I can’t say for sure that 2009 was the year I read the most I have in my life, because it’s the first year I’d actually kept track of how much I read. However, I can say that it was the most eclectic reading year of my life. I read 53 books, just over a book a week, and that includes graphic novels, fantasy series, mystery/thrillers, memoirs, theological works, Pulitzer-winning literature, modern literature, classic literature, YA literature, even a manga or two.
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. The cover song is possibly the closest it gets in the music business. From time to time an artist may record an entire album’s worth of cover songs. And once in a blue moon an artist may even record an album of covers of only one other artist. A Tribute record. Willie Nelson did it with To Lefty From Willie, his 1977 Lefty Frisell tribute. Matt Houck, better known by his stage name Phosphorescent, has continued the tradition with his album To Willie, a record of some of the Red Headed Stranger’s hits and rarities. I’ve always told people I didn’t like country music, which given today’s definition of country music is true for the most part, but I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Willie. Whether it’s the fragile voice, the perfect songwriting, the hippie braids or the beat-up guitar, there’s just something about him you can’t help but love. I don’t even know if Willie knows about the record Houck has made, but he should be flattered. Matt has managed to not merely cover Willie’s songs, but to put a bit of himself in them. The brokenness in his own voice conveyed in “Can I Sleep In Your Arms” (best track on the album by far) and “To Sick To Pray” coupled with the wry humor/cleverness of “I Gotta Get Drunk” is a dynamite combination. If you’re a fan of Willie, or a fan of Phosphorescent, or a fan of MUSIC, pick up this album.
How much does your life weigh? Imagine for a second that you’re carrying a backpack. I want you to pack it with all the stuff that you have in your life… you start with the little things. The shelves, the drawers, the knickknacks, then you start adding larger stuff. Clothes, tabletop appliances, lamps, your TV… the backpack should be getting pretty heavy now. You go bigger. Your couch, your car, your home… I want you to stuff it all into that backpack. Now I want you to fill it with people. Start with casual acquaintances, friends of friends, folks around the office… and then you move into the people you trust with your most intimate secrets. Your brothers, your sisters, your children, your parents and finally your husband, your wife, your boyfriend, your girlfriend. You get them into that backpack, feel the weight of that bag. Make no mistake your relationships are the heaviest components in your life. All those negotiations and arguments and secrets, the compromises. The slower we move the faster we die. Make no mistake, moving is living. Some animals were meant to carry each other to live symbiotically over a lifetime. Star crossed lovers, monogamous swans. We are not swans. We are sharks.
That quote from Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air covers Ryan Bingham’s entire philosophy of living. All of his possessions are in the luggage on wheels and the wallet in his suitcoat. He carries dozens of keycards for hotels, car rental companies, airlines, etc. He lives on the road and in the sky. Ryan’s family accuses him of self-isolation. Ryan counters “I’m not isolated, I’m surrounded.” But it becomes fairly clear that the random people Ryan encounters in planes and airports aren’t enough. Without even realizing it, he’s seeking relationships. Community. He meets Alex, a fellow constant traveler with similar philosophies, and they form a sexual connection. But that isn’t enough for Ryan, and it’s a joy to watch him realize that. I won’t go into where the relationship goes, and there’s so much more to this film I didn’t bring up, but I love the way this film depicts the difference between living in isolation and living in community. The final scene of the film is filled with interviews of people Ryan has “fired” telling how they made it through the ordeal. Each of them depended on their family and friends to get them through it. That’s what we need. God made us to be together, not alone.
In an effort to keep with this whole blogging more in 2010 thing I’m trying, I thought I’d dig out a short story I wrote a few months ago (well, a month or two ago) for a challenge a friend of mine laid out. The challenge? Be creative, and include eggs. So I wrote this story extemporaneously. There’s a bit of profanity, so sensitive minded folk be warned and be aware that this is a story about real people who maybe don’t have the same standards as you. It would be false art to not let them speak the way they would speak if they were real. That is all. Hope you enjoy. Feel free to critique…I’m a tough guy.
It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? Anyway, I made this list for the .net, but thought I should put it here and expound on it a bit, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll start the new year off with some blogitude and keep it rolling. 2009 was the year I decided to read more and to keep up with it. I read 53 books in all, which averages out to a book a week…you’ll hear more about that in a future post. So 2010? 2010 is going to be the year I blog more. I’ve decided. This is happening. I hope the one or two of you who may find this hold me to that. Anyway, Happy New Year and all that….let’s get on to the music. I’ll post this in alphabetical order by artist, because I didn’t want to rank them. However there is one album that rose above them all…..
It’s been a hard few weeks. My girlfriend of a year and three months broke up with me. I lost my job temporarily (got it back now). I still don’t really know where I’m supposed to be when it comes to work or church…or really anything. But I’m living, and I’m going to keep going. I had a really rough summer last year, and this one had been good until recently. It’s hard when something you love and take for granted goes away. Not surprisingly, music’s helping me get through this. This Avett Brothers song (big surprise) has really helped today. Enjoy.
This week Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and the King of Pop Michael Jackson all passed away.
I’m a little too young to have been greatly affected by any of the three of these celebrities’ work, though I’m not sure there’s a non-Amish soul in America that hasn’t been at least somewhat affected by Michael’s music. I learned of Michael after he had already started to go crazy and turn himself into a white woman, so I feel like my experience with his music has always been a bit tainted. That said, there’s nothing like putting an old jam from Thriller, Bad, or Off the Wall and trying to moonwalk.
The man was crazy. We all know that. I just hope the legacy left is the music and not the insanity.
I’m so tired of fighting.
of being right.
of being a know-it-all.
of living with know-it-alls.
of losing patience.
of finding myself not sleeping.
of dealing.
of scary dreams.
of trying.
of lying.
of holding on.
of letting go.
You take yourself out of the game, you start talking about puppy dogs and ice cream and of course it’s going to end up on the friendship tip. — Trent, “Swingers”
