Mr. Hudson’s Neighborhood

IMPORTANT!–Before we start this post, I want to discuss one thing. I’m glad you are enjoying the song of the week posts. However, some of you (not all of you–a lot of you are doing a great job) are getting lazy on the comments. The purpose of the song of the week is to discuss the song as a piece of literature. Like I suggested at the beginning–talk about what it means, talk about something it reminds you of, talk about an experience you’ve had that relates to it–treat it like something we would read in class. Some of you are just saying you like it or don’t like it and telling why. I’m ok with you telling if you like it or not, but you need to talk about more than just that in your comment. This week I will not be giving you full credit if you do not put effort into your comment. Now that that’s settled, this week we have our first student-chosen song of the week. If this is something one of you would be interested in doing, run a song by me and be willing to write the intro. Take it away, 6thsense!

tchrman

MGMT consists of Andrew Van Wyngarden and Ben Goldwasser and originates from Brooklyn, New York. The band changed its name from The Management shortly after discovering that title had already been taken by a well-known group in London. “Kids” is from their debut album Oracular Spectacular. The meaning of this song could be debated, but its most obvious interpretation speaks loudly of the stages of development among us all. Another theme apparent here is the simplicity and innocence of children. Perhaps this is overlooked sometimes when we think about younger kids we know.
What is it about children that make them so trouble-free? Is it ignorance to real-world “grown-up” concerns? Do they see these concerns, but choose not be bothered by them? Until when? Adults don’t give children enough credit sometimes. The line making mama so proud but your voice is too loud seems to hint at the idea that parents are so happy to call you their own when you’re making them look good… until you do something they consider frustrating or hysterical.
This is a work of art, this song. It makes a declaration to our generation and to generations to which we give birth. We are young and bright. We are influential yet easily influenced. Do something wise with it.

6th Sense

Listen Here:
Kids_ 1

Kids
MGMT
“You were a child
Crawling on your knees toward it
Making momma so proud,
But your voice is too loud
We like to watch you laughing,
You pick the insects off plants
No time to think of consequences
Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanted
To be haunted
The water is warm
But it’s sending me shivers
A baby is born
Crying out for attention
The memories fade
Like looking through a fogged mirror
Decision to decisions are made
And not bought,
But I thought this wouldn’t hurt a lot.
I guess not”

Sorry it took me a while to post a second topic this week. I was having trouble finding an interesting article that you could write about. I think I’ve found one though. In light of recent events in the celebrity world (Kanye, Serena, etc.), CNN has posted an article about our increasing lack of manners and civility in society. Read it and tell me what you think is to blame for this increasing problem in the world today.

Civility: A Thing of the Past?

Because of all the positive comments, and because, like I told you, studio recordings just don’t do RR justice, I’m posting a second recording so that you can see what he sounds like live. This is an instrumental called “Uncle Ted’s Jam” .  If you like it, there’s a much longer and better version on the Live at the Wetlands CD I was telling you about.  Enjoy!

P.S.  This is just for fun.  You are welcome to comment, but it won’t count as one of your comments for the week.

Listen here:

04 Uncle Ted’s Jam 1

Next week, as a special treat, we will have our first ever student-posted song of the week. This week, I thought I would bring up the tempo a little bit. Some of you have been complaining about the slower songs.

In keeping with my effort to try and introduce you to new music/new genres, this week’s song is from Robert Randolph and the Family Band. If you have never heard of this band, I cannot highly recommend them enough. In fact, I would venture to say that when I saw them in concert at the Gibson downtown a little over a year ago, it was the second best concert I’ve ever attended (the number one spot has to go to AC/DC). His energy and talent is just phenomenal. You really have to see him live/hear a live recording to appreciate it. The studio recordings are great, but nothing like the live. Anyway, Robert Randoph plays the pedal steel guitar. He started at the age of 17 playing music in the tradition of sacred steel at his church. Sacred steel is a form of gospel music that was developed in the 30s in the House of God Which Is the Church of the Living God the Pillar and Ground of the Truth Without Controversy (whew, say that three times fast!) church when some members decided to replace the traditional organ with the pedal steel guitar. These churches and this style of music still exist today, but Robert Randolph is probably the most famous artist to be influenced by this type of music. His band is a secular band, not a gospel band, but the style comes very much from his sacred steel background.

I think this song is a good intro to the band. It’s very upbeat, very uplifting, and fun to dance to. It’s called “Going in the Right Direction”. Enjoy!

Click to listen:
01 Going in the Right Direction

Going in the Right Direction
Robert Randolph and the Family Band

I was lost
I thought the losing dice were tossed
I didn’t know where to go
I didn’t have no one to turn too
I’m glad I found you just in time
Won’t miss those things that I left behind

Cause now I’m going in the right direction
Cause now I’m going in the right direction

Now I’ve found
The road I need to travel down
I don’t know what tomorrow brings
Day by day, with you, I do the same thing
I’m so glad I’m standing on my own two feet
No more running to that dead-end street

Cause now I’m going in the right direction
Cause now I’m going in the right direction

Na na na na na

*Spoken*
I thought my life was over
I thought I was lost
I just knew that was the end of the road
But I know I’m going right now, I know I’m going in the right direction

You better get right or you’re gonna get left
You better get right or you’re gonna get left
You better get right or you’re gonna get left

Hey

You better get right or you’re gonna get left

When I asked you guys for topic suggestions at the beginning of the year, many of you expressed interest in debating current event-type stuff. Since the article I posted last week generated some good discussion (and I’m sure it would have generated even more had I posted it earlier in the week and had there not been two songs last week), I’ve decided to try it again to figure out if it should be something we incorporate into the blog on a regular basis. I will try to find some different articles with current issues and such for you to read and discuss/debate. Don’t worry, they won’t all be long like the one last week. I’ll try to pick a variety of different articles throughout the year in order to attempt to find something that will interest everyone. If you enjoy this activity this week (the ACTIVITY, not necessarily the article), let me know in your post. If the majority seem to like it, I’ll continue this on a regular basis.

I ran across this article on Newsweek.com. It seemed like an interesting idea, and one that I had never really thought about. It deals with parents who make money by writing stories, novels and such about their kids. It addresses how this affects the children about whom these stories are being written. It made me think about what I would feel if I were in that situation. Read it, see what you think, and make comments.

tchrman

Read it here:
Stealing Neverland

NOTE: Now that we have successfully banished the Lil Wayne comments, let’s work on ridding ourselves of one other type of comment. I said from the beginning that I know not everyone is going to like each song I pick and that I’m fine with you saying so. However, what is starting to happen is that some of you are just repeatedly saying, “I don’t like this song because I don’t listen to this type of music”. It is an understood that some of the songs are not going to be your type of music. I want you to critique the song itself not the genre. Move beyond the simple “I don’t like this song because it’s hard rock and I only listen to country” and say something that demonstrates that you have put some thought into this assignment because that is the true purpose of this post each week. Treat it just as you would something we were reading in class. This is not directed to any one person, and most of you are doing a great job of analyzing and expressing your opinion. Again, I’m not discouraging you from speaking your mind and saying you don’t like something–that’s what makes things interesting. Let’s just do it in an intellectual way. Now that I’ve said that, let’s move on to the song of the week (which is sure to have many haterz because of the genre).

Well, we’ve gone from Radiohead to Iron Maiden to Beatles. You’re probably starting to see just how varied my musical tastes are. I mean, with over 3000 cds how could my tastes not be varied, right? Anyway, some of you have expressed a deep dislike for country while some of you have specifically requested it. To prove to you that I really am trying to find something for everyone, this week we will be listening to some country…kind of…

I like SOME country music. I’m not too keen on the modern stuff, but I love OLD, CLASSIC country. David Allan Coe, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Willie Nelson…In fact, this coming weekend I am going to see Willie Nelson at Mud Island. I have been looking forward to this concert for a while now. What makes it even better is that I have fourth row, dead center seats that I won off of the Drake and Zeke show on the radio a week before school started.

I have been waiting a long time to see Willie. In fact, that’s what won the tickets for me. D and Z do a thing for tickets where you e-mail them and tell them why you deserve them. I had the perfect reason. Back when my wife and I were dating, we had to spend a summer miles apart. She called up to the local radio station to request a song for me and just so happened to be the tenth caller and was offered…yep, you guessed it…Willie Nelson tickets. She told them “I don’t even like Willie Nelson and don’t even know anyone who would want to go to that”. HELLO!!!! I would have gone! That is something I’ve never let her live down. After Saturday night I finally can.

So, in honor of the concert this week, this week’s song is from Willie Nelson. To spice things up a bit, however, I’m not using one of his hits. Instead, I present to you a cover (an odd cover for a country artist at that). I love covers. This one is a cover of the 80s Cyndi Lauper song “Time After Time”. If you like it, check out the original. It’s a classic. Enjoy. P.S. For those of you wanting more upbeat songs, next week will be WAAAAYYYYY upbeat! It will make you wanna dance!

Click here to listen:
10 Time After Time

“Time After Time”

Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
and think of you
caught up in circles confusion–
is nothing new
Flashback–warm nights–
almost left behind
suitcases of memories,
time after–

sometimes you picture me–
I’m walking too far ahead
you’re calling to me, I can’t hear
what you’ve said–
Then you say–go slow–
I fall behind–
the second hand unwinds

chorus:
if you’re lost you can look–and you will find me
time after time
if you fall I will catch you–I’ll be waiting
time after time

after my picture fades and darkness has
turned to gray
watching through windows–you’re wondering
if I’m OK
secrets stolen from deep inside
the drum beats out of time–

chorus:
if you’re lost…

you said go slow–
I fall behind
the second hand unwinds–

chorus:
if you’re lost…
…time after time
time after time
time after time
time after time

As some of you have pointed out, we have talked a lot about racism lately (purely coincidental, I assure you). I promise that is not all we will read about this year. However, I saw an article online yesterday called “See Baby Discriminate”. It was a very interesting article about how ideas about race/ prejudices/ etc. can be developed as early as 6 months old. It seemed to tie in to our discussion about traditions and ideas being passed down from parents to children. Below is a link to the article if you are interested in reading more about it. You’re welcome to comment on the article here and I’ll count it as one of your posts for the week.

See Baby Discriminate

Since so many of you have enjoyed “Blackbird” so far (with the exception of AHS 21, who I’m not sure will enjoy ANYTHING that’s put up), I have decided to include a second song of the week this week in lieu of a class-related post. Many of you have expressed interest in hearing more Beatles, so we’ll just make this “Beatles’ Week”. Here’s another song by them that I’ve always enjoyed. Again, I’ve tried to pick one that is not as familiar to everyone because it wasn’t one of the big hits. It’s quite different from “Blackbird”. This one’s called “I’m Looking Through You”. It was written about Paul McCartney’s relationship with an actress named Jane Asher. Enjoy.

Listen here:
10 I’m Looking Through You

I’m looking through you, where did you go
I thought I knew you, what did I know
You don’t look different, but you have changed
I’m looking through you, you’re not the same

Your lips are moving, I cannot hear
Your voice is soothing, but the words aren’t clear
You don’t sound different, I’ve learned the game.
I’m looking through you, you’re not the same

Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?
Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight

You’re thinking of me, the same old way
You were above me, but not today
The only difference is you’re down there
I’m looking through you, and you’re nowhere

Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?
Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight

I’m looking through you, where did you go
I thought I knew you, what did I know
You don’t look different, but you have changed
I’m looking through you, you’re not the same

Yeah! Oh baby you changed!
Aah! I’m looking through you!
Yeah! I’m looking through you!
You changed, you changed, you changed!

Out of a possible 10 students who could have gotten extra credit last week, there were only 6 who actually did. 2/3 of the winners were from 6th period. Way to go 6th. Way to represent. 5th, where you at? There were 20 points just wasted. Only about 8 out of 70 of you tried it. That’s not a very high percentage. I know it was challenging, but these are designed to make you think. Try it, you might like it.

This week’s extra credit is worth FIVE POINTS on the SHORT STORY UNIT 1 QUIZ coming up tomorrow. I will keep it posted after the quiz if there aren’t enough correct answers tonight. I will give the points to the FIRST TEN CORRECT ANSWERS. Good luck, and have fun.

Figuring Out Aunt Matilda

Directions: My aunt Matilda is a very peculiar relative, a woman of strong likes and dislikes. For example, Aunt Matilda likes apples but not oranges and tennis but not golf. She likes supper but not lunch and butter but not margarine. She likes waffles but not pancakes and jazz but not rock.
It took me a long time to figure out that Aunt Matilda likes words that contain double consonants. In fact, all of my aunt Matilda’s steadfast opinions can be explained by the patterns of letters or sounds in words. You can test your sense of logic by trying to figure out my aunt Matilda’s likes and dislikes. Examine each list and state the reason for Aunt Matilda’s preferences:

1. Aunt Matilda likes birthdays but not anniversaries.
She likes cupcakes but not pastries.
She likes suitcases but not luggage.
She likes highways but not roads.
She likes baseball but not hockey.
She likes airplanes but not trains

2. Aunt Matilda likes Mom but not Grandmother.
She likes Dad but not Grandfather.
She likes a Toyota but not a Honda.
She likes noon but not night.
She likes radar but not television

3. Aunt Matilda likes pets but not dogs.
She likes golf but not squash.
She likes pool but not billiards.
She likes rats but not mice.
She likes flow but not ebb.
She likes desserts but not snacks

4. Aunt Matilda likes seas but not oceans.
She likes pains but not aches.
She likes carrots but not potatoes.
She likes maize but not corn.
She likes lye but not bleach.
She likes beets but not turnips.

5. Aunt Matilda likes chestnuts but not walnuts.
She likes armies but not navies.
She likes legends but not myths.
She likes hippies but not protestors.
She likes chinchilla but not mink.
She likes ribbon but not trim.

Bonus Bonus Question: I’ll give THREE points to the first THREE students who answer this final one correctly.

BONUS BONUS. Aunt Matilda likes pears but not peaches.
She likes talks but not speeches.
She likes campers but not hikers.
She likes tables but not chairs.
She likes mothers but not fathers.
She likes platters but not dishes.

NOTE: Before we start this week’s post, one new rule. Let’s nix the Lil’ Wayne comments. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but some of you have used the blog for the last two weeks to declare your undying love for Lil’ Wayne and haven’t made a relevant comment to the topic at hand. So, unless it is relevant to the topic, you will no longer receive credit for “I love Lil’ Wayne” posts. You’ve said it, we get it, now let’s move on and show that you can post something intelligent that relates to the topic. Period.

Glad to see the Song of the Week post is still so much a hit. Hopefully you will continue to like it. I am going to continue to try and pick songs that not everyone will be familiar with. It will be more interesting that way. You would think with 3000 CDs it would be easy to pick songs every week, but it is harder than you think. Probably cause I’m picky and have to agonize over picking the right one. Enough about me, on to this week’s pick.

In honor of the huge video game release this week and also to prove to you that I DO listen to your requests, I have chosen a Beatles song this week (I know, that is quite a transition from Maiden, huh?). It’s not so easy to pick out a Beatles song because there are so many great ones. I chose to go with one that may not be as familiar to just the casual listener (that’s not saying you’ve never heard of it, it just doesn’t seem to me to be one of the huge songs–although, it DID just make Entertainment Weekly’s top 50 Beatle’s songs list). The song I have chosen is “Blackbird”. There are two reasons I chose this particular song. The first is that this particular song was written about the Civil Rights Movement going on at the time. I thought for that reason it would tie in nicely to our discussion of the TZ last week. My second reason is that this has always been one of my favorite Beatle’s songs. I was never really into the Beatles growing up (again, small town, very poor music scene, etc.). In college, however, I had a friend who really broadened my musical horizons. I remember countless times listening to him play and sing this particular song. He was such a talented musician. What was even more amazing to me regarding his talent was that he was blind! Anyway, he really exposed me to a lot of great music I had previously been unfamiliar with, and I will forever be greatful for that. You could probably say he was responsible for my CD obsession. He’s not to blame for my DVD mania, however. But I have pinpointed the cause of that obsession as well (that’s a story for another day). Enough rambling. Here’s the song. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Click to listen:
10 Blackbird

“Blackbird”
The Beatles

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.

Blackbird fly blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird fly blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.