Mouse Potatoes

A little while ago, I wrote about a song I do NOT want played at my funeral.

Now I’d like to say that I WOULD LIKE to have “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel played at my funeral.

It’s a hymn to friendship and love, beautifully sung, played and orchestrated. It gives me the chills, a lump in my throat, tears in my eyes, an ache in my heart.

Graham Parker has always been one of my favorite songwriters. I think a lot of people have forgotten about him, if they ever even heard of him. His 1979 album “Squeezing Out Sparks” is the one that people remember the best. It had some great songs like “Local Girls”, “Discovering Japan” and the very poignant “You Can’t Be Too Strong”. He had a couple of  AOR hits in the ’80′s with “Endless Night” and one of my personal favorite songs “Get Started, Start A Fire”. But he faded out of the mainstream in the ’90′s and like so many great rock and roll artists, doesn’t get much attention anymore.

But I never forgot Graham, and would keep up with his new releases – even his country album, “Your Country”. His songwriting got even better and his style never changed. I hear he lives in upstate NY and I know he tours the East Coast on a fairly regular basis, but doesn’t make it out West too often.

So when I saw he was playing the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley last month, I made it a point to not miss that show. Just Graham solo with his guitar, fresh from playing two shows in one night at McCabe’s in Santa Monica.

It had been raining a lot that week, so he probably chose to open with “If It Ever Stops Rainin’” from his “Deepcut to Nowhere” album because of that. He played a wide selection of his catalog that night, but that opening song, particularly its chorus, stuck in my head, and I have been listening to it constantly since then.

“And if it ever stops rainin’
If the sun ever breaks through and shines down from on high
I’ll do all those things I keep complainin’ that I’m not doin’
And I’ll put my arms around you under the blue blue sky
Blue blue sky.”
- Graham Parker

I searched YouTube for a video of this song, but could only find a so-so quality live version, so I went ahead and posted this hoping more people would find it and be exposed to the great, wonderful songwriter Graham Parker.

It’s getting to be that time…everywhere I go, Christmas music surrounds me. There seems to be a lot more “newer” Christmas music now. So you don’t just hear “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses anymore. Not that I mind that song, but it’s nice to hear something else for a change.

I got out of the office early on Monday (Christmas present from work!), and decided to spend the afternoon doing some Christmas shopping on 4th Street in Berkeley. I’m one of those people who can’t help but notice what music is playing in the background no matter where I am. So my ears perked up when I heard this song. I recognized the song and the voice, but have to admit I couldn’t place who it was. Thank God for the SoundHound iPhone app, which helped me identify it as Badly Drawn Boy’s “Donner and Blitzen”.

See, now I bet you don’t hear that as often as “Christmas Wrapping” but it is a nice change, isn’t it?

Speaking of something different, here’s Joey Ramone doing a slow version of my favorite rock & roll Christmas song “Merry Christmas I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight” by the Rmaones. I don’t think I have ever heard Joey sing anything slow, but I think he does a great job on this one, and it makes me miss him and wish he was still around.

Tomorrow, December 8, 2011, marks the 31st anniversary of the death of John Lennon. I remember that night very clearly. I was a student at UC Berkeley, and we all gathered in Sproul Plaza that night to mourn. I was working at KALX, the campus radio station, and I happened to do the all-night shift that night and played nothing but Beatles and Lennon for four hours.

Sure I like the Beatles and lots of their solo work, but I know one thing for sure. I do NOT want John Lennon’s “Imagine” played at my funeral. There was once a time when I liked the song, but I don’t particularly care for it anymore. I’d much rather have “Walk Away Renee” by the Left Banke played. It’s much more musical, magical, and meaningful to me.

So, if you happen to read this post, and be around when they’re planning the music for my funeral, please remember this, and nix that from the playlist if it comes up!

This mashup however of “Imagine” and Van Halen’s “Jump” by Frenchman Mighty Mike, is pretty darned funny. Give it a listen. But don’t play this at my funeral either!

The 10th anniversary of 9/11. I didn’t really plan on watching any of the TV specials about it. I’ve been to the site of Ground Zero several times and visited the memorial museum there. Whenever I get close to that area of NYC, I feel a real sense of sobering. Like there is permanent mark and feel in the air that will always be there.

Earlier this morning, Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” popped into my head. A song I haven’t heard in a long time, but I was thinking about it, and how poetic the lyrics are. This particular verse came to mind.

“Fools”, said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence”
- Paul Simon

Turns out Paul Simon performed “The Sound of Silence” solo at the 9/11 Memorial today, instead of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” as originally planned. It’s a haunting version, and Paul looks harrowed. So I did watch a part of the 9/11 tribute today.

Last night I was lucky enough to see Brian Wilson at the Uptown Theatre in Napa. Newly renovated, and just re-opened last year, the Uptown has quickly become one of my favorite venues to see a show.

I was sitting right in the third row in the center, watching Brian and his amazing 9-piece band. Their 39 song set included mostly Beach Boys hits, as well as 5 songs from Brian’s Gershwin CD.

The vocals were so beautiful; at times I just closed my eyes and listened to the glorious sound. When they started playing “Wouldn’t it be nice” I felt a lump in my throat.

But the song that stuck with me the most was “Sail on sailor”. It’s a song I’ve heard many times before, but never really listened to the lyrics. I just knew the chorus, “Sail on, sail on, sailor”. When I saw it performed live, it struck me how musically interesting it is, and how emotional the lyrics are. It’s not a carefree song about sailing in the sun.

Sometimes I feel like the sailor in this song.

I sailed an ocean, unsettled ocean
Through restful waters and deep commotion
Often frightened, unenlightened
Sail on, sail on sailor

I wrest the waters, fight Neptune’s waters
Sail through the sorrows of life’s marauders
Unrepenting, often empty
Sail on, sail on sailor

When I got home I searched YouTube for videos of the song and found this great version Brian performed on the David Letterman show with guests Matthew Sweet and Darius Rucker (who also performed this on the all star tribute to Brian Wilson in 2001).

“Sail on sailor” was written over a period of 2 years and credited to 5 people, including Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks. I’ve listened to this song at least 20 times today.

So I have a few pet peeves that drive me crazy, and this is one of them.

David Bowie’s magnificent “Heroes” is a 6 minute song. Now I know the old “radio-friendly” length of a song is 4 minutes or less. And if they have to shorten the length of a song for the “single version” they usually just fade it out a little early. But in the case of “Heroes”, they cut out the first two verses. So instead of starting with the great line, “I, I will be king, and you, you will be queen…” it starts out with a verse about wishing you could swim like dolphins.

What does that have to do with heroes? Who came up with that idea? And why do people keep playing that stupid shortened version of that song? They went from starting with the strongest lyrics in the song, to starting with the weakest line…why didn’t they cut out the dolphin verse instead?

Here is the proper version of “Heroes”.