Days Like This: Van Morrison

It's a pretty good day so far. The light snow we had Thursday night is all gone. Slept pretty well. Finally got a new writing project going. Plenty of good football coming later. I know, the day ain't over yet, but it's good now and I'm rolling with it.

"Well my mama told me there'd be days like this. When everything falls into place. Like the flip of a switch."

UPDATE:

Hey, I found this one too. One of my favorites and it fits the day. "Cleaning Windows." "I'm a workin' man in my prime."

Kinda Makes You Wonder Where It'll All End

My friend Bob Bell sent me this. I'm not sure where he got it or who put it together, but it's a very funny piece that's just dripping with irony, one of my favorite "writerly" things. Irony (sorry, I'm not completely over all those years in the classroom) is the "use of words to convey a meaning which is the opposite of its literal meaning." It's pretty clear that whoever wrote this doesn't want you run out and vote Democratic. So don't do it, ya hear?

I edited this down a bit and added a little Spike Jones after the list. Like Spike says at the end of the video, where will it all end? What will the Democrats do next and how many irony-blind folks will continue to vote for them?

1.    I voted Democrat  because 

I believe oil  companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene, but the government  taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.

2. I voted Democrat  because

I believe the  government will do a better job of

spending the money I earn than I  would.

3. I voted Democrat because

Freedom  of     Speech is  fine   as long as nobody  is   offended by  it.

4. I voted Democrat because

I'm way too  irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to  protect me from murderers and     thieves.

5. I  voted Democrat because

I believe that people  who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps  will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.

6. I voted  Democrat because

I'm not concerned about  millions of babies being aborted so long as we keep all death row inmates  alive.

7. I voted Democrat because

I think illegal aliens  have a right to free health care, education, and Social Security  benefits.

8. I voted Democrat because

I believe that business  should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They  need     to break  even   and give the rest  away     to the government for  redistribution     as the Democrats see  fit.

9. I voted Democrat because

I believe liberal  judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks  who would never get     their agendas past the  voters.

10. I voted Democrat because

I think that it's  better to pay billions to people who hate us for their oil, but not drill our  own because it might upset some endangered beetle or gopher.

Living In America

Sorry about the long time between my last post and this one. But I'm finally back. My brother has recuperated and Joyce is doing well. My personal inertia has also been overcome. At least temporarily!

Arlene Delgado, a Big Hollywood (one of Breitbart's sites) contributor, has a great article which presents ten conservative "lessons" to be learned in "Rocky IV." One of the ten lessons is the unashamed patriotism expressed in the movie, and in the discussion of that lesson she mentions this great James Brown song, "Living in America." If you've seen the movie, you'll remember the scene that features Brown and his song. This video (put together by mayee11)  isn't that scene, but there is one available on YouTube if you want to view it.

Check out the song's lyrics at the bottom of this post.

I'm just an old white guy who likes bluegrass, traditional country music, and early rock and roll, but, dang it, I've always had a soft spot for James Brown's stuff. And now I learn that he was something of a conservative. You read that right. A CONSERVATIVE.

If you didn't know that (or even if you did), you might find the Wikipedia bio on James Brown interesting. Here's a couple of interesting paragraphs:

In 1972, James Brown, when asked, openly proclaimed his support of Richard Nixon against the Democrat, George McGovern,^[35] and a nationwide boycott called by Black Democratic leaders damaged his status as the most successful Black entrepreneur in the country. Still, his popularity buoyed up his financial fortunes after a brief downturn, and he went on with his career, undaunted....

 In 1967, he issued a patriotic single, "America is My Home", which was a "rap" about how he felt people, particularly in the African-American community, were neglecting the country that he said "could give (them) opportunities" explaining how at one time he was shining shoes and the next, he was greeting thePresident of the United States as he did when President Lyndon B. Johnson thanked him for donating money to school drop-out prevention programs.

Lyrics for "Living in America"

Yeah, uh! Get up, now! Ow! Knock out this!

Super highways, coast to coast,
easy to get anywhere
On the transcontinental overload,
just slide behind the wheel
How does it feel

When there's no destination - that's too far
And somewhere on the way,
you might find out who you are

Living in America - eye to eye, station to station
Living in America - hand to hand, across the nation
Living in America - got to have a celebration

Rock my soul

Smokestack, fatback,
many miles of railroad track
All night radio, keep on runnin'
through your rock 'n' roll soul
All night diners keep you awake,
hey, on black coffee and a hard roll

You might have to walk the fine line,
you might take the hard line
But everybody's working overtime

Living in America - eye to eye, station to station
Living in America - hand to hand, across the nation
Living in America - got to have a celebration

I live in America, help me out,
but I live in America,
wait a minute

You might not be looking for the promised land,
but you might find it anyway
Under one of those old familiar names
Like New Orleans (New Orleans),
Detroit City (Detroit City), Dallas (Dallas)
Pittsburg P.A. (Pittsburg P.A.),
New York City (New York City)
Kansas City (Kansas City),
Atlanta (Atlanta), Chicago and L.A.

Living in America - hit me
Living in America - yeah,
I walk in and out
Living in America

I live in America - state lines,
gonna make the prime, that
I live in America - hey,
I know what it means, I

Living in America - Eddie Murphy, eat your heart out
Living in America - hit me, I said now, eye to eye,
station to station
Living in America - so nice, with your bare self
Living in America - I feel good!

Somewhere in My Memory is a Silent Night

My brother Dave has just about recuperated from his hip replacement surgery; he's been staying with us since he was discharged from the hospital, December 8. He went home to sleep in his own bed tonight, but he'll be back on Christmas Eve for our family dinner. Barry and his family are on the road, somewhere between Jackson, TN, and Nashville. If the good Lord's willing and the creeks don't rise, they should be in around 1:30 a. m.

It's getting to feel a lot like Christmas, even though we had rain all day long. Time for Christmas music.

I like this one. It's by John Williams and is from a famous and funny movie, "Home Alone." The song is "Somewhere in My Memory."

If you define "religious" as someone who follows a particular doctrine, you would not use the word to describe me. I was raised up in a church (and I'm glad for that), but I've spent a lot of time since then questioning that belief. This questioning was not bitter or angry (most of the time), but was done in an attempt to understand the ideas and principles of various religions. I'm not an atheist. Nor am I a faithful believer. Is there such a thing as a hopeful skeptic? Maybe that's what I am.

One thing is certain--I'm no scholar and I don't have all the answers. Matter of fact, I'm not sure I have any answers. But that hasn't stopped me. Over the years, I've read, thought, and led class discussions about the essential religious questions. Is there a God? What is His/Her nature? Is there an afterlife? Is morality possible without a belief in God? On balance, have the various religions (and their mythic structures) been harmful to civilization or helpful? I always found these questions and the answers that authors and students have proposed most stimulating.

I say all this as preface to the next Christmas song.

"Silent Night" is probably my favorite Christmas hymn. It brings back a happy memory from childhood: singing this song as part of a child chorus in a Christmas pageant in our old country church and understanding in my childlike way how important Christmas was and what it meant. Even now, in my 71st year, in my barnacled and skeptical dotage, I still feel very comfortable and content in the spirit that emanates from the melody and lyrics of "Silent Night." This version is by the gifted Andrea Bocelli.

Merry Christmas to any of my family who might read this. Joyce (I'm finally going to surprise you this year), David, Vicki, Roger and Lou Ann, Aunt Jo, Debbie and Mark, Larry and Judy, Sandy and Peter, and Helen and Joel. And all my other cousins and aunts and uncles and nephews and nieces.

Merry Christmas Ed (and Rae), Jeanne (and Max), George (and Sara), Bob (and Ellen), Andy, Buck, Deb, Staci, and Inno.

Merry Christmas to all my classmates and friends from Litton High, class of '58.

Merry Christmas to all my readers whoever you are and wherever you are.

And finally, merry Christmas to you, Joe Rose, you old scoundrel.

Coke and Candy Rocket Car

Y'all have probably seen this before, but it's new to me. I have no comment about this other than to say that I don't think I'll be mixing these internally in the near future.

Howlin' at the Moon

It's a clear, cold night in our part of the Holler. The moon's so bright it might look like that brilliant light everyone's supposed to see as they pass off of this mortal coil. When I took the trash out earlier, the woods in back of the house were quiet except for a solitary howl from a hound somewhere over the hill.

Everyone's asleep here at the Post. Brother Dave's downstairs in the guest bedroom catching some zzz's and recuperating from his hip replacement surgery. Joyce is sleeping peacefully in our bedroom. And I'm sittin' here at the old keyboard listenin' to Hank Sr. "Howlin' at the Moon."

It's been many years since I howled at the moon, but I guess I still got some of them "doggish ways."

Remember Pearl Harbor

I was only a year and seven months old in 1941, so I don't remember the attack that brought us into WWII. I've read the history though, and it's my belief that, like 9-11, the Japanese attack should be remembered in vivid detail each year. Whatever political party we belong to, we need to be reminded of the price others have paid for our freedom and that there still are those in the world who would destroy it.

I've selected two You Tube videos. The first is a collection of photos that overlay a song written soon after the attack (that's Sammy Kaye's orchestra providing the music). This video was prepared by a blogger named Jim Cox.

Here's the second video: Roosevelt's speech to congress and to the nation (via radio) which he made the day after the attack. After the speech, it took congress only seven minutes to declare war on Japan.

A Roy Rogers Cowboy Song for My Brother Dave (and George and Sara)

My brother Dave had hip replacement surgery early this morning. Everything went smoothly and he's doing fine. I spent most of the day in the hospital with him and Joyce joined me this afternoon. When we left around 8:30 p.m. he was doing okay. They plan to have him up and walking tomorrow, and if all goes according to plan, Dave will come home with us on Wednesday or Thursday and spend a few days until he gets back on his feet.

As I noted in an earlier post, Dave is a cowboy at heart, and so I'm posting this song for him. And also for good friends George and Sara, who caught the cowboy spirit and moved up to Montana about a year ago. I don't know if they've bought a ranch yet, but they are living the life under the Big Sky.

If you want to see the simple lyrics to this tune check out this blog; there are also some great pics of Roy and his family. By the way, I don't how you readers feel about the art of yodeling (it's a touchy subject with some people), but Roy has a really fine example of cowboy style yodeling at the end. I personally enjoy a good yodel myself.

An Old Cowboy Song by Rex Allen

When I was ten or eleven, Rex Allen was one of my favorite cowboy heroes. He made several singing western movies and had a successful recording career. Here's "I Ride an Old Paint."

Pipe Dreams

In a recent piece in the The Tennesseean about SEC football, David Climer says that while LSU coach Les Miles will probably take home SEC coach of the honors, Vanderbilt's first year coach James Franklin has earned consideration too. 


And he's getting it from his own school, Vanderbilt University. 

That's a pic of Franklin above, wearing his gold and black (Vandy colors) tie. Climer reports that a little under a year after his appointment, Franklin has negotiated a new contract and extracted a commitment from Vanderbilt to build a new indoor practice facility, something other coaches have desired but failed to get in the past. This success has come because in his first year as head coach Franklin won six games and came very close to beating Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, and Tennessee. And one other thing--the Franklin led Commodores are going to a bowl, just the fifth bowl in school history. 


I might also add that Franklin was recognized this spring as one of the outstanding recruiters in college football, and his first group of Vanderbilt recruits is said to be top notch, so look out next year. With a solid returning cohort of players and some great recruits, maybe those close calls against Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee will be chalked up in the win column in 2012. Let me do the math. That would mean a 9 and 3 season. Wow! 


And possibly in a couple years we could win the BCS championship. Beyond that, I can see a dynasty forming and many years of consistent wins over UT. In my crystal ball I can see LSU, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and other SEC giants being ground to dust under the Vandy steam roller.


Okay, okay. I've got to get a grip, I need to back up and look at this objectively, fully utilize the critical skills I've developed over the years as a Cubs fan and as a follower of Vanderbilt football since the late '50s. 


Franklin is a great coach and I love his intensity on the sidelines and his refusal to buy into the well established defeatist culture. But there's a reason why this kind of culture has evolved. From 1986 to 2001 the school won only 18 games in SEC play. In three of those seasons Vandy had a 1-10 record and in five of the years were winless in the SEC. Since 2000, Vandy has a 36-93 record (14-74 in the SEC). This is also the school that has devoured some pretty good coaches over the past three or four decades, coaches who thought they could turn things around. And the one or two coaches (e.g. Steve Sloan) that did make a little difference, quickly moved on to other colleges. 


Let's face it. When the state university (MTSU) down the road in Murfreesboro, a school you probably put on the schedule because it could be an easy win, beats you up pretty bad, your prospects aren't that good. Yeah, I know, that happened several years ago, but still. 


How about this? When the local newspaper starts each and every season, year after year, with a story about how it might be possible for Vanderbilt to win 4 or 5 games, things aren't so rosy in your football program. The football Commodores have received the SEC Miss Congeniality Award more times than any team (that's the award they give you because the other teams were glad you were on their schedule and they got to kick your butt all over the field for 60 minutes).


So...let's take this Franklin thing a little slower. As I said, I think he's a great coach and an excellent motivator. But let's not get too excited yet.  


And as for that possible 9-3 record in 2012 that I fantasized about, after a reality check, I realize that's about as likely as the Cubs winning the World Series next year.


Okay. It could happen. Yeah, yeah. I know. Anything's possible. Vandy could go 9-3 and the Cubs could win the World Series for the first time since 1908.


But in my humble opinion a 9-3 record for Vandy in 2012 is about as likely as Obama reversing his delay of that Canadian Keystone XL pipeline, opening up off shore drilling, cutting taxes, eliminating several cabinet level departments, and initiating other deep federal budget cuts in order to balance the budget before he leaves office on January 20, 2013.

Some Dirty Rounder Took My Jelly Roll

Somewhere there's probably a train song I don't like. But I haven't heard it yet.

Doc Watson's "The Train That Carried My Girl from Town" has been one of my favorites for a long time. It's track #18 on my Best of Doc Watson: 1964-1968 CD which is practically worn out from repeated plays.

Doc apparently learned it from the recordings of white guitarist Frank Hutchison (who seems to have learned it from an unknown black musician); check out this you tube of the original Hutchison recording if you're interested.

At the beginning, it sounds like the speaker in the song misses his girl real bad--he says he's so desperate he wishes the train would wreck. You might think he's crazy in love with her and wants her back with him, but as the song progresses, it becomes clear that he's mad, angry. And it's because his girl has run off with another man.

Now, a man's bound to get upset if some "dirty rounder" takes his "jelly roll." And to make things worse for the poor guy, his girl also "had her hand in his money sack." No wonder he's so pissed off.

The flat picking is unbelievable. Phenomenal. It's in a class by itself. You can have your Santanas and your Claptons, and your Richards, I'll take Doc in his prime anytime. The driving beat and the repeated licks and runs on the lower strings suggest the power and speed of the train (and perhaps the pounding he'd give the both of them if he caught them).

Lord a'mercy, this music almost makes me want to get up and do a little buck dance. Almost.

Original Slow Rocker Knockers

Writer Tony Russell described Smiley Lewis as the "unluckiest man in New Orleans" because Smiley was the artist who found the formula for "slow rocking, small band numbers" like "Blue Monday" and "I Hear You Knockin'" only to have Fats Domino come along and grab the whole gig. I like Fats' version and Gale Storm's pop version and Dave Edmunds' '70s cover of "I Hear You Knockin'" as well, but to me, the original by Smiley is the best. The tinkling boogie woogie piano and those droning saxes warm the cockles of my crusty old heart. Smiley, you died too young, man. We need you now.

Called by many the "father of rhythm and blues" Louis Jordan (below) is listed as #59 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of all time.  If you're like me you probably thought Little Richard's 1957 cut of "Keep a Knockin'" was the first, but Louis' slower, less frenetic version came out in 1939 (and there are even earlier versions).

Man, I like this kind of stuff. I can see Joyce and me in one of those classy '30s movie-style night clubs drinking champagne and listening to a whole set of Jordan's pre war "jump blues."