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About This Author
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Max's Musings
A math guy's random thoughts.
February 24, 2025 at 8:30am February 24, 2025 at 8:30am
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The Charile Daniels Band relesed "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" on their 1979 album Million Mile Reflections. Whle uncredited, , Vassar Clements originally wrote the basic melody an octave lower, in a tune called "Lonesome Fiddle Blues." Charlie Daniels moved it up an octave and added lyrics. Tthe lyrics, which are more of a recitative than sung, tell of a battle with the devil over the soul of a country fiddler. This is recognizably a varition on the classic deal with the devil  trope. In particular, Daniels has cited the poem The Mountain Whip[orwhill by Stephen VIncent Benet as the inspiration for framing the trope as contest of violinists.
The lyrics and music also mention at least three old-time country songs.
 Fire on the Mountain
The House of the Rising Sun
Granny Will Your Dog Bite
Ida Red
The last is referenced only by the lyric, "Chicken in the bread pan peckin' out dough."
The song rose to number three on the BIllboard Top 100 Chart, but the populatirty of "My Shirona" eventually stopped iis rise.
In my story, "The Package" , the song is playing on the radio as the protagonist drives home, as a bit of foreshadowing for what's in the unexpected package she finds on her driveway. If you want to read the story, please drop me a note for the passkey.
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February 23, 2025 at 12:27pm February 23, 2025 at 12:27pm
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"Softly and Tenderly" was written by Will L. Thompson in 1880 as part of the American Restoration Movement. It is based on the Bible verse Mark 10:49. It is among the most used gospel songs, and has circulated far beyond its original evangelical origins.
Growing up, my rather stern Congregationalist church never used this hymn--at least to my memory. Not paricularly a propos of anything, the history of this particular congretation included having the father of Robert Milliken as it's pastor. MIlliken won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1923 for measuing the mass of the electron. His autobiography describes my home town in the 1880s as having more saloons than taverns on main street.
That tedious anecdote aside, here's another. My first enocunter with this song that I actually remember was while watch the film Junebug. That's the performance I've linked below. In this scene, Allesandro Nivola sings the song a cappella, along with two extras from the local congregaton where the scene was filmed. The reactions from the other characters while he's singing add amazing depth to the performance.
It was this scene and Nivola's performance that inspired the associated story. In this case, it's final chapter of "Dreamin' Life Away" , "Chapter 11--Softly and Tenderly" . Dante is back in the subway to hell 1950s Tulsa and he hears two street magicians, a pianist and a violinist, performing an instrumental version of the song. For completeness, I'm including a link to the song Dante hears, but it's not what motivated its inclusion in this chapter.
If you want to read this chapter or any of the chapters, please email for the passkey. Here's a complete list of eleven chatpers:
Max Griffin
Max Griffin 🏳️🌈  
Novel
Genre: Slipstream, Supernatural, LGBTQ+
Teaser. Dante's boyfriend just dumped him. He's moved into a new place. Oh, and there's a locked door in his kitchen.
"Chapter 1. Sleep Walk" 18+: Dante can't sleep
"Chapter 2. Take Five" 18+: The Subway
"Chapter 3. Over the Rainbow" 18+: At the downtown subway station
"Chapter 4--Danse Macabre" 18+: At the Cool Cat Clothiers
"Chapter 5--Everyday" 18+: Everyday life's headed this way, faster than a roller coaster.
"Chapter 6--Mad World" 18+: Dante is back in his new digs
"Chapter 7--So What, Gymnopédies" 18+: Back in the subway station
"Chapter 8--You Belong To Me" 18+: The Screen Test
"Chapter 9--Get Happy, In Dreams" 18+: At the Club of Dreams
"Chapter 10--Rider on the Storm" GC: Back in Dante's bedroom
"Chapter 11--Softly and Tenderly" 18+: Back on the subway
"Songs in "Dreamin Life Away"" E: Links to the songs referenced in the story
Here's Nivola singing in Junebug.The movie is definately worth watching.
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February 22, 2025 at 5:20pm February 22, 2025 at 5:20pm
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"Riders of the Storm" was the last song recorded by the Doors and the last song recorded by Jim Morrison before his death in 1971. It was inspired, in part, by the country classic "(Ghost) RIders in the Sky," but has an altogether different vibe. Appearing in 1971, it's roots in the psychedelic anthems of the sixties are obvious. It was also influential in later develops in rock music, including punk rock and heavy metal.
Morrison attended a 1963 lecture on Martin Heidegger at Florida State University, a lecture which exerted deep influence on his life and art. In partiular, the lyrics of "Riders on the Storm" relfect this influence.. In Heidegger's view, humans are "thrown" into the world, left to confront issues such as personhood, mortality, and the dilemma of being surrounded by other humans while ultimately being alone. The song's lyrics reflect Heidegger's beliefs about existence:
Riders on the storm...
into this world we are thrown,
Like a dog without a bone
In "Chapter 10--Rider on the Storm" of "Dreamin' Life Away" , the protagonist Dante must finallly face the reality of his life. The storm that drums against the windows of his home echoes the consequences of the Faustean bargains he's made. The Doors song, starting with the sound of thunder and rainfall, followed by a keyboard riff leading to Morrison's haunting voice, is the perfect soundtrack for this chapter. Thiis is the penulitmate chapter of a novella that is, ultimately, about the questions Heidegger raised.
Max Griffin
Please visit my website and blog at
https://new.MaxGriffin.net
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February 21, 2025 at 8:55am February 21, 2025 at 8:55am
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Harold Arlen is perhaps best known for writing the score to MGM's 1939 release of "The Wizard of Oz." The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) ranked his "Over the Rainbow" number one on their Songs of the Century list. But Arlen was nominated eight times for the Academy award and was responsible for many familiar classics, including standards like "That Old Black Magic" and "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive." He also wrote "Get Happy" in 1930. Judy Garland sang the song in 1952 in her last MGM musical, "A Star is Born." Her performance is linked below.
The exuberant music and lyrics have gospel roots, and exhort the listener to "get happy" and "get ready for the judgement day."
There are two songs referenced in "Chapter 9--Get Happy, In Dreams" of "Dreamin' Life Away" . Yesterday's blog dealt with the Roy Orbison classic, "In Dreams," and explained its connection to the story. For "Get Happy," the connection is the line "get ready for the judgement day." In earlier chapters, the protagonist, Dante, has made a Fausitian bargain and has gotten his reward. But now it's time to pay the price. So, hearing the lyrics to "Get Happy" warns him to "get ready for the judgement day." The payoff comes when he hears "In Dreams," with a turning point that mirrors a scene in David Lynch's "Mullholland Drive."
The story has a surreal, slipstream mood, and I wanted the performance of the song to reflect that. So, instead of Judy's famililar performance, I chose the one Rufus Wainwright did in his Canrengie Hall concert. Wainwright's performance and staging copy the familiar MGM clip, right down to Wainwright dressing in drag, wearing black nylons, high heels, and a saucy little hat. Since Dante is celebrating his reward in the 1950s, I described Wainwright's performance but placed it in a 1950s gay club.
Here's Judy Garland in "A Star is Born"
And here's Rubus Wainwright, at Carnegie Hall
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February 20, 2025 at 11:14am February 20, 2025 at 11:14am
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Roy Orbison's "In Dreams" is an amazing, operattic rock ballad in seven movements. It tells the story of a lost love, now available only "in dreams." His 1964 release featured his phenomenal range, over two octaves and well beyond the reach of most popular singers. The song peaked at number 7 on the US charts. It regained popularity in 1986 when David Lynch featured the song in his provocative auteur film Blue Velvet.
I featured the song in "Chapter 9--Get Happy, In Dreams" of "Dreamin' Life Away" , where the protagonist hears it performed in a nightclub. I got the overall structure for this novella from Lynch's masterpiece, Mulholland Driive, although my story uses a linear timeline in contrast to Lynch. The pivotal scene in Lynch's movie--pivotal in the sense that it's where the timeline reverses--occurs in a night club where Rebecca de Oro sings another Orbison song, Crying, in Spanish. So, of course, my protagonist hears "In Dreams" in Spanish.
The lyrics of the song fit perfectly with the story's plot. The first chapter suggests that the protagonist murdered his lover, so the absent lover is surely available only in dreams. There are lots of hints, though, that something else may have be going on with the absent lover. I won't reveal the plot twist here.
Here's an amazing version of "In Dreams" in Spanish. Even if you don't understand Spanish, this beautiful language fits perfectly with Orbison's song and lyrics.
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February 19, 2025 at 10:28am February 19, 2025 at 10:28am
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Earlier in "Dreamin' Life Away" , Dante made a Faustian bargain while the Dies Irae ominously drummed away in the background. In "Chapter 8--You Belong To Me" , he gets the pay-off. Since he's time-travelled to the 1950s, I wanted a song from that era that reflected the cost of his big break. The lyrics for the 1952 song, "You Belong to Me," fit perfectly. Patti Page covered it in 1952 and rose to number 14 on the Billboard singles chart.
The version that I remember, though, is the one linked below, the 1962 release by the Duprees. Here, the all-male quartet crooning the lyrics "you belong to me" gives it an entirely different subtext. I remember thinking even back then that the lyrics were disquieting. Clearly, they are saying that the girlfriend "belongs to" her boyfreind. Not that he wants to be with her, or misses her. The lyrics declare ownership. The Duprees version rose to number ten on the charts, probably due to their soothing boy-band rendition.
In any case, the song's mood fits the 50s and the lyrics fit what's about to happen in the chapter. It's all metaphor, of course, but by the time the chapter is over, Dante's on his way to success--at least, in his slipstream dreams--and the price is his soul.
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February 18, 2025 at 9:06pm February 18, 2025 at 9:06pm
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Dante, the protagonist in "Dreamin' Life Away" , is a multiple failure as an artiist.
He hears a street-musician pianist playing this song in the subway that takes him to Tulsa in the 1950s, and remembers being laughed at when he played it for his audition to Juilliard. The music has a grave, despondent tone, which fits with the kind eerie vibe of this story. In addition, the title reference an ancient Greek term for the naked dance young Spartan warriors did. That connects it to the tension between Dante and his (apparenlty) murdered lover. So the mood and the title fit with "Chapter 7--So What, Gymnopédies" .
Satie wrote these three dances for piano in the 1890s, when his popularity was fading. However, other musicians have taken up the work. Most notably, Blood Sweat and Tears included a version in their 1969 album, which is the version linked below. That same album includes other amazing songs, including their version of Laura Nyro's "And When I Die."
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February 17, 2025 at 8:21pm February 17, 2025 at 8:21pm
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"Mad World" is a 1982 release by UK band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit. It's been covered by many other artists, most notably by Gary Jules for the movie Donnie Darko.
I love this song. I admit, I've never watched Donnie Darko, even though I'm a movie geek. The lyrics, including the line, "the dreams where I'm dying are the best dreams I've ever had," are supposedly derived from the ideas of the discredited psychologist Arthur Janov. His book, The Primal Scream, has semi-plausible pseudo-science with no evidence to support it. It has a few case studies, but the plural of "anecdote" is not "data."
So, there are reasons for me to dislike the ideas that inspired the song, including that one perfect line that inspired a chaper--in some ways, in inspired the whole novella. But because Wagner was a racist and anti-semite doesn't mean I can't enjoy The Siegfried Idyl.
Anyway, this haunting song is one that I love. It would be part of the soundtrack of my life even if it hadn't inspired a story. In this case, I use it at the start of "Chapter 6--Mad World" of "Dreamin' Life Away"
Here's the Gary Jules version.
Max Griffin
Please visit my website and blog at
https://new.MaxGriffin.net
Check out most recent release!
| ASIN: B0C9P9S6G8 |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 6.99
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February 16, 2025 at 8:16pm February 16, 2025 at 8:16pm
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Everyday, it's gettin' closer
Goin' faster than a roller coaster.
So starts the 1957 BuddHolly song "Everyday." It was the B side of his much better-known hit "Peggy Sue," but it's the one that I like much better of the two. The song reached number three on the BIllboard Top 100 chart in 1957, then hit number three again in 1987 when James Taylor covered it, this time on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Other artists to cover this include John Denver and Pearl Jam.
I used this song in "Chapter 5--Everyday" of the novella "Dreamin' Life Away" . Part of the plot of the novella is that Dante, the protagonist, is taken on tour of 1950s Tutlsa, sort of like another Dante's famous tour of...a similar place. Dante's rather bemused, possibly from taking drugs, and goes along with the tour without much thought or resistance. But he does have the feeling that every day his life is going nowhere, faster than a roller coaster--at least, that's what he thinks when he hears the song playing on the radio in his guide's Edsel.
There's a lot more I could say about this song or about the mulitple references I had fun putting into this story, but I've already blogged about the song elsehwere. As to the references, well, looking for Easter Eggs can be fun, so why give it away? (Looking at you, T.S. Eliot.)
Anyway, this particular blog is just about how the song connects to a story I've written.
Here's a link to the song.
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February 15, 2025 at 8:09pm February 15, 2025 at 8:09pm
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Today's song, "Take Five," is the best-selling jazz recording of all time. It was written in 1958 by Paul Desmond and released in 1959 by the Dave Brubek Quartet. It's quirky rhythms evoke thoughts of smoky coffee houses in Greenwich Village and beat poets like Allen Ginsberg. Hearing it, I imagine what it must have been like to sit in Lawrence Ferlinghetti's coffee house, City Lights, reading Kerouac.
It's an odd song to have become a hit. The key--E-flat minor--isn't what makes it strange. It's the meter. It's written in 5-4 time. Pick almost any song in the Western canon for the last, say, four hundred years, and you'll tap your toe to two, three, or four beats per measure, or some multiple thereof. (I know, there's Stravinsky and Le Sacre, but even Stravinsky reverted to conventional meter in his later years. Please don't bring up John Cage's piece 4'33”  ) The song's name comes, in part, from the rhythm. But it's also a reference to "taking a break," i.e., taking five.
My novella, "Dreamin' Life Away" , involves a character named Dante finding a subway in his basement that takes him back in time to 1950s Tulsa. To launch his trip, I wanted a song emblematic of the 50s. Of course, "Rock Around the Clock" might have been choice, both for it's importance in launching rock music and because "clock" would have been a nice reference to time travel. But...this is a slipstream story with a surrealist tone, so I wanted something unsettling. What could be more unsettling than a 5-4 beat that evokes Ginsberg and Kerouac?
The song appears at the end of the second chapter, "Chapter 2. Take Five" , when Dante finds the door to the basement subway.
Here's the link to the song;
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© Copyright 2025 Max Griffin 🏳️🌈 (UN: mathguy at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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Take on me is an excellent choice.
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