If you have been following me for a while you know that I'm generally very punctual and never miss a post but some rather difficult situations have come up right now and I'll be busy for the rest of this week. The blog will begin it's normal routine this coming Monday. If you are a religious person and find the time to shoot a prayer my way I would appreciate it, if you're not a religious person and want to send luck I'll take that as well. Hope everyone has been having a great week and pray that it'll be a safe one.
This will conclude our section on the trinity of musical influences, there is only one person that could fit the bill, the one and only Leonard Cohen. As stated in the previous posts in this series, one should never say much when dealing with such icons, anything that is said can never measure up to how legendary these three figures are, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen. These are three figures that everyone should be aware of and well versed in, the three God's within music who will live on forever, it'll do you good to know these three artists, your soul will benefit from the adventure. Enough has been said already though, let's let Cohen speak for himself.
Love from your humble blogger,
Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat
It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening.
I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record.
Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?
Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train
And you came home without Lili Marlene
And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife.
Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well I see Jane's awake --
She sends her regards.
And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way.
If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.
Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried.
And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear --
If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that when it comes to tragedies, I'm a man of few words, there is a time to talk and a time to mourn. I feel like sometimes during tragedies people seek to provide comfort with words that carry little weight, as if to produce some sort of false hope in the midst of chaos. Personally I feel that silence is more appropriate and more respectful. Our prayers go out to Tony Scott's family and friends, may you find love and comfort among each other during this tragic time. There have been many videos in memory of Tony Scott that have begun to encircle the web, I found this one to be the most appropriate, it's a few scenes from Top Gun where he is grieving over losing his best friend, let us remember the value of life and cherish those close to us right now for you never know what tomorrow might bring.
Last Wednesday I hosted Tom Waits and some of you got to be introduced to one of the three gods within the trinity. Today seems like an appropriate time to introduce the second part of the trinity, the one and only Bob Dylan, whose music is not only deeply poetic but also contains more soul than anything you could ever find on today's market. Dylan was a pioneer, he changed the game forever and will be remembered throughout time as a legend. These three posts will be shorter posts, for good reason though, when speaking about the trinity one shouldn't muddle the grounds with one's own words, no, we should let the gods speak for themselves. Bask in the awesomeness that is Bob Dylan and do yourself a favor and buy his albums if you do not already own them, they will change your life.
Love from your humble blogger
Bob Dylan - "The Times They Are A-Changin'"
Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You'll be drenched to the bone If your time to you Is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide The chance won't come again And don't speak too soon For the wheel's still in spin And there's no tellin' who That it's namin' For the loser now Will be later to win For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway Don't block up the hall For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled There's a battle outside And it is ragin' It'll soon shake your windows And rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin'.
Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don't criticize What you can't understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is Rapidly agin' Please get out of the new one If you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn The curse it is cast The slow one now Will later be fast As the present now Will later be past The order is Rapidly fadin' And the first one now Will later be last For the times they are a-changin'. [ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/bob+dylan/the+times+they+are+a+changin_20021240 ]
Dubstep had humble beginnings as per most electronica styles that arise new. As per tradition the Europeans were the first to release the "better" songs and the Americans struggled behind trying to make the new style work with their own previously recorded music but failing at every turn. The dubstep community was small and the rest of the world either did not take notice or thought of them as a "weird electronica thing" that would soon pass away, well weren't they surprised when dubstep not only became big but became a part of everyone's lives. Sometimes you really don't know what will succeed and what will fail when it comes to art, dubstep started as an interesting experiment but it has evolved into something new now, something greater, it has spread and created various sub-genres within it, it spawned various artists and allowed for an expression within music that previously had never existed, thus deserving some respect.
The issue found here is that now dubstep has become mainstream, it is being used in overtime, meaning, it's everywhere. It is tough finding a movie preview that does not include some sort of substep within it, the whole thing is becoming ridiculous, I wouldn't be surprised if soon we get a FOX News intro with dubstep in it, "*womp womp womp*'coming at 6, breaking news,' *womp womp womp* 'that will change your life' *womp womp*. You think this impossible? Well, it isn't. As soon as something becomes this mainstream it is sure to be picked up by everyone trying to "up" their ratings a little bit. The issue here and the cause for this post is that the name "dubstep" has been tainted by the amount of bad dubstep that is being used around us today, and that is sad really.
Believe it or not but there is good dubstep out there, like legitimately good artists that have perfected the art of dubstep and taken dubstep to the next level, a true evolution to the art, and these artists should be not only commended for making dubstep sound awesome but shared, for good music should always be shared with everyone. Due to the heavy amounts of crap that is being produced some of you might think that good dubstep is an impossibility, well, here is my defense of dubstep, my first defense mind you, if you are still not convinced then I'll do a second post and take things to the next level, but for now I feel that these four artists defend the art nicely. Enjoy.
Mt Eden Dubstep: Sierra Leone
Kayne West - all the lights (pretty lights dubsted remix)
Booty Luv - Say It (Nero Remix)
Alex Clare - Too Close (By far my favorite, something very different and awesome)
And there you have it, this is where I take my stand in defending dubstep, I truly think artists that are following Alex Clare's example are changing the game completely and should be shared more often, remember that there is good dubstep out there. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.
So there won't be a post today, I've spent the last 8 hours helping my younger sister move from home to a new apartment, though rewarding to see a smile on her face, the affair was rather tiresome, but I cannot leave you all with nothing, so I wanted to introduce you to one of my favorite sketch comedy crews online, funny or die. I thought that everyone knew about them but apparently there are still a ton of people that have not gotten involved in their awesomeness, follow this link and you'll be seeing is the reason why I didn't go watch the new Bourne movie, I'm sure it was super entertaining and all but honestly, wasting 10-15 dollars on a reboot/sequel just seemed too much for me, I'll wait for Netflix, much better idea. Without further ado here are some awesome videos from funny or die, also check out their site: funnyordie.com for more content. Oh, one important bit of information about funny or die is that it was started by Will Ferrell and some of his friends, so the videos host a large class of awesome talent, like a ton of celebrities have gone there, so give it a look, I assure you that you will be entertained, they did a few really funny sketches about the Olympics, they haven't posted them on youtube yet so I can't show them here but look on their site, its really funny stuff: (please put your sense of humor hat on before watching the videos please)
Well I hope that these videos might have brought a smile to your face, and hope you have a great weekend,
Sometimes it isn't about what we say that will change anything in life, it's about what we don't say. There are times that writers need to put their pens down and listen, where artists need not pick up their brushes and imagine, where actors need not perform but observe, but most of all, where we need to sit back and allow our mind's to fully grasp masterpieces in music, pieces that have changed time, pieces that give you words, dreams, inspirations...this is one of those times, and this is one of those pieces. Sit back, put some headphones on, listen to this tune and read it's lyrics; allow yourself to bask in the moment and notice what you previously had not noticed, lose yourself for four minutes, these might be the most important four minutes of your day.
Love From Your Humble Blogger
Tom Waits - "Time" (Rain Dogs)
Well, the smart money's on Harlow
And the moon is in the street
The shadow boys are breaking all the laws
And you're east of East St. Louis
And the wind is making speeches
And the rain sounds like a round of applause
Napoleon is weeping in the Carnival saloon
His invisible fiance is in the mirror
The band is going home
It's raining hammers, it's raining nails
Yes, it's true, there's nothing left for him down here
[Chorus:]
And it's Time Time Time
And it's Time Time Time
And it's Time Time Time
That you love
And it's Time Time Time
And they all pretend they're Orphans
And their memory's like a train
You can see it getting smaller as it pulls away
And the things you can't remember
Tell the things you can't forget that
History puts a saint in every dream
Well she said she'd stick around
Until the bandages came off
But these mamas boys just don't know when to quit
And Matilda asks the sailors are those dreams
Or are those prayers
So just close your eyes, son
And this won't hurt a bit
[Chorus]
Well, things are pretty lousy for a calendar girl
The boys just dive right off the cars
And splash into the street
And when she's on a roll she pulls a razor
From her boot and a thousand
Pigeons fall around her feet
So put a candle in the window
And a kiss upon his lips
Till the dish outside the window fills with rain
Just like a stranger with the weeds in your heart
And play the fiddler off till I come back again
