Music meme
Scott Lemieux and Roy Edroso invited me to play the shorter music meme. So here goes...
1. What is the total volume of musical files on your computer?
6.62 GB
2. What are you listening to right now?
- John Prine, The Great Compromise, Diamonds In the Rough, Atlantic Records, 1972.
Good Memorial Day listening. Prine makes geekiness the metaphor for earnest American patriotism. It's a good choice, geeks really understand disillusionment.
Up next, more gently subversive Americana...
- Randy Newman, Beehive State, Randy Newman, Warner Brothers, 1968.
3. Last CD I bought?
I bought these two at once.
- Bruce Springsteen, Devils and Dust, Sony, 2005.
- Mos Def, Black on Both Sides, Priority Records, 1999.
4. Five songs you listen to a lot and which mean something to you
i) Richard Thompson, "Read About Love", Rumour and Sigh, Capitol, 1991.
First off, I really identify with the narrator's outrage and bewilderment when the real world isn't how the book says it's going to be.
"Read About Love" is charming because it's such an affectionate satire of male privilege. The singer is a teenager with a lot of stereotypes about masculinity but no good advice about how to live up to them. It's a sad, funny song about what happens when a boy indiscriminately absorbs cultural messages about being Real Man and a great lover:
I did everything I'm supposed to do,
There's something wrong and it must be you...
His sense of outrage is directed towards his girlfriend, instead of the rigid social script that's left him feeling isolated and inadequate.
ii) Leon Rosselson, "Abiezer Coppe", Guess What They're Selling at the Happiness Counter, Fuse Records, 1992.
Rosselson is a Jewish atheist who is fascinated with the Christianity. Maybe there's some causal connection between his preoccupation and mine, I've been listening to his recordings since I was ten.
Abiezer Coppe was a capital "R" Ranter, a 1640s radical who preached a mystical brand of Christian socialism distinguished by its emphasis on drinking, dancing, swearing, and free love. In short, the guy really took the Gospel to heart.
iii) Stan Rogers, "Second Effort", Turnaround, 1978.
This is Canada's answer to The Boxer--as told by someone who's inconsolable but struggling heroically against loserdom.
iv) Si Kahn, "New Year's Eve", New Wood, Philo Records, 1974.
A great song from one of my favorite albums of all time. Two other great tracks from New Wood are "Like Butter Loves Bread" and "The Better Half of You".
v) Elvis Costello, "Radio, Radio", This Year's Model, Sony, 1978.
5. Three people I'm going to invite to play along: Lisa Sabatier of Culture Kitchen, Bitch PhD, and Steve Gilliard.
Oh the year was 1778...
;)
Posted by: Gretchen | May 30, 2005 at 08:02 PM
Ahh, a Richard Thompson fan. You are wise beyond your years.
Posted by: Nat | May 30, 2005 at 09:54 PM
Rumor and Sigh is such a great record...
Posted by: Scott Lemieux | May 30, 2005 at 11:46 PM
"I used to sleep at the foot of Old Glory..."
Holy shit. People still listen to that?
"Abiezer Coppe was a capital 'R' Ranter, a 1640s radical who preached a mystical brand of Christian socialism distinguished by its emphasis on drinking, dancing, swearing, and free love..."
I dunno. Like a lot of Cromwell-era nuts, Coppe had good instincts, but I am too close to my French Revolution readings to be very sympathetic with Apocalyptics who impute devils upon folks they don't like.
About Richard Thompson of course there can be no serious disagreement.
Posted by: roy edroso | May 31, 2005 at 01:06 AM
"I used to sleep at the foot of Old Glory..."
Holy shit. People still listen to that?
"Abiezer Coppe was a capital 'R' Ranter, a 1640s radical who preached a mystical brand of Christian socialism distinguished by its emphasis on drinking, dancing, swearing, and free love..."
I dunno. Like a lot of Cromwell-era nuts, Coppe had good instincts, but I am too close to my French Revolution readings to be very sympathetic with Apocalyptics who impute devils upon folks they don't like.
About Richard Thompson of course there can be no serious disagreement.
Posted by: roy edroso | May 31, 2005 at 01:07 AM
1649, 1778, and a Vincent Black Lightning 1952.
(I'm smiling. And I'm older than I look.)
-- Dog, etc.
Posted by: Ghost of Joe Liebling's Dog | May 31, 2005 at 01:19 AM
I will have to check out this Leon Rosselstein person -- thanks. Nice to see another occasional Stan Rogers mention. And I love that Richard Thompson song; it's so sweet and heartbreaking. I've been listening to stuff from "Rumour & Sigh" and "You? Me? Us?" off & on all day today.
Posted by: alphabitch | May 31, 2005 at 01:25 AM
and a note to dog, etc.:
a girl could feel special on any such like
Posted by: alphabitch | May 31, 2005 at 01:27 AM
6.62 GB? Oh my god. I have 1.09, which works out to about 300 songs, of which I only ever listen to 50 at most.
Posted by: Alon Levy | May 31, 2005 at 04:42 AM
The Eels, Bill Monroe, and Charles Trenet, not on an Ipod. I'm to old for an Ipod, I'd look like an idiot. I'm more the pink, 60's, Sony Transistor type.
Posted by: mudkitty | May 31, 2005 at 10:36 AM
If Richard Thompson were any better he'd be healing the sick.
Posted by: Patrick Nielsen Hayden | May 31, 2005 at 12:09 PM
I have been healed by Richard Thompson.
Posted by: alphabitch | May 31, 2005 at 01:03 PM
Folk music rocks...tee hee.
Posted by: mudkitty | May 31, 2005 at 09:03 PM
Reeally love Rosselson's "Stand Up for Judas"... the guy has a knack, no? Hey, Lindsay, I heard this song, "Punkin Brown", by The Barbed Wire Cutters (I think) that brought to mind some memes of your previous posts... see what you think.
^..^
Posted by: Herbert Browne | June 01, 2005 at 12:22 AM
Oh you crazy kids with your fashion and your music...you drive us old folks kabloooey!
Posted by: mudkitty | June 01, 2005 at 10:09 AM