Tuesday, November 20, 2012: TWOfer Tuesday - The "Thankful For Books" Edition

"Except a living man there is nothing more wonderful than a book!  A message to us from the dead, - from human souls whom we never saw, who lived perhaps thousands of miles away; and yet these, on those little sheets of paper, speak to us, teach us, comfort us, open their hearts to us as brothers."  ~Charles Kingsley

I am thankful for books.  For stories handed down from generations past.  I am thankful to be free to pick up a book whenever I want and read.

I am thankful for their authors.  Those that spend weeks, months, lifetimes in sweat and peril trying to put onto the page their thoughts and visions.

Here's to books.

"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves."  ~Anna Quindlen,

Friday, December 16, 2011: Led Zeppelin - Boogie With Stu

Here's a rollicking Friday song for all those who are going out for a boogie-woogie good time out in that cold, dark December's night.

And here's to one of the mightiest of mighty bands just having a good time.

No, it's not the best Zeppelin song, but as I've reminded you, gentle reader, on a couple of occasions - this is not "Best Song Of The Day"...simply "Cool Song Of The Day"

Stay warm, my friends, and have a great weekend.

Thursday, November 24, 2011: Led Zeppelin - Thank You

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Thank you for being a part of this humble blog.

And thank you, Led Zeppelin, for writing one of the greatest love songs ever.

Now, in the great tradition of this uniquely American tradition, go eat, drink, and fall asleep watching football.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010: TWOfer Tuesday - The "Going To California" Edition

Think about it: nobody ever writes songs about going to New York. All the songs about New York assume you are already there. Stranded, shattered, in some kind of unique State Of Mind.

California, however, is a destination.  The ultimate destination.  The perfect destination.  

Because, wherever you are, you'd probably rather be in California.

Throughout it's history, all roads led to California. The Siskiyou Trail, California Trail, Oregon Trail and Old Spanish Trail all crossed rugged mountains and harsh deserts to get to that unique patch of land variously occupied by Spain, Russia, Argentina and then Mexico, scraping out it's own independence under the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846. Everything changed in 1848, when gold was discovered in them 'thar hills.  In a very short time California's non-native population went from around 15,000 to over 300,000 in just a couple of years. California had indeed become the Golden State.

And from that day to this, whether is be starlets from Idaho or Iowa coming to be discovered, Okies escaping the dust bowl, hippies heading to the Haight-Ashbury or programmers heading to the new Mecca of Silicone Vally, wherever you are, you'd probably rather be in California.

Not in actual California, mind, with the smog, the traffic, crime, the insanely high taxes and miles and miles of souless freeways and shopping malls.  No, everyone is always looking towards that imagined Nirvana of California. 

The Palm trees, the beaches, mountains, redwoods, the laid back easy-life populated by all the beautiful people. Famous people.  Interesting people.  Watching warm, golden sunsets every evening.

The idea of packing up your old kit bag and making due West probably first made it into popular culture by Al Jolson singing "California, Here I Come," written for the 1921 Broadway musical Bombo. Certainly a whole new generation was inspired when Ricky and the gang sang "California, Here I Come" as their single-song road trip mix tape. I wonder how many times you can sing that song driving from New York to Los Angeles in a 1955 Pontiac Star Chief?  And where the hell is their dashboard?

California, Here I Come

Right back where I started from

Where bowers of flowers

Bloom in the spring

Each morning at dawning

Birdies sing at everything

A sunkisted miss said don't be late

That's why I can hardly wait

Open up that golden gate

California, Here I Come

Pure fantasy.  Each morning at dawning birdies sing at everything?  Please.

Going to California by Led Zeppelin is the perfect example of the longing to journey to the magical west, the golden coast, the zeitgeist zion. Supposedly inspired by the song California by Joni Mitchell, at least that song had some connection to reality.  You can imagine Joni actually sitting in a real park in Paris feeling homesick, put off by the old and cold of Europe:

Sitting in a park in Paris, France

Reading the news and it sure looks bad

They won't give peace a chance

That was just a dream some of us had

Still a lot of lands to see

But I wouldn't want to stay here

It's too old and cold and settled in it's ways here

Oh, but California

California I'm coming home

Going to California doesn't suffer any of that pretension of being rooted in reality. Plant and Co. even admit as much, that the California he's going to (with an aching in his heart), is pure fabrication:

Ride a white mare in the footsteps of dawn

Tryin' to find a woman who's never, never, never been born

Indeed. Which of course makes it perfect. And just about as magical as any song can get.

Can you imagine searching in Michigan for a woman who's never, never, never been born?

Thought not.

Of course, there are many other musical examples of people longing to make that trip to the Golden Coast. From the high song craft of Frank Black to the abhorrent dung of Phantom Planet, the journey to California has been the inspiration for thousands of dreamers.  And songwriters.

For me, Sophie B. Hawkins gets into the second spot on our TWOfer Tuesday for a couple of reasons; First, she's one of my favourite artists and criminally underrated and, two, any pop song that can slip in The Lord's Prayer gets props for pure ambition.





Wherever you are, you'd probably rather be in California.

For the first time, at least.  Unfortunately, LL Cool J doesn't think Going Back To Cali is such a good idea.