fannishliss

Not all of y'all might know that I am a musician and that music is a huge part of my life.... I love hard rock and women's rock and all kinds of music, and last night my husband and son and I went to the Fillmore, Silver Spring MD, to see amazing amazing Shirley Manson and Garbage.

Thanks so much to ciann -- we did not manage to connect, because I am super disorganized, but it was thanks to her post that I found out about the show in time to get tickets.

It was AWESOME!!!
( More about the Awesome )

22 - a song that you listen to when you're sad
23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral

22. When I get sad, I play the Boatman's Call, by Nick Cave.  He has it worse than I do.  I don't intend any copyright infringement by quoting these lyrics -- I only want to show how awesome they are.  Excerpts. 

Nick Cave, Into My Arms. This is one of the most beautiful songs that I know. (Sorry Bad Seeds, it's just nick and his piano)
"I don't believe in an interventionist God.  But I know darling that you do.  But if I did, I would kneel down and ask Him, not to intervene when it came to you -- not to touch a hair on your head, to leave you as you are, and if He felt He had to direct you, then direct you into my arms -- Into My Arms, oh Lord, Into My Arms.
"And I don't believe in the existence of Angels.  But looking at you, I wonder if that's true.  If I did I would summon them together and ask them to watch over you.  And to them burn a candle for you to make bright and clear your path, and to walk like Christ in grace and love and guide you into my arms -- Into My Arms, oh Lord, Into My Arms.

Nick Cave, Are You the One that I've Been Waiting for?
...Out of sorrow entire worlds have been built; out of longing great wonders have been willed.
They're only little tears, darling, let them spill, and lay your head on my shoulder --
outside my window the world has gone to war -- Are you the one that I've been waiting for?
We will know, won't we?  The Stars will explode in the sky.
But they don't, do they?  Stars have their moment, then they die.
A man who spoke wonders (but I never met him) said
he who seeks, finds, he who knocks, will be let in.
I think of you in motion and just how close you are getting, and how every little thing anticipates you --
all down my veins, my heartstrings call -- Are you the one that I've been waiting for?
Are you the one that I've been waiting for?

That's not to mention Brompton Oratory, Lime-Tree Arbour, and People they just ain't no good.

23.  And this is my beloved, from the musical Kismet. (set to the music of Borodin) (note on the link -- this is the 1953 original Broadway soundtrack, which is what my aunt gave me on 8 track when I was a little girl -- so I used to dance around the living room singing all the songs from Kismet over and over and over again, because 8 tracks never end.  :P So I really loved this song, and this performance by Doretta Morrow is what plays in my head)
Yeah, I was married in 1993 up on top of a mountain, and after we recited the Song of Solomon to each other in a dramatic bounding across the rocks fashion, I sang this unaccompanied: 
"Dawn's promising skies -- petals on a lake, drifting -- imagine this in one pair of eyes, and this is my Beloved.
Strange spice from the south -- honey through a comb, sifting -- imagine this on one eager mouth, and this is my Beloved.
And when he speaks, and when he talks with me -- Music!  Mystery!
And when he moves, and when he walks with me, Paradise comes suddenly near!
All that is good-- All that is fair-- all that's for the heart's lifting -- imagine this, in one perfect one, And this is my Beloved!
And this is my Beloved!!"
Okay, now I'm bawling my eyes out.  yay, 17 years and going strong.

24.  in my family, Living for Jesus is traditional for funerals. I've sung it several times so far.  (Yes, I sing at funerals; I'm trained that way.)
I feel like if it's not Living for Jesus, it should be something I compose myself.  In terms of estate planning, I should get to work on that. :P

14 - a song that no one would expect you to love :
 “To Hell with Poverty” by the Gang of Four.  
It’s the most amazing thing how they work with distortion on the guitar, preparing for the bassline and drums so that you’re already thrumming with excitement before the beat even kicks in.  “OHHHHH ahh ahh ahh OW!!!! TO HELL WITH POVERTY! LET’S GET DRUNK ON CHEAP WINE!!!”

15 - a song that describes you: Jimmy Eat World:  In the Middle and a Praise Chorus
I’ve had a lot of theme songs in life, but when I left academia to become a performer and music teacher, I had to redefine in my own terms what it meant to be a “professional musician.”  For me, it means I can pay the mortgage with what I earn as a musician.  Every month I still feel that little thrill of triumph...  I might never be a rockstar, but I didn’t lock away the best part of myself because it wasn’t practical.  :P

16 -  a song that you used to love but now hate  -- that doesn’t happen to me. :)  For me, it’s more like songs I tolerate less and less as they get more and more overplayed!  More likely it’s a song I initially hate that I eventually grow to understand and enjoy.  Like the switch that eventually flipped in my head about Nirvana and their project. I didn’t like them at all for a long time, then all of a sudden I liked them very well.  Maybe it had something to do with their acknowledgment of roots music as an important influence on their work .... my interpretation of “in the pines” owes a lot to Kurt Cobain’s version of Leadbelly’s 1942 rendition. 

17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
Normally I listen to rock and classic rock stations, but sometimes I switch over to “Today’s Fresh Hits!!” I think I heard Dynamite by Tiao Cruz like 3 times yesterday.  :P  That song is RELENTLESSLY CHEERFUL.

18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
Anything from Johnny Cash’s American recordings. I especially love “God’s Gonna Cut you Down.”   and oh yeah, was the combination of Johnny and Nick Cave on “I’m so Lonesome I could Cry” incredible or what!!!  Speaking of Aussy interpretations of great country classics, i also really love "little sparrow" off the Dolly Parton Tribute Album, performed by Kasey Chambers.  

Favorite Band = Led Zeppelin (no contest). 

Since it just says list "a song" --- I'll list a fun little song that nobody who isn't a diehard Zep fan knows anything about, from their last studio album, In Through the Out Door (1979), and it shows the band at its lowest point, when Jimmy was struggling with heroin and Bonham with the alcoholism that took his life the following year (he was 32; the 30th anniversary of his death was Sept 25, 2010).  Still, Zep at their  "worst" are still better than most!

HOT DOG.

It's their novelty song.  Robert sings in his Elvis Voice, Jonesy is slamming down some honkytonky piano, and Jimmy kind of attempts bluegrass guitar... his solo is extremely weird... "... and I'll never go to Texas anymore...." 

It's a great little song though!  :)  Hope the link still works by the time you click... and hope you enjoy it!

Assuming I can dance!!  This meme makes me laugh.  The whole point of Zeppelin is that you can't dance to it.  :)

I  take aerobics, so I know a lot of kickboxing and aerobic routines to certain songs.  There's a really awesome uptempo cover of Sheryl Crow's "Steve McQueen"  that makes for a fantastic workout.  There's an old Jimi Hendrix tribute album with a lot of great kickboxing material on it.  The Cure's cover of "Purple Haze" is awesome in that regard.  I get a lot of dance music from my aerobics instructor.  I'm currently laughing very hard about "Dynamite" by Tiao Cruz;  I first heard Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get you outta my head" in that class. Another great aerobics album is Santana's "Supernatural" (no relation!):  I love "All in the Name of Love,"  "Corazon Espinado," and a ton of others on there (especially "Put Your Lights On" -- but you can't dance to it!)

There are big favorites like "YMCA" (which always makes me think of Cameron Diaz waking up super cheerful in the Charlie's Angels movie) and "Soul Bossa Nova" which makes me think of Austin Powers. 

I  do a little ballroom, so I think of certain songs in that regard.  "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" is on the top of the list.

I remember at our wedding reception we were trying to take our first dances to "Marble Halls" by Enya and "Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughan.  The opinion of the crowd was low.  :P  We know quite a bit more about swing now, and cut the rug whenever Stevie gives us the chance.

That's a lot of songs!  I have a whole "cheerful morning" playlist with uptempo danceable songs to get me going in the morning.  Yay, Paolo Nutini: "Brand New Shoes."  :)

Careless Whisper by George Michael

I guess this is not so much a particular event as the whole experience of high school dances for me. It just encapsulates that awful angst of being a teenager and feeling like your social isolation is the end of the world.  I am still so glad that's over!  :P

"no i'm never gonna dance again the way I danced with you... OH!"

His voice is just SO ANGSTY.

Here is a short list of tearjerky songs.  :)

The last time I cried when listening to music was this:
Odetta sings at Garrison Institute Gandi Event
Powerful singers affect me very strongly.  I can't really say if I'm sad or not, but I'm bawling like an infant. Odetta would have sung at Obama's inauguration, but she didn't make it, she passed away a couple months beforehand.

Johnny Cash also falls into that category, especially since I associate him with my dad, and they've both passed away.
This song destroys me: In My Life

There's also Bedshaped by Keane, and Darkness by Disturbed, that I was listening to a lot while my dad was sick. 

Hope you enjoy!

Instead of indulging in my grudge against Pearl Jam and their horrible misogynistic lyrics, I could tell you about when I was pregnant and nauseous for four months and gave myself a Clockwork Orange-type conditioned nausea to the songs of Belle and Sebastian. Ten years later, my stomach still tightens unhappily when I merely type "Belle and Sebastian."  plurgh!

Instead, let's talk about LOVEFOOL by the Cardigans. :D

( in which I defend a song deeply loathed by a friend )

Joy of Nanowrimo! 

What, Liss?  You wrote 50,000 words in November?  NO I DID NOT.

HOWEVER, I am substantially closer to having a finished middle grades novel than I was on Nov 1st!!  I have 25K words, with a goal of ~30K FINISHED MY FIRST DRAFT WITH 26,500 WORDS for a middle grades novel, and I anticipate achieving my ultimate goal of finishing a polished first draft by Christmastime.  So YAY!!!

If anyone is interested, I can send out copies of the thing when it has reached polished first draft status.  I like it very much, and it is just what I had hoped!!!  Especially of interest to those of you who enjoy children's literature, stories where animals are the main characters, or who have children who read such things.

SO.... I'm not quite finished yet, and therefore my long meta on Sam and Dean vs. Their Humanity goes unwritten.  :P  Sounds like a hiatus project!

Here is the Music Meme I grabbed from Zagzagael. Looks like fun!

Happy December everybody!


( Music Meme )