ghosts

I want this song played at my funeral.

Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros ~ Long Shadow

Well I’ll tell you one thing that I know
You don’t face you demons down
You got to grab `em, jack `em
and pin `em to the ground

The devil may care –maybe God he won’t
Better you make sure you check on
the do’s and don’ts

Crawl up the mountain
to reach where the eagles fly
Sure you can’t glimpse from the mountain top
where the soul of the muse might rise

And if you put it all together
You won’t have to look around
You know you cast a long shadow on the ground

And then one day I could tell my tracks
by the holes in the soles of my shoes
And that’s the day I said
I’m gonna make the news
and falling back in the garden of days so long ago

Somewhere in the memory
the sun shines on you boy
Playing in the Arroyos
where the American rivers flows
From the Appalachians
down to the Delta roads

A man can think so long
his brain could well explode
There’s trains runnin through the junctions
and king cottons down the road

And if you put it all together
You won’t have to look around
You know you cast a long shadow on the ground

Listen to the country, the night jar and the bell
Listen to the the night streamliner
sounding like the wolves of hell
Head for the water – the waters of the cleansing spell
it was always our destination on the express of the ner do wells

And we rock through Madison city
man we didn’t even know she was there
‘til we hit the baffles in Memphis and Beale Street didn’t have no prayer

I hear punks talk of anarchy – I hear hobos on the railroads
I hear mutterings on the chain gangs
It’s those men who build the roads

And if you put it all together
You didn’t even once relent
You cast a long shadow
And that is your testament

Somewhere in my soul,
there’s always Rock ‘n’ Roll.


Joe Strummer wrote those lyrics for Johnny Cash. Not bad, huh.

party til you puke

iTunes will be the beginning and end of me.

I just bought Everclear's So Much for the Afterglow. AGAIN. I crushed the original when I dropped a stereo years ago. The CD was covered in scratches anyway. I wore the album out like my first copy of Weezer's Blue Album. Not to mention Cake's Fashion Nugget. I hate when people say shit like "the good ole days," but man, those were the days.

God, do you remember when rock music was fun and not so goddamn serious? When bands sang about surfing and crushes and drugs? Maybe that's why I'm so jaded with the current music scene. I can't take these boys and their perfect hair and monotone voices. How can I dance when you're crying black eyeliner all over your pretty face?

Very few rock bands combine both ultimate talent and pure fun. A friend of mine in college always philosphized about AC/DC, how they were the greatest band ever because they used the simplest music to create powerful songs about girls and partying. It sounds easy, but I can't believe how many bands fail at this simple task - rocking your face off.

At my latest tattoo appointment, the artist and I talked music, as we always do, and somehow Andrew W. K. popped, errr rocked, their way into the conversation. He happened to have their infamous I Get Wet on his iBook so one click of the play button and my mood completely changed. You know the lyric - When it's time to party/We will party hard. I always thought rocking out to Andrew W. K. must be similar to straight edge partying. It's the cleanest and best time of your time of your life.

The one time I saw Andrew W. K. perform live, he ran around like a kid without a leash and crowdsurfed on the freakin stage. He took the audience away from all the bullshit problems other bands go on and on about and into a world of adrenaline-fueled fun. I didn't care about my outfit or alcohol level - for that hour, my life was rock n' roll and nothing else. Some may call that ignorance, but I call it enlightenment. The world is a fucked up place but that doesn't mean you can't smile.

manic monday

Instead of spending the past three hours ironing work clothes, reading a good book, writing a real blog, or sleeping, I cruised iTunes for new music. This is becoming a Sunday night habit - pretending I don't have to work the next day. But for the moment my ears are satisfied and my iPod is rejuvinated.

Aquisitions:
1. Holy Hail
2. Sia
3. Muse
4. Kylie Minogue
5. Pet Shop Boys
6. Those Dancing Days

Really, these EPs are killing me. Those Europeans! I'm stuck with a few songs while I wait for the entire album to hit the states. Lately I'm in love with British songbirds who have a knack for songwriting and beats. Lyrics you hum all day long while dancing just a little. You'll notice your day is a little sweeter if you hum while you work. If I could whistle, I would - those seven dwarfs were onto something.

Question - how do people find time to be hip? At the least, it's a full-time job.

swoon

Sia ~ The Church Of What's Happening Now

I want to change, to rearrange
What is going on
I need to change, I need to play
Like a five year old

I can't detach from the past and all of the pain
I need to learn, start from scratch begin again

Throw away yesterday
Today is a brand new day
Throw away yesterday
Today is a brand new day

So I'm going to eat one hundred sweets
I don't care if I get fat
And I'm going to speak one I won't censor me
I know I can take nothing back

And I'm going to jump, I will unburden
I cannot go too deep
I will not run from bad things I've done
They're things I'll try not to repeat

Throw away yesterday
Today is a brand new day
Throw away yesterday
Today is a brand new day

Welcome to
The church of what's happening now
Head straight through
It costs nothing but change

Throw away yesterday

I get to see this beautiful woman perform in Boston Wednesday <3

munchies

There isn't anything extremely deep going on in my life right now. Although maybe I'm too busy to take a moment and reflect. Halloween was crazy and by the time I recovered, Friday night knocked me out. Andy and I had friends over for Guitar Hero and Wii Sports, including two of my brothers. It amazes me that even though we're friends now, we manage to find stupid shit to argue over. When I saw them Sunday, Pat and Chris were debating music on Cingular phones and it came up again last night. I hope they finally agreed to disagree.

So it's 5 PM and raining and I just got up. Andy stocked up on new toys - Sopranos Season 6 and Heroes Season 1 on HD DVD. Plus, we picked up Guitar Hero 3. Don't expect me to leave the apartment any time soon, except for snacks and drinks.

humming

Today is a good day. Let me count the ways.

1. I had a healthy dinner last night, warm and delicious.
2. Good night of sleep. I feel well rested for the first time in weeks.
3. I didn't hit snooze as often as I usually do (see above).
4. Red Sox day at work! I'm wearing the comfiest hoody ever.
5. Pumpkin spice coffee. OMG this made my morning.

Happy Friday :)

the future

All the leaves are brown
and the sky is grey.
I've been for a walk
on a winter's day.

I'd be safe and warm
if I was in L.A.
California Dreamin'
on such a winter's day...