(Belated Thanksgiving post.) There are a number of things I sayings I use relatively frequently that I assume everyone around me understands. ”Flames on the side of my face” is one people typically get. But whenever I say “Debbie, Debbie” or sing “Eat me! Eat me!” I tend to get blank stares. Both of these are, of course, from the instant 90s classic movie, Addams Family Values. This is one of those fantastic movies that when you watch again as an adult you get all the double entendres that are lost on children. Cheers to Marc Shaiman for writing the song that is actually called “Eat Us.” I’d say this is pretty much the only Thanksgiving song anyone needs. If you don’t laugh at 1:15, you are no friend of mine. We had a lovely Thanksgiving at the beach this year. (Much more lovely than last year when I was in the throes of morning sickness and just ate crackers.) I found myself singing this song to my little baby. She thought it was funny and if singing a song that is just wrong and disturbing can get a little sweet laugh out of the baby, then sing “Eat me!” I shall!
Archive for November, 2011
“Eat Me”- Addams Family Values – Marc Shaiman
Childish Gambino “Heartbeat”
I know I’ve been out of the loop lately, but I just realized how much. I just happened to walk into the room right when Childish Gambino took the stage on Conan. The set up with all the computers and keyboards in a semi-circle was all space age looking. When the singer started rapping, Daniel and I simultaneously walked toward the screen. Drew us in with kind of performace that was kind of frenetic and vulnerable. The whole time I was thinking, who is this?? Did he really just say that on national tv? Just looked him up and oh, you know, his album is only #2 on the itunes charts. He’s only pushing 400k followers on twitter. He is on a tv show I’ve heard of, but not seen. He is not related to Danny Glover. His persona lyrically is one half super cocky one half hiding behind the safety of his cell phone. So I’m out of the loop, probably was never in it anyway. But I’m going to check out his album which seems to be a concept album. Read the lyrics to Heartbeat. Pretty crass and modern. I like when people can sing about texts and not be cheesy. Gonna jump off and listen to the album. Thinking it is going to be hard to capture that energy on an album: Here is a live performance to give you a taste of why.
The Beach Boys “Little Deuce Coupe”
When I was in fifth grade, I went to Space Camp in Huntsville, AL. My stepdad made me a tape for the bus ride down there. One side of the tape was The Beach Boys and the other side was The Supremes. As you can imagine, it was a musically eventful trip. I’d listen to the tape and envision a school talent show where everyone danced to different songs. I would choreograph the dances and have a solo when they mentioned Southern girls in “California Girls,” etc. The Beach Boys are pretty much it in my book. Although I didn’t, I always believed I’d walk down the aisle to “Aren’t You Glad.” (I’m completely partial to the live concert version because their casual vibe and the screaming teenage fans are in such stark contrast to the mature emotion of the song. Plus, Mike Love is kind of a jerk in the beginning. Ha.) Daniel has a song called “High Time” and it was pretty much a shoo in as one of my favorites of his because it mentions The Beach Boys. Although his musical knowledge, I will reluctantly admit, is wider than mine, I was excited to turn him onto the clips of “Good Vibrations” on Smiley Smile (tracks 24 & 25). It is so fantastic hearing the song come together and eavesdropping on them in the studio working towards the final perfected version. He’d also never seen Endless Summer and we kept it on a loop for a few weeks this past summer. So, the post features “Little Deuce Coupe” because I’ve been listening to the She and Him Christmas record and it has “Little Saint Nick” on it, which is to the same tune. I should also mention that until yesterday I thought the title was “Little Deuce Scoop,” as in two ice cream scoops. There was a ride at Opryland called “Little Deuce Coupe” and I suppose I just have always gotten it wrong. Closing Opryland Theme Park was just about the dumbest move ever. Grizzly River Rampage?? Flume Zoom?!? Come on!! Apparently, ”Little Deuce Coupe” is now scrap metal. Heaving nostalgic sobs.
Friendly Fires “Helpless”
Digging this song “Helpless” by a British band, Friendly Fires. I love discovering bands from Europe because I never have a preconceived notion about them. They could be the most hated or most loved band over there and it doesn’t color my perception of them. They could be 12 or 60 and I wouldn’t know. With American bands, I know so much about a band before I even hear their music. Be it their tabloid exploits, their Harvard background, their trailer park upbringing, their music that is the salvation of all things cool in the world or their music that is universally understood to be utter shlock that I should be embarrassed to listen to. I heard them on the radio and probably would have pegged the poppy band for a Northeastern group of 20 somethings, so, you know, I was a continent off. And I like that. A little surprise here and there is a good thing. My tastes are all over the map. Snobbery, get thee to someone much more foolish than me. I’ve been able to impress and horrify friends with music I know well in the space of five minutes. What is the point of making fun of someone for their musical tastes? Or their lack of musical knowledge? Or their devotion to polka? Daniel played me Semi-Charmed Life, Don’t Steal My Sunshine, and Beauty and the Beast yesterday and I friggin loved it. And I swear he did too. Music is made to be enjoyed and shared and to bring people together. I live in a musical community and the amount of shit talking about other people’s records is probably more intense. Yesterday I heard “it is so bland it is like it isn’t even there.” I’ve been guilty of calling someone’s work crap myself, of course, but I really think people need to tone down the hate, even if it is hilarious. I may not like it, but there are 7 billion people in the world and I guarantee you that someone else will. Best to say, “It is not my thing.” Hey, if a person recorded it and put it out, that is at least one person that thinks it is worthy for someone else to hear. Their parents also probably love it, so that makes three. And probably an aunt, a cousin, and an old friend from high school. Before you know it, you have ten people who like your total crap music. My baby has music tastes already and she is not even five months old! I know I’ve got a lot of Raffi just around the corner and that is as it should be. People’s taste constantly shift and change as they age. I probably wouldn’t devote hours to “Talk, Talk, Telephone Talk” (my favorite Babysitters Club Soundtrack song) or to Alan Menken’s genius compositions anymore. But I LOVED those songs when I was younger and it is important to really LOVE things intensely. I can’t wait to see what kinds of music my daughter loves with reckless abandon. And if she wants to hear the Smurfs theme song on repeat for two years, I will make it through because it is those passionate devotions that make each person’s experiences so uniquely and beautifully their own.
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga “The Lady is a Tramp”
This post is not about the song. It is about me and my last day in my 20s. I want to record a little long and detailed time capsule of this day. We woke up this morning to a call from the Home Depot folks. Our new fridge would be delivered in a few minutes. Daniel hopped out of bed and started clearing furniture so they could get it through the house. I stayed in bed and nursed Tigerlily. Then Daniel went to the store to get milk for coffee (since our fridge was broke we have been buying little cartons each morning) while the guys installed the fridge. They didn’t know the baby and I were in bed and one of the delivery guys went to the bathroom (haha) and said to the other guy, “Someone who lives here must be an artist.” They left. I got up and admired the fridge (while wishing the money had gone to a new bathroom instead!) and had some coffee. Listened to A side of She and Him Christmas. Then I rode Daniel’s bike up and down the block a few times because I was feeling the weight of the end of a decade. It felt great to peddle around and the sun was shining and the air was so clear and blue. Then Daniel went to co-write and I played with the baby for a few hours (walked around the yard, showed her leaves, etc.) Tiger went to sleep and I worked on stocks for a bit was just about to start painting when Daniel came in and said we need to redo the studio. It feels like a hoarders room because we just crammed a ton of stuff into what was our guest room to make the old studio a nursery. So we spent hours going through my books and getting rid of maybe a 100-150? I was in school for the majority of my twneties, so it feels kind of freeing (and terrifying) to get rid of so many. I kept special or hard to find books, the rest I will supposedly get at the library if I miss them. Got the mail and my Aunt Donna had knitted Tiger an adorable baby winter hat with a pink pom pom and ear flaps. Lucky Magazine came and I was pumped because I was just thinking I’d like to read one tonight. The new editor is doing a bang up job, even if Jessica Simpson is on the cover (no offense Jessica! I just would like some new cover ladies. Sienna Miller? Lucy Punch? Natalia Vodianova? Or go really wild: Cindy Sherman!) Mom stopped by to drop off some swag she got at this CMA awards thing. Some jewelry, Lara bars, lots of fancy hair products, a tee shirt and guitar strap for Daniel, and lots of chocolate truffles which I partook of immediately. Jay came too and they looked through the books and picked out what they wanted and took the ones that I’d borrowed. Then we loaded up the car and the baby and went to McKay’s (this used book store where you can get cash for books.) I looked for Charlie Brown’s Christmas on vinyl but no luck. Then to Whole Foods where I dashed in and got an enormous amount of holiday scented Mrs. Meyers products and eggnog. Then over to Whole body for Jasons apricot deodorant (two) and a Christmas candle (Paddywax Blue Spruce.) Mad dash into Anthropologie for a better Christmas candle, but got overwhelmed by choices and back out to car. We tried to go get wall paint for the studio, but it was closed. The wall color is kind of light blue right now and I’ve disliked it since we moved in and it is the only room I’ve not repainted. I should go white, but I’ll probably do a very pale pink. After two years at UVA where I wasn’t allowed to paint the walls on the Range, I swore I’d never have white walls again. It is one thing in college, but a twenty something who can’t paint their walls is tragic. (My first bedroom after UVA was Betsey Johnson hot pink. Everyone unanimously hated it but me.) Then home. Gave baby a bath and nursed. DT turned on the Fantastic Mr. Fox soundtrack. Daniel was amused that I’d not gotten anything at the grocery we could turn into dinner, but he managed anyway: beans and peppers on toast with broccoli. Surprisingly worked. Then Daniel lit the Diptyque candle because I guess it is just hard to beat. Put the baby in her little fun chair and she is whacking the shit out of the little plastic things. Now Daniel has the baby in her little carrier (he sang “I’m gonna put you in the sack” to the tune of Keith Urban’s “I’m gonna put you in a song”) and he strapped her in the little koala pouch. We are listening to Don Williams. How do I know every word? (Oh what a feeling, it must be love.) Now about to wrap this up. I’ll probably spend the rest of the night totally emptying the studio to get ready to paint it tomorrow. Baby will go to sleep and Daniel and I will play around the house a bit and then cuddle down in bed and talk about turning 30. I was in London when I turned 20. I made the boy I was dating cry in the lobby of a theater where he took me to see a play. But I didn’t even really care. In the back of my mind, I knew I was too young to be tied down and I had a lot of things to do, places to go and people to see. And I definitely did all that in my 20s. All in all, my 20s were pretty damn fantastic. I travelled all over, got my party on and learned a lot about what is really important to me, what my values are and how to be good person. Even though I’m much more settled now with my perfect husband and perfect baby, there still is so much unknown, just as there was at 20. If someone had told my 20 year old self about all the amazing things I would do and see and all the fun I would have, I would have been pretty impressed/surprised/interested. I loosened up a lot and really enjoyed everything. Luckily, I’ve always been a pretty happy person, so my hope for my 30s is that there will be lots more fun and plenty of surprises. I feel very happy and blessed to have such an amazing group of friends and family and that makes turning 30 way easier. Oh and why choose “Lady is a Tramp?” We listened to the CD on the way to McKay’s. Lady Gaga and her bangin voice and hilarious rendition of the song just cracks me up. I love when she yells “I’m a tramp!!” And I was singing it to the baby while I changed her (cloth!) diaper and she was laughing every time I said “tramp.” Ok now the song Daniel has turned on is making him cry. Got to go and enjoy my little family.
The Boxwoods- Christmas Time At Last
My husband and his good friend Troy Verges teamed up a few years back for a lovely project called The Boxwoods. The album comes out next week and up first is a single “Christmas Time At Last.” 100% of proceeds benefit The Salvation Army so please buy it on itunes for yourself and gift it to your friends!
Trevor Jones “The Kiss”
Well, my 30th birthday is looming so I’m feeling especially reflective about everything. I’ve been thinking about our baby and how I want her to be a nun or how I at least want to protect her from heartbreak. Most of my early heartbreak as a young’un revolved around one young lad. When I was in junior high, he with came over and we watched Last of the Mohicans. I had the soundtrack and would listen to the song “The Kiss” over and over sort of willing the uber sexy scene in the movie to essentially happen to me. We did eventually kiss, but not for a decade or something ridiculous. I wanted him to be my first kiss so badly! A few years later, he had on this suede coat and said his grandfather had had his first kiss in it. I all but puckered up, but no moves were made!! I even told him he looked like Zack Morris (the highest compliment I could give at the time) to nudge things along. All to no avail. I still crack myself up when I think about how I would listen to this song and sort of clutch at my heart. It seems so adorable and hilarious now and I have to remind myself that it is ok that Tiger will grow up and play kissyface. She may even look back on her little emo self and get a good chuckle.
The Gourds and Marty Robbins “El Paso”
We were driving to the park the other day and Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” came on. Now, I’ve heard this song a million times, but for some reason this time the song instantly made me recall my grandfather driving me all around his farm in his pick up truck. He was singing along with Marty Robbins. I was probably about eight. He would often stack phonebooks up and let me steer past all the cows and through the creek while he pressed the pedals. He also liked to sing “Open the door, Richard.” My grandpa was a real classic southern farmer with a real farmers tan. Publicly, he was very successful and very religious. I was aware, even as a child, that other grown men looked up to him, but with his grandchildren, he was very playful and silly. My very hilarious grandma is a whole other story. They broke the mold when they made her, as they say. I miss them both enormously and it just pains me that they didn’t get to meet their great- grandaughter. She is the happiest baby and they would have just spoiled her rotten. *I’ve tacked on The Gourds “El Paso” for the blantantly obvious reason that the songs have the same title. The Gourds came to be cherished and adored by frat boys all over the south with their cover of “Gin and Juice.” The enjoyment of their quirky bluegrass shouldn’t stop there. “El Paso” is one of the greatest good-mood, dance around the kitchen sort of song. I love when he sorta loses it around 2:13. That sound he makes is endlessly useful. You’ll see.*