Don't Judge...

It wasn't until recent years that I discovered the great wealth of quality Neil Young music. Back in the 80's, I was first introduced to Neil on an old UHF TV program called Teletunes. It was a music video show that played less-than-mainstream artists usually, but occasionally something I recognized. At nine, I didn't know about Neil Young. His 'Wonderin' video came on one day. My brother and I thought it was charmingly lame and bizarre, but kinda catchy. The tune stayed in my head for days. I just assumed it was some obscure one-hit-wonder like so many of the other artists of the day.

So years later I realized that Neil Young is a well-loved artist with lots of great records. Young enthusiasts would say stay away from the 80's stuff, which were seen as a string of lps created as curve-balls for the record labels. Fitting in with the Duran Duran crowd didn't sit well with Neil, so he tried his best to stay clear of the trends, even if it meant releasing a 25 minute lp of rockabilly tunes in a "waver" climate. Many fell into the trap, especially other great artists who rose to fame in the 60's or 70's. The 80's were CRUEL. Look at Mr. Bowie and his Goblin King get-up. Yes, many folks I've spoken to over time only know and love him from Labyrinth. Next to his duet with Mick Jagger and Never Let Me Down, it's about the lowest point of his career. But I only knew him as the Let's Dance guy originally, so there you go. The same goes for George Harrison and Moody Blues and a bunch of others who got ruined during that era. My point is: try not to judge someone based on their crappy 80's hit(s).

Neil Young's 'Wonderin'"

Tagged!

Haven't posted anything in a while. What the hell...

4 Random Things I Like About Emily
1 - Her smile
2 - Her ability to laugh at dumb jokes (not always mine)
3 - She makes good chili
4 - She likes horror movies


4 Jobs I've Had
1 - Dee's dishwasher
2 - Black Rose Designer Dude
3 - Howell's Camera B*tch
4 - Wal-Mart Associate

4 Movies I've Watched More Than Once

1 - Zoolander

2 - Goodfellas

3 - The Fly (1986)

4 - Under the Cherry Moon

4 TV Shows I Watch

1 - Morning News

2 - CBS Sunday Morning

3 - SNL

4 - Curb Your Enthusiasm

4 Favorite Foods

1 - Lasagna

2 - Yellow Curry

3 - Wraps

4 - Cereal

4 Places I'd Like to Visit

1 - Australia

2 - Iceland

3 - France

4 - Roswell

4 Things I'm Looking Forward to in the Coming Year

1 - Some kind of vacation

2 - Doing something good artwise

3 - Hangin' with friends in the winter

4 - Not much

4 People I Tag

1 - Emily

2 - Senta

3 - Michael

4 - I only tagged 3 people, sh*t!

Hymnal

Last month, we made our way to Denver to see David Byrne performing songs of Talking Heads and D. Byrne/Brian Eno. What a great show, aside from the feeling lousy and passing out briefly during the last song. The songs were tight and the band was great. Below is a sampling of the songs from David Byrne and Brian Eno's new album, most of which was performed at the show. It's a self-described collection of gospel songs made by two atheists.

Most of the set was awe inspiring, with a good mix of favorites and obscurities, but one of the most arm-hair tingling moments came when they performed 'The River' from the new album. Upon the first few listens, I took it as a simple gospel song about the cycle of life and the tragedies and triumphs with the rebirth/renewal imagery of the river. I heard in an interview with David Byrne that it was inspired by Katrina. Okay, that seems quite obvious now. But it's still an incredible and emotional song that still gives me chills every time I hear it. I listened to it again this morning while walking to work and it felt especially relevant today, the day after the election results. My favorite bit is where the backing vocals kick in right as he sings "a change is gonna come". Take a listen.

(Some other highlights are Home, Strange Overtones and One Fine Day)