(Disclaimer - This is a double post, or some other such phrase - what's it called when you use stuff more than one place? Anyway, I posted this at my own blog, Central Standard.)
I’m generally a happy person, so when I listen to music, I want music that, at a minimum, does not drain my happiness.
Until recently, I put a great deal of stock in ‘styles’ of music or ‘types’ of music I liked or didn't like. Something like “I hate country” or “I hate disco”, and I would use these 'opinions' to guide my music selection. But this approach is often informed merely by peer pressure or the ever fickle culture and is so insufficient as to almost always miss the point.
What is most important is my heart, the furnace of my soul and source of all my outward action, including my mood and attitude. Obviously, my heart’s health is primarily dependent on being happy in the Lord each day and then, as the day goes on, I will encounter stuff that either aids my happiness or doesn’t, like music.
That said, I’ve decided that ‘genres’ of music is just not enough information alone for picking music and I suppose that's not really groundbreaking. But the motive is the happiness of my soul no matter what the alleged 'genre'. Where I can get fooled is by the memories that some music evokes and sometimes that's enough to trick you into 'liking' a tune, but not because you really like it, but because it reminds you of a time or a place or people. And that's not the point.
The point is, does the music cooperate with my current happiness or drain me of it?
Now, what's really interesting is my wife wrote about this very topic on her blog today and neither of us knew what the other was doing!
Stuff like that makes me happy, too!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
A little slow on the uptake
I don't look at the old posts here often, but I wanted to go back and look for a couple of things today. On my way I noticed a post from mid August, and - Hey, it looks like I got a comment I don't remember...
Cousin Dolores (Mike's sister) left a nice comment to "Mystery solved...maybe", and reminded me of an old story. (The original post was in response to a picture I posted on Mike's 50th birthday, and to the question where it had been taken - I'm pretty sure it was in my back yard, as it looked in 1961.)
So, welcome Dolores! I'm sorry it took so long for me to reply to your comment. Without further ado...
"I think your right Bob, that was my other guess, I remember the asparagus and I remember the other picture being taken as well> I remember that whole visit, we went to Fairyland remember?"
You may be right, but the way I remember it is that we went to Kiddieland, a smaller amusement park east of Independence. In either case I do remember that we went and we rode rides…here’s proof:
"And I went to the zoo with Dad and Uncle Al. Bob wouldn't go because "it stinks",I believe you meant literally."
Yes indeed, and that stemmed from memories of a trip to the zoo in 1958, give or take a year. We went with our friends the Muzzy’s, on a cool day in the winter (maybe late fall or early spring, anyway, no green leaves). We had our coats and caps on, and it started out okay. I remember seeing ducks or swans on a pond. We walked.
And we walked.
And we walked some more.
Eventually we came to a place that, to borrow my wife’s phrase, stank out loud. I don’t remember for sure what the offending animals were, but I have a very vague recollection of my sister Connie, or maybe our friend Melody, trying to cheer me up or get my attention by pointing and saying “Look at the funny monkeys”. Something like that, anyway.
All I knew was that I was tired, getting cold, there was this awful stink in my nose, and I really wanted to go back to my toys. With tears in my eyes, I kept saying “I wanna go home!” over and over. To no avail it seemed, though after a while we did go home. I don’t think I was overly stubborn or selfish as a four or five year old kid, but it came out that day.
I was a quiet kid at times and didn’t volunteer a whole lot of information. It could be that as the years went by, I was asked, “Why don’t you like the zoo”? But the conversation never got to a solution, like, “Oh, we can work it out. If some of the cages are stinky we’ll go look at other animals. We’ll go on a warmer day. You’re bigger now, the walking won’t tire you”.
Or, maybe I was more of a selfish kid than I like to think I was. I look back on it now as an early lesson I wasn’t quite ready for; not enough maturity. Things aren’t always going to suit me, but making a fuss and ruining the outing for others isn’t right.
Anyway, It wasn’t until 1973 that I visited any zoo again. Our college Astronomy class took a field trip to St. Louis to see the McDonnell Planetarium, and while we were in the area we also went to the St. Louis Zoo. I realized I’d been missing out all those years. The animals were interesting, I got a few pictures (of course I had my camera along), and I had a great time. Since then I’ve revisited the St. Louis Zoo at least twice, the new Kansas City Zoo, and zoos in Topeka, Omaha, Colorado Springs, Detroit, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston.
(Another lawn chair photo from your 1961 visit)
"I have been enjoying reading your memories"
Thank you so much! I’m really pleased about that, and I want you to feel free to comment anytime. I’m also glad I decided to heed your brother Mike’s advice, and started this blog. More and more I’m finding out how much I enjoy writing. That and having a digital camera and a scanner and being able to post images…well, it’s just way too much fun.
So Dolores, have you ever considered starting a blog? I’d really like to read your stories.
One more quick comment. Looking at the picture of Poppy's front porch reminds me of the times you and I made mudpies and "cooked" them in the sunshine on those concrete block steps, on hot July days when we'd both be at the farm. I seem to recall we also had an old plastic cup or glass that we'd squeeze those purple polk berries in, and maybe add some water. Of course, we were warned right away not to drink that, because the berries were poisonous. But we had "grape juice" to sit there and look good with our pies.
Cousin Dolores (Mike's sister) left a nice comment to "Mystery solved...maybe", and reminded me of an old story. (The original post was in response to a picture I posted on Mike's 50th birthday, and to the question where it had been taken - I'm pretty sure it was in my back yard, as it looked in 1961.)
So, welcome Dolores! I'm sorry it took so long for me to reply to your comment. Without further ado...
"I think your right Bob, that was my other guess, I remember the asparagus and I remember the other picture being taken as well> I remember that whole visit, we went to Fairyland remember?"
You may be right, but the way I remember it is that we went to Kiddieland, a smaller amusement park east of Independence. In either case I do remember that we went and we rode rides…here’s proof:
"And I went to the zoo with Dad and Uncle Al. Bob wouldn't go because "it stinks",I believe you meant literally."
Yes indeed, and that stemmed from memories of a trip to the zoo in 1958, give or take a year. We went with our friends the Muzzy’s, on a cool day in the winter (maybe late fall or early spring, anyway, no green leaves). We had our coats and caps on, and it started out okay. I remember seeing ducks or swans on a pond. We walked.
And we walked.
And we walked some more.
Eventually we came to a place that, to borrow my wife’s phrase, stank out loud. I don’t remember for sure what the offending animals were, but I have a very vague recollection of my sister Connie, or maybe our friend Melody, trying to cheer me up or get my attention by pointing and saying “Look at the funny monkeys”. Something like that, anyway.
All I knew was that I was tired, getting cold, there was this awful stink in my nose, and I really wanted to go back to my toys. With tears in my eyes, I kept saying “I wanna go home!” over and over. To no avail it seemed, though after a while we did go home. I don’t think I was overly stubborn or selfish as a four or five year old kid, but it came out that day.
I was a quiet kid at times and didn’t volunteer a whole lot of information. It could be that as the years went by, I was asked, “Why don’t you like the zoo”? But the conversation never got to a solution, like, “Oh, we can work it out. If some of the cages are stinky we’ll go look at other animals. We’ll go on a warmer day. You’re bigger now, the walking won’t tire you”.
Or, maybe I was more of a selfish kid than I like to think I was. I look back on it now as an early lesson I wasn’t quite ready for; not enough maturity. Things aren’t always going to suit me, but making a fuss and ruining the outing for others isn’t right.
Anyway, It wasn’t until 1973 that I visited any zoo again. Our college Astronomy class took a field trip to St. Louis to see the McDonnell Planetarium, and while we were in the area we also went to the St. Louis Zoo. I realized I’d been missing out all those years. The animals were interesting, I got a few pictures (of course I had my camera along), and I had a great time. Since then I’ve revisited the St. Louis Zoo at least twice, the new Kansas City Zoo, and zoos in Topeka, Omaha, Colorado Springs, Detroit, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston.
(Another lawn chair photo from your 1961 visit)
"I have been enjoying reading your memories"
Thank you so much! I’m really pleased about that, and I want you to feel free to comment anytime. I’m also glad I decided to heed your brother Mike’s advice, and started this blog. More and more I’m finding out how much I enjoy writing. That and having a digital camera and a scanner and being able to post images…well, it’s just way too much fun.
So Dolores, have you ever considered starting a blog? I’d really like to read your stories.
One more quick comment. Looking at the picture of Poppy's front porch reminds me of the times you and I made mudpies and "cooked" them in the sunshine on those concrete block steps, on hot July days when we'd both be at the farm. I seem to recall we also had an old plastic cup or glass that we'd squeeze those purple polk berries in, and maybe add some water. Of course, we were warned right away not to drink that, because the berries were poisonous. But we had "grape juice" to sit there and look good with our pies.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Outdoor gal at Outdoor World
Bob mentioned seeing Kenny Hulshoff, who in turn mentioned the Sarah Palin rally here in Springfield Friday. (I started to write Governor Hulshoff - is that Freudian Prophecy?)
The Palin rally was held in the parking lot at the Bass Pro Shop's headquarters at Sunshine and Campbell. I didn't get to go, but our local paper, the News-Leader, hosted a live feed and I was able to keep up with the speech while at my desk at work.
It was pretty standard campaign fodder that Palin has been using for a while, with the customary local references that make everyone cheer. By no means am I being critical, but rather saying it was a typical campaign stop. She did well and the crowd ate it up.
We heard she was coming about a week ago and at the time the event was planned for the McDonald Arena on the campus of Missouri State. Now I love McDonald Arena. It's an old, Great Depression Era arena that was the long time home of Bears basketball and hosted many concerts. It's seen many legendary games and talent over the years. That being said, it's small. When I heard McDonald was the venue I thought, what are they doing? They'll fill it and there will be hundreds or thousands trying to get in. I heard 4,000 tickets would be available and that sounds about right. I thought, well, maybe they just don't want to have an event somewhere that doesn't fill because that would look bad.
Well, the day after all the tickets were snapped up they announced the appearance would be moved to Bass Pro's parking lot. The ones with tickets would have seating close to the platform and everyone else could come and stand, first come, first served.
I saw the local news before work, around 6:30 am or so, and there was already a long line for a noon appearance! I did not see any photos of the whole scene, but it was huge. The Springfield Fire Department estimates the crowd at 15,000 and Springfield Police estimates a more conservative 10,000.
Anyway you slice it, it was a big deal.
The Palin rally was held in the parking lot at the Bass Pro Shop's headquarters at Sunshine and Campbell. I didn't get to go, but our local paper, the News-Leader, hosted a live feed and I was able to keep up with the speech while at my desk at work.
It was pretty standard campaign fodder that Palin has been using for a while, with the customary local references that make everyone cheer. By no means am I being critical, but rather saying it was a typical campaign stop. She did well and the crowd ate it up.
We heard she was coming about a week ago and at the time the event was planned for the McDonald Arena on the campus of Missouri State. Now I love McDonald Arena. It's an old, Great Depression Era arena that was the long time home of Bears basketball and hosted many concerts. It's seen many legendary games and talent over the years. That being said, it's small. When I heard McDonald was the venue I thought, what are they doing? They'll fill it and there will be hundreds or thousands trying to get in. I heard 4,000 tickets would be available and that sounds about right. I thought, well, maybe they just don't want to have an event somewhere that doesn't fill because that would look bad.
Well, the day after all the tickets were snapped up they announced the appearance would be moved to Bass Pro's parking lot. The ones with tickets would have seating close to the platform and everyone else could come and stand, first come, first served.
I saw the local news before work, around 6:30 am or so, and there was already a long line for a noon appearance! I did not see any photos of the whole scene, but it was huge. The Springfield Fire Department estimates the crowd at 15,000 and Springfield Police estimates a more conservative 10,000.
Anyway you slice it, it was a big deal.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Hulshoff for Governor
I'd originally planned a quiet saturday spent at home, other than a quick trip to the post office and a gas station. In the early afternoon a friend of ours called, and informed us of a Kenny Hulshoff rally scheduled for 4:00 p.m., at a park nine miles east of us. Our youngest daughter returned home from her first babysitting job in time that my wife could also go along.
Republican candidate for Missouri Governor,
Kenny Hulshoff, in Blue Springs.
There was a small but enthusiastic crowd of campaign volunteers and guests, maybe 70 or so. I was close enough to get this photo (we were in the shade of a shelter house and my camera was working against a fairly bright background, but I've managed to improve the image some.
Representative Hulshoff gave a positive speech, and I was impressed that he seemed an average, down-to-earth guy. More so than any of the few politicians I've met before. And during a brief question and answer session he seemed very sharp, at ease, and gave good answers. I was pleased to shake his hand and tell him "You have my vote".
Oh, by the way, he mentioned that Friday he had been at a rally in Springfield with Sarah Palin. (Mike, just curious, where was that rally held?)
He was open that his campaign was coming from behind, and indicated that all would be won or lost in the western half of Missouri.
The bottom line: voter turnout. Kenny Hulshoff said we have the people and the votes, we just need to get everyone to the polls.
I think he'd make a great Governor, and I sure hope he wins.
Republican candidate for Missouri Governor,
Kenny Hulshoff, in Blue Springs.
There was a small but enthusiastic crowd of campaign volunteers and guests, maybe 70 or so. I was close enough to get this photo (we were in the shade of a shelter house and my camera was working against a fairly bright background, but I've managed to improve the image some.
Representative Hulshoff gave a positive speech, and I was impressed that he seemed an average, down-to-earth guy. More so than any of the few politicians I've met before. And during a brief question and answer session he seemed very sharp, at ease, and gave good answers. I was pleased to shake his hand and tell him "You have my vote".
Oh, by the way, he mentioned that Friday he had been at a rally in Springfield with Sarah Palin. (Mike, just curious, where was that rally held?)
He was open that his campaign was coming from behind, and indicated that all would be won or lost in the western half of Missouri.
The bottom line: voter turnout. Kenny Hulshoff said we have the people and the votes, we just need to get everyone to the polls.
I think he'd make a great Governor, and I sure hope he wins.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Silly (creative?) doodling
Blame it on insomnia. Blame it on sleep deprivation. Both.
Ten or eleven mornings ago I woke up at 4:30 or a little after. Couldn't get back to sleep. I wanted to keep the noise down so as not to disturb the family; so tapping on this keyboard was out. I thought about reading, but couldn't think of anything I had any enthusiasm starting at such a crazy hour. So I went to the kitchen and thought about it some more.
It seemed something creative was wanted, and I recalled a suggestion from years ago. Whether it's writing or drawing, grab a sheet of paper and with pencil in hand just start. Give it some time and patience and see what develops. Being in an artistic mood, I looked for whatever pencils, pens and colored pencils were nearby.
First, I started doodling an abstract design, with no particular purpose I was aware of. Part of this is across the top of the scanned image below, and there's a seperate box-within-a-box thingy. After a while I could see this wasn't going anywhere.
Then, I had the thought, "What would a dog wearing glasses look like"? I really, *Really* did Not like how that turned out. You can see part of doggy on the left (I spared you the nose).
I waited a bit, I didn't want to give up.
And then...the odd duck came forth.
That's what I was looking for. First the duck Christmas ornament, then the Christmas tree branches, then the horn ornament in the background. Lastly, I found a purple pen which worked nicely and added the explanation, the time I finished the doodle, and for some reason just my first two initials.
Yeah, it's silly (maybe it made a bit more sense at 5:18 a.m.).
On second thought, naah. I knew it was silly then. But, I do like the technique of just getting started and keeping at it. So I post it here as the first in a series. A rough beginning to compare with later efforts.
Ten or eleven mornings ago I woke up at 4:30 or a little after. Couldn't get back to sleep. I wanted to keep the noise down so as not to disturb the family; so tapping on this keyboard was out. I thought about reading, but couldn't think of anything I had any enthusiasm starting at such a crazy hour. So I went to the kitchen and thought about it some more.
It seemed something creative was wanted, and I recalled a suggestion from years ago. Whether it's writing or drawing, grab a sheet of paper and with pencil in hand just start. Give it some time and patience and see what develops. Being in an artistic mood, I looked for whatever pencils, pens and colored pencils were nearby.
First, I started doodling an abstract design, with no particular purpose I was aware of. Part of this is across the top of the scanned image below, and there's a seperate box-within-a-box thingy. After a while I could see this wasn't going anywhere.
Then, I had the thought, "What would a dog wearing glasses look like"? I really, *Really* did Not like how that turned out. You can see part of doggy on the left (I spared you the nose).
I waited a bit, I didn't want to give up.
And then...the odd duck came forth.
That's what I was looking for. First the duck Christmas ornament, then the Christmas tree branches, then the horn ornament in the background. Lastly, I found a purple pen which worked nicely and added the explanation, the time I finished the doodle, and for some reason just my first two initials.
Yeah, it's silly (maybe it made a bit more sense at 5:18 a.m.).
On second thought, naah. I knew it was silly then. But, I do like the technique of just getting started and keeping at it. So I post it here as the first in a series. A rough beginning to compare with later efforts.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A glimpse from 66 years ago
I still have Photoshop issues, but my scanner does still work and I have another program I can use to make images into .jpg files.
I found this photo finishing envelope while going through a box of old pictures, and thought it would make a good scan to post here. My dad got his pilot's license when he was 16, which would either have been late 1936 or early 1937. He and his family lived in Detroit, Michigan at the time, and in the late 1930's he gave flying lessons at the Detroit City Airport. Apparently you could drop off film to be developed by Hite Photo Service, at Baker's News Stand at the airport.
It's a neat image, but I haven't decided what's most interesting...the reminder that they were using rolls of Verichrome 620 film back then, or the lady's hair style of the day, or the old camera she's holding, or...that on January 16, 1942 it cost a grand total of 70 cents for developing and printing 12 prints!
On the back...
Hey! Didja know you could take pictures at night now? Don't forget your photo lamps and Kodak Handy Reflectors. Don't forget additional prints to share...and your favorites can be enlarged at a moderate price.
Don't get me wrong, I love the ease of modern digital photography; I can take so many more pictures now. I am still considering buying a new, quality film camera, that is, before they stop making them. The SLR still appeals to me, in that I can change lenses and capture images that are still difficult for my digital camera...subjects moving fast, sharp closeups, astrophotographs, that kind of thing.
Flashbulbs now, I think I'm safe in saying that's in the past. A grand old technology that worked well for decades, though.
I found this photo finishing envelope while going through a box of old pictures, and thought it would make a good scan to post here. My dad got his pilot's license when he was 16, which would either have been late 1936 or early 1937. He and his family lived in Detroit, Michigan at the time, and in the late 1930's he gave flying lessons at the Detroit City Airport. Apparently you could drop off film to be developed by Hite Photo Service, at Baker's News Stand at the airport.
It's a neat image, but I haven't decided what's most interesting...the reminder that they were using rolls of Verichrome 620 film back then, or the lady's hair style of the day, or the old camera she's holding, or...that on January 16, 1942 it cost a grand total of 70 cents for developing and printing 12 prints!
On the back...
Hey! Didja know you could take pictures at night now? Don't forget your photo lamps and Kodak Handy Reflectors. Don't forget additional prints to share...and your favorites can be enlarged at a moderate price.
Don't get me wrong, I love the ease of modern digital photography; I can take so many more pictures now. I am still considering buying a new, quality film camera, that is, before they stop making them. The SLR still appeals to me, in that I can change lenses and capture images that are still difficult for my digital camera...subjects moving fast, sharp closeups, astrophotographs, that kind of thing.
Flashbulbs now, I think I'm safe in saying that's in the past. A grand old technology that worked well for decades, though.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Some memories stay clear, others fade
I had hoped by now that I'd have a new image or two to post here. My scanner still works, but unfortunately my copy of Photoshop LE is acting up. It hangs up as soon as I try to open the program. My guess is that there's a link broken somewhere, whatever that actually means.
No problem, just uninstall Photoshop and re-install it. I thought I'd better find my backup disk first, and it's a good thing I've held off doing the uninstall. It's been a couple of days and I still can't find the disk. It's in this room somewhere...well, I've been needing to clean and sort anyway.
I could post about music, as I have been working on my 1969 list. Holy crow (as James Lileks might say), that was one busy year in rock music. A lot of stuff I like about equally well...this might take a while.
Instead, here's a short true story - not to be confused with a true short story, I guess.
I sat down in my reading chair a couple of evenings ago, and looked in my bookcase...what should I browse? Well, I haven't looked at that in a long time. I pulled out my college yearbook from my Junior year. As I turned page after page, I started to notice something. It's been enough years now that there's really a distinct difference between friends I knew well and have lots of memories of, and faces and names that sort of ring a bell. I think as recently as two or three years ago those two groups of people would have blended together, that is, I would have had stories to tell about everyone I recognized. Now I still have lots of stories about my close friends I ran around with, but the others whose faces I kind of recognize...I couldn't recall stories about them. I don't think I'm having any special memory problems, at least, no one's pointed out any concerns to me. I still remember lots of stuff from last week, last year, last decade, my childhood, etc.
Maybe remembering lots of faces and names is more of a challenge than remembering events; it seems that way to me anyway. I could say to myself, "That's sad" (and it would be if I started to forget people I was really close to). But actually, I think it's normal. Some friends are friends for a lifetime, some are friends for a season, a year, four years. Others were casual friends or acquaintances, and that's all okay.
Yeah, that wasn't all that profound, but it was bloggable (and if that wasn't a word, it is now).
No problem, just uninstall Photoshop and re-install it. I thought I'd better find my backup disk first, and it's a good thing I've held off doing the uninstall. It's been a couple of days and I still can't find the disk. It's in this room somewhere...well, I've been needing to clean and sort anyway.
I could post about music, as I have been working on my 1969 list. Holy crow (as James Lileks might say), that was one busy year in rock music. A lot of stuff I like about equally well...this might take a while.
Instead, here's a short true story - not to be confused with a true short story, I guess.
I sat down in my reading chair a couple of evenings ago, and looked in my bookcase...what should I browse? Well, I haven't looked at that in a long time. I pulled out my college yearbook from my Junior year. As I turned page after page, I started to notice something. It's been enough years now that there's really a distinct difference between friends I knew well and have lots of memories of, and faces and names that sort of ring a bell. I think as recently as two or three years ago those two groups of people would have blended together, that is, I would have had stories to tell about everyone I recognized. Now I still have lots of stories about my close friends I ran around with, but the others whose faces I kind of recognize...I couldn't recall stories about them. I don't think I'm having any special memory problems, at least, no one's pointed out any concerns to me. I still remember lots of stuff from last week, last year, last decade, my childhood, etc.
Maybe remembering lots of faces and names is more of a challenge than remembering events; it seems that way to me anyway. I could say to myself, "That's sad" (and it would be if I started to forget people I was really close to). But actually, I think it's normal. Some friends are friends for a lifetime, some are friends for a season, a year, four years. Others were casual friends or acquaintances, and that's all okay.
Yeah, that wasn't all that profound, but it was bloggable (and if that wasn't a word, it is now).
Friday, October 10, 2008
There goes Robert E. Lee
I took the advice of my elders, cousin Bob and King Harvest, and watched the video of The Band playing "The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down" and, as they both said, it is a terrific performance.
I was one of those, as Bob mentioned, who was only familiar with the Joan Baez version. And it's fine in it's own right. In fact, as a young adolescent, I remember listening to that tune on KBHM-AM, Branson, Mo., and I liked it. Like Bob, I thought it odd that a woman was Virgil, a working man, however, I was content to let her to tell her story.
Bob quoted from Rolling Stone magazine which captured the spirit of the song: “Nothing I have read … has brought home the overwhelming human sense of history that this song does…It has that ring of truth and the whole aura of authenticity." This was much more evident in the version by The Band. It has a great feel to it, emotional heft.
Here's the video, if you have not already seen it.
One more musical note, totally unrelated to King Harvest. (Gee, I hope we're not keeping those guys from something important!) The song I most enjoy on my Yahoo radio station these days is "Aime" by Pure Prairie League. Those guitars are perfect and elegant, in a mountain music way. To play like that would be a delight!
If one played like that however, he must have a front porch - it's not even an option.
I was one of those, as Bob mentioned, who was only familiar with the Joan Baez version. And it's fine in it's own right. In fact, as a young adolescent, I remember listening to that tune on KBHM-AM, Branson, Mo., and I liked it. Like Bob, I thought it odd that a woman was Virgil, a working man, however, I was content to let her to tell her story.
Bob quoted from Rolling Stone magazine which captured the spirit of the song: “Nothing I have read … has brought home the overwhelming human sense of history that this song does…It has that ring of truth and the whole aura of authenticity." This was much more evident in the version by The Band. It has a great feel to it, emotional heft.
Here's the video, if you have not already seen it.
One more musical note, totally unrelated to King Harvest. (Gee, I hope we're not keeping those guys from something important!) The song I most enjoy on my Yahoo radio station these days is "Aime" by Pure Prairie League. Those guitars are perfect and elegant, in a mountain music way. To play like that would be a delight!
If one played like that however, he must have a front porch - it's not even an option.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
More fan commentary on music by the pro's
First, when Mike says he’s tickled about the response we’ve gotten here at “The Porch” from King Harvest, that goes for me too. What a nice thing to do.
Time passes...oh boy, might as well enjoy it
From Cousin Mike…
“Many of the acts that we admire would be old, gravelly and scraggly, like the drummer on this cable show. I heard a new Bob Segar song the other day and you can definately hear some age in his voice.”
True enough, and it is kind of a shock when you detect that in a voice, or see a recent photo or video of someone we listened to in our teen years. It’s as if, “How in the world could those guys be the same ones I used to hear on WHB or KUDL-AM…and still hear from time to time on KCMO-FM, KCFX, or KBLV? (Pardon my five local radio references, a.k.a. shameless plugs.) What happened?”
It’s like you mentioned on your blog when you turned 50, that you didn’t feel all that different. That, and something I heard in a sermon by one of my pastors once. He observed that your spirit doesn’t age (which could also explain why some guys get into trouble when they attempt some stunt they used to be able to do, but their body can no longer handle. Intellectually, they should know better. But deep inside, it just doesn’t seem like things could have changed that much.)
On occasion I’ll tune across our public television station and watch part of a rock concert. Something like Austin City Limits, but the one in particular I’m thinking of was another show…a name I don’t recall at the moment. Anyway, a year or two ago, I saw part of a festival of some sort, too many big names to be one band on tour with one other opening act. After a few notes got my attention – oh yeah I recognize the song. That’s really Joe Walsh? Still sounds great, but how can I put this kindly…um, obviously some time had passed.
I’ll mention a few other examples. The Rolling Stones - all in their 60’s, though one member of that band might be 70 by now. I *think* Eric Clapton is 60, but I’d have to check that. Sir Paul McCartney is either 64 or 65, the last I heard. Richard Wright passed away on September 15th, at the age of 65. He was one of the founders of Pink Floyd (I know Mike, not one of your favorite bands).
(As an aside, I also like a lot of 1980's music; so a lot of this isn't as obvious with the younger bands. Not yet, anyway.)
I guess the only point here is that we’re oblivious to time passing until some event or bit of news actually catches our attention. We open our eyes a bit and say, “Oh! Really?” No big revelation, that; it’s the same old story.
“So teach us to number our days…” (Psalm 90:12)
The Band
Mike continues...
“Levon Helm! He's the drummer for The Band and he's the drummer on my cable show!”
Yes, when I think of The Band, three names pop into my mind; Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, and Rick Danko. I had to look up on Wikipedia to find the other two names from their late ‘60s, early ‘70s lineup, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson.
I clicked on the link and enjoyed watching the "King Harvest Has Surely Come" video. I can’t say for certain that I recall hearing that song. It kind of rings a bell, well, the title does anyway. I didn’t have that album.
Of course I had to watch the video of my favorite song of theirs, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. This was from a live concert, I think it was “The Last Waltz”; the studio version was released in 1969.
I know I have only a few regular readers here, and some of you might only be familiar with Joan Baez’s cover version of that song. Pretty enough song in it’s own way, but as a kid I thought it was strange that this gal would sing a guy’s part “Virgil Caine is my name…”, and say things like “…I’m a working man” (actually “…I will work this land” in the original). Not until I heard the original by The Band did I realize what an amazing song it was. If you haven’t heard it by The Band, then you haven’t heard it. I invite you to take a few minutes and treat yourself here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38JpAMG65Dg
Since I still had Wikipedia open (my research on the other members of The Band), I clicked on their “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” article. Here’s an excerpt from a quote by Rolling Stone Magazine reviewer Ralph J. Gleason, describing the impact of the song on listeners…
“Nothing I have read … has brought home the overwhelming human sense of history that this song does…It's a remarkable song, the rhythmic structure, the voice of Levon and the bass line with the drum accents and then the heavy close harmony of Levon, Richard and Rick in the theme, make it seem impossible that this isn't some traditional material handed down from father to son straight from that winter of 1865 to today. It has that ring of truth and the whole aura of authenticity."
That pretty much describes it, I think. Further down the article is another interesting comment by Band member Robbie Robertson:
"At some point [the concept] blurted out to me. Then I went and I did some research and I wrote the lyrics to the song." Robertson continued, "When I first went down South, I remember that a quite common expression would be, 'Well don't worry, the South's gonna rise again.' At one point when I heard it I thought it was kind of a funny statement and then I heard it another time and I was really touched by it. I thought, 'God, because I keep hearing this, there's pain here, there is a sadness here.' In Americana land, it's a kind of a beautiful sadness."
Back to the videos. What I find interesting is that in both of them, there isn’t a whole lot of showmanship. By that I mean there’s not people running around jumping on the stage, no pyrotechnics, no big overblown laser light shows. Just five talented performers, putting their efforts into their music. I like that.
“Did I just win "Six Degrees of King Harvest"?”
Yes Mike, and here it is. Your gift is the permission to participate in the dance. It’s your choice, whether to dance outside or more privately inside, with the moonlight streaming through the window. And you don’t have to wait until the night of a full moon, just as long as “the moon is big and bright”.
Okay, I made mention of 1969 earlier. Hmmm...maybe I ought to tackle that year next for a music list. Right off the bat I recall a whole lot of change...from Jay and the Americans "This Magic Moment" early on, up to Led Zeppelin's first album by the end of the year.
I do try to keep some variety in my posts here. But I gotta admit, I've been enjoying this music theme.
Time passes...oh boy, might as well enjoy it
From Cousin Mike…
“Many of the acts that we admire would be old, gravelly and scraggly, like the drummer on this cable show. I heard a new Bob Segar song the other day and you can definately hear some age in his voice.”
True enough, and it is kind of a shock when you detect that in a voice, or see a recent photo or video of someone we listened to in our teen years. It’s as if, “How in the world could those guys be the same ones I used to hear on WHB or KUDL-AM…and still hear from time to time on KCMO-FM, KCFX, or KBLV? (Pardon my five local radio references, a.k.a. shameless plugs.) What happened?”
It’s like you mentioned on your blog when you turned 50, that you didn’t feel all that different. That, and something I heard in a sermon by one of my pastors once. He observed that your spirit doesn’t age (which could also explain why some guys get into trouble when they attempt some stunt they used to be able to do, but their body can no longer handle. Intellectually, they should know better. But deep inside, it just doesn’t seem like things could have changed that much.)
On occasion I’ll tune across our public television station and watch part of a rock concert. Something like Austin City Limits, but the one in particular I’m thinking of was another show…a name I don’t recall at the moment. Anyway, a year or two ago, I saw part of a festival of some sort, too many big names to be one band on tour with one other opening act. After a few notes got my attention – oh yeah I recognize the song. That’s really Joe Walsh? Still sounds great, but how can I put this kindly…um, obviously some time had passed.
I’ll mention a few other examples. The Rolling Stones - all in their 60’s, though one member of that band might be 70 by now. I *think* Eric Clapton is 60, but I’d have to check that. Sir Paul McCartney is either 64 or 65, the last I heard. Richard Wright passed away on September 15th, at the age of 65. He was one of the founders of Pink Floyd (I know Mike, not one of your favorite bands).
(As an aside, I also like a lot of 1980's music; so a lot of this isn't as obvious with the younger bands. Not yet, anyway.)
I guess the only point here is that we’re oblivious to time passing until some event or bit of news actually catches our attention. We open our eyes a bit and say, “Oh! Really?” No big revelation, that; it’s the same old story.
“So teach us to number our days…” (Psalm 90:12)
The Band
Mike continues...
“Levon Helm! He's the drummer for The Band and he's the drummer on my cable show!”
Yes, when I think of The Band, three names pop into my mind; Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, and Rick Danko. I had to look up on Wikipedia to find the other two names from their late ‘60s, early ‘70s lineup, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson.
I clicked on the link and enjoyed watching the "King Harvest Has Surely Come" video. I can’t say for certain that I recall hearing that song. It kind of rings a bell, well, the title does anyway. I didn’t have that album.
Of course I had to watch the video of my favorite song of theirs, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. This was from a live concert, I think it was “The Last Waltz”; the studio version was released in 1969.
I know I have only a few regular readers here, and some of you might only be familiar with Joan Baez’s cover version of that song. Pretty enough song in it’s own way, but as a kid I thought it was strange that this gal would sing a guy’s part “Virgil Caine is my name…”, and say things like “…I’m a working man” (actually “…I will work this land” in the original). Not until I heard the original by The Band did I realize what an amazing song it was. If you haven’t heard it by The Band, then you haven’t heard it. I invite you to take a few minutes and treat yourself here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38JpAMG65Dg
Since I still had Wikipedia open (my research on the other members of The Band), I clicked on their “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” article. Here’s an excerpt from a quote by Rolling Stone Magazine reviewer Ralph J. Gleason, describing the impact of the song on listeners…
“Nothing I have read … has brought home the overwhelming human sense of history that this song does…It's a remarkable song, the rhythmic structure, the voice of Levon and the bass line with the drum accents and then the heavy close harmony of Levon, Richard and Rick in the theme, make it seem impossible that this isn't some traditional material handed down from father to son straight from that winter of 1865 to today. It has that ring of truth and the whole aura of authenticity."
That pretty much describes it, I think. Further down the article is another interesting comment by Band member Robbie Robertson:
"At some point [the concept] blurted out to me. Then I went and I did some research and I wrote the lyrics to the song." Robertson continued, "When I first went down South, I remember that a quite common expression would be, 'Well don't worry, the South's gonna rise again.' At one point when I heard it I thought it was kind of a funny statement and then I heard it another time and I was really touched by it. I thought, 'God, because I keep hearing this, there's pain here, there is a sadness here.' In Americana land, it's a kind of a beautiful sadness."
Back to the videos. What I find interesting is that in both of them, there isn’t a whole lot of showmanship. By that I mean there’s not people running around jumping on the stage, no pyrotechnics, no big overblown laser light shows. Just five talented performers, putting their efforts into their music. I like that.
“Did I just win "Six Degrees of King Harvest"?”
Yes Mike, and here it is. Your gift is the permission to participate in the dance. It’s your choice, whether to dance outside or more privately inside, with the moonlight streaming through the window. And you don’t have to wait until the night of a full moon, just as long as “the moon is big and bright”.
Okay, I made mention of 1969 earlier. Hmmm...maybe I ought to tackle that year next for a music list. Right off the bat I recall a whole lot of change...from Jay and the Americans "This Magic Moment" early on, up to Led Zeppelin's first album by the end of the year.
I do try to keep some variety in my posts here. But I gotta admit, I've been enjoying this music theme.
Friday, October 3, 2008
A Fine and Natural (web)Site
So, do you know my cousin? Bob Wingate? No? Well, he knows King Harvest. They're a band and they had a hit and my cousin knows them like, they're BFF!
Whoa, dude! Slow down! Take a breath.
Congratualations, Bob, on pulling down a Comment from "The Outside". Pretty soon you will be, like ZZ Top, Nationwide.
I like your list and your method. It's good to have limits in which to create - they focus your efforts.
You were fortunate to hear and know all these songs and I guess you had that radio job which beefed up your knowledge. For me, if it wasn't on KWTO Rock 99, I didn't know about it. Still don't.
Now, about your list -
Well, to begin with, you know I am HUGE for Rocky Mountain Way (I think it's #2 on my Arresting list) . It has that 'double tempo' thing going on - it sounds and feels fast, but it's going slow and measured. A lot of great music is like that, he said expertly.
You've got a couple of songs that make me tired. Ridin' The Storm Out, Roundabout, I'm Just A Singer, Free Bird, Dream On and Smoke On The Water. Alright then, that's more than a couple. In my mind these are great songs for a verse or two and then, I get tired, but the song is still pounding on my door. For me, I am looking for something else after a minute or two, but they're good songs.
Desperado by the Eagles - superb, simply superb. I could hear it over and over.
Jim Croce was one of my favorites, and if I recall correctly, wasn't '73 the year he died? I like all of his hits and many of his non-hits and I wonder what his career would have been like had he lived.
I am exactly where you are with ZZ Top's Jesus Just Left Chicago. It's a great sound, but I always feel like I shouldn't be hearing it.
Angie. I always liked Angie. What? No! The song! I don't know any Angies!
And you know how much I like Billy Joel's music. I have 'The Essential Billy Joel', a 2-disc collection and there is a string on the first disc from #7 New York State of Mind to #18 Allentown that every song is a winner and it's just a joy to listen to.
Now, can you get your good friends, King Harvest, to 'splain their name? I am sure I could Google it, but I prefer the personal touch.
Whoa, dude! Slow down! Take a breath.
Congratualations, Bob, on pulling down a Comment from "The Outside". Pretty soon you will be, like ZZ Top, Nationwide.
I like your list and your method. It's good to have limits in which to create - they focus your efforts.
You were fortunate to hear and know all these songs and I guess you had that radio job which beefed up your knowledge. For me, if it wasn't on KWTO Rock 99, I didn't know about it. Still don't.
Now, about your list -
Well, to begin with, you know I am HUGE for Rocky Mountain Way (I think it's #2 on my Arresting list) . It has that 'double tempo' thing going on - it sounds and feels fast, but it's going slow and measured. A lot of great music is like that, he said expertly.
You've got a couple of songs that make me tired. Ridin' The Storm Out, Roundabout, I'm Just A Singer, Free Bird, Dream On and Smoke On The Water. Alright then, that's more than a couple. In my mind these are great songs for a verse or two and then, I get tired, but the song is still pounding on my door. For me, I am looking for something else after a minute or two, but they're good songs.
Desperado by the Eagles - superb, simply superb. I could hear it over and over.
Jim Croce was one of my favorites, and if I recall correctly, wasn't '73 the year he died? I like all of his hits and many of his non-hits and I wonder what his career would have been like had he lived.
I am exactly where you are with ZZ Top's Jesus Just Left Chicago. It's a great sound, but I always feel like I shouldn't be hearing it.
Angie. I always liked Angie. What? No! The song! I don't know any Angies!
And you know how much I like Billy Joel's music. I have 'The Essential Billy Joel', a 2-disc collection and there is a string on the first disc from #7 New York State of Mind to #18 Allentown that every song is a winner and it's just a joy to listen to.
Now, can you get your good friends, King Harvest, to 'splain their name? I am sure I could Google it, but I prefer the personal touch.
What I did last weekend
Without going into the long version, I've been enjoying the hobby of model rocketry on and off since 1967. I've been a member of the National Association of Rocketry since 1983, and we have a local Section - a fancy name for club - here in the Kansas City area.
We have 10 or so launches a year (weather permitting), and two of these include contest events (when the rocket on the pad is not part of a competition event, it's called a sport flight).
We have 10 or so launches a year (weather permitting), and two of these include contest events (when the rocket on the pad is not part of a competition event, it's called a sport flight).
Last weekend was a two day event, our fall contest and sport launch at a field Waaaaaay up north, near Pattonsburg, Missouri. Put it this way, if we had driven another half hour, we would have been in Iowa.
Did I take pictures? But of course!
Rocket in flight.
Saturday...
In the Boost Glider event, the motor pod detaches and returns with a small parachute or streamer, while the rest glides back.
The glider is timed by stopwatch, and the longest duration in seconds wins.
Boost Gliders can be bought as kits or built from plans.
David designs his own. Here he's holding his Zephyr-High.
Tim and his
large version
large version
of the classic
Estes
Interceptor.
Ready for a
sport flight.
"5,4,3,2,1,Launch!"
Interceptor
up and away!
After the range closed for the day and we packed up, we drove to Bethany and had supper at a family restaurant called "Toot Toot". Good food. Some then left for home, others of us stayed at a motel.
Sunday...
Got up, showered, dressed, had a brief devotion, then free continental breakfast. Took stuff out to my car, and then checked out. Before I got onto I-35 to drive back to the Pattonsburg field, I wound around some back roads to indulge another hobby.
The northern endpoint of Missouri 13.
(Now I ought to visit Blue Eye again,
and get a photo from the southern end
of 13 on the Arkansas line.)
Back to the launch range...
I mentioned we were close to Iowa.
Stan came down from Lamoni to join the fun.
If you're familiar with the classic Estes Big Bertha kit, you've already noticed the inside joke.
12 fins instead of four.
Another of Stan's
own creations,
the USS Goonlantis.
Great finish
and decals...
the photo doesn't
do it justice.
That photo below is me, posing with my D Boost Glider, built from Trip Barber's D-Light plans. (Oh, in case you're wondering, the rudder is underneath the stabilizer to keep it out of the motor exhaust during boost).
Background story...before you launch one of these, you have to add nose weight (clay or similar) to the front of the fuselage (not enough and the glider stalls, too much and a death dive results). You start with some weight (best guess), and adjust by hand tossing the glider in a wide open field on as calm a day as you can get.
Conditions were good Saturday morning at the launch field, so that's one of the first things I did. On the second toss, the glider nosed into the ground and snapped off the front four inches of the fuselage. More damage than I wanted to try to repair on the field, but with a two day event you have more time to work with.
.JPG)
Better than new.
Sunday, not long before launch, Randall took this photo.
Unfortunately the connection between the pod body tube and the pylon failed under the thrust of the D12-3 motor. The flight was disqualified due to instability. The repair to the fuselage held, and the glider is fine. I'll have to build a new pod though.
Randall helping David load a Big boost glider on a long launch rod. The rod was then raised back up vertical, and the clip wires attached to the igniter before launch.
Four Sport Scale entries being static judged. David is comparing the models against the photo documentation - of the full size rocket - for such things as outline, pattern, color, and quality of finish. The models will later be launched and returned, and judged on flight appearance, and points taken off for damage (if any).
Group photo...part of the group, anyway.
(L-R: Dave B., Randall J., Randy W., Bob, Josh, and Blake.)
(David L. took the photo.)
A.K.A. a bunch of rocket guys having too much fun.
(Note: in the background is Randall J's rocket trailer,
built to resemble Luke Skywalker's Sky Speeder from Star Wars.)
Hey Blake, don't threaten your Mustang...
Oh, I see. You're just loading your car.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
They don't bark...
So I checked my blog Sunday evening, and I noticed I had a comment under my 1973 in Music posting. I thought, hey Mike's left a comment...but lately he usually adds a new post. I wondered who it was...
Much to my surprise, it was King Harvest. I'd included their hit "Dancing In the Moonlight" on my list, and they'd sent a nice thank you note (they're on Blogger).
I am a bit embarrased though, that I didn't rank the song higher. So I looked at my list again. Wait a minute, Aerosmith's "Dream On" at number 41? What was I thinking? Sure that'll still be on my list, but I'm bumping it down at least six points. That song has a lot of power, but I've been screamed at sufficiently. Been there, done that. Back in the day, I was mostly listening to hard rock, British blues, and some art rock; I guess that's been reinforced by the classic rock radio stations since then.
Anyway, I definitely like "Dancing In the Moonlight" more than that, so I think I'll move it up to number 40. Maybe even tie it with Loggins and Messina's "My Music" at 39.
Much to my surprise, it was King Harvest. I'd included their hit "Dancing In the Moonlight" on my list, and they'd sent a nice thank you note (they're on Blogger).
I am a bit embarrased though, that I didn't rank the song higher. So I looked at my list again. Wait a minute, Aerosmith's "Dream On" at number 41? What was I thinking? Sure that'll still be on my list, but I'm bumping it down at least six points. That song has a lot of power, but I've been screamed at sufficiently. Been there, done that. Back in the day, I was mostly listening to hard rock, British blues, and some art rock; I guess that's been reinforced by the classic rock radio stations since then.
Anyway, I definitely like "Dancing In the Moonlight" more than that, so I think I'll move it up to number 40. Maybe even tie it with Loggins and Messina's "My Music" at 39.
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