Say Please

More like thank you! To put Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) and M. Ward together in the same band is almost more than I can handle! I haven't had a chance to listen their new album, but here's "Say Please".

Wrong

Happens that I was in the right place at the right time to end up with a ticket to a Depeche Mode concert tomorrow at the Ford Amphitheater in Tampa.

I was checking up on them to see what was new, and discovered "Wrong." I watched the video with morbid fascination. I'm embedding the link, but it comes with a WARNING. It is disturbing. If you can stomach mob movies, I guess you can handle it. In summary (duct tape, speeding vehicle, creepy mask, helpless passenger) it made me uneasy, which is probably its intent.

Wrong lyrics
I was born with the wrong sign
In the wrong house
With the wrong ascendancy
I took the wrong road
That led to the wrong tendencies
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time
For the wrong reason and the wrong rhyme
On the wrong day of the wrong week
I used the wrong method with the wrong technique

Wrong

Wrong

There's something wrong with me chemically
Something wrong with me inherently
The wrong mix of the wrong genes
I reached the wrong ends by the wrong means
It was the wrong plan
In the wrong hands
The wrong theory for the wrong man
The wrong eyes on the wrong prize
The wrong questions with the wrong replies

Wrong

Wrong

I was marching to the wrong drum
With the wrong scum
Pissing out the wrong energy
Using all the wrong lines
And the wrong signs
With the wrong intensity
I was on the wrong page of the wrong book
With the wrong rendition of the wrong look
With the wrong moon, every wrong night
With the wrong tune playing till it sounded right yeah

Wrong

Wrong
(Too long)
Wrong
(Too long)

I was born with the wrong sign
In the wrong house
With the wrong ascendancy
I took the wrong road
That led to the wrong tendencies
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time
For the wrong reason and the wrong rhyme
On the wrong day of the wrong week
I used the wrong method with the wrong technique

Wrong

Livin' in a New World

Warning this song contains language and ideas that may offend you.

I won't pretend to know what it's like to be worried about the police profiling me. Tho, I did get stopped and searched at the Canadian border once. Anyhoo, I have been really perplexed about the state of racial relations in this country. Part of me doesn't believe it's as bad as others make it out to be, but another part of me sees it. The separation of cultures is not a bad thing. I think what kills us is the separation of people. I think one of the best ways to understand other people is through art. Rapper Black Thought (Tariq Trotter) tells a graphic story of being under constant surveillance, and when I listen to The Roots, I feel like I understand him.

remember what was yours is everyone's from now on

Michael Jackson's memorial was held today, but instead of reflecting upon Jackson's life and work, Wilco's twangy-country "What Light" lyrics are on my mind.

If it's true that our creativity, once expressed, becomes public property, then Mr. Jackson has made a tremendous contribution to all who have heard his music. Go ahead. Express yourself and let that inner freak shine. We'll love you for it when you die.



If you feel like singing a song
And you want other people to sing along
Just sing what you feel
Don't let anyone say it's wrong

And if you're trying to paint a picture
But you're not sure which colors belong
Just paint what you see
Don't let anyone say it's wrong

And if you're strung out like a kite
Or stung awake in the night
It's alright to be frightened
When there's a light (what light)
There's a light (one light)
There's a light (white light)
Inside of you

...

And if the whole world's singing your songs
And all of your paintings have been hung
Just remember what was yours is everyone's from now on

And that's not wrong or right
But you can struggle with it all you like
You'll only get uptight
Because there's a light (what light)
...
Inside of you

I lost my bearings ten minutes ago

I procrastinate when it comes to chores, especially painting. Trim is tedious, and baseboards are the worst. Yesterday, I managed to get myself painting the living room baseboards. To make my task more enjoyable I had a beer and turned on the radio. 

As I was crawling around on my hands and knees, a song came on that caught my attention. 

It started out with a catchy drumbeat that had a tense energy and seemed to skip. Beck’s voice then eased in over the marching rhythm and blipy video game sounds. There seemed to be underlying playfulness to the melancholy chords. 

The song was Modern Guilt, and listening to it took my mind off painting just enough to feel like I was doing what I was meant to be doing.

The rhythm marched forward in a reserved way. The lyrics dissolved into da-da-dadadas and I was pleasantly lost. 

I just watched the video, and it's PERFECT. Exactly right.  

Modern Guilt lyrics

I feel uptight when I walk in the city

I feel so cold when I'm at home

Feels like everything's starting to hit me

I lost my bearings ten minutes ago

Modern guilt, I'm stranded with nothing

Modern guilt, I'm under lock and key

Misapprehension

Is turning into convention

Don't know what I've done but I feel ashamed

Standing outside the glass on the sidewalk

These people talk about impossible things

And I'm falling out of the conversation

And I'm a pawn piece in a human shield

Modern guilt is all in our hands

Modern guilt won't get me to bed

Say what you will

Smoke your last cigarette

Don't know what I've done but I feel afraid

Don't Worry - play reggae

Still basking in the positive vibrations of last week's inauguration, I came by the PlayingForChange video on YouTube. I'm a sucker for a French guy singing in English. Anyway, it seems like a fun endeavor. 

The six days I spent in Washington, D.C. gave me greater insight into the daily grind of our nation's leaders. And visiting our capital made history seem more real to me. If you haven't been, you should put it on your life's to-do list. 

While there, I visited the following places, most were free.

Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Washington Monument, Capitol Visitor Center, National Gallery of Art (East and West), Corcoran Gallery of Art, Natural History Museum, Renwick Gallery Museum, Smithsonian Institution: Sackler and Freer Galleries, National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum

I've already posted these on facebook and sent them to everyone I know, but if you haven't seen my photos, feel free to have a look.

wonderful world, beautiful people

Jimmy Cliff

On Friday, January 16, Helen and I took the metro to the Capitol. She arranged a private tour of the Capitol Building and the new visitor center. The tour included a visit to Senator Levin's hideaway office, which was formerly John Glenn's office (yes, that John Glenn). From the office window we saw workers setting up the stage where Barack will give his speech on Tuesday.

The senate was in session, so we slipped in to see Sen. Maria Cantwell from the great state of WA delivering a pitch for funding of smart cars, smart energy grids and manufacturing incentives for green businesses. We caught her in the act of genuinely representing the interests of WA residents. Unbelieveable.

After eating lunch in the Senate cafeteria, we headed over to the Library of Congress, and then checked out the US Botanic Garden.

I'm grateful to be in DC with the millions of other supporters. I can't wait to attend the We Are One concert tomorrow.