Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
24 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in On a Lighter Note Tags: coachella, jimmy kimmel
22 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in On a Lighter Note Tags: bernie taupin, chris elliott, david letterman, elton john, rocket man, william shatner
Above: Hosting the 1978 Saturn Awards (Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror’s Academy Awards equivalent) Star Trek’s Captain Kirk performs Elton John’s “Rocket Man”, introduced by none other than the song’s co-writer Bernie Taupin (doing his best to look “truly proud”).
Below: Chris Elliott, in an appearance on Letterman, parodies not only the performance but Shatner’s perceived status in the 70’s as acting has-been. Elliott’s TV series Get a Life had recently been cancelled.
21 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in On a Lighter Note Tags: accidental racist, brad paisley, ll cool j, stephen colbert
(Reprinted from Yahoo Music)
While Brad Paisley’s duet with LL Cool J, “Accidental Racist,” has managed to spark some serious conversation about racism in America–the tune inadvertently has done a much better job of inspiring wisecracks.
The latest to hop on the “bag on Brad” train? Political satirist/comedian Stephen Colbert, who grilled the tune on his Colbert Report this week.
Calling Paisley’s song a case of “unifying suckage,” Colbert explained that he was inspired “to write my own awful song in the hopes of bridging another deep cultural rift in America…the gay marriage divide.”
He then donned a cowboy hat and announced his new composition: “Oopsie-Daisy Homophobe.” Halfway through the spoof, he was joined by actor Alan Cumming, who gamely took on the role of misunderstood gay man. Watch for yourself–but be warned, some of the lyrics are a little…colorful.
Watch video here:
21 Apr 2013 3 Comments
in On a Lighter Note Tags: bacon makes it better, dennys
21 Apr 2013 1 Comment
in Best of the Blog, Songs You May Have Missed Tags: so freely, tir na nog
Tir Na Nog: “So Freely” (1972)
Music is life. Or a reasonable facsimile thereof. It’s like a tinted piece of glass we look through to see the reality of our lives more colorfully, more richly.
We need a wide variety of music to accompany the diversity of our life experiences, and to complement all of our many moods. This is something I’ve repeated so often that I sound like a corrupted digital music file (another good metaphor sacrificed to modern technology…) And in fact I have trust issues when it comes to people who like only one type of music; they’re usually less in touch with themselves.
When my ears still ring with Saturday night’s thumpa-thumpa I usually want Sunday morning to sound like a soft sigh. Something acoustic, something organic makes for the ideal aural/attitudinal palate cleanser.
For a period of several weeks as a teenager, my Sunday morning routine began with side two of Tir Na Nog’s Strong in the Sun LP (see link below, and in particular the song “In the Morning”). The previous week washed away and I gathered myself for the one upcoming. There was an ebb and flow to my week, and to my year. And music marked every swelling and falling, and the passing of every season–literal or emotional. Because music is life.
I recommend Tir Na Nog to anyone who likes Nick Drake.
See also:
https://edcyphers.com/2012/11/27/recommended-albums-30/
See also:
https://edcyphers.com/2017/09/12/songs-you-may-have-missed-617/
Every Moment Has A Song 