A question I get asked a surprising amount is “What kind of music do you listen to?sd” This is, as with most things involving me, rather complicated. The shortest answer is the one I give out the most.”Oh pretty much anything, but I tend to listen to a lot of indie rock. Oh, and I hate polka” And that’s literally about word for word what I tell people. Especially the “I hate polka” part. Mostly, because It’s only kinda a joke: I don’t hate polka. Well, I used to. But Beirut kinda changed that. But that’s not the point.
The point is, what is this blog. To be honest, it’s something I’m still trying to figure out. I don’t know what I’m going do with it. I don’t know what it’s going to be. I don’t know if I want anyone else, or if anyone else would want to, write in this here blogsd2.
Ok, so. Basically, what this probably will start out as, hopefully, is just another way for me to do BSOWs but not on Friday.
Which, especially as of right now, makes sense. Music, more than any other thing ever, drives my emotions. Every good or bad period of time in my life I can pretty much tie to songs, which is what I’m trying to get through when I write BSOWs. They are, in actuality, songs that move me, and that makes me want to share them with everyone. I really have no feelings about what any of these people that read this blogsd3 or BSOWs in generalsd4. But for some reason I want a record of them somewhere in the cloud. Something I haven’t totally figured out (I have. It’s so when I do die people know what songs to play at my funeral.sd5
But yeah. It probably will be a single song focus, and the emotions around those songs naturally, blog. And mostly not new music. It may evolve, b ut I doubt it. Besides President Obama, I never was a fan of change.
There is a lot about me that most people wouldn’t guess. I think. I try to keep myself, mostly, as an enigma. This is mostly because I am weird. But still. I’m afraid of normal stuff. I thinksd. I never talk about this with anyone. But that’s why God invented blogs right?
Anyhoo, as of late, the only thing I’ve been afraid of is leaving my bed. Unless I really, really need to. And it’s not because I’m afraid of the dark (though, to be honest, I’m not fond of it). But for a different reason.
You see, something that I didn’t know about DC before I moved here was that there were rodents. I mean, back homesd2 there were squirrels, and out in the suburbs there are possums and shit. And in a couple of places, yes, there are rats. My cousins who lived in worse areas than I used talk about rats and shit, but I thought that was a myth. Friends, I was wrong.
This became evident first when a friend of mine moved to the Foggy Bottom neighborhood and I lived in Arlington. I was walking home and I saw a rat. I called both my friend and my roommate and they both said it was normal. Which, honestly, scared the shit out of me. Mostly because RATS SHOULD NEVER BE NORMAL.
Look, I love most animals. Truly, I do. But rats and mice scare me. And they are rodentie. I know that isn’t a word, but it should be.
But my problem with mice and rats is this. They are in my room. This is what my problem is. They are in my room. I am trying to sleep. And the worst part is this small mutherfucker looks at me. AND RUNS AROUND MY FUCKING ROOM. And I hear him. It bothers me, but I hear him. All the time.
Fucking Mice.
In semi-related news, lately one of my favorite songs has been “The Racing Rats” by the Editors. It’s related because the title is “The Racing Rats”, and rats are one of those things that I’m scared of.sd3
Anyhoo. right now this is my favorite song. And not just because it is awesome. Which it is. But, possibly, also because it reminds me of the opera. Hear me out. Opera is a big thing. Not like society wise, but performance wise. Opera, with the dancing and singing and music and all that, is literally big when done rightsd4. And that’s that’s the type of band the Editors are. They are a big band with a lot going on within their songs. And it is all amazing. Which, of course, is why I love them. And this song.
I’m a creature of habit. Well, at least in respect to my media input. Not a lot of people know this but I tend to shape my (Friday) movie watching around what season it is. Major League gets watched during baseball season. Mighty Ducks during hockey seasonsd And Friday Night Lights during football season.
Friday Night Lights is the only thing I’ve genuinely followed, and love, across three different forms of media: book, film, and television. So it holds a special place for me. And not just because it brought the term “QB1” to mainstream America. But because it changed my life. Mostly the whole concept of perfection. But also, lately, because of a line spoken by Mike Winchell. I’m getting it wrong, mostly because I haven’t watched the movie in about two months nowsd2, but Winchell and Coach Gaines are in a car, on the way to the undisclosed location to break the tie, and Winchell asks his coach the simple question: Do you believe in curses? Winchell does. Winchell believes that no matter what good things are not supposed to happen to him. And I’m wondering if I’m starting to move in the same direction.
I don’t have the greatest luck. It’s hereditary. I think. But over the past couple of weeks I’ve been going through a problem with my landlord. Something that was not my fault at all. But, because I live without a leasesd3, I have no real control over my housing situation. So, in order to, basically, live where I’m living now, or have any shot of getting my stuff I have to comply. So, basically, I’m out of a lot of money. Add this to the fact that I caught my roommate doing drugs in my kitchen yesterday, and it’s a fun week had by all. And by all I mean me.
Anyhoo, the song that most reminds me of FNL(movie) is Your Hand in Mine by Explosions in the Sky. Yes, I know another three guitar band making me 2/2 in song posts so far. But still. It’s an awesome song. And it gives me hope. Because if Winchell can find happiness, so can I.
Or something.
Your Hand In Mine Explosions in the Sky The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place
ditriech: oh, and me being a dick commented on your facebook post ED NOTE: this was the article in the fbook post that started it. But, to be honest, the grammies started it. And we will fight them until we win ksg: lol ksg: It’s a hilarious end to a hilarious conversation in that link. ditriech: which is part of why i did it ditriech: i tend to rtfa ditriech: quick question ksg: k ditriech: by “record” do they mean “song”? ksg: Yeah ksg: But it’s the Grammy’s and they haven’t seen any sort of musical recording device in 23 years. ditriech: ok ksg: I think the distinction is one is for songwriting and the other is for production. ditriech: ok, makes sense ditriech: and only one song per artist im guessing? ksg: usually ksg: i think like maybe once ksg: there were multiple nominees ksg: that year that santana won every award including best jazz recording and most times fellating a donkey ksg: (actual award, look it up) ditriech: haha ksg: i actually like carlos santana, that just sort of happened ditriech: in order: 1) halo is annoying as fuck. I mean, B can sing, but i hate the word “Halo” now because of her. I cant play my xbox360 anymore now ditriech: it’s a problem ditriech: 2) Im pretty sure i know this song, but its forgettable like every other black eyed peas song ditriech: 3) Be somebody, to me, is infinitely better ditriech: 4) Just dance, to me is at least as good ditriech: 5) love story came out last year right? or is the the real title to love story? because love story is better ksg: just dance would have been eligible last year ditriech: ok ksg: okay the eligibility rules are fucked ksg: let me explain ditriech: then im fine with poker face ksg: album awards are eligible based on when the album is released ksg: and the cutoff is like october 1 or some random date that is not something obvious like 1/1 ksg: of course, singles get released before and after albums get released, so you can have an album come out after the deadline, but a single before it, and the single is eligible one year and the album and subsequent singles the next ksg: see: gaga, lady ditriech: …haha ksg: and i hate to admit how addictive the first thirty seconds of bad romance are ditriech: oh god ksg: i also do not actually know which BEP single that was from their last album ksg: they really are all the same fucking song ditriech: all her songs, well, singles at least, are like crack ditriech: seriously ditriech: i know one they say “shut up” a lot ksg: the one they just put out i do not care for ditriech: another they say “let’s get it started” over and over ksg: imma be or some such thing ditriech: wait. im talking about them in general ksg: yes ditriech: its what they do ksg: and i will forever loudly sing let’s get retarded over that ditriech: im singing it now ksg: because (1) be true to your roots and (2) harold and kumar and (3) it’s associated with women’s college basketball ditriech: plus i like the radio version of “get it started” vs. the version of “let’s get retarded” ditriech: seriously, that’s genius right there ksg: it’s no “broke broke” ksg: but it’s good ditriech: “hey, we dont want to offend the retards, what do we do?” ditriech: “let’s say ‘get it started!’” ditriech: im like 85% positive that’s how the conversation went ksg: the other 15% was “puff puff pass, fergie. PASS.” ditriech: haha ditriech: “no fergie to the left! your other left!” ksg: like brittany on glee ditriech: god i love that character ksg: she’s fantastic ditriech: my favorite thing two things about her ditriech: to date are “me and santana arent in love” i’m paraphrasing ksg: how can you consistently give the best line in an episode to the character that has one line per show. ksg: it’s a talent ditriech: and her dancing in the kurt’s (curt’s?) single ladies video ksg: yes, “if having sex is dating, then santana and i are dating” is probably the best wtf moment on tv in a long while ditriech: yes ditriech: that ditriech: mostly because then i imagined it ditriech: and approved ditriech: twice ksg: she’s who they made me talk to when they found out i kept a bird in her locker ksg: my locker* ditriech: yeah ditriech: seriously, one of the better characters on tv in a while ksg: i am sort of amazed, though ksg: i went back and re-watched the premier ksg: thinking that they were fucked since they had head cheerleader and starting qb and they had to be seniors ksg: not so. written in from the beginning that they’d be around for a while. ksg: but still, a sophomore starting qb in ohio is a stretch. ditriech: really? ditriech: huh ksg: yeah ksg: rachel is a sophomore for sure ditriech: def. ksg: cheerleader makes reference to ruling this school for the next few years ksg: i would say the only people they could lock in as seniors are the two or three other football players ditriech: but not even them because, really, who are other asian and shaft? ditriech: dancers ditriech: that’s about all we know about them ditriech: so they could be freshmen for god’s sake ditriech: …speaking of which, for some reason i really want them to do “The Freshmen” by the Verve Pipe. or at least make the freshmen glee members do it next year ditriech: this is mostly because i’m weird ditriech: wait. wait. wait ditriech: i have a bigger problem than the goings on of glee ditriech: which i love, as we’ve talked about ditriech: MGMT is up for best new artist ditriech: and, i know we talked about this before w/r/t 50 Cent ditriech: like i can find the convos if i really wanted to ksg: lol ditriech: but what bothers me most is that a) I like MGMT. Like a lot. ksg: more shitty grammy rules ksg: yes ditriech: b) this is the second time since i moved to DC that i realized i liked a (relatively) new artist ditriech: MGMT not really new. technically ksg: no ditriech: but Beirut, when i fell in love with them ksg: but close enough ditriech: was right after their first record ditriech: so: am i a hipster? ksg: see i thought you had to smoke ksg: but i never did ditriech: right ksg: i can send you my copy of the hipster handbook ditriech: haha ditriech: nice ksg: cavs up 5 ksg: but liking sports basically eliminates us instantly. ditriech: and, what makes me like MGMT more (and Ratatat) is “Pursuit of Happiness” ditriech: really? ditriech: good ksg: yeah ditriech: because we’ve been out a while then
Everybody needs a theme song I think. This is just one of those things that is unarguable.
Ok, that’s a lie. You can definitely argue that. But it’s smart for everyone to have a theme song methinks. You need something to ground you and remind you of who you are. Or something. I mean, I have two.sd. But what’s odd is how this one came to me.
Or, you know, not at all odd for me.
You see dear %n, there used to be a time when young ditriech actually _did_ watch real TV. Like with a cable box and everything.
I know. I’m shocked too.
Anyhoo, because he mostly watched sports, he watched a lot of commercials about beer, Viagra and, well, other sporting eventssd2. However, one commercial in particular stood out to him. It was for Busch beer. You know the one. The one that used the snow and possibly dogssd3. And the song “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Now, to be honest, I’d been aware of Skynyrd before. I mean, who hasn’t heard “Free Bird”sd4? And, I’m almost positive I’d heard “Simple Man” before. I mean, how could I not have? My father and mother both loved Skynyrdsd5. “That Smell” reminds me of childhood. But it took a beer commercial, for Busch no lesssd6 to make me listen too in.
And listen to it I did. Within the span of a couple of weeks I’d memorized it and used it (mostly at least) as the way I live my life. And, I mean who could find fault in this idea? Why wouldn’t one want to find a woman, and find love? Where’s the controversy in wanting to be satisfied? Who doesn’t want to remember that “troubles will come, and they will pass”?
Anyhoo, the opening post of this blog (that I, for one, hope lives up to the awesomeness of it’s namesd7) is, apparently, about this excellent, excellent song by my favorite duo, trio or band to drink to. So enjoy. We all know I will be.
Lynyrd Skynyd
Simple Man
(pronounced ‘lĕh-’nérd ‘skin-’nérd)
