|
About This Author
I am SoCalScribe. This is my InkSpot.
|
Blogocentric Formulations
Logocentric (adj). Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics).
Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:
 "The Soundtrackers Group" 
"Blogging Circle of Friends "
"Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"
"JAFBG"
"Take up Your Cross"
Thanks for stopping by! 
February 29, 2016 at 9:08pm February 29, 2016 at 9:08pm
| |
** Image ID #2070351 Unavailable **
Song: "Dick In A Box" / "Motherlover" / "3-Way (The Golden Rule)"
Artist: Justin Timberlake & Andy Samberg
Album: n/a (Saturday Night Live digital shorts)
Okay, these three Saturday Night Live digital short music videos are probably the best thing I've seen on the venerable late-night sketch comedy show in the last decade. "Dick In A Box" caught just about everyone by surprise when it first aired, and quickly became one of the most viewed sketches online thanks to the hilarious lyrics and over-the-top acting of Samberg and Timberlake as early 90s ballad singers. The invention of a comedy troupe known as The Lonely Island (who had previous success with the "Lazy Sunday" song sketch), "Dick In A Box" (and its two follow-ups) were meant to showcase Timberlake's comedic talents and vocal range.
Here's the first song, "Dick In A Box" ... and I apologize for the side-by-side comparison to FNL (Furries Night Live), but it was exceedingly difficult to find a YouTube version of this sketch with both video and audio intact. Just pay attention to the right side of your screen, unless you enjoy furries, in which case, by all means enjoy the whole video:
After the success of "Dick In A Box" (the music video for which ended with the guys getting arrested for, well, putting their dick in a box and giving it as a gift to women), The Lonely Island created a follow-up called "Motherlover" and the video picks up right where the narrative left off, with Timberlake and Samberg getting out of the "Brooklyn Detention Complex" and realizing that they didn't get their mothers any gifts for Mother's Day. Thankfully, these two geniuses have "the second best idea they've ever had" and, well, feel free to watch the video (guest starring Patricia Clarkson and Susan Sarandon!  ) to see where they take it from there:
And finally, for those keen enough to spot the not-so-thinly-veiled attraction between Samberg and Timberlake's characters, the "3-Way (The Golden Rule)" video picks up the morning after Mother's Day and show us what happens when the friends show up for a booty call at the same girl's apartment at the same time (special appearance by Lady Gaga):
I know these digital short music videos are juvenile and silly, but I think they work perfectly for an SNL sketch. In an era where a lot of SNL sketches go on too long and aren't that funny or memorable, The Lonely Island crew managed to create some pretty catchy songs and the music videos accompanying the lyrics are pretty well done.
This kind of sketch comedy has a special place in my heart; I first figured out what I wanted to be a filmmaker when I helped a friend in high school with video projects for our class assignments. Anytime a teacher gave us an option for an assignment (you know, when they say you can choose an essay, a presentation, a test, etc.), he would always ask, "Can I make a short film?" Helping him with that process was what first made me fall in love with the medium and, of course, as teenage boys, most of our stuff was immature humor. This is exactly the kind of video we would have made just for the experience of making something, so watching these videos rekindles that little spark I felt back then and makes me want to develop another short just to have some fun.
On the larger issue of the whole "The Soundtrack of Your Life" this year, I had a really great time putting together this playlist. With the new job, I had to scramble a couple of times after getting a few days behind, but I'm proud of (most of) the music that I put together and think it's a pretty accurate reflection of the one-hit wonders, guilty pleasures, soundtrack-inspired tracks, and perennial favorites. I always look back at the end of an activity and review all the songs and blog entries I've written over the preceding months and I have to admit, I'm pretty happy with my choices this time around. Can't wait for the next one! 
|
February 29, 2016 at 7:58pm February 29, 2016 at 7:58pm
| |
** Image ID #2070351 Unavailable **
Song: "Stutter"
Artist: Marianas Trench
Album: Ever After
I'm doing something I've never done in a Soundtrackers event before, which is steal a song from another blogger. And a member of my own "Invalid Item" no less! Sorry, Dragon is hiding  , but I just couldn't help myself. Ever since I listened to "Stutter" at the beginning of your Soundtrackers do Soundtracks week, I haven't been able to get the song out of my head! This has become my default pick-me-up song. Whether I'm getting tired of a droning audiobook on the drive home, or feeling that after-lunch lethargy at my desk at work, this is the song I put on to wake myself up (and get my toes tapping while I'm at it).
I don't know if it's just the energetic dancing in the video (is that the jitterbug? jive?), or the song itself... both both, but I really dig the energy. I tend to have a revolving door of songs I'll obsess over for several weeks at a time before another one eventually catches my interest, and this is my favorite "song of the moment." I've been listening to it pretty much nonstop for two weeks now, and I'm not even close to sick of it yet.
One of the things I realized in compiling and writing about songs for this "precious few" week is how many of the songs I was inclined to choose are generally upbeat, up-tempo, or generally positive. I've been thinking about that all week and I'm pretty sure that the reason I tend to gravitate toward positive or uplifting tracks is because I most often use music as an escape or a jump-starter when I want to get out of a bad mood. I'm a pretty optimistic, positive person in general and when I'm in a bad mood or a dark place, I want to get out of it as quickly as possible. As a result, I don't tend to like songs that either drag me back to that place or let me wallow there... instead I'll choose stuff that will pick me up and move me out of it. I don't really have any kind of musical aptitude of my own; I can't play any instruments and I'm 99% sure that I'm tone deaf which makes my singing abilities... well, probably on par with the American Idol audition rejects everyone laughs at for being so amusingly clueless about their singing abilities. Thankfully, I am well aware of how awful I am, so you won't see me wasting my time auditioning on any singing competition anytime soon. 
Anyway, I digress. The point is that music is kind of sacred to me. It's something that I find incredibly evocative and impressive because it's one of the few things that I just flat-out suck at. So when I'm choosing songs or even just listening to music, I can appreciate the artistry of a downer of a song, or maybe even enjoy it for a short time, but chances are the songs that really stick with me day after day and year after year are going to be the songs that lift me up and pull me out of a dark place.
|
February 29, 2016 at 3:59pm February 29, 2016 at 3:59pm
| |
** Image ID #2070351 Unavailable **
Song: "Nothing I Hold Onto (Climb)"
Artist: Lissy Lategan
Album: n/a
Even though I've been regularly attending church for over four years now, it wasn't until the last year or so that I really started to listen to Christian music outside of church services. Like all music, there are definitely some songs I really like and some songs I really don't... but it took a while for me to start venturing out and trying to find those songs in this genre that I actually like and want to listen to outside of a service.
This is one of the first songs that I discovered on my own, and still one of my favorites. I tend to prefer Christian songs that have a broader appeal; I feel like songs whose lyrics draw heavily from the Bible or have really specific Christian/biblical messages aren't really my speed because I think the specificity of the message in those songs tend to turn off people who aren't already strong in their faith. As a result, I tend to go for songs that are generally uplifting and inspiring; the kinds of songs that, for example, I don't think would make a non-Christian riding in my car squirm in discomfort if they heard it playing on the stereo. 
I love the reminder in this song to surrender all things to God. One of the really beautiful aspects of the Christian faith is that you have a higher power that's walking with you and looking out for you, and for those of us who believe in that kind of thing, I think it's an important reminder that it's okay to let stuff go and not feel like you're the only one who can handle a particular situation. It's an incredible stress-reliever to listen to this song and be reminded of the fact that if you stop holding back and give everything to God, he'll turn it into something beautiful.
To be fair, though, some of the lyrics I'm a little skeptical of. Climbing a mountain with your arms wide open? I'm not sure my faith is that strong yet... 
|
February 29, 2016 at 3:32pm February 29, 2016 at 3:32pm
| |
** Image ID #2070351 Unavailable **
Song: "How You Remind Me"
Artist: Nickelback
Album: Silver Side Up
If you thought I wasn't going to include some questionable music choices just because "Guilty Pleasures" week is over, then you don't know me very well.
In my defense, though, this album was the one I turned to at a really critical point in my life... when I found out the first girl I thought I actually had a chance with wasn't interested in me. Believe me when I tell you I wish it had been a different album; this was the year of the Gorillaz and Ryan Adams and Bleed American from Jimmy Eat World! Why, oh why, did I have to land on Nickelback of all artists? 
Regardless, this was the album I listened to when I was probably at my most brooding and gloomy. I still listen to it from time to time when I want to recall those emotions, especially when I'm writing something that needs to capture that emotion. For better or worse, Nickelback is one of those bands that is an emotional touchstone for me, which means I can probably never escape them.
I know I usually include some kind of interesting tidbits and musical factoids in my Soundtrackers, but I'm not going to give Nickelback the satisfaction of spending time reading and researching them. Sorry/not sorry, Chad Kroeger! 
|
February 29, 2016 at 3:03pm February 29, 2016 at 3:03pm
| |
** Image ID #2070351 Unavailable **
Song: "Peace of Mind"
Artist: Boston
Album: Boston
This entry isn't really so much about this specific song (I almost went with "More Than A Feeling") or even about the band Boston (I almost went with a number of others: ELO, Steppenwolf, Foreigner, Styx, and Steve Miller Band); it's about the whole genre of classic rock. When I was growing up and my mom would take us to school... especially in the later years just before I got my license... we constantly debated what to listen to on the radio (this was just at the very beginning of CD players in cars, folks!). I wanted to listen to stations that played more popular music, usually in the pop, alternative, rock, or hip/hop genres. My mom wanted to listen to her smooth jazz and easy listening and - while I can appreciate the dulcet tones of Dave Koz and The Carpenters as much as the next guy - I didn't want to fall asleep in the car on my way to school!
To my surprise, we both settled on classic rock, and frequently ended up singing and air-guitaring along to great classic rock songs like this one, or any number of others by the bands listed above. It kind of became our thing, and I learned far more about classic rock than any of my classmates just because I spent so much time listening to it every morning. There was something supremely satisfying about a class discussion about what we're listening to on the radio and being able to interrupt all the votes for TLC's "Waterfalls" or Ace of Base's "The Sign" with something old school like "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas.
Because of all those years my mom and I spent listening to our town's classic rock station (which had an awesome morning DJ, by the way), I will always have a special place in my heart for the genre. It pains me that artists that were popular rock artists of my childhood (Aerosmith, Heart, Billy Joel, Metallica, Nirvana, etc.) are now labeled "classic rock," but I suppose that's the nature of getting older. Still, for me, classic rock will always be those great rock bands from the late sixties through early eighties, many of whom are still performing today with varying degrees of their original lineup. One of the items on my bucket list is to check out a concert by one of these older bands and see if they've still got it.
|
February 29, 2016 at 2:26pm February 29, 2016 at 2:26pm
| |
** Image ID #2070351 Unavailable **
Song: "Again"
Artist: Janet Jackson
Album: janet.
Confession time: Michael Jackson is not my favorite Jackson. Don't get me wrong; I think he's immensely talented and his success is undeniable, but I've always been a Janet fan more than I've been a Michael fan. Ever since Control was released in 1986, I've been a consistent fan of her work and while her work hasn't always lived up to that album's five-times platinum, 13-million-selling, Billboard No. 1 status, I've admired her continued ability to write new and interesting songs. After her first two unimpressive albums under the direction of her father, Janet Jackson broke out on her own with Control and has since released nine studio albums (including Control), the least successful of which (2006's 20 Y.O.) still went platinum and reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. With the exception of plateauing at No. 2 for albums 20 Y.O. and Damita Jo (2004), every single one of Janet's studio albums since and including Control has reached No. 1 and has, at minimum, been certified Gold (although her October 2015 album Unbreakable is not tracking as well and may break this streak).
The biggest struggle I had with this entry was not choosing whether or not I should blog about Janet; it was about which Janet song to choose. Should I go with some of her iconic earlier work like "Nasty" or "Rhythm Nation" or "Escapade?" Or should I go with some of her more recent work like "All For You" or "Just A Little While?" I ended up splitting the difference and going with her mid-career stuff, which were the first albums and songs I listened to as they were released rather than discovering them after the fact. I almost went with "Go Deep" from The Velvet Rope or "Runaway" from her Design of a Decade compilation... but I ultimately decided to go with this song because it (and the album) were so incredibly influential at a time when I was first starting to become aware of pop culture and social issues.
This song wasn't just a No. 1 single on a No. 1 album... it was also the closing song to (and originally written for) Poetic Justice, garnered her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. This was also her current album when the now-infamous Rolling Stone cover where she appeared topless with her then-husband Rene Elizondo, Jr.'s disembodied hands cupping her breasts.
Janet, like her brother, is a music icon that has - for decades - been at the forefront of musical ingenuity. I still listen to her albums even thirty years after their release and find them relevant and catchy. My "precious few" list wouldn't be complete without at least one offering by Janet.
|
© Copyright 2024 Jeff (UN: jeff at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Jeff has granted InkSpot.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
|
