An Offering of Myself to the World

Sir Elton

The first time I was ever aware of the existence of Elton John was in 1974. Before then, I had heard his songs only occasionally on the radio since my parents controlled the music in the house and that music was country. I was at my friend's house and saw the album Elton John's Greatest Hits laying on her dresser. I asked Erin if we could listen to it and we spend several hours listening and practicing for karaoke, which unfortunately wouldn't be invented for another twenty years or so. It was then that I fell in love with "Rocket Man", "Crocodile Rock", and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me".

A lot of years have passed since I was that fifteen year old, budding back-up singer. I have loved quite a few Elton John songs, such as "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word, and my personal favorite, "Philidelphia Freedom". "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" always takes me back to my senior year of high school. Even though any song from "The Lion King" irritates me, I would have to say that I have been an Elton fan from way back.

I never thought I would ever get to see Elton John perform live. At least not in Montana. But that all changed last Saturday night when we got to see Sir Elton perform in Bozeman. Montana. And he was awesome.

We had good seats, my husband and I, Jough and Beleisha, Josh and Becki. We were sitting just far enough up to look over the people on the floor and close enough to be able to watch him play the piano. Which he does with gusto. Before the concert started, I looked around at some of the other attendees. There were people of all ages. Eighty-five hundred people. (Take that, Metra in Billings, who claimed they wouldn't have been able to sell enough tickets to break even.) There were a lot of older folks sitting in chairs on the floor. I felt sorry for them because I knew that even if there are chairs on the floor, you still have to stand. But we stood as well. Throughout almost the entire show. But not because we had to stand to be able to see. Because we had to stand to be able to move. And dance. And sing.

I didn't know a few of the first songs he performed. I think they were from early in his career before I realized who he was. The songs had some long piano sections, which I loved to listen to, and enabled him to warm up the audience. Then he swung into "The Bitch is Back" and we never looked back.

He played all of the songs he was known for and the audience sang along. From "Daniel" to "Good-Bye Yellow Brick Road" to a twenty minute rendition of "Rocket Man", which totally rocked and in my opinion was the highlight of the concert. He sounded great...the music was excellent and his piano skills are par none. And he played for two and a half hours! One of his drummers (there were two) was Nigel Olsson, another one of my favorites. (Does anyone remember "Dancing Shoes" or "A Little Bit of Soap"?)

The music was infectious and everyone was dancing and singing. The security guards did a good job of keeping people away from the front of the stage. One older lady tried to sneak up the aisle quite a few times and was sent back to her seat each time. I appreciated the work that they did...if everyone from the seats above came down to try and get closer to the stage, it would be an utter mess.

This concert ranks right up there as one of my favorites. I actually liked it better than any Barry Manilow concert...mainly because everyone knew almost every song instead of only the die-hard fans knowing the songs. It rivels my all-time favorite concert experience of my favorite band, Collective Soul. All in all, a great concert experience that will create a fantastic memory.

Yes, once again...

Mika graces the pages of my blog with Big Girl (You are Beautiful)...

Don't worry dear readers, soon I will run out of Mika videos.

Speaking of Mika, I guess he is being sued by a Belgian reggae singer also named Mika. I guess she doesn't like him using the same name. I guess she thinks people will be confused or something. What I can't figure out is this...is she also going to sue this Mika, or this Mika, or this Mika, or this Mika, or this little Mika devil...? What? Because they aren't as well known or profitable? Hmm, can everyone say "KACHINNNGA".

Ever since watching "3:10 to Yuma", I have been hungry for westerns. The next book on my reading list is a Louis L'Amour called "The Lonesome Gods". I have never read anything by Louis L'Amour so I am not sure how I will like it. The only westerns I have read are "Lonesome Dove" and "The Dark Tower" series which could be considered a sci-fi western. I remember growing up when my uncle always was reading one of Zane Gray's novels. I will have to try one of his as well.

The new season of "Heroes" begins tomorrow. And a new "House" on Tuesday. It's about time I started posing about important things like the new television season. I watched "Survivor" last Thursday for the first time in almost a year. One of the survivors is from Montana; I guess she used to be some sort of Miss Montana or something. While watching the show, all I keep repeating to myself was "Please don't let her be stupid and get voted off first." BUT surprisingly, she comes across as being intelligent...well, except for the cowboy boots with shorts. I will have to forgive her for that.

In other mindless news, we went to see the movie "Eastern Promises" on Saturday. It is a movie about the Russian Mafia in London. It wasn't bad, quite a few bloody scenes but pretty tame for a David Cronenberg film. And an added bonus....you can see far more of Viggo Mortensen then you ever dreamed possible. WhooHoo!

The Continuing Saga

I'm driving home from work the other day. I had the radio on the oldies station where they play hits from the 60's and 70's. Because I'm old. And I want to think back to the days when good music was all around. They rarely play Barry Manilow on this station and if they do it is either "Mandy" or "I Write the Songs".

I was singing along to Bohemian Rhapsody while I was driving, ending the song with a crash of my imaginary gong. "Any way the wind blows" **crash** The next song up was a Barry song. Being that I was still pretty upset, I almost changed the channel. But the song wasn't the normal Barry song but "Let's Hang On".

Let's hang on
to what we've got.
Don't let go, girl
we've got alot.
Got a lot of love between us
Hang on, hang on, hang on
to what we've got.

At first I was mad. "Don't try to sweet talk me, Mr. Manilow!" I screamed at my radio. "It's going to take a lot more than this to repair the damage that has been done!" This one-sided argument continued through most of the song. But of course by the end of the song, the ice was being to thaw and I was smiling in the little Barry piece of my heart.

Thirty-three years is a long, long time to be a devoted fan of something or someone. Especially, if you are constantly ridiculed for being a fan of that person. I had to put up with a lot to be a Barry fan so possibly I can forgive him this one transgression. It was probably more of a publicity stunt than anything, it just surprised me because he doesn't use stunts like that. I just have to remember that the music is all that matters. And I'm a sucker for Mr. Manilow's music.

Why Barry, Why?

As everyone who reads my blog knows, I have been a fan of Barry Manilow for over half of my life. I was so proud and happy to be a fan...he was one artist who didn't drum up publicity for himself by being negative. It seemed as though he accepted everyone no matter what their views were. To him, music was what was important. Or so I thought.

I received this "message from Barry" in my email today:

Hey guys,
I wanted to let you know that I will no longer be on The View tomorrow as scheduled. I had made a request that I be interviewed by Joy, Barbara or Whoopi, but not Elisabeth Hasselback. Unfortunately, the show was not willing to accommodate this simple request so I bowed out.

It’s really too bad because I've always been a big supporter of the show, but I cannot compromise my beliefs. The good news is that I will be on a whole slew of other shows promoting the new album so I hope you can catch me on those.

Love,
Barry

Ouch. This coming from a man who I thought believed that everyone had the right to their own opinion. Their right to believe in any way they chose. A man who was not political, who believed in the power of music, who cared about anyone no matter who they were. If the shoe were on the other foot and Elisabeth Hasselback had refused to interview him because of his views...well, you could image what the press would do to her.

I am very torn and depressed. I was so excited for the release of his new CD "Songs of the Seventies" but I cannot find it in my heart now to listen to it let alone purchase it. It is like a little piece of me died. The little Barry piece that believed in the goodness of people and the beautiful power of music.

Thank you Barry for hurting me today. I guess we all need to grow up a little in this cold new world.

(No) Happy Ending

Yes, here is another Mika video...His music makes me feel peaceful and I like to share...If he makes you nauseous than don't watch...

Yuma in 1973

What is the hidden meaning to the song "1973" by James Blunt? The lyrics in the chorus are:

I would call you up every Saturday night
And we both stayed out 'til the morning light
And we sang, "Here we go again"
And though time goes by
I will always be
In a club with you in 1973
singing "Here we go again"

Just how old is James Blunt anyway? I wasn't even old enough to go to clubs in 1973 and I am ancient. He looks damn good for being at least 52 years old. According to the source and font of all knowledge, Wikipedia, James Blunt was born on February 22, 1974. Now I am really confused...how can he remember going to clubs with Simona in 1973 when he hadn't even been born yet? This Simona chick must have really been something to brainwash him into thinking he was with her in 1973.

As I scroll down farther, the answer becomes clear.

"The first single from All The Lost Souls is called "1973" and was inspired by Blunt's nights out in a club called Pacha, in Ibiza, which opened that year. The DJ Pete Tong, remixed "1973" and plays the track during his set in Pacha."

Except that when you check out Pacha, it says it opened in 1967. Hmm...

Also what is the "Here we go again" song that they keep singing? I had to Google this as well since I could remember no songs from 1973 that contained the lyrics "Here we go away". In fact, the only song that came to my mind is "Here you come again" by Dolly Parton from 1977. I did find a song from 1973 called "Here we go again" by Poco but I don't think this is the group they were singing to in a club in 1973 in Ibiza. So that question remains.

And I don't even particularly like James Blunt.

In other lighthearted news...we saw the movie "3:10 to Yuma" yesterday. Now I may be a little bias because I love a good western but this movie was AWESOME! Even if it does have Russell Crowe in it. There were only a few times that I was unable to decipher what he was saying. Unlike "Master and Commander." And my favorite character in the whole movie was Charlie Prince played by Ben Foster. After the movie, I told my husband that I really liked the gay cowboy. "What gay cowboy?" He hadn't picked up on that. I don't know how anyone could not have picked up on the subtle fact that Charlie Prince had a man crush on Ben Wade. In my opinion, Ben Foster should get an Academy Award for that performance. The movie reminded me of the old westerns...there wasn't a preachy moral at the end. It was all subtle...it wasn't so much about words as it was about unspoken respect and honor.

Hopefully this will be the last post I will have to write on the laptop. Our desktop should be repaired by Monday. I have a lot of music on the desktop computer and I miss it. **sob** Of course, I have tons of CD's to choose from but the music I have been hungry for lately is on the desktop. Oh well, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Except for James Blunt songs.

"Death or Johnny Depp"

I wanted to start out with this story because I thought it was pretty strange. Well, maybe not strange but amusing. Ummm, maybe not really amusing...oh well, you can all draw your own conclusion.

If my readers will remember, the office building I work in is mostly glass enclosed. From where I sit, I can see at least half way around the building. It is a great place to work because you feel like you are working in the great outdoors but an "air-conditioned outdoors" in the summer and a "warm outdoors" in the winter. Also it is fun to watch people preen themselves before they walk inside. And since our bank is right on the corner of a major intersection right off the interstate, it is amusing to watch the variety of "unique" people who walk by as well. Most of the time they just walk on by however one day a transient stopped by to take a little nap on our lawn. At least I think it was a nap. Every day is an adventure.

One day last week as I was getting ready to leave work for the day and walk to my car, we noticed a gentleman walking across our parking lot. Most of the time we probably wouldn't have even glanced up but this gentleman was very unique. He was dressed in a black dress pants with a long black jacket and a gray shirt. He had dirty white Nikes on his feet and a black bowler hat on his shoulder length very greasy hair. He head was hung down (I think he was either talking on a phone or to himself) and his hair obscured his face. As if this wasn't enough, he had a large yellow something on the lapel of his suit jacket. It looked to me like a large flower. Yellow, mind you. A large yellow flower.

I was immediately intrigued. My co-workers were gathering at the windows to look as he walked by. "He looks like he's on drugs", "He must be a drug dealer or a child molester", "He looks like an undertaker" were the comments I heard. I gasped and loudly stated (and with great fear in my voice), "Oh my God, IT'S DEATH! He must be coming to reap some souls! We have to hide!" (People who really know me know that I will usually immediately blurt out whatever comes to my mind) But then as I looked closer, I realized he looked like Johnny Depp in the movie Blow. I quickly blurted out, "Oh, no wait, it's not Death, it's Johnny Depp. I'm ALWAYS getting those two mixed up!" Which made everyone laugh until he walked out of our range of sight. As he walked to the other side, I heard a co-worker from that area scream, "OH MY GOSH!!" when she noticed him. Which made us burst out laughing again.

I left the building and walked to my car. As I pulled on the on-ramp to the interstate, there was Death..ur, I mean Johnny Depp hitching a ride. It was kind of sad because he still had his head down and now his thumb was out but not in a very enthusiastic way. He also carried no luggage or bag or backpack. Just him. And his large yellow flower. I almost thought about picking him up, I mean after all he might be Johnny Depp. A very sad Johnny Depp ala Edward Scissorhands. And I'm a sucker for Edward Scissorhands. Then again, he might have been Death. And I was in no mood to wrestle with Death that day.

Why is it....

that every time I want to start blogging again, we end up having computer problems? There are so many things I want to write about...getting tickets to Elton John, seeing Weird Al, "The Devil or Johnny Depp"...but I guess they will have to wait. Sigh. I just hate trying to type something on a laptop because the keyboard is not conducive to the flow of words from my brain to my fingers. I don't know why...maybe it is just old age or something. Please hang on, dear readers, because I wasn't teasing you when I said I will start blogging again...

The Mean Kitty Song

Someone actually wrote a song about my cat! Not really but anyone who knows McCoy will recognize him in this video. Enjoy...

Summer 2007

The summer of 2007 seemed to me to be a good season for music. All kinds of good music that made me extremely happy. Mika, of course, ruled my summer...I listened endlessly to everything he sang.  I discovered Belle and Sebastian, who kept me entertained throughout most of July. Collective Soul came out with a new CD last week. While their CD does not have the unique sound of Mika, it is good music none-the-less. Good music to wrap around you like a warm woolen blanket on a chilly fall evening. My comfort music. More comfort music is coming in September when Barry Manilow releases his CD of songs from the 70's. I heard his rendition of "It Never Rains in Southern California" on an internet site and he retains the sound of the original while still making it his own. 'Course Mr. Manilow could sing the Los Angeles yellow pages and I would be in seventh heaven.

Here is a video for the new Collective Soul single, "Hollywood"...

September also brings a couple of concerts that I will be attending. Weird Al will be in Bozeman on September 9th and Sir Elton John will be there the end of September. I will keep everyone up to date on those. Well, I don't technically have tickets yet to Elton John but I do have my fingers crossed!

We took a drive to Roscoe on Saturday to eat at the Grizzly Bar. Excellent prime rib and the world famous Grizzly Delight for dessert. We took the drive back home the Red Lodge way and I was surprised that there wasn't as much traffic as I had expected with it being Labor Day weekend and all. Between Roscoe and Red Lodge is an exit for the town of Luther. I have lived in this area of Montana for almost my entire life and have never been to the town of Luther. We decided to explore and took the exit.

We drove for a few miles towards the Beartooth Mountains. There are quite a few new houses because this is the "in" place to have property now. I brought my camera and had it ready to take a few shots of Luther when we drove through. As we neared a cluster of buildings, my attention was diverted to a pasture containing 6 horses and 149 sheep on approximately two acres. I was making the comment about how severely overgrazed the pasture seemed to be. We rounded a corner and it dawned on me that while I was looking at the pasture, we drove through the town of Luther! Looking back on the road, I could see a couple of run down buildings that looked like the could have housed a bar and a hardware store. And a large shed which looked fairly new. On the corner where we turned sat a church. A HUGE church. But not an old rustic church building but rather one of those put-together like legos, modular church buildings. What? A town in Montana with a church but no bar? What is this world coming to? Anyway, by the time I raised my camera to try and take a picture, we were past the town and tooling along down the road. Now I can say that I have been to Luther. But I wasn't impressed. (And no, it wasn't a "Lutheran" church!)

I hope everyone else had a enjoyable summer filled with beautiful music as well.