Get ready for the big storm!
1. A blast from the past (1940, anyway):
2. Perfectly obvious:
3. A little Sturm und Drang for you:
4. Avoid tropical storms, and ghosts (thanks, Joe Lehman):
5. Something you might not have heard before, from the Sir Douglas Quintet:
Also, Captain Bringdown, Gordon Lightfoot; Max Webster; and hurricanes hitting out west.
1. Atom and His Package, “Goalie”
There’s a conversation going on about the value of obese goalies over at Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish. One reader points out that the topic’s already been covered in song.
2. Stompin’ Tom Connors, “The Hockey Song”
I’ve always found him a little hokey. But add one letter, and you’ve got “hockey.”
3. Tragically Hip, “Fifty-Mission Cap”
Until I heard this song, I had no idea who Bill Barilko was. Until I heard this song, I also had no idea that the Leafs had ever won the Stanley Cup. It had always sounded like crazy talk to me.
4. Rheostatics, “The Ballad of Wendel Clark”
I wanted to include “Queer” but couldn’t find a clip. Poor Leafs fans: so many songs, so few Stanley Cups.
5. Claman/Toth, “The Hockey Theme” (The old Hockey Night in Canada theme song)
I’ll admit it: I never learned the periodic table. I probably never will. But if you’re up for it, here are some songs to help you out.
1. They Might Be Giants, “Meet the Elements”
My children listen to this pretty much non-stop.
2. Tom Lehrer, “The Elements”
It’s the song that defines the genre.
3. “Periodic Table of Rock”
Isn’t this the guy from the first Freecreditreport.com band?
4. The “Learn the Periodic Table Song”
If you like Billy Joel, this one’s for you.
5. Peter Weartherall, “The Periodic Table Song”
Who knew that chemistry would be such fodder for children’s singers?
In an attempt to end the Detroit Symphony strike, a Michigan state representative wants to make it possible for people in three area counties to vote to help fund the orchestra with a small increase in their property taxes.
It’s worth considering: orchestras, privately run as non-profits, are nonetheless civic institutions, and there’s no reason why property owners shouldn’t pay a little bit for something that improves the cultural life of their city (and their property values). The tax increase would be small, only about $20 on an assessed $100,000 worth of real estate (by my calculations, so I could be way off).
Assuming such an initiative goes before the public, here are some questions to ask before voting on it:
1. Is the orchestra an essential service? These are tough times for Detroit, and before voting to saddle neighbors with an added expense, it’s worth asking if the orchestra is something that the area absolutely needs.
2. How much government money already goes to the orchestra? The Detroit Symphony has taken some hits, delivered by the musicians, for mishandling its budget. Instead of raising taxes, perhaps local governments should pressure the orchestra’s financial managers to more responsibly account for how they use public money.
3. Is this a symbolic act? It’s great to show your love, but such as small amount may do little to solve the problems the orchestra faces.
4. Will this money really go to the orchestra? Can the municipal government take the money and appropriate it for something else? What are the guarantees?
5. In the end, will it really make any difference?
Any more questions? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
The New York Times critics’ blah-blah about Lincoln Center’s White Lights Festival–dedicated to spirituality and exploring our “inner universe,” something like that–got me thinking about music that makes me contemplate the Big Questions.
1. Rheostatic’s “Shaved Head” on Whale Music
For end-of-life poignancy, it’s right up there with Alden Nowlan’s “This is What I Wanted to Sign off With.”
2. Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”
In whatever version I hear it, this melody gives me that little chill on the back of my neck. You can’t help but feel as if we’re all in this together, and everything’s going to be OK.
3. Arvo Paert’s Cantus in Memorium Benjamin Britten
4. Ani DiFranco’s “Amazing Grace” on Dilate
The close association I have with “Amazing Grace” is highly connotational. My mom told me once that “The Old Rugged Cross” was my grandfather’s (her dad’s) favorite hymn, and it was played at his funeral. My grandfather died just before I was born, and whenever I hear any spiritual, I think about how Mom’s story helped connect two family members that never knew each other.
5. Above all, though, there’s this:
Writing about Ravel’s Bolero in the movie 10 (one of those movies that a guy who grew up in the post-AIDS 1980s finds horrifying) got me thinking about the songs that make me feel just a little bit … uncomfortable.
Here’s my top five (not that you asked):
1. Exile, “I Wanna Kiss You All Over”
This is the gold standard. Whenever I hear a song that is overladen with sexual innuendo (or explicit calls to action), it’s “I Wanna Kiss You All Over” that I compare it to.
2. John Mayer, “Your Body is a Wonderland”
This is one of those songs that measured up to Exile’s.
3. Rod Stewart, “Tonight’s the Night”
Another 1970s hit: #1 in 1976. Pete Townshend wrote a short story about this song. I read it when I was 14. It kind of messed me up for a while.
4. Bob Crewe and Kenny Nowland, “My Eyes Adored You”
“… Though I never laid a hand on you.” This is just the wrong way to put it, man.
Here’s a fun fact: the same people who wrote Frankie Valli’s only chart topper (in 1975; what was wrong with people back then?) also wrote “Lady Marmalade.”
Mark Likes Music 