the worst mix-tape ever
Just spent about 3 hours gardening in the rain with Steve. Sheer bliss. Other than the music. It is so much easier to weed when it’s raining. Oh, dear Steve, who has constantly fought (and lost) to have musical domination over me since that first date, May 9th, 1997.
I believe his exact quote was: “Elvis? You really like Elvis? Jesus. You don’t.”
me: “What the hell? You don’t like Elvis? What’s wrong with you, son?”
So imagine his dismay today when he played the worst MP3s file he could possibly pick. Really, someone needs to organize her music around here. None of the songs are bad, per se, it’s just… not a good mix. We had to have drinks to get through it toward the end.
(This was via the office computer over the loudspeakers in the backyard, while we worked. It just starts out bad. It gets a little better toward the end, if you can last that long):
1) Ben Harper: “Mama’s Got a Girlfriend Now”
2) Emmylou Harris: “Ballad of a Runaway Horse” (Wacky Boy: “I was listening to it. It’s about a girl, and her horse dies, or runs off or something, and she’s sad.”)
3) Bruce Springsteen: “Dancing in the Dark” (prompting Steve to yell to our daughter, “Please! Honey, play the next song! Please!!!!!” Wacky Girl, casual: “Sorry, dad, didn’t hear you.” (puts on the next song…)
4) Bette Midler: “Miss Otis Regrets”
5) Adam Hood: “Play Something We Know”
6) The Beatles: “All You Need is Love” (I love this song. And they used it in one of my favorite scenes of one of my favorite movies. Lynden David Hall is the singer, so brilliant. Too short of a life. Ahhhh… Steve bought me ice skates for Christmas one year, we went skating at Lloyd Center, then for Thai food, then to see “Love Actually.” The best date ever. Besides the dates where he got me “in the family way.” Those were memorable, too. Yeah, who’s establishing domination over who, baby? Who knows.)
7) ZZ Top: Beer Drinkers & Hell-Raisers (“If you see me walkin down the line/With my favrite honky tonk in mind/Well, I’ll be here around suppertime/With my can of dinner and a bunch of fine/Beer drinkers and hell raisers, yeah/Uh-huh-huh, baby, don’t you wanna come with me?”)
8) Tom Waits: “Warm Beer & Cold Women” (apropos, after that last song)
9) Bruce Springsteen (again): “Thunder Road” (Steve: “His lyrics are… are… (sputters) vapid! How can you like him?”) (He needs to stop, doesn’t he? Nothing about the Boss is vapid.)
10) Israel Kamakawiwo’ole: “Tengoku Kara Kaminari (Thunder from Heaven)” (did I even remotely spell that correctly?)
11) Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: “I Am A Pilgrim” (he actually likes that one — and it was the disagreement over the Byrds that got us started, cuz that was his first pick and I said, No way. Really. Please don’t make me listen to “Sweethearts of the Rodeo” or anything by Joan Baez ever again cuz I will stab myself in the eyeballs, throw a screwdriver or hairbrush through the window, just make it stop)
12) The Band, with the Staples Singers: “The Load”
13) Thelonius Monk: “Trinkle, Trinkle” (we both love this one)
14) Temple of the Dog: “Hungerstrike”
15) Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (Moment of silence for Marvin & Tammi, please. Two stories that just make me come undone.)
Speaking of Springsteen…
, 
.
You can’t go wrong with some Monk, or for that matter, Mingus, Poncho Sanchez, Celia Cruz, Coltrane, etc. But Bruce Springsteen makes me feel like stabbing myself in the eyeballs.
July 12th, 2009 | #
LOVED the clip from ‘Love Actually!’ I’d forgotten that part.
July 13th, 2009 | #
I have a huge love for ben Harper, but “mamas got a girlfriend now” is just awful. he has so may great songs who would add that to a mix? maybe replace it with “someone left a cake out in the rain”
July 13th, 2009 | #
Can’t be a bad mix if it includes Thunder Road!
July 13th, 2009 | #
Steve R., you have converted me to all kinds of music I wouldn’t know about if I hadn’t met u.
LIB, me 2.
JR, what about the falsetto part? That is good and hilarious, too.
TOL, that’s what I’m saying.
July 13th, 2009 | #
Go ahead stab yourself in the eyeballs if that’s what you need to do. Some of us like and are moved by this music. Why is it so important that you express your negative opinions. Got anything positive to say?
July 13th, 2009 | #
Mom, I’ve asked you politely to stop leaving comments.
July 13th, 2009 | #
Bad Oldies must be in the air. Sean was YouTubing (is that a verb? The Gerund of YouTube? Is that allowed?) Joan Baez the other night. Loudly. Took me waaaaay back to my parents’ pre-rock days. “Wellll I’m a raaaaake, and a ramblin’ boooooy…”
July 14th, 2009 | #
And who’s Al? You seem to have made his day. Does he go around looking for blogs he doesn’t like, so he can get all uppity, or what? Al, don’t ever read my blog.
July 14th, 2009 | #
Temple of the Dog. YOU did that to me! And NWA! That was all you.
and
“I, myself, am always down for a jack move.”
July 14th, 2009 | #
Al likes a madrigal or two, I think. That’s OK, we’re all entitled to our musical opinions. Just fyi, the whole eyeball thing was a joke. I really meant I (heart) everybody, and all bands, especially your favorites. With a side of Journey and REO Speedwagon. And Foghat. “Slow Ride.” Spent most of the weekend trying to convince my sistah and the Redheaded Guy to have either a Michael Jackson (or short of that, Journey) cover band at the wedding. No dice. He says Butthole Surfers or nothing. Just kidding! Meat Puppets is what he said. She would prefer Ween. Or Pavement.
wacky cousin, “i get straight/and meditate/like a Buddhist…”
July 14th, 2009 | #
Wait, what about the Tom Waits? Does that pass the Steve test? Warm Beer and Cold Women is one of my favorite songs ever!
July 14th, 2009 | #
Neisha, mine, too. The man does not care for Tom Waits. ???
July 15th, 2009 | #
Or NWA.
July 15th, 2009 | #