"There's a small place inside us that they can never lock away, and that place is called hope."
-- Andy Dufresne
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
I Could Never See You Depart Us
The Lone Star State will always hold a dear, dear place in my heart, but if there's anything I've learned in the past twelve months, it's that special things tend to happen in the 16th state to enter this glorious Union, Tennessee.
This past Sunday night, on a farm outside of Manchester, TN, two of my favorite musical worlds collided when Bruce Springsteen joined Phish for a 3-song sit-in as Phish closed out the 2009 edition of Bonnaroo. The first song of the collaboration was a 10-minute cover of Wilson Pickett's "Mustang Sally" with Bruce on vocals followed by two songs from Springsteen's 1984*-album "Born in the U.S.A.", "Bobby Jean" and the always enjoyable "Glory Days".
Here's video from "Mustang Sally":
Here's great footage of "Glory Days", which Trey absolutely destroys, but then again, what else did you expect from THE MASTER?
*1984: Good year. Well, except for the whole George Orwell thing, but I digress.
Congratulations to Mr. Dan Carlson for correctly naming "My City of Ruins" by Bruce Springsteen as the Tuesday Song of the Day.
As much as I enjoy anything that negatively impacts that baseball franchise located in the Bronx, the A-Rod steroid revelations are somewhat bittersweet due to the fact that his Primobolan -enhanced exploits took place while he was employed by the only baseball franchise that breaks, ahem, warms my heart, the Texas Rangers.
At this point, I'm really just looking for a list from Major League Baseball that tells me who didn't take steroids between the strike-shortened season of 1994 and the present day. If I somehow learn that in 1993, a newly-retired Nolan Ryan contemplated a return to the big leagues courtesy of a Primobolan boost, in the same year that I've been exposed to the worst of the 90's Cowboys-dynasty, well, I think I'm going to be begin to question whether the universe is really a benevolent and loving place after all.
Current Reading Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream by Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam
Ol' Bruce played a pretty darn good version of "10th Avenue Freeze Out" tonight at halftime of some football game in Tampa Bay, but that's not the first time he's done that.
As entertaining as the Fitzgerald-Holmes touchdown trade-off was, I'm still going with this as the most exciting sports-related moment of the day.
Fernando Torres, spreading the Spanish language all over Northwest England.
I'll have more to say tomorrow, but for now, I leave you with a TRE-MEN-DOUS performance of "The Ghost of Tom Joad" by Bruce Springsteen with a special appearance by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
Speaking of Springsteen, a week or two ago, the NFL announced that Bruce and the E Street Band would be performing at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa next year. It seems that since the Justin/Janet Wardrobe Malfunction in Houston a few years ago the NFL has decided to play it a little safer with halftime performers such as McCartney (2005), The Rolling Stones (2006), Prince (2007), and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (2008). I know, I never thought I would use the words "safe" and "Prince" in the same sentence either.
So, everyone, what are your thoughts on the choice of Bruuuuuuuuuce? Thumbs Up? Thumbs Down? Likely bathroom break?
My Heart Was Broke, My Head Was Sore, What a Feeling
As I was talking with one of my friends recently, the topic of World's Biggest (Current) Band came up, and we both ended up deciding on U2 without much disagreement. Perhaps you disagree with our conclusion, and that's fine, but the real question we had was who are the 5 greatest frontmen/frontwomen (if that's an actual term) in rock history?
I realize the question falls into the trap of constant arbitrary list-making that is the good old internet, but hey, it's the internet, what else are we going to do with it?
Some groundrules:
The person may have served a solo artist at some point in their career, but they are known primarily for their work with a band/group.
Even though a band/group may have done some landmark work, if you have to think for more than 5 seconds about who is actually the face of the band (i.e. Lennon or McCartney for the Beatles) then you've answered the question already.
There's really not any other groundrules. I just felt the need for three bullet points.
Let's get started...in no particular order:
Mick Jagger
Even though the man may look like a dancing corpse these days, he's one of the figures on the Rock and Roll Rushmore for the last half-century. It's hard to imagine the current theatrics of most lead singers without Jagger's manic stage influence.
Bono
The man has elevated the idea of rock star/philanthropist/statesman/spokesman to a new level. Sure, Chris Martin is making a good early run at the archetype, but he has a long, long way to go before he reaches the stratosphere that Paul Hewson currently occupies. Also, even though his voice is not what it was in the early to mid 80's, the man still knows how to captivate mass audiences around the world.
Bruce Springsteen
Here's where I come the closest to violating Groundrule #1. I'm working on the premise that the vast majority of The Boss's (not George Steinbrenner) work has been done with the E Street Band, and thus, Bruce is not operating as a "solo" artist. It seems that the thread running through the first three figures is the ability to stay relevant, in some form or fashion, for a number of years.
I'm not sure if you gain some sort of legitimacy for simply being in the public eye for a certain number of years, but ever since the masterpiece that is Born to Run, Springsteen has captivated audiences far and wide. Also, he manages to play concerts in his home state of New Jersey without the audience constantly booing. They're actually saying, "Bruuuuuuuce."
Jimi Hendrix
Again, I'm working on the assumption that Hendrix did most of his best work with the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Whether it was lighting his guitar on fire at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 or the unforgettable and maddening version of the National Anthem at Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix has worked his way into the popular musical consciousness of America like few artists before or after him. The landscape of guitar playing would look much different if Johnny Allen Hendrix had never left the 101st Airborne Division.
Thom Yorke
In what will probably be the most controversial (that is, if anyone actually cares) choice of the five, I'm going with Thom Yorke as the final member of the top 5. It seems that Yorke, along with his bandmates in Radiohead, have always been at the vanguard of musical adaptation and evolution in the past 15 years, and the results of last year's decision to sell In Rainbows on the internet sans any type of record deal are still being felt in the music industry and will probably be felt for years in the future. If anything, Yorke is the reluctant figure at the front of one of the world's most recognizable bands, but his influence will probably be truly understand only in the future as a new generation of musicians continues to further change the paradigm.
Honorable Mention:
Kurt Cobain
Roger Daltrey
Robert Plant
Jim Morrison
Bob Marley
Eddie Vedder
Axl Rose
Don Henley
So, there's my take. Feel free to tell me where you think I went wrong and how you would write the list differently.
From the Churches to the Jails, Tonight There is Silence in the World
Those of you who know me well are aware that the music of Phish holds a special place in my heart. For those of you that don't know me well, that's not because I'm a closet (or open) pothead or aspiring to become a hippie ne'er do well, but because whenever I listen to Phish, I hear the notes that are being played, but more than that, I hear the sheer joy that the four members of the band receive from doing something that they love.
One of my favorite pictures of Trey Anastasio features him not looking into the camera or at the audience, but up into the lights, simply lost in the moment. Some of you might argue that look is a result of Trey's substance abuse, and you might be correct, but I think it's something else.
It's the look of someone who has no concern for posturing or posing. All he knows is that the music is taking him to a place that nothing else can and he is merely along for the ride.
I don't come across those "looks" very often, but in my recent foray into the world of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, I came across this clip of "Jungleland" from the Hammersmith Odeon concert in 1975.
If you choose to watch the clip (which I highly recommend, otherwise I would not have taken the time to place it in this precious space) just watch Bruce when Clarence Clemons kicks into his famous solo. It may appear a bit more contained than Anastasio's reaction when the music takes over, but it's the same thing and that's why it's special.
Congratulations to Mr. Dan Carlson for correctly naming "Thunder Road" by Bruce Springsteen as the Tuesday Song of the Day. Dan, I'll have to look into that Born to Run 30th Anniversary Box Set, because if there's one thing that I've found with Bruce and the E Street Band, if it sounds good in the studio, it's going to sound even better live.
There's always that moment in a season for every team when the choice must be made between mediocrity and a chance at greatness. Not to make too much out of a 4-2 victory at Reading in the 3rd round of the Carling Cup, but yesterday's performance was perhaps the most inspired I've seen from the Reds since their win against Chelsea in last year's Champions League semifinals. Fernando Torres' hat-trick again raised his status as the striking threat that Liverpool have lacked since Robbie Fowler was in his heyday.
I don't know if the choice to move towards greatness was completed last night at the Madejski Stadium in Reading, but it appears that the Reds are not going to be satisfied with another finish behind Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United. It's going to be a fun ride.
The Screen Door Slams, Mary's Dress Sways Like a Vision
Congratulations to Mr. Jeremy Masten and Mr. Jacob Straub, a.k.a. "Chicago", for correctly naming "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel as the Sunday and Monday Song of the Day. Gentlemen, I apologize for not using a different song after Jeremy correctly identified the song and my subsequent failure to keep the revered Song of the Day contest from lapsing into disrepair and disrepute.
It seems that the songs that mean the most to me are not always those that have the most intricate time signatures or the most technical musicianship but are simply those that stand for something bigger than themselves. Songs that can grow out of a simple 3-5 minute timespan, inhabit a universe all their own, and cause me to dream and think.
I didn't grow up as big Bruce Springsteen fan, but I blame that on my parents. If I might digress for a moment: isn't that usually how you acquire your affinity for classic rock, through the conduit of the music choices of your parents during your formative years?
Growing up in the Scott household, we listened to The Eagles and Jackson Browne among others, but for some reason "The Boss" was persona non grata. During high school I began to develop my own musical tastes and through my career at ACU and Baylor, I've learned to value the musical foundation that I found growing up with the new additions that I have made in recent years.
Back to the topic at hand...recently I began listening to a sampling of Springsteen's work and the one song that I cannot get out of my head is "The Rising" from the album with the same name. The song essentially tells the tale of a New York City firefighter on 9/11 but is filled with spiritual and dreamlike imagery that paints a vivid tapestry of devotion, loss, and ultimately, hope.
Here are the lyrics:
Can't see nothin' in front of me Can't see nothin' coming up behind I make my way through this darkness I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me Lost track of how far I've gone How far I've gone, how high I've climbed On my back's a sixty pound stone On my shoulder a half mile line
Come on up for the rising Com on up, lay your hands in mine Come on up for the rising Come on up for the rising tonight
Left the house this morning Bells ringing filled the air Wearin' the cross of my calling On wheels of fire I come rollin' down here
Come on up for the rising Come on up, lay your hands in mine Come on up for the rising Come on up for the rising tonight
Spirits above and behind me Faces gone, black eyes burnin' bright May their precious blood forever bind me Lord as I stand before your fiery light
I see you Mary in the garden In the garden of a thousand sighs There's holy pictures of our children Dancin' in a sky filled with light May I feel your arms around me May I feel your blood mix with mine A dream of life comes to me Like a catfish dancin' on the end of the line
Sky of blackness and sorrow ( a dream of life) Sky of love, sky of tears (a dream of life) Sky of glory and sadness ( a dream of life) Sky of mercy, sky of fear ( a dream of life) Sky of memory and shadow ( a dream of life) Your burnin' wind fills my arms tonight Sky of longing and emptiness (a dream of life) Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life ( a dream of life)
Come on up for the rising Come on up, lay your hands in mine Come on up for the rising Come on up for the rising tonight
As if those lyrics don't paint enough of a heartbreaking yet hope-filled picture, Springsteen and the E Street Band manage to pull out all the stops in live performances of the song. Here's a video of a live rendition of the song at a concert in Barcelona in 2002.
The first song of the collaboration was a 10-minute cover of Wilson Pickett's "Mustang Sally" with Bruce on vocals followed by two songs from Springsteen's 1984*-album "Born in the U.S.A.", "Bobby Jean" and the always enjoyable "Glory Days".
