did some amazing work toward the end of their lives. One of the artists was a man whose music I really enjoy and respect and that was Johnny Cash. They mainly talked about his last two albums both basically recorded during the same set of sessions but the second one "American VI: Ain't No Grave" was released posthumously . Both of these albums are amazing and fair amount of his late in life resurgence is owed to Rick Rubin and you can hear that on the first album he produced American Recordings "CASH" but in these last two albums Rubin stepped out of the way and really it was John and his guitar and the experience is amazing. I believe that these are albums that you should totally sit down and listen to in their entirety. That is the best way to achieve the total experience of these albums and the fact that these songs are coming at the end of his life there is a poignancy to this music that you are not going to get from any other artist.

I think, I should I know that one of the reasons that I like Johnny is because he was a man of transparency. He was who he was and he at least later in life and I think in some way soon after he married June Carter he became a man who was unafraid to expose himself warts and all to the world. He was a man of faith and I think regardless of your position on the existence of God or a higher power you have to respect a man who has faith and who endeavors to live by that code even though his own personal demons make it an extremely hard thing to do. It seemed that most often his songs told those stories and showed his struggles in a clear and transparent manner.

Another thing that I like about his music is that, at least for me, there is a real level of truth to it. So do yourself a favor and check out Spotify. I think anything that you might listen too by Johnny Cash you will enjoy.  I am not an advertiser for the service but as far as being able to track down music for free and give it a listen they have been the best that I have used.

In the end Johnny Cash's music and memory will live forever long after the Biebers and the Chris Browns are a sad footnote in the history of music.

The Songs of My Youth

We had several different cars when I was growing up. There was a Dodge Dart that I do not remember much about at all. But I am told by people who know better then I do, that it was quite a classic car. The car after that which I remember was a 4 door Dodge Diplomat which wasn't anything special. But what stands out to me in my memory is that it had an 8-track player.

Now just in case some of my readers are too young to remember just what that is let me give you a quick introduction. Before I start this website has far more detailed info then I am interested in giving right now.

8-Track Heaven

Okay, hopefully you made it back here.

These existed before cassette tapes and long, long before today's electronic players and mp3's. But what I really remember is that in my parents care we had 4 8-track tapes. There was Henry Mancini's film themes, I believe a greatest hits of some sort by famed pianist Floyd Cramer, The Who's rock opera Tommy, I have no idea why that was there because neither my mother or father listened to rock music, and I can't remember what the fourth one was but it may have been an Hungarian version of Jesus Christ Superstar. My parents had a family friend who was Hungarian. But, that is a whole nother story so too speak. 

Here is a little taste of Floyd Cramer

This song for some reason has always really stuck with me. I think it is because of his use of the ambient rain noises. I am not sure why that is something that I remember so vividly but I totally do. I suspect that it is considered totally cheesy by today's standards but I still enjoy it. As I sit here listening to it while I write, it just makes me feel calm and mellow. 

The orchestra leader Henry Mancini is up next and if you at all know movies and who created some of the most iconic music of some of the biggest films of the 70's and 80's then you know Henry Mancini. I think this number is his most well known at least by a certain generation. 

I could literally fill page after page with his songs from different movies and his music really does resonant with some people. I know my dad was really into it. But he was a piano player and music teacher and he may have taught some orchestra so it kind of makes sense to some degree. 

As far as The Who and Tommy. Well everybody already knows how much I like The Who but for me on this particular 8-Track I can really only remember one song that stood out to me. I remember singing it to myself both in the car and the house on a regular basis and it may explain a little bit why I like what I like in terms of music. 

I still like a good musical to this day and I am pretty sure that it is due in some way to these three 8-tracks and the amount of times that my father played them in the car. I still also have soft spot for film soundtracks as well and own several of them. It kind of goes too show how much music can affect a child. It makes wonder about kids I see at concerts. I wonder what their parents are thinking and how much damage hearing damage those kids have. 

Is there any type or kind of music that you remember listening too as a kid? Was their something musically that stuck with you as you grew up? Let me know. 

Who are you to tell me

I noticed after my post yesterday that there was complaint that I did not include the Who. So I thought that I should address that. It isn't that I wouldn't want to go see the Who live. Because believe me I would have loved to see them live when they were in their prime. But really while I do love the Who. I really love "Quadrophenia" both the 1973 album and the film. The rest of their catalog is amazing and I do enjoy it.


 But what really touches me and touched me in 1987 when I discovered the album for the first time at at  used record store in Bellingham Washington. is "Quadrophenia". It just spoke to the disaffected 17 year old that I was.

There was just something about this crazed kid flying around London and Brighton, high on pills and wanting to fit in but being unable too. I think it was the first time in my life that I identified so much with a character in a song or songs. Which is a little odd because it isn't like I had that much in common with Jimmy but it seemed to be just enough for me to really lose myself in the album. In fact I bought the album based entirely on how cool it was. Between the cover and that it unfolded into a picture book.

It just makes me sad to even look up pictures of the set because I do not have it anymore and that kind of kills me just a little bit. I think that of all the different collectible things that I have owned and lost over the years this is the one that I really do regret losing the most. I think part of what makes it so special is that when I stumbled upon it in the record store I didn't even know that such a thing even existed. So that really added to the impact of it. There was just something magical about the whole thing. I realize that I am probably really romanticizing the whole thing but there was a lot that happened that summer that made things feel that way. It was just that kind of summer. The first summer away from home for an extended amount of time. I was away from my friends with only a couple of people around who know me from Salem and that seemed to really make a difference to me. So give the album a listen and let me know what you thought of it.