No clever title for this blog post

It has taken me a couple of days to really get my head around what happened at the Orlando nightclub last weekend. I have made a conscious decision to not watch any talking heads report it, instead choosing NPR and some hand picked news agencies via the interwebs.

 I thought about the community that was struck by this horrific tragedy. For some, this space could have been the only place they felt free to be themselves. Someone mentioned to me that Orlando is urban, but the surrounding areas are not and there could have been people coming there who traveled quite a  distance because it was the only place around where they felt safe. I couldn't bare to listen to what the politicians had to say, because they don't understand. The last time I checked there were no LGBT people of color running for president or sitting in wait, Takano. I will check out if he has said anything. Anyway the MO of many elected officials  is of making sure all Americans are safe, yeah, well why don't we work on making it less terrifying for trans people to leave their house. Just saying.

I have been remembering all the times I had been at the Lexington or the Cafe, Ginger's, Wild West, the Stud, or El Rio  with my friends and friends of friends who welcomed me to share their space with them. How I walked side by side with my friends at Dyke March year after year, and always trying to convince one of my lady friends with a bike to let me ride on the back during the parade. 

I thought about how I brought my young daughter to PRIDE parades. 

Yes, I donated money to Equality Florida and I am gathering monies to donate to the Orlando Center directly. 

The same friend I was talking to said that it is important to support those in our own backyard too. 

I agree. This was a hate crime and giving support (volunteering, donating, whatever) to make safe spaces. 

If we have to call it something bland like public safety, then be it. I am all for public safety. 

I typically don't like air my politics in information superhighway and my next post will probably be music related.

In my house we don't use the word hate. Hate is a bad word.  If we don't like something, we say "I don't care for it." If she says she doesn't like someone I ask why (lucky for me it usually because they didn't share and it only lasts for a few minutes), because I don't want things to go unchecked. She understands to be gracious and that everyone is deserving. Even if they sometimes cut in line. To me, I would rather my daughter say the word fuck than hate. 

The Beautiful Ones

I was talking with one of my student workers about grieving on the internet via social media type platforms and we both agree that it is totally fine to do...
So here goes.
I was not always the biggest fan of Prince's music, but I appreciated him as an artist and person.
He seemed to have a healthy relationship with his persona and was not afraid to make fun of himself.
My relationship with Prince and his music was over the Purple Rain period.  I loved the soundtrack, but did not see the movie until cable. And boy oh boy- was that movie on A LOT.
My cousin and I could recite the dialogue to each other. There was a boy I liked that hung out with a girl who liked him too and so the song "the Beautiful Ones," was a page out of my diary and I listened to it over and over and over and over and over again.
I have been reading a lot of Prince music commentary and there has been mention of many of the cuts from the Purple Rain soundtrack, but I have only one article which singles out the song and you can find it here.
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/beautiful-ones-the-moment-prince-became-a-movie-star-20160422
It is mostly about his performance of the song in the movie (which is still one of my favorite moments in a movie), but the song stands on its own. Though it is hard to push out the imagery if you have seen Purple Rain.
The song begins with Prince singing in a kind of falsetto voice and keyboard accompaniment. It gradually builds to full band participation and some talk lyrics about getting married. He quips that "the beautiful ones always smash the picture, always every time." To me, this indicates that besides going out on a romantic limb, the writer of the song also knows that she is probably not the best choice even if the love interest in question decides to choose  him.
After many questions to the love interest, Prince in  Prince-screaming fashion sings the  lyrics " I want you!," and "Baaaby, baby, baaaby!" And trust me, I am not doing the song justice. It is powerful.
The song is an inner dialogue of deciding you want to be with someone and there being obstacles for which you have little control.
At one point, he sings "u make me so confused, the beautiful ones, u always seem to lose," this to me is not commentary, but emotionally charged ego romance stuff. Other tunes of this era were coming from a more sexually charged part of his psyche- "Take Me with U," and "I Would Die 4 U," are more of the love song-y kind of thing.
I have always wondered why it wasn't released as a single. Half the record was released as singles and charted in the top 25.
I mean, hello!

A friend of mine did a record club and we would bring our vinyl and listen to cuts and explain why we chose the record and the song.
I don't remember exactly what I said as to why I chose it, but I know it was my thirteen year old self who was behind it.

The beautiful ones
Always smash the picture
Always...every time...

Up there --- there is a sea

I just finished Patti Smith's latest literary work "M Train." I really enjoyed it. It is a quiet book that reflects on life, love, and writing about nothing.
I admit, sometimes Patti Smith's references go over my head and on more than one occasion I had to look up an author, poet, or novel to help me attempt to understand what she was talking about or how it related  to her prose.
"M Train," is still written in the good ol' Patti Smith style and there was one chapter, or vignette that struck a chord in me. She writes about how Fred (her late husband) liked to live as if the clock has no hands. For me, I live this way. Not in a sense that I am late for appointments or think deadlines are arbitrary, but that time ages you and feeds the monster of procrastination. Yes, I am older and I do not devote as much time to my artistic endeavors, but I am always looking for avenues to express myself (This is a blog post, right?) And the drive I have to create is still in me and I don't think it will ever go away. My interests have changed and my desire for a large audience has diminished, but I still like makin' stuff.  This theme was carried throughout the book along with how she spends her days.
Patti is really into solitude. I find that as I get older I do not want to spend my time alone so much. I mean yes, I want "me" time and blah, blah, blah. But I like interacting with people I care about.
Being a parent has also encouraged me to introduce adventures to my daughter. I want to travel with her and watch her reaction to experiences. Not all experiences have to epic; a sunset, jokes (usually at Papa's expense) at the grocery store, or drawing silly pictures all work for me. Yes, I want to take my kid to see the Eiffel Tower or the Trevi Fountain, but  she rode her bike for the first time at the cemetery by our house and she had a blast. To me they are the same(ish).
I got into a game on my smart phone a few months ago. It was one of those Candy Crush kind of games. I played it for over a month and I realized that I was spending a lot of my free time playing it. I got irritated with myself and deleted it. I have no idea what it was called and I don't miss it. I don't want to spend that much time looking at my phone. Not sure what my point was...Oh yeah! Even though most of my work day is spent talking to people, I don't crave solitude. Experiences with others is my game.
My grandmother taught me that life happens in cycles and is fluid. Consequences of a circumstance can alter how one's current cycle is proceeding and many people do not like the changing of cycles and have a hard time with the transition.
I don't want to use the blanket statement that I am enjoying the simple things in life, because yes, I am, but no, it is more complicated than that.
So Patti I agree with you, it is hard to write about nothing.
Thanks for the read.

Under the moonlight, this serious moonlight...

David Bowie, I love your latest recording. I have not been able to listen to it since I heard you died, because I am afraid I will cry.

All week I have  read famous and non-famous people's reactions to your passing. I wanted to write something, but I couldn't start it until today.

I am so happy I had the opportunity to see you perform three times. Each time was amazing and I  think that the Glass Spider tour was my favorite. Though Serious Moonlight was my first big concert and Sound and Vision was my favorite set list (and Adrian Belew), the Glass Spider tour had all the theatrics. And Peter Frampton! 

Your music has been woven so deep in my sonic fabric that I am afraid that my entire soundtrack blanket will be unraveled, with all that is left in a heap on the floor. 

A friend of mine was super into Bowie in 8th grade. She bought a book that had about 350 pictures of him and we spent an entire night, cutting up the book and putting the photos on her walls. She also introduced me to the deeper cuts and not-so-commercial albums. She had an import of "Pin Ups," which is an album of all covers. She also had like 6 different versions of "V-2 Schneider."

I think that whole summer was David Bowie.

When I decided to move to San Francisco, I remember listening to the German version of "Heroes," 

I think that "Heroes," is probably my favorite of his...mmm, well I really like "Absolute Beginners" too.

I dragged my friend to go see the movie "Absolute Beginners." Yes, it is not a great movie, I remember looking over at my friend about half way through the movie and she was squeezing and poking at her hand.  The soundtrack is really good though and David Bowie is one of the best parts of the movie. I mean the lyrics are so good in the title song----


I've nothing much to offer
There's nothing much to take
I'm an absolute beginner
But I'm absolutely sane
As long as we're together
The rest can go to hell
I absolutely love you
But we're absolute beginners
With eyes completely open
But nervous all the same

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8NZa9wYZ_U

Then there is "Panic in Detroit," "Ricochet," "Fame," "Rock and Roll Suicide," "Starman," "Aladin Sane----OHHH Aladin Sane! That whole record is rad! 

What about the band Tin Machine? They rocked!

Thinking about the song "Starman," it starts on IV and the chorus is the only part that begins on the tonic. There is reverb on the vocals and open position chords to create the "in space," feeling. The instrumentation is reminiscent of "Space Oddity," but still its own thing. 

Speaking of "Space Oddity," David Bowie used a Stylophone. I mean c'mon! There are 15 (I think) different chords used and in 5 minutes there is an intro, two verses, two bridges, two- four bar acoustic guitar breaks and the "lift off," portion, which sounds kind of like the crazy crescendo  part in the Beatles' "Day in the Life." And the song still is able to have a sense of quiet and repose.
Can't forget songs from his later albums "Afraid," from the album "Heathen," is amazing and he does a really good Pixies cover of "Cactus."
Really, I could go on and on about all the amazing music he wrote, how he was a decent actor, and seemed like a decent person, but I won't.

David Bowie was so much to so many people that I will just say this...
Let's dance!
Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.

The Unheard Music -- A letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on why the band X deserves to be nominated.

To Whom It May Concern,

I would like to formally request to nominate the band X to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To make sure that the band is eligible, the criteria will be checked and noted.

First recording must have been released at least 25 years ago.  X released a single on Dangerhouse records in 1978 and their full length Los Angeles in 1980. Check.

The potential nominee must have demonstrated “unquestionable musical excellence.” Whew-E! Is that vague and colloquial or what? I mean, hello, music is subjective and let’s face it, tastes differ. Who are these 600 voters? Do they like punk rock? Female vocals? Ray Manzarek production values? I have so many questions, which I will never find the answers. So, I will do my best to state my case.

For your consideration-

X has had minor success on the music charts, but the Velvet Underground were inducted and they did not have much commercial success when they were a band.  X is considered by many music critixs and musicians as the “seminal LA punk band.”  To me their music is a snapshot into a moment that can be different things to different people. The first time I heard them I was 13 years old and just discovering punk rock on my local college radio station. Though I favored hardcore, X provided me with a more colorful soundtrack to my teenage angst. X emerged out of the Los Angeles punk rock scene in the late 1970s. The band’s two songwriters John Doe and Exene Cervanka are poets first and their lyrics painted expressionist scenes of California water colors. Billy Zoom’s rockabilly twang guitar with tape echo effect added to the beauty of poison and DJ Bonebrake is still one of the best drummers to hear and see live. His hard hitting is done with finesse and precision and the guy is like sixty years old.  “Johnny Hit and Run Pauline,” is a rocking tune with anti-rape lyrics, “Los Angeles” is a punk classic according to many lists on most alterna-mags and of course, the internet.  “See How We Are,” explores “progress,” and those who are left behind. With a hue of ennui, the music is acoustic (for the most part) and the message is presented with a quiet frustration.  “Burning House of Love,” is about Exene and John Doe’s divorce, bittersweet with super guitar hooks. The entire record, “More Fun in the New World,” is a love letter to the United States in the early 1980s. There are anecdotal songs, “I See Red,” which seems to be about the ills of touring. “The New World,” is a call to point out the confusion of the politics of the day, though done in a way where it could be relevant for the last few presidents.

The last time I saw X, which was just two weeks ago, they played “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts.” My roommates in the 1990s can testify that is one of my favorite songs. The music is not hard hitting punk tune, but a meandering adult lullaby about the anxiety of living in a world of extreme poverty, social unrest, and violence. Using band names from the scene from which they emerged, they quip that popular music is a new British Invasion and that one cannot hear their own comrades on the local radio stations. Perhaps the band is eluding that the problems at home are clouded by distraction of the other.

Of course I recommend that you listen to the songs mentioned in my letter as well as, “Hungry Wolf,” We’re Desperate,” “Black and White Ghost,” “Fourth of July,” “Love Shack,” “Blue Spark,” “ The Have Nots,” and “Riding with Mary.” Unquestionable musical excellence? Check.

My favorite musicologist, Eddie Vedder is a big fan of X and the band opened for Pearl Jam on their 2012 European and South American tour dates. Ray Manzarek loved the band and produced their first four records. The song “Los Angeles,” is part of a curated piece in your museum, “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” Is Cheap Trick on that list?

Thank you for your time,

Erica Watson

https://rockhall.com/inductees/induction-process/

5 Golden Rings!

I am a fan of Christmas. I went so far as to write my master thesis on the subject of Christmas music.
Christmas decorations make me happy too.
My favorite are artificial  (not green fake, but really fake) trees.
One of my first-ish memories is having a metal silver tree in my room one Christmas.
I believe it is when I lived on 6th street in Manhattan Beach. I am not totally sure how long we lived there, but I think we moved out of that place when I was in first grade. Anywho, I don't recall this particular Christmas tree at other houses I lived in, so maybe it was a one off deal.
One night I was in my bed and looking at the tree. I had a radio in my room and there was Christmas music playing...The song "12 Days of Christmas," started playing and I remember thinking to myself that it was like nothing I had ever heard. I am sure the music was to soothe me and send me into slumber-land, but it did quite the opposite. After the song was over, Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," came on and I have a vivid memory of listening to every sound of the piece. Of course, I didn't know anything about it at the time and when I saw the Nutcracker on television for the first time, I was really excited to see the dance along with listening to the music. It was quite a few years later, because I lived in the IE with my dad. The next song was "Deck the Halls," and after that was "Carol of the Bells," with vocals. I fell asleep once the programs switched to regular classical music.
I am interested in the manufactured nostalgia that comes along with Christmas time, and the longing for the sublime. I grew up in Southern California and never celebrated a Christmas in snow. More often than not it was 80 degrees outside on the 25th of December. I have step-siblings that I acquired when I was in high school, who were close to me in age, so there was no sharing a room and the nervous not-sleeping energy of Santa coming down our nonexistent chimney.

However, we have created our own traditions: tuna snowman, driving around looking at lights, and baby cheeses. They are not the ones you see in Hallmark movies, but they work for us.
I guess the manufactured nostalgia is more esoteric than I thought. Hearing the above songs remind me of that night and I now have a growing plastic Christmas tree collection. So...well done?
I think that many folks have a negative reaction about Christmas because it is too commercial, or there is an assumption that everyone is supposed to like AND celebrate Christmas.
That is just plain silly. I don't like football, techno music, or macaroni and cheese. No one else needs to be concerned by this...

With all the craziness happening all over the world right now, it is sometimes difficult for me to focus on what is in front of me. That is why I am doing something for someone who may not have the basics that I take for granted. I am facilitating two separate donation drives at my campus. To me, it is the least I can do.

I hope all have a peaceful new year.

Sistas are doing it for themselves

Recently, I volunteered for Women's Rock Camp. It was a one day fundraiser event to support Girl's Rock Camp. There were workshops, instrument lessons, band coaching and open mic. ALL IN ONE DAY!
I was a bass instructor for 5 women. Their ages ranged from twenty-one to fifty-something. Only one had any experience playing, the rest were complete beginners. I worked with one other instructor and we got them comfortable holding the instrument, introduced them to basic bass anatomy, string names and notes, and they learned a song.
Not too shabby in an hour and a half.
After lunch I was a band coach to one of the 5 bands that were put together.
The band consisted of two guitar players, bassist, keys, drummer, and vocalist, with their ages ranging from mid-twenties to fifty/sixty something. Most of the band were beginners and had no experience playing with other people. In 2 hours they had created a song and performed it (FIRST) at the open mic.
It was amazing to watch the band communicate with each other and play together.
The music reminded me of mid-1980s Pere Ubu, and the lyrics (written on the spot by the vocalist) reflected their feelings about participating in WRC.
 My favorite lyric was " I feel gorgeous!" When the vocalist asked if they liked what she was singing they all nodded their heads with beaming approval.
I felt like a proud parent when they performed and it was really cool to watch the reactions of their friends and family. There was a woman in another band whose two kids were super amped to watch their mama rock out on the guitar.
As a musician, it was the least I could do.
As a woman musician, I feel gorgeous.