Dear Friends,
Last night, I had the pleasure of reviewing Megadeth at the Ampitheatre with so many goddamn names. It was hot. You can read my review in the New Times, though. I’m not doing that twice.
The kids were fun yesterday, too. Chatty, sure, but only because they were bored. This first week is tough. It is time to get down to the business of learning. Easing into things and building routines is not fun for anybody.
*****
Yesterday I was thinking about great Aunt Peg a lot during the day. As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, my heart goes out to the Cleveland family, but I felt comforted knowing that they support each other from what I’ve seen. This came from her, I think.
When I was a boy, my dad and I traveled back to Cleveland in 1981 and spent a week or so up there hanging with the Ohio family. It might have been ten days, I don’t remember, but one thing that has always stuck with me is how Aunt Peg and Uncle Phil’s home felt. It was comfortable and welcoming and while we were there, they made my Dad and I feel like we were just another pair of kids that belonged there.
I remember going down the stairs in the morning and just feeling like I could be myself. My cousins had a lot to do with this, too, but Aunt Peg was just awesome to us. I’m so thankful to have good memories, even though we didn’t get to spend a ton of time together. This feeling of being welcome was so apparent when I last saw her a couple of years ago at a family BBQ that was held for Teresa, Liam, and I as we came through town for a day and a half.
God speed, Aunt Peg. Much, much love to all the Cleveland family and to my Dad and Lori and Matt, too.
*****
Today is going to be a long day after a late night, but I’ll survive. I’m going to write a piece about Jane’s Addiction tonight and go to bed early. Time to get a head start on the weekend.
*****
I’ve been watching Hacks, Suits, and I just finished House of the Dragon. It’s the most TV I’ve been into at once in a while. Here are a few thoughts.
Hacks was a recommendation from Tom J and I really like it. It is super well written and acted. It has some great twists and turns and I’m starting to slow my roll on it quite a bit because there are only three seasons and I’m almost halfway through the last one.
If you haven’t watched it, I can’t recommend it enough. It will make you laugh, make you mad, and make you cry. I’ve enjoyed rolling with the punches, both sucker and otherwise. Good fucking stuff, my friends.
As for Suits, I got into it after hearing some of the Maine family talking about it. There are a bunch of seasons, so I thought, “if I like it, I’ve got a lot of material to explore.”
Initially, I did like it. I still do, now that I am close to finishing season three, but it’s wearing thin. If you don’t know the premise, it’s kinda ridiculous. Sometimes a ridiculous premise is what makes a show fun and interesting, but I’m not sure I can stick with this one much longer. Maybe something cool will happen soon.
The actors are pretty good, though, and a couple of them really keep things moving. I like the characters “Louis” and “Donna” quite a bit and the actors who portray them are really good. The Duchess is pretty darn good, too. I was surprised. I am drawing a blank on her name, but she’s the gal who married one of the English princes.
I also enjoyed the heck out of the House of the Dragons. It’s no Game of Thrones, but it is different enough that I easily kind of put the bad side of GOT out of my mind and just enjoy a smaller story. The dragons were killer, too. Whoever does those effects is kicking serious booty and I never say, “Serious booty.”
So, it is also inspiring. I think next season will be pretty damn righteous and I don’t mind how season 2 ended at all. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you liked the first season and have been sleeping on season 2, dive on in. I think it is only 8 episodes.
*****
“I Got You” by Split Enz is a song I love with my whole heart. I love it so much that I became somewhat fond of their record, True Colors, which you can typically find used in record shops for pretty cheap, even for a really clean copy. This might be my shortest entry in this year’s project, too.
I like spinning “I Got You” when I DJ because I love the song so much, but also because people always seem to notice it. The song just has a style, beat, and chorus that hook you right in. I like how the keyboard is used in it and it reminds me of being a young guy looking to find a girlfriend. I’m wondering where I first heard it. Must have been MTV.
Over the years, I started listening to the entirety of True Colors. “Shark Attack” is a pretty cool song, too. It has some pretty slick new wave moves and I can see how the band may have thought it would be the break out song on this one, but “I Got You” is just head and shoulders above it.
“Shark Attack” is good, though. “What’s the Matter with You” is another pretty darn good song. It’s super catchy and I think the strength of the first three songs is what vaulted True Colors into being an album I love.
“Double Happy” is a groovy instrumental that could have easily been played in a montage scene in an 80s movie by John Landis. It sounds a bit like Oingo Boingo, but based on when this record came out, it’s more likely Oingo Boingo was borrowing from Split Enz.
The wheels come off the first side a bit after “Double Happy,” but I don’t hate “I Wouldn’t Dream of It” or the ballad-y “I Hope I Never.” If I’m in the right mood, I even really like the latter of the two. It’s quite pretty, but sometimes it also kind of kills me and not in a good way.
Side B kind of starts out sounding a lot like “I Got You” but “Nobody Takes Me Seriously” becomes its own thing. Not the best song, but pretty good, I suppose. This one could actually be reworked into a cool cover. “Missing Person” sounds a little bit like one of the soft Rush songs.
“Poor Boy” is a snoozer. Derivative, too. Sounds like you asked AI to create a mid-tempo early 80s new wave song.
“How Can I Resist Her” picks up on that same tip, too. I do like the bass line. But…it’s also a bit whiny. “The Choral Sea” is a good ender. It’s another instrumental, but the band sounds pretty good and there is, again, a nod to Rush going on here. Split Enz must’ve been into prog.
If you find this cheap in a record shop, I say, “Get it.” If you don’t like it, lemme know because I would take a back up copy.
*****
See you tomorrow.
There is definitely a theme the last couple of days and AI is doing a good job of interpreting my words.
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