Tuesday the 2nd of January, 2025...
Tuesday the 7th of January, 2025...
Hope you're all surviving the latest Arctic blast...
Showing posts with label Nick Cave. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nick Cave. Show all posts
Wednesday, 8 January 2025
Thursday, 5 December 2024
The Best Of 2024 (Part 3)
Y'know, I dream of the things I'll do, with a subway token and a dollar tucked inside my shoe...
More thoughts on the musical year that's ending, interspersed with lyrics from popular song to make them more palatable.
Someone else doing the resurrection shuffle this year is one J.R. Cash. Often erroneously referred to as John R. Cash, though his actual name is just J.R. Apparently his mum wanted to call him John and his dad wanted to call him Ray... so they settled on the initials. Johnny is just a stage name.
But anyway, he's back, making light of this dull, dull day. And fortunately it's not some nightmarish AI version (although, give it a couple of years... I bet Colonel Tom Parker's Estate is seriously investigating the Elvis-shaped possibilities), just some songs J.R. left lying around in the early 90s when Rick Rubin came along and gave him a better offer. They've been dusted off and given a respectful reworking by his son, and it makes for a nice enough collection. Though clearly not in the same ballpark as the American Recordings stuff, it's good to hear his voice again... for a few moments, I'm able to kid myself that not everyone I know goes away in the end...
Now's as good a time as any to mention the new Nick Cave album, Wild God, which I fully expected to be part of my year end countdown... but it isn't. Yet. I guess it's a life of surprises - it's no help growing older or wiser. After my initial excitement died down, I couldn't get into it... so I put it back on the shelf to revisit later. I feel this is my failure, and I can only apologise for that. After all that we've been through, Nick, I will make it up to you - I promise to!
We close today with the Avett Brothers, another band I can't keep up with, since the last time I paid them any attention was back in 2009, and they've released another four albums since then... five if you count this year's eponymous offering, which I do, because it's very good indeed. Too good to be forgotten! Now what more can I say...?
Monday, 4 November 2024
Snapshots Spillover - More Cryptozoological Songs
Damn it - I missed that conference. If I'd known about it before, I'd have been there like a shot.
Cryptozoology is the study of animals that are legendary, extinct, or unknown, and whose existence is disputed or unsubstantiated. Not that anyone in their right mind would dispute Bigfoot or Nessie... but there are some crazy folk out there.
Here's a few more appropriate tunes...
That's Huey Morgan's favourite Queen song. He used to do a Radio 2 show in the middle of the night between Friday and Saturday that I always used to listen to (one of the last Radio 2 shows I bothered with) and he'd play that every other week.
Lalo Schiffrin - Enter The Dragon
Squirrel Nut Zippers - The Kraken
The Kraken was a famous many tentacled sea monster, who probably hung out with this (surprisingly popular) underwater cryptid...
Manic Street Preachers - Leviathan
Back onto dry land now for the scary prospect of a half-dragon, half-chicken hybrid...
Shearwater - Open Your Houses (Basilisk)
Even scarier - part-Lion, part-man, part-eagle, part-scorpion... it's the Manticore!
And next, we have a best straight out of the old testament, And next, we have a best straight out of the Old Testament, whose "bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron”...
The Shadows of Night - The Behemoth
To be honest, I think I'd rather find a bunch of these guys at the bottom of my garden...
Black Sabbath - Fairies Wear Boots
Magnetic Fields - I've Run Away To Join The Fairies
But I've saved the best till last today... well, it had to be, didn't it?
From the album Loch'd & Loaded, of course...
Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Mid-Life Crisis Songs #117: PJANG
Some days, only Lloyd singing Nick even gets close to making a difference...
It ain't that in their hearts they're bad
They can comfort you, some even try
They nurse you when you're ill of health
They bury you when you go and die
It ain't that in their hearts they're bad
They'd stick by you if they could
But that's just bullshit baby
People just ain't no good
Wednesday, 9 October 2024
Mid-Life Crisis Songs #115: The Nick Cave Hoover
Nick Cave has a new album out, which I finally bought thanks to Swiss Adam's reminders. And it's pretty good, and a bit more upbeat than his last few (understandly) harrowing offerings.
However, it's one of those earlier songs which keeps popping into my mind lately, specifically whenever I'm doing the hoovering.
I've noticed that the sound of our hoover (which is one of those fancy Dyson ones with a laser on the front, since Louise thought it was amazing to light up every particle of dust on the floor) always makes me feel slightly uneasy. It's like it triggers something in my subconscious, reminding me of a bad dream of some disturbing, repressed memory.
Then the other day, I worked out why that was...
The drone of the hoover alternates between two high-pitched whines that sound (in my brain, at least) exactly like the ambient whirl of Jesus Alone, the opening track of Skeleton Tree, the album Nick released immediately after the death of his son, Arthur. It's a powerful record, and one which mesmerized me at the time, but it's anything but a comfortable listen, and not an album I ever find myself revisiting for the purposes of relaxation or feel-good nostalgia. Now though, every time I vacuum, the feelings it engendered return, and maybe that's a good thing. Maybe music should make us confront all our emotions, not just the ones we find uplifting.
Or maybe I just need to get Sam to take over the hoovering...
Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Self Help For Cynics #35: People Ain't No Good
Lloyd Cole - People Ain't No Good
Last week, we talked about hating people, and I came to the conclusion that I didn't really hate people, but actually it's "all just an act to paper over insecurity, a tragic lack of self-confidence and a Grand Canyon of loneliness in perpetual conflict with an innate desire to be on my own".
Felt - All the People I Like Are Those That Are Dead
Just as I thought I'd talked myself out of misanthropy, C replied...
You're in good company Rol, I think nearly all the best people I know are people-haters, which doesn't really make a lot of sense and yet somehow it does!
Richard Cheese - People = Shit
And then I remembered the postcard at the top of this page, which Louise bought me some time ago; it's pinned on the wall next to my desk. You may find it interesting to note that Louise ordered two copies. There's also one pinned up on the wall next to her desk. Make of that what you will...
I can't understand
What makes a man
Hate another man
Help me understand
Depeche Mode - People Are People
The jury's still out on hating people then, but here's something I thing we can all agree on: people are very, very annoying.
But why is this so?
"They just are!" I heard you cry.
Napoleon - I Try To Despise The Ugly People (But The Beautiful Ones Keep Turning Me Down)
OK, let's start with an easier question. Why does our brain get annoyed?
To answer that, we need an MC...
Ring the bell, school's back in!
MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This
Not that MC. Here's MC Flux, psychologist, neuroscientist and science communicator from the University of Colorado, as quoted in the Grauniad. He says annoyance is “moderately negative, and moderate arousal... it’s basically a flag, saying: ‘Something is wrong, and I should probably do something about it.’”
Now, I'm tiptoeing around this subject because I don't want to get onto anger until I've read sweary Dr. Faith's next book on my reading list, Unfuck Your Anger. And clearly anger is the next step on from annoyance. However, it should come as no surprise that our old friend the amygdala is the main culprit responsible for such emotions. Healthline says,
Anger starts with the amygdala stimulating the hypothalamus, much like in the fear response. In addition, parts of the prefrontal cortex may also play a role in anger.
Frustration, such as facing roadblocks while trying to achieve a goal, can also trigger the anger response.
Now we know what's going on in our brain... but we've still not answered the big question: why are people so annoying? Or should that be: why do I find people so annoying? Are they the same question... or two very different questions?
The Doors - People Are Strange
That Guardian article I mentioned earlier highlights four key answers to the first question: "uncouth habits, inconsiderate acts, intrusive behaviors and norm violations". I think a lot of these come down to what I'd label a lack of empathy, emotional awareness... or just plain arrogance. And once we get onto the subject of arrogance, I need another post. Or ten.
Dean Wareham - Heartless People
Meanwhile, therapist Julia Kristina has an uncomfortable answer to the second question...
Those unfavourable qualities, habits, or tendencies of someone else we react negatively to are really just our own shortcomings that we have turned our back on and refuse to own up to.
They always clap on the wrong beat
They're wearin' loafers on their feet
Greedy awful people!
The Stooges - Greedy Awful People
Ouch. I think I'm going to have to come back to that one as well. But just in case anyone here thinks of me as an annoying person, I consulted Indeed for some tips on how to eliminate my own annoying behaviour...
Be an active listener
This is actually really easy if you don't have much to say for yourself.
Focus on the positives
Easier said than done, as discussed some time ago.
Sam Cooke - Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive
Speak at a normal volume
Louise does sometimes get embarrassed when we're out in public (not often, to be honest) as she claims I speak louder than I need to. I don't think I do, but then I am partially deaf...
Avoid interrupting others
Science For People butts in a this point...
Many annoying people don’t even realize they’re being annoying in the first place. Annoying people might violate various social norms, be incompatible with others, try too hard to make others laugh, or even take a phone call while in a quiet library.
Did you know that you could even be the “irritating person” because you’re too positive?
Oh, yes. I knew this.
This type of positivity is known as toxic positivity—and it’s a real thing.
You don't need to tell me twice. There's a post in that as well.
Georgie Fame - Bird In A World Of People
Clearly, I've only scratched the surface of our central question: Why are people so annoying? There's a lot more to uncover in future weeks...
Friday, 19 April 2024
One Track Mind #5: Moon Shadow
"This song is really weird, dad? What's it about?"
This is the kind of question that fills me with joy, because if Sam cares what a song is about, he's clearly engaging with it. In the case of Moon Shadow though... I really don't have an answer. I have an idea... but it's not one that Cat Stevens, Yusuf Islam or Steven Demetre Georgiou appears to agree with. Neither is it an interpretation I see echoed by online "experts". Does this mean I'm wrong?
Any number of poets, writers and lyricists will tell you that when they let their words out into the wild, it's not up to them to enforce an interpretation on the audience. Some writers actively refuse to discuss the "message" behind their stories, preferring to allow the individual reader or listener to infer their own meanings. Sylvia Plath wrote...
"Once a poem is made available to the public, the right of interpretation belongs to the reader..."
Nick Cave agrees, saying that when he writes songs, he wants his listeners to come to their own conclusions. He refuses to "take away their power by attaching my own meaning to them".
This is the power of art - we add our own connotations, beliefs, prejudices, life experiences and emotions when we consume it. As I often tell my students: in English, there are no right answers. You just need to be able to explain your own interpretation so that it makes sense to someone else. They might not agree with you, they just need to be able to see how you've arrived at your conclusions.
Moon Shadow, then, is not - for me, at least - "softly tailored folderol from Cat Stevens [which] shows his whimsical side". Nor does it persuade me to "See life as it is, right now, and [not] compare it to others' lives, or other times in your life." Neither am I convinced of any religious message behind the lyrics, despite Stevens' later conversion from Christianity to Islam. Although interestingly, when that conversion took place, Yusuf Islam stopped singing any of his old Cat Stevens songs... except this one, which he later claimed was his favourite.
In 2009, Cat Stevens tried to explain Moon Shadow to Chris Isaak...
"I was on a holiday in Spain. I was a kid from the West End – bright lights, et cetera. I never got to see the moon on its own in the dark, there were always streetlamps. So there I was on the edge of the water on a beautiful night with the moon glowing, and suddenly I looked down and saw my shadow. I thought that was so cool, I'd never seen it before."
Which all sounds very positive, doesn't it? Over on the tube of you, people agree. Some call it "the ultimate optimist song". "There's something about the imagery of total freedom and dancing under the moon," says an old 'hippie kid', "which appeals to my wild self." Another youtuber, who says the song got them through a very dark period, explains, "this song is like, 'No matter how dark it gets, it can always be worse... but there's always light".
If you want to consider alternative interpretations to songs, youtube is definitely the place to look. In the past week, quite a few American commenters have suggested Moon Shadow as "the official song of the 2024 solar eclipse". While someone else can be found reminiscing over the time it was used in an episode of Airwolf with Jan Michael Vincent. This was my favourite though...
"Now I know why Moonlight Shadow sounded better in my childhood. It was actually Moon Shadow!"
And let's not forget this quirky little reimagining: an animated fairy tale devised by Cat Stevens and narrated by Spike Milligan in which a boy and his cat attempt to rescue the moon when it falls out of the sky...
Faced with this overwhelming barrage of evidence that Moon Shadow is a sweet, life-affirming tune... am I the only one who finds it creepy? And by that, I mean creepy in a good way. Creepy in an excellent way!
Yes, I'm bein' followed by a moon shadow
Moon shadow, moon shadow
Leapin' and hoppin' on a moon shadow
Moon shadow, moon shadow
Have you ever seen the movie It Follows? To me, the Moon Shadow is like the monster from that film. Some kind of weird supernatural entity that's following Cat around, menacing him, threatening to rob him of his hands, his eyes, his legs and his mouth...
And if I ever lose my hands
Lose my plow, lose my land
Oh, if I ever lose my hands
Oh if, I won't have to work no more
And if I ever lose my eyes
If my colors all run dry
Yes, if I ever lose my eyes
Oh if, I won't have to cry no more
The interweb suggests all this graphic body horror is linked to the time Cat Stevens almost died from tuberculosis back in 1969. His recuperation led him to reconsider his spiritual side, and may well have spurred the fears voiced in this song.
And if I ever lose my legs
I won't moan, and I won't beg
Oh, if I ever lose my legs
Oh if, I won't have to walk no more
(Meanwhile, back on youtube, there's always some Debbie Downer ready to spoil the party...
"All I can think of is the videos I have watched from Palestinians. The boy with no arms, a missing leg (and a missing foot and ankle on the other side). Listening to this, the day after the opening of the trial in The Hague. That tragic genocide has ruined this song for me.")
And if I ever lose my mouth
All my teeth, north and south
Yes, if I ever lose my mouth
Oh if, I won't have to talk
It's great that Cat can remain so upbeat - defiant, even - while being pursued by this vicious phantom... but maybe that's because his motive isn't escape. Let's not forget, this Cat is armed and dangerous...
Oh yes. And here comes the Edgar Allen Poe twist... the Cat wants to get caught!
Did it take long to find me?
I asked the faithful light
Oh, did it take long to find me?
And are you gonna stay the night?
Hooohahahahahahahaaa. Imagine those lines delivered in Vincent Price tones and maybe you'll get where I'm coming from. It's worth noting that Cat amps up his own delivery here, adopting a much more in-your-face singing style than the alluringly amiable tone he uses for the rest of the song. For me, that's the bit that confirms all my theories. Suddenly the tables are turned and the hunter becomes the prey.
"This song is really weird, dad? What's it about?"
It's about monsters, son. Monsters that want to eat - your hands, your eyes, your legs, your mouth. And it's about how to catch them... and make them pay.
Friday, 1 December 2023
Celebrity Jukebox #115: Shane MacGowan
When Shane MacGowan stayed at Bono's house, he did what only Shane MacGowan could do...
“Bono put in a glass roof and wall,” MacGowan explained in an interview with The Times. “I used to wave my willy at the train as it passed and hope that they thought it was Bono’s.”
Sad to say I must be on my way
So buy me beer and whiskey 'cause I'm going far away
I'd like to think of me returning when I can
To the greatest little boozer and to Sally MacLennane
I've been giving the Celebrity Jukebox a rest over the past couple of weeks. It's been nice to have a stretch without any big name deaths. But I've been worrying about Shane MacGowan a lot lately, hoping his time wasn't nigh. The pictures from his hospital bed didn't look great, and... I dunno... could we really stand to lose both Sinéad and Shane in the same year?
Another post then, written with a very heavy heart...
Let's start with a Canadian Irish band who owe their entire act to Shane...
Well, the next thing you know I was lying on the ground
I drank some more whiskey, you know I was feeling sound
I dreamt I met MacGowan and he bought me another round
And the two of us went drinkin' 'til the morning
And they're not the only ones in debt...
Last night as I slept
I dreamt I met Macgowan
That poetic old drunk
Who consumes me with his words
The romantic lines of verse
He writes down without effort
I pray the angels catch him
If he should fall from the grace of God
Meanwhile, back in Canada, a song about the new set of teeth Shane had fitted in 2015...
Next, a tribute from German band Hasenscheisse which mentions Shane in the same breath as Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Jimmy Hendrix and Janis Joplin...
Ohne Feuerwasser kein Rock'n'Roll
Harald Juhnke ist mein Held
Und Shane MacGowan ist mein Idol
...which translates thus...
There's no rock'n'roll without firewater
Harald Juhnke is my hero
And Shane MacGowan is my idol
And now a word from Sweden...
From Sweden to Devon, where the Black Anchors are searching in vain...
Another rainy night in Soho
Looking for Shane MacGowan
A barmaid with spider tatoos
Said he's not been around
And I'm coming down
And a band featuring the bassist from The Libertines. Pete Doherty had nothing on Shane...
Finally, a bunch of grubby urchins who go by the name of The Dipsomaniacs. I'm sure Shane would approve.
It was Ben who alerted me to the new of Shane's death, and he was pretty certain the mainstream media coverage would hinge around that Christmas song he did with Kirsty. A fine tune (if over-played), but there's so much more to Shane's legacy. There were more great duets to start with. Such as this...
And this, which I no doubt posted back in July when Sinéad passed because it's a high point in both their careers...
Final word to Shane himself. I hope they follow his wishes to the letter...
Bury me at sea
Where no murdered ghost can haunt me
If I rock upon the waves
And no corpse can lie upon me
Let me go, boys, let me go, boys
Let me go down in the mud, where the rivers all run dry
Sunday, 9 July 2023
Snapshots #300: Songs About Elvis
Here are 30 songs about Elvis...
30. University head has a lot of bills to pay.
The Dean is owing a lot of people.
Dean Owens - Elvis Was My Brother
29. Why aren't they twisting?
Known for Twisting By The Pool, it has to be...
28. Crockett, needs a Minder.
Sonny Crockett was in Miami Vice, George Cole needed a Minder.
Sonny Cole - I Dreamed I Was Elvis
27. Collects Bibles, Journals and Postcards.
The Holy Bible, Journal For Plague Lovers and Postcards From A Young Man are three albums by the...
Manic Street Preachers - Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier
26. When Rooney met Isaac.
Wayne Rooney meets Isaac Newton.
Find me another blog that has the Manic Street Preachers followed by Wayne Newton.
What do you mean you don't want to?
A song based on a note Elvis wrote then threw away in 1976, during his last stay at the Las Vegas Hilton. Newton, who was friends with Elvis in his later years, bought the note in 1991 for $13,200 at a Sotheby's auction.
25. Zuckerberg gets a softer finish while Leonard loses an E.
Marc with a C, Cohen without an E.
Marc Cohn - Walking In Memphis
24. World Champion, on the wall.
Danny was the Champion of the World.
Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall...
Danny Mirror - I Remember Elvis Presley
23. Vera E. Smacks Guys.
Anagram!
Kacey Musgraves - Velvet Elvis
22. Elton sounds like two cymbals on a pedal stand.
John + Hihat...
John Hiatt - Riding With The King
21. Wireless person.
20. It's a short month, directed by Scorsese.
"Jan" is a shortened month. Martin Scorsese directs.
They tried to market her as "the female Elvis".
19. Half vicious lion, half hissing eagle.
A griffin is half lion, half eagle.
Hissing Sid & Sid Vicious.
Or you could have had...
Sid Griffin - Elvis Presley Calls His Mother After The Ed Sullivan Show
18. Guides.
Scouting For Girls - Elvis Ain't Dead
17. Former miner.
He's been a miner for a Heart of Gold.
16. Almost Moonstruck, but won't propagate.
Nic Cage was in Moonstruck. Bad Seeds won't propagate.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Tupelo
15. Purple bloke gets mixed up and refuses to pay his debts.
Ian Gillan was in Deep Purple. Mix his name up a bit and you almost get Gillian. If you won't pay your debts, you are welching.
Gillian Welch - Elvis Presley Blues
14. Bumpy Celine.
Anagram!
Public Enemy - Fight The Power
13. Compete at King's College, inside.
Compete at King's College, inside.
Pete Atkin - Apparition in Las Vegas
12. What you might say if you wanted to invite Kay and Z round for a casual chat.
Pop in, Jays!
11. Self-confessed hobo, jogging from an early age.
"Tramps like us, baby we were born to run..."
Bruce Springsteen - Johnny Bye Bye
10. Let's talk LFC. Do they have the answers?
Let's talk LFC.
KLF - Elvis On The Radio, Steel Guitar In My Soul
9. Exonerating mix-up.
"Exonerating" was an anagram.
8. Nobody cares for this Smith.
Patti Smith is loveless.
Patty Loveless - I Try To Think About Elvis
7. Children of Florence.
The Nightingales - Elvis, The Last Ten Days
6. His Battenberg was sopping.
That's what happens when you leave your cake out in the rain.
5. Loved by her dad from the first time he ever saw her face.
Daughter of Ewan MacColl, who wrote The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.
Kirsty MacColl - There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis
4. West Side gang outcry.
The Jets were a gang in West Side Story.
The Screaming Jets - Elvis (I Remember...)
3. Do you like Alan?
Nah. My lessons would be much better without him in there.
Do you like Alan?
Nah. My lessons would be much better without him in there.
2. Tina Needs Baseball.
Anagram!
Belle & Sebastian - A Century Of Elvis
Classic.
1. One Simple Little Dicky Bird.
One little dicky bird was named Peter, one was named Paul. The Simple (Simon) one.
Paul Simon - Graceland
Snapshots #301 will be here next week. Start getting excited now.
Wednesday, 2 November 2022
Celebrity Jukebox #47: Jamie Lee Curtis
On Halloween, I wanted to feature the classic Scream Queen / Final Girl, Jamie Lee Curtis. However, for reasons that will become apparent below, I decided to go with Bela Lugosi on Monday instead. I still love you, Jamie Lee... but you just deserve a far better musical legacy than I was able to dig up.
Jamie Lee Curtis has now survived umpteen encounters with Michael Myers and his crap William Shatner mask... and managed a respectable career outside of horror movies too. Then again, horror must have been in the genes - her mum died in Norman Bates's shower, after all. And, slightly less impressively, her dad appeared in The Manitou, a movie best summed up as "A psychic's girlfriend finds out that a lump on her back is a growing reincarnation of a 400 year-old demonic Native American spirit". Bet you want to watch that now, don't you? I'd stick with Halloween or Psycho, personally. Or if you're not in a mood for horror, you could watch Jamie Lee's performance alongside John Travolta in Perfect, "one of The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made". Here's a link to a song from that movie... gentlemen of a certain age are advised not to watch the video though. You might find yourself having an unfortunate moment.
There is a contemporary metal band who have taken Jamie Lee Curtis's name for themselves, but having exposed my ears to 5 seconds of their satanic shrieking, I decided to spare you. Slightly easier on the ear are this lot...
They also have songs named after Robin Williams and Patrick Swayze... but I still think it's unlikely we'll hear from them again.
Perhaps you'd prefer some Pale Roses?
Sea Rabbit...!?!
Not doing very well today, am I? Still, it is Halloween... and those were appropriately scary.
What about lyrical references? Well, besides a hundred rappers who all think they're Michael Myers, I did find this...
To be honest, I only included that because I like A Catcher In The Rye. The lyrics are bobbins, but they do mention Ms. Curtis.
Thank goodness for The Huntingtons, who are obviously big fans of The Ramones, and also of the movie Halloween...
Twenty years ago he took away his sister's life
There's still one left that's still alive
And he's on the loose tonight
Run run Jamie Lee
Run as fast as you can
Run run Jamie Lee
Away from the boogie man
Go go Donnie P
Go catch him if you can
Go go Donnie P
And catch that boogieman
Extra points for getting in a verse about Donald Pleasance. I only found one other song that mentions him, though it's arguably better than most of the nonsense above...
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