You'd think that this one wouldn't be on the list, wouldn't it? After all, the song is about a kid struggling in school rather than excelling. However, if you really take the time to interpret the song for what it really is, the song is more about how school robs students of their identities and replaces them with grades. It touches on those of us who are gifted in one area and feel useless at everything else.
2. Tokyo Teddy Bear (JubyPhonic Dub)
The lyrics are fairly complex to fit together and are subject to a variety of interpretations. Seeing some kid's "potential", they mold that kid into the kind of student they want. This results in quite a lot of frustration on both ends. For one, it is impossible to be a perfect student and, as evidenced in the song, it results in a loss of sense of identity. Gifted kids, especially gifted and intense kids, tend to tear themselves apart and sew their identity into new things...again and again and again in a vicious cycle of trying to find the right thing.
3. Faster
Time is in my hands, but I keep finding reasons to throw it all away. Higher intelligence compels one to fulfill specific needs that others have, one after another. This song encourages the insatiable curiosity and fears of a gifted person as well as their effort to find the pieces of themselves. Getting older, we lose pieces of ourselves that we go back and try to find. Of course, there is a limited time in life to find the meaning that we seek, so that is why gifted kids feel compulsions to "go faster".
4. Jump
Life begs complex questions that don't always have good answers. Especially for emotionally gifted kids, questions like "Why do we tell people everything will be okay when we don't know how things will turn out?" come up quite often. Jump was written with this question in mind. The juxtaposition of the intellectual and emotional makes for a song that I think describes giftedness in general all too accurately and in a way that others fail to see.
5. A Realistic Logical Ideologist (JubyPhonic Dub)
This song is a reminder that not all giftedness is readily apparent when looking through the lens of what is traditionally viewed as "intelligent". A Realistic Logical Ideologist a song about all the "If you're so smart, why don't you..."s and how today's media uses important-looking words and weapons to intimidate others. I feel that this song was written in the defense of those who are gifted, but don't have the guts or the means to truly express it.
6. World Domination-How To
This song reminds me of what I think gifted kids (really, gifted people of all ages) need to hear more often: that their success is not limited to a list of measurable achievements. The two students in the song (Tsuji 辻 [the boy] and Azuma 東 [the girl]) rule the world, but not in the traditional sense. Note that the students are at the very least highly intelligent, even if they are not explicitly described as gifted. Tsuji notes that he is alone in a fake reality, even with Azuma at his side. Tsuji and Azuma do not use violence (the "bomb" and "knife"), but use kindness to succeed.
7. A Boy and a Girl Chameleon Symptom
Whether self-imposed or brought on by others, giftedness often comes with a great deal of pressure to meet a certain set standard or image. Others are attracted to the gifted due to their talents and, after a time, separating the people who genuinely take us for who we are from those who only want our talents gets difficult. This leads society to think that the highly intelligent are perfect people when, in reality, the scars are hidden all too well.
8. Lost One's Weeping (English Piano Version)
I put two different interpretations of the same song in a list. The language difference will tell you that kids around the world struggle in school, that it's not just an issue specific to your country. With the slower tempo and piano instrumental, this particular version of Lost One's Weeping conveys apathy while the other does so with outrage. It is one thing to be able to read the kanji on the blackboard, but another to read another kid's imagination. Empathy has been devalued in today's society, something emphasized in this song.
9. Terminating the World
Talent is worse than mediocrity, but what is talent in the first place? Being born in the spotlight is not an easy life. Such a life demands constant performance and feelings of not being worth anything come along with it. Separation of the performer from the true self takes over. This song makes me think of how the gifted learn how to perform early on and how it (adversely) affects self-perception. The next time someone thinks giftedness is easy, play this song for them and make them read the subs.
10. Swaying
Today, someone jumps again. Today, someone smiles again. It happens every single day and I'm sick of it. It is common for the gifted to get sick of the world rather quickly, even if it is tinted with a slight trace of happiness. Explaining little nuances and patterns in things others fail to notice, Soraru articulates a feeling many have, but may not know how to express. Vacillating between loving and hating the world It is strange that the world values intelligence so much, even when the intelligent are cowardly and weak. Wishing to become kind and strong is a wish many of us make. Realizing that we cry throughout our lives, please do me a favor and laugh a little more.
So, what did you think of this list? Did it allow you to see giftedness in a new light (or darkness)? If you are gifted yourself, could you relate to any of the songs I chose? Are there any other songs that you think fit this list? Let me know your opinions in the comment section.
Anna.... I am breaking this long comment up into twain parts.... ;-D I think that is what film and art and music do; they can work as a map of sorts for your feelings. --Bruce Springsteen I completely understand how songs and their lyrics can speak to you, speak to your heart and soul, reach in, grab your heartstrings and touch your deepest, most heartfelt emotions. Because.... That is exactly what so many of Bruce Springsteen's songs do to me!! For example.... Last year, my Grampa was dying a slow death to various cancers. Bruce has an album entitled The Rising. It is a fifteen-song, less than two hours-long record that he wrote, recorded and released after Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. The Rising is filled with songs about death, dying, grief and loss. However. The Rising is also filled with songs about hope, optimism, faith and resilience!! When Grampa was dying from cancer, I hip swayed/danced/cut loose to that album at least once a week.... Plus I also wrote several fictional stories where I killed off many of my characters. Because I was dealing with death, dying, grief and loss in the only way that I knew how!! As an artist, as a writer!! Grampa lost his battle to cancer on March 19th. Now, whenever I am in the mood for The Rising {which is often} Bruce's songs on that album immediately take me back.... Back to that time in my Life, back to that hard, emotionally-trying season in my Life. Because Bruce was absolutely right!! Art and music can, indeed, work as a map of sorts for your feelings.... ;) "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Adelaide.... Do you like Bruce Springsteen?! If your answer is yes.... Then I highly recommend that you hear The Rising from start to finish!! It is one of my very favorite of his albums!! ;-D "Hope, optimism and faith are so important to music. I feel that I connect directly to faith and hope in particular when I listen to music." Yeah.... Hope, optimism and faith are important to Life, as well!! {Hear that, Anna dear?!} ;) "Yes, I remember the stories in which you killed off your characters." Yeah.... It took me several months to realize that, psychologically and emotionally, my motive for killing off all of these characters was not an unhealthy obsession or fascination with death. It was Grampa.... Knowing full well that we were going to eventually lose him.... It was me dealing with some profound, complicated, thoughts/feelings/emotions.... Honestly? I never did enjoy killing off my characters!! I created them, I "got to know" them, I fell in love with them.... And then I ended their Lives?! It got harder to do every single time!! I am so not Joss Whedon!! Ha!! ;-D "Music takes us back - and moves us forward." Can I steal that?! ;) "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
You can have "Music takes us back - and moves us forward", Raelyn. Everyone can have it. It's common knowledge. [Having said that I will admit to quoting 7-8 paragraphs of a Forbes article, whole and complete, without having processed or discussed it first. Its author is a member of Youth Liberty Voice].
My motive for killing off all of thee characters was not an unhealthy obsession or fascination with death.
I do think we writers tend to be hard on ourselves, especially when it comes to what non-writers might consider "obsessions" or "fascinations" with what might be taboo topics - which include so much of life as well as the end of it.
And this delayed reaction, too, is very common. It's a way to process; to respond.
And we do this in full knowledge, as you did with the death of your grandfather. "Full knowledge" is very important in Catholicism and similar scholastic faiths [example: Aquinas].
I do enjoy Springsteen and have been known to listen and experience YouTube concerts. I like his Farm Aid stuff very well. In the 1990s I did not understand or care for most popular music though I did appreciate stadium and arena rock and choir music and special occasion music like for Super Bowls and Grand Finals.
Any other non-Rising favourites you can share? The Brandenburgs [Autism Blogs Directory; Californian education campaigners] made a great top 40 punk list which diverges from Rolling Stone.
Adelaide.... "I do think we writers tend to be hard on ourselves, especially when it comes to what non-writers might consider 'obsessions' or 'fascinations' with what might be taboo topics - which include so much of life as well as the end of it. This delayed reaction, too, is very common. It's a way to process; to respond. We do this in full knowledge, as you did with the death of your grandfather." Yeah.... I tend to obsess over certain subjects.... In case you have not noticed!! Can we say "Bruce Springsteen"?! Ha!! So I did--for a while--wonder if I was obsessed with death and killing off my characters. I wasn't!! I even wondered if I was addicted to killing off my characters. Again, I wasn't!! Because I do not think--in my opinion--that this behavior is either normal, or healthy!! Correct me if I am wrong!! So I did worry about myself a little bit.... Until I realized that, emotionally, I was killing off all these characters because of Grampa.... Then everything made so much sense, you know? ;) "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn PS. Earlier today, my two-year old niece, "Opal", made up this character in her head. He was a doctor, named Desiree, and he frightened her. So I finally said.... "Ya know, I'm really good at killin' off characters. I'll kill him for ya!!" ;-D
Did you think up an interesting death for Desiree?
Sometimes that can be very therapeutic - as well as fun!
If you consider it in terms of an "addiction" - this is more serious.
I on the other hand have an aversion to killing off characters. And I have had varying views about doing it on or off stage.
Killing off a character for the sake of killing off a character I do not like to do.
If it is more of a "green thumb/black thumb" thing - that is, whether it services the story or not - I am much more equivocal.
I try to build up the relationships and the reasons a character would live. And I would make death more of a fight - though of course there are limits.
When I think about "alive" and "dead" in writing...
And there are ways to remember and honour characters and value the development they give the writer and the reader.
It is definitely a skill set for the writer and it helps the reader by being cathartic.
Also it might depend on the way the story is told. If it is through a performing or visual art - are there rituals and roles involved? Consider the group and the implied reader/audience.
[And write and read like nobody's there but everyone's watching].
Adelaide.... "If you consider it in terms of an 'addiction' - this is more serious." I absolutely agree, Friend!! But I am not addicted to killing off my characters.... This was just something that I wondered. Maybe I shouldn't have expressed it to you here. Because, I have not killed off one single character--or created any fictional stories for that matter--all throughout 2016!! As a matter of fact. When Grampa died two months ago today, a thought immediately crossed my mind. 'I'm done killin' off my characters now.' That season of which I found myself in was abruptly over.... Like a last therapy session, if you will. Do not worry.... If I were addicted to killing off my characters? Then I could not go five months or longer without doing it.... Right? I have been, however, experiencing withdrawals from not creating any fictional stories.... ;) "Did you think up an interesting death for Desiree?" Good question!! Answer? I would do anything for both of my nieces--they definitely have me wrapped around their fingers--and, since this Dr. Desiree character was frightening "Opal", I probably would have shot him point blank in the head!! I feel like a murderer!! Ha!! ;-D "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn PS. "Opal" was tired when Dr. Desiree frightened her.... ;)
Adelaide.... It was--and is--not a habit for me to kill off my characters!! Or an addiction!! I never even killed off any characters with every single fictional book that I wrote last year!! Remember my Tom Hanks story? Nobody died in that one!! Or my mermaid story? Nobody died in that one, either!! Killing off my characters was an emotionally painful process every single time I did it. Why? Because I created these characters, I gave them personalities, I fell in love with them.... And then I killed them off. I do not, do not, DO NOT miss that feeling!! When I killed off all of these characters, I was also dealing with other characters' grief.... Which symbolized my own sense of loss that would eventually come after Grampa died. Alright? It makes perfect sense to me.... It was a looong cancer journey. To quote Bruce.... "We're livin' in the future and none of this has happened yet, none of this has happened yet, none of this has happened yet, none of this has happened yet"!! ;) "I have been experiencing withdrawals from not creating any fictional stories". That was a joke!! Ha, ha, ha!! Well, sort of. I love writing!! Creating fictional stories is the one God-given talent, ability and gift that I can do well, and.... Although I've been busy lately.... I truly do miss creating fictional stories!! I am hungry--no, starving--to breathe Life into certain characters!! So, yes, I have been experiencing some withdrawals.... It feels like I miss my friends.... My characters, my fictional stories, my writing.... All of which have not even been created yet!! And that isn't a negative thing!! Hakuna matata.... No worries, Friend!! ;-D I would not personally shoot Dr. Desiree point blank in the head.... I'd send some fictional character after him.... For "Opal".... I have had characters in my fictional stories shot before!! It is nothing new for me... Right? But I am not going to do it, so don't expect a fictional story about this being posted on my Blog anytime soon!! ;) "Seasons and therapy ... great connection." Thanks!! ;-D "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Adelaide.... Rescues are good. I absolutely agree!! And that is exactly what shooting Dr. Desiree point blank in the head would be.... A hero rescue for "Opal"!! However. I came up with an even sillier, much less violent way of killing off Dr. Desiree while hip swaying/dancing/cutting loose to Bruce today.... I will squash him like a bug!! Let me explain.... I--for the most part--overcame my Lifelong fear of four-legged, creepy-crawly spiders last Summer because of "Amethyst"!! {If you're a pacifist, I hope I do not offend you!!} I have killed so many spiders in this past year.... Squashed them like a bug!! Get it? Now, whenever "Opal" sees an insect of any form, she says to me.... "Will you squash him like a bug?" And then I do.... ;) "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Adelaide.... Call me weird--that's alright with me--but I happen to like reptiles!! Snakes particularly!! But to each one her own, right? I completely understand!! ;) "Bugs are insects but not all insects are bugs!" Thanks for the correction, Friend!! I knew that, but I forgot!! Curse my premature short-term memory loss!! The "squash him like a bug" joke is a bit of a pun!! ;-D "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Anna.... Confession. I have not--and won't--watch any of these videos. Why? Because of your "Content Warning: Suicide and self-injury themes". I generally need to avoid certain things that can cause Self-Pity and Depression, things that can make me feel moody, irritable, agitated, edgy. I think {especially under your current circumstance} that you should too, Friend.... However. Even without watching these videos, I can read your commentary/Blog posts about gifted individuals {a world that I do not know a whole lot about, because I don't consider myself smart or intelligent, because I live with premature short-term memory loss, I have learning disabilities} I can honestly say that you have got me to see giftedness in a new light.... And a new darkness. Which, I appreciate in the long run!! ;) You are definitely not gifted in one area, but useless at everything else, Friend!! You're anything but useless!! Anna.... You possess talents, abilities.... Yes, gifts.... That are absolutely perfect for such a Beautifully Unique young girl like yourself!! You do have a place in this world, God does have plans for your Life!! I may sound like a broken record, repeating myself in almost every single comment.... But.... Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop; I'll be on that hill with everything I've got --Lyrics to "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", written by Bruce Springsteen "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Anna.... Yes, I do tend to write very long comments!! Guilty as charged!! I just do not possess the control or ability to write short comments!! Sorry.... I work on it, though!! Trust me, I do!! That is why I started breaking my comments up into two, three parts!! Your comments could have been way longer than they were!! Yeah.... I definitely could not do Twitter!! ;-D No, I have never seen Bruce Springsteen in concert. {My Mom has.... Three times.... Twice in 1978 and once in 1980, but I was not even born yet.... Can you sense my jealousy/envy?! Ha!!} Yes, I absolutely agree that I should see Bruce in concert!! But as of right now, it is just not possible. Well, maybe someday.... ;) "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
More meat to grind upon, my dear! [Like Grandma, Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf - that Kate Forsyth on fairytales impacted me more than I knew - they are always around in the sub/unconscious].
I too have to be fairly careful about these feelings and their expressions. Especially where irritation and agitation come into the picture. The other two I can more or less take.
Yes, being gifted is a "whole new world" [Aladdin and Jasmine on the magic carpet with the tiger]. And that whole travel through Persia and Arabia.
When experiencing Vocaloid in particular I mainly listen. Tones and pitches are my focus. Yes, the words, the lyrics, *are* important, especially for the two new songs. These are CHAMELEON the BOY AND GIRL and TERMINATION WORLD.
Good advice in general, for many people avoidance is a coping strategy, a protector.
Adelaide.... "More meat to grind upon, my dear! [Like Grandma, Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.]" You tend to write very long comments, as well!! I'm just sayin'!! I guess you and I have that in common!! Oh, I love Little Red Riding Hood!! ;) "Good advice in general, for many people avoidance is a coping strategy, a protector." Yes.... Yes, it is!! ;-D I, too, hope I get to see Bruce Springsteen in concert someday!! We will see.... But for now, I get to settle with concert DVD's, which, I have an ever-growing collection of!! Is it the same as attending a live Bruce Springsteen show? Not at all!! But I can "time-travel" to 1975!! How about that?! ;) "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
I can hardly wait until he turns 70 - 75 - 80. Of course none of these birth days are given to us.
In 2016 a lot of our musical people have been dying.
In literature too, have been mourning Gillian Meares who died at 54 in part from complications of multiple sclerosis. She wrote wonderfully about horses and animals in the Central Coast of New South Wales.
I had just [December 2015] read THE MINT GARDEN which is her first book from 1990 which had won the Vogel Prize for writers under 35. [And you are still under 35, Raelyn, as long as we're talking about age].
Hooray for concert DVDs! Especially the ones with the extras and the ones which go deep. Celine Dion's team tend to have made good ones - especially probably the last one.
Adelaide.... Aw, do not call Bruce a senior citizen!! {Even though he is!!} Confession. I got in trouble with my Mom a little while back when I called Bruce "old". It was not derogatory or mean. I simply told Mom that when I saw Bruce perform on TV during The Super Bowl in 2009 {I had never seen him play before!! I loved it!!} that I thought 'Here is an old guy, who clearly loves what he does!! I wanna be just like him when I'm old!!' She did not like it!! Because, maybe, calling Bruce "old" was the same as calling Mom "old"? {She is younger!!} I just want to be like Bruce when I grow up!! And by the way? I love "old guys"!! I, too, cannot wait until he turns seventy, seventy-five, eighty!! When Bruce is one-hundred years young, he will still be rockin' shows!! We all know that.... ;-D "In 2016 a lot of our musical people have been dying." I know.... David Bowie.... Glenn Frey.... Prince.... I hate it. All of these recent musician deaths have forced me to think about Bruce's eventual mortality.... But then I quickly mentally and emotionally run--fast--from this inevitable Reality. However. When--if?--Bruce does die, I will still hip sway/dance/cut loose to him!! Because a good, gifted, talented musician never truly dies. His/her legacy and memory live on forever!! You know who taught me this after his death? Clarence Clemons.... I never go an entire day without his saxophone!! So--in a cosmic fashion--it does not feel like Big Man is gone.... ;) "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn PS. Bruce and the E Street Band recently did an amazing cover of "Purple Rain" in honor of Prince. Check it out on YouTube if you haven't already!!
Wow! Will look at PURPLE RAIN and the E Street Band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf-ml_ZH9Q0 [23 April 2016]
It does show Bruce's years and experience and his presence. And the band's harmony and melody grasp.
Frey was probably the death which touched me the most out of those three. [Love his piece from the 1980s about yellow journalism - DIRTY LAUNDRY]. I enjoyed some of Bowie's last songs, especially as they received chart attention they had not done before or in his recent work. And the videos themselves were gripping.
Yes. Legacy is very important. Wise to think of it and act upon it while still alive. For one man, a legacy can be a building. For another, a fund.
Clarence Clemons! Wow! That is one cosmic thing!
Thank you for the confession. Yes. A generational thing.
Wow. You never forget your first Bruce Springsteen experience. Mine was probably in 1996.
And we can't call Springsteen a retiree - even when the E Street band and himself have packed up and are no longer active.
Yep - running fast mentally and emotionally. Some of us are stuck, sometimes we wallow. Running is probably the "flight" aspect.
Adelaide.... Bruce and the E Street Band went all out trying to channel their inner Prince during that performance of "Purple Rain", trying to honor him. They even watched a video of Prince performing "Purple Rain" beforehand!! So you watched it?! I loved the purple lighting.... They were on throughout that entire show!! Everybody in the E Street Band even wore something purple!! And can we talk about Nils Lofgren's guitar solo?! He is so entertaining to watch!! ;) Honestly? I have not heard any of David Bowie's or Prince's songs. However. I have heard The Eagle's song, "Take It Easy"!! Anyway.... Bruce and the E Street Band also recently covered David Bowie's "Rebel, Rebel" in honor of him.... Which I very much enjoyed!! And speaking of "Take It Easy".... They also covered that song after Glenn Frey died.... Which I sang word-for-word while watching!! You should check those out, as well!! But my favorite cover that they did was "Purple Rain"!! ;-D If I ever meet Bruce--which will probably never happen--I'd want to tell him what I expressed here about Clarence.... I'd want to tell him that my nieces, "Amethyst" and "Opal" both know who Big Man is.... I'd want to tell him that "Opal"--who likes music--recognizes the sound of Clarence's saxophone.... I'd want to tell him that they do not even know Big Man is gone. A good, gifted, talented musician never truly dies.... ;) Your first Bruce Springsteen experience was in 1996? Was it at a live concert or on TV? I absolutely agree!! You never do forget your first Bruce experience!! ;-D Well, I should go to bed now, it's getting late.... ;) "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
TAKE IT EASY is one of my first favourites. It all started in 1994-95 when a friend recorded an Eagles mixtape. The songs I enjoyed then were BEST OF MY LOVE and LYIN' EYES and NEW KID IN TOWN. Also LIFE IN THE FAST LANE. Then I came to love IN THE LONG RUN "I used to worry a lot; I used to hurry a lot".
Fabulous - the whole purple aesthetic!
You've not heard any of Bowie's songs? I heard Bowie long before I knew him. There was a play when I was young called THE SPACE ODDITY which I worked out later was based on the ODYSSEY - had a little bit of HAL 2001 and lots of STAR TREK.
It was 1993 when I felt I started to connect with Bowie and his second wife.
Listened to lots of Bowie tributes on various radio stations and music video clip makers.
So lots of Ziggy Stardust and shoe gazing and being spaced out.
I was more impacted by Bowie's fashion and movie making - for example THE LABYRINTH - as so many people were from the 1980s through the 2000s.
Wow: Rebel Rebel.
Prince: will never forget 1999 and WHEN DOVES CRY and BEAUTIFUL NIKKI which came back into my mind. And my first Prince experience was probably LITTLE RED CORVETTE and my favourite experience is WITH THIS TEAR which is a song he might have written for Celine - she does sing it.
Channeling and honouring. Not so much into the spiritual/paranormal implications but when you embody that person or that idea it is great.
So wonderful to hear about your nieces and their musical exposures. I exposed a 6-year-old to SLOW DOWN BROTHER by the Dutch representative of Eurovision 2016. And I have SLOW DOWN BROTHER written on a post-it note.
Better to introduce Opal to Clarence than say Bleeding Gums Murphy who is, however, a great example of a mentor for Lisa Simpson. And BGM is a great character.
A new link: Writing Diet by Helen Sword. She wrote that book a year and three months ago [Feb 2015]. Various of my pieces have turned flabby or given the software a heart attack. Except for a piece called SOME FAMILIES which was trim and fit.
Writing Diet measures in five fields: verbs nouns prepositions adjectives/adverbs is/that/this/there [Helen Sword calls these waste words].
The thing that makes my writing flabby/heart-attacky is the verbs.
Writers' Diet counts 100-1000 word sample pieces that you feed in through cut and paste of a document. It starts to activate around 5%-6% of any component.
Adelaide.... Born In The USA!! I freakin' love that album.... And song, as well!! I hip sway/dance/cut lose to it every single week.... On "Born In The USA Wednesday"!! Me? I was actually born the year that record was released!! But I debuted into this world first, date-wise!! I'm just sayin'!! ;) No, I have not--best to my knowledge--heard any of David Bowie's songs!! Is that bad? My oldest brother has.... But not me. Then again. I am a Bruce Springsteen fanatic who has never--best to my knowledge--heard any of Bob Dylan's songs!! Is that bad, or what?! But I like Elvis Presley!! That counts as something, right? I should think so, since Bruce considers Elvis his "idol"!! Score!! ;-D This may come across as a surprise, but you can easily bump into Bruce!! Because he lives Life as normal as humanly possible, despite his hard-earned success, fame and fortune!! I love that about him!! For the most part, you need to be in New Jersey for a chance meeting.... However. I have read stories of fanatics bumping into Bruce from all over!! So you never know.... ;) "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Adelaide.... My Mom saw Elvis in concert once.... Right before he died. As a girl growing up, we listened to the oldies station in our yellow and white Chevy suburban together. Whenever they played Elvis, I would ask.... "Who's that?" To which Mom would answer.... "Elvis." And I'd say.... "I like his voice...." I think I was smitten with Elvis even before I knew what being smitten felt like!! ;-D "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Half the "dark side of giftedness" songs I am thinking of this week are from Marie Wilson [she was important to me when things were hitting very very hard - my very clear memory was seeing her face on a bus shelter or on a bus while travelling in 1998-99]:
Take me as I am Ordinary girl [this one is very much about images and the media and finding yourself "The whole world stares/but no one cares about her/she's just like you/she's just like the girl next door/she's just like/an ordinary girl"/"The papers talk about her lovers".] Making it up as I go along Real life [as in "Don't be so stupid/Don't be so hurtful"]. Won't keep a good girl down ["You can't stop the world from changing/but you could turn it around/you won't keep a good girl down"].
RESCUE ME and ON MY OWN are good too.
Right now this rock chick is doing songs for multiple sclerosis which have been crowdsourced by actual people.
Other songs: PITY the CHILD and SOMEONE ELSE'S STORY from the Chess soundtrack.
And a young lady's version of Poulenc 1 and 2.
Other songs which might show the darker side of giftedness might be "Death of a bachelor" to which I listened to this morning.
Surrounding myself every day with the musicality of so many people.
KEXP's HEY MARSEILLES had a brilliant concert with at least one cover song.
Anna....
ReplyDeleteI am breaking this long comment up into twain parts.... ;-D
I think that is what film and art and music do; they can work as a map of sorts for your feelings. --Bruce Springsteen
I completely understand how songs and their lyrics can speak to you, speak to your heart and soul, reach in, grab your heartstrings and touch your deepest, most heartfelt emotions. Because.... That is exactly what so many of Bruce Springsteen's songs do to me!! For example.... Last year, my Grampa was dying a slow death to various cancers. Bruce has an album entitled The Rising. It is a fifteen-song, less than two hours-long record that he wrote, recorded and released after Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. The Rising is filled with songs about death, dying, grief and loss. However. The Rising is also filled with songs about hope, optimism, faith and resilience!! When Grampa was dying from cancer, I hip swayed/danced/cut loose to that album at least once a week.... Plus I also wrote several fictional stories where I killed off many of my characters. Because I was dealing with death, dying, grief and loss in the only way that I knew how!! As an artist, as a writer!! Grampa lost his battle to cancer on March 19th. Now, whenever I am in the mood for The Rising {which is often} Bruce's songs on that album immediately take me back.... Back to that time in my Life, back to that hard, emotionally-trying season in my Life. Because Bruce was absolutely right!! Art and music can, indeed, work as a map of sorts for your feelings.... ;)
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Raelyn:
DeleteFeeling you and your Grampa and the resilience of the Rising.
I may have heard one Rising song in 2009 - a song that Springsteen does live - for Bushfire Aid.
Hope, optimism and faith are so important to music. I feel that I connect directly to faith and hope in particular when I listen to music.
Yes, I remember the stories in which you killed off your characters.
Yes - music takes us back - and moves us forward.
Adelaide....
DeleteDo you like Bruce Springsteen?! If your answer is yes.... Then I highly recommend that you hear The Rising from start to finish!! It is one of my very favorite of his albums!! ;-D
"Hope, optimism and faith are so important to music. I feel that I connect directly to faith and hope in particular when I listen to music." Yeah.... Hope, optimism and faith are important to Life, as well!! {Hear that, Anna dear?!} ;)
"Yes, I remember the stories in which you killed off your characters." Yeah.... It took me several months to realize that, psychologically and emotionally, my motive for killing off all of these characters was not an unhealthy obsession or fascination with death. It was Grampa.... Knowing full well that we were going to eventually lose him.... It was me dealing with some profound, complicated, thoughts/feelings/emotions.... Honestly? I never did enjoy killing off my characters!! I created them, I "got to know" them, I fell in love with them.... And then I ended their Lives?! It got harder to do every single time!! I am so not Joss Whedon!! Ha!! ;-D
"Music takes us back - and moves us forward." Can I steal that?! ;)
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
You can have "Music takes us back - and moves us forward", Raelyn. Everyone can have it. It's common knowledge. [Having said that I will admit to quoting 7-8 paragraphs of a Forbes article, whole and complete, without having processed or discussed it first. Its author is a member of Youth Liberty Voice].
DeleteMy motive for killing off all of thee characters was not an unhealthy obsession or fascination with death.
I do think we writers tend to be hard on ourselves, especially when it comes to what non-writers might consider "obsessions" or "fascinations" with what might be taboo topics - which include so much of life as well as the end of it.
And this delayed reaction, too, is very common. It's a way to process; to respond.
And we do this in full knowledge, as you did with the death of your grandfather. "Full knowledge" is very important in Catholicism and similar scholastic faiths [example: Aquinas].
I do enjoy Springsteen and have been known to listen and experience YouTube concerts. I like his Farm Aid stuff very well. In the 1990s I did not understand or care for most popular music though I did appreciate stadium and arena rock and choir music and special occasion music like for Super Bowls and Grand Finals.
Any other non-Rising favourites you can share? The Brandenburgs [Autism Blogs Directory; Californian education campaigners] made a great top 40 punk list which diverges from Rolling Stone.
Adelaide....
Delete"I do think we writers tend to be hard on ourselves, especially when it comes to what non-writers might consider 'obsessions' or 'fascinations' with what might be taboo topics - which include so much of life as well as the end of it. This delayed reaction, too, is very common. It's a way to process; to respond. We do this in full knowledge, as you did with the death of your grandfather." Yeah.... I tend to obsess over certain subjects.... In case you have not noticed!! Can we say "Bruce Springsteen"?! Ha!! So I did--for a while--wonder if I was obsessed with death and killing off my characters. I wasn't!! I even wondered if I was addicted to killing off my characters. Again, I wasn't!! Because I do not think--in my opinion--that this behavior is either normal, or healthy!! Correct me if I am wrong!! So I did worry about myself a little bit.... Until I realized that, emotionally, I was killing off all these characters because of Grampa.... Then everything made so much sense, you know? ;)
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
PS. Earlier today, my two-year old niece, "Opal", made up this character in her head. He was a doctor, named Desiree, and he frightened her. So I finally said.... "Ya know, I'm really good at killin' off characters. I'll kill him for ya!!" ;-D
Did you think up an interesting death for Desiree?
DeleteSometimes that can be very therapeutic - as well as fun!
If you consider it in terms of an "addiction" - this is more serious.
I on the other hand have an aversion to killing off characters. And I have had varying views about doing it on or off stage.
Killing off a character for the sake of killing off a character I do not like to do.
If it is more of a "green thumb/black thumb" thing - that is, whether it services the story or not - I am much more equivocal.
I try to build up the relationships and the reasons a character would live. And I would make death more of a fight - though of course there are limits.
When I think about "alive" and "dead" in writing...
And there are ways to remember and honour characters and value the development they give the writer and the reader.
It is definitely a skill set for the writer and it helps the reader by being cathartic.
Also it might depend on the way the story is told. If it is through a performing or visual art - are there rituals and roles involved? Consider the group and the implied reader/audience.
[And write and read like nobody's there but everyone's watching].
Adelaide....
Delete"If you consider it in terms of an 'addiction' - this is more serious." I absolutely agree, Friend!! But I am not addicted to killing off my characters.... This was just something that I wondered. Maybe I shouldn't have expressed it to you here. Because, I have not killed off one single character--or created any fictional stories for that matter--all throughout 2016!! As a matter of fact. When Grampa died two months ago today, a thought immediately crossed my mind. 'I'm done killin' off my characters now.' That season of which I found myself in was abruptly over.... Like a last therapy session, if you will. Do not worry.... If I were addicted to killing off my characters? Then I could not go five months or longer without doing it.... Right? I have been, however, experiencing withdrawals from not creating any fictional stories.... ;)
"Did you think up an interesting death for Desiree?" Good question!! Answer? I would do anything for both of my nieces--they definitely have me wrapped around their fingers--and, since this Dr. Desiree character was frightening "Opal", I probably would have shot him point blank in the head!! I feel like a murderer!! Ha!! ;-D
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
PS. "Opal" was tired when Dr. Desiree frightened her.... ;)
That was a good conscious thing to be able to do.
DeleteFive months is indeed a long time to break a habit. I would take many pauses and breaks.
"I have been experiencing withdrawals from not creating any fictional stories".
Shooting Dr D point blank in the head? And tiredness? I would want him to die on the rotisserie of pain and fatigue. Or at least of overwork.
Seasons and therapy ... great connection, Raelyn.
I keep looking for a way to get back in, get back in, get back in. Like a rodeo or a swimming pool. Testing the waters, feeling the terrain.
Two months ago? So recent?
I do completely understand. If it were a "pop and you can't stop"...
The key is that you "would do anything for both of [your] nieces".
What about other ways of dealing with fear?
Adelaide....
DeleteIt was--and is--not a habit for me to kill off my characters!! Or an addiction!! I never even killed off any characters with every single fictional book that I wrote last year!! Remember my Tom Hanks story? Nobody died in that one!! Or my mermaid story? Nobody died in that one, either!! Killing off my characters was an emotionally painful process every single time I did it. Why? Because I created these characters, I gave them personalities, I fell in love with them.... And then I killed them off. I do not, do not, DO NOT miss that feeling!! When I killed off all of these characters, I was also dealing with other characters' grief.... Which symbolized my own sense of loss that would eventually come after Grampa died. Alright? It makes perfect sense to me.... It was a looong cancer journey. To quote Bruce.... "We're livin' in the future and none of this has happened yet, none of this has happened yet, none of this has happened yet, none of this has happened yet"!! ;)
"I have been experiencing withdrawals from not creating any fictional stories". That was a joke!! Ha, ha, ha!! Well, sort of. I love writing!! Creating fictional stories is the one God-given talent, ability and gift that I can do well, and.... Although I've been busy lately.... I truly do miss creating fictional stories!! I am hungry--no, starving--to breathe Life into certain characters!! So, yes, I have been experiencing some withdrawals.... It feels like I miss my friends.... My characters, my fictional stories, my writing.... All of which have not even been created yet!! And that isn't a negative thing!! Hakuna matata.... No worries, Friend!! ;-D
I would not personally shoot Dr. Desiree point blank in the head.... I'd send some fictional character after him.... For "Opal".... I have had characters in my fictional stories shot before!! It is nothing new for me... Right? But I am not going to do it, so don't expect a fictional story about this being posted on my Blog anytime soon!! ;)
"Seasons and therapy ... great connection." Thanks!! ;-D
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Rescues are good. Especially where children are concerned. They touch deep dreams.
DeleteGlad to know your position, Raelyn.
And other characters' grief as well.
Adelaide....
DeleteRescues are good. I absolutely agree!! And that is exactly what shooting Dr. Desiree point blank in the head would be.... A hero rescue for "Opal"!! However. I came up with an even sillier, much less violent way of killing off Dr. Desiree while hip swaying/dancing/cutting loose to Bruce today.... I will squash him like a bug!! Let me explain.... I--for the most part--overcame my Lifelong fear of four-legged, creepy-crawly spiders last Summer because of "Amethyst"!! {If you're a pacifist, I hope I do not offend you!!} I have killed so many spiders in this past year.... Squashed them like a bug!! Get it? Now, whenever "Opal" sees an insect of any form, she says to me.... "Will you squash him like a bug?" And then I do.... ;)
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
I try to let my insects go free if they're not already free. This applies to skinks and other reptiles too - which last I found last Sunday.
DeleteAh!
Bugs are insects but not all insects are bugs!
Adelaide....
DeleteCall me weird--that's alright with me--but I happen to like reptiles!! Snakes particularly!! But to each one her own, right? I completely understand!! ;)
"Bugs are insects but not all insects are bugs!" Thanks for the correction, Friend!! I knew that, but I forgot!! Curse my premature short-term memory loss!! The "squash him like a bug" joke is a bit of a pun!! ;-D
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Anna....
ReplyDeleteConfession. I have not--and won't--watch any of these videos. Why? Because of your "Content Warning: Suicide and self-injury themes". I generally need to avoid certain things that can cause Self-Pity and Depression, things that can make me feel moody, irritable, agitated, edgy. I think {especially under your current circumstance} that you should too, Friend.... However. Even without watching these videos, I can read your commentary/Blog posts about gifted individuals {a world that I do not know a whole lot about, because I don't consider myself smart or intelligent, because I live with premature short-term memory loss, I have learning disabilities} I can honestly say that you have got me to see giftedness in a new light.... And a new darkness. Which, I appreciate in the long run!! ;)
You are definitely not gifted in one area, but useless at everything else, Friend!! You're anything but useless!! Anna.... You possess talents, abilities.... Yes, gifts.... That are absolutely perfect for such a Beautifully Unique young girl like yourself!! You do have a place in this world, God does have plans for your Life!! I may sound like a broken record, repeating myself in almost every single comment.... But....
Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop; I'll be on that hill with everything I've got --Lyrics to "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", written by Bruce Springsteen
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
You tend to write very long comments. I just noticed that. Have you ever seen Bruce Springsteen in concert? If not, I think you should.
DeleteAnna....
DeleteYes, I do tend to write very long comments!! Guilty as charged!! I just do not possess the control or ability to write short comments!! Sorry.... I work on it, though!! Trust me, I do!! That is why I started breaking my comments up into two, three parts!! Your comments could have been way longer than they were!! Yeah.... I definitely could not do Twitter!! ;-D
No, I have never seen Bruce Springsteen in concert. {My Mom has.... Three times.... Twice in 1978 and once in 1980, but I was not even born yet.... Can you sense my jealousy/envy?! Ha!!} Yes, I absolutely agree that I should see Bruce in concert!! But as of right now, it is just not possible. Well, maybe someday.... ;)
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Raelyn:
DeleteMore meat to grind upon, my dear! [Like Grandma, Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf - that Kate Forsyth on fairytales impacted me more than I knew - they are always around in the sub/unconscious].
I too have to be fairly careful about these feelings and their expressions. Especially where irritation and agitation come into the picture. The other two I can more or less take.
Yes, being gifted is a "whole new world" [Aladdin and Jasmine on the magic carpet with the tiger]. And that whole travel through Persia and Arabia.
When experiencing Vocaloid in particular I mainly listen. Tones and pitches are my focus. Yes, the words, the lyrics, *are* important, especially for the two new songs. These are CHAMELEON the BOY AND GIRL and TERMINATION WORLD.
Good advice in general, for many people avoidance is a coping strategy, a protector.
Hope you do get to see Springsteen in concert.
Adelaide....
Delete"More meat to grind upon, my dear! [Like Grandma, Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.]" You tend to write very long comments, as well!! I'm just sayin'!! I guess you and I have that in common!! Oh, I love Little Red Riding Hood!! ;)
"Good advice in general, for many people avoidance is a coping strategy, a protector." Yes.... Yes, it is!! ;-D
I, too, hope I get to see Bruce Springsteen in concert someday!! We will see.... But for now, I get to settle with concert DVD's, which, I have an ever-growing collection of!! Is it the same as attending a live Bruce Springsteen show? Not at all!! But I can "time-travel" to 1975!! How about that?! ;)
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
PS. Although.... I absolutely prefer Bruce at age 66 over 24, 25!! ;)
DeleteI like senior citizen Bruce as well.
DeleteI can hardly wait until he turns 70 - 75 - 80. Of course none of these birth days are given to us.
In 2016 a lot of our musical people have been dying.
In literature too, have been mourning Gillian Meares who died at 54 in part from complications of multiple sclerosis. She wrote wonderfully about horses and animals in the Central Coast of New South Wales.
I had just [December 2015] read THE MINT GARDEN which is her first book from 1990 which had won the Vogel Prize for writers under 35. [And you are still under 35, Raelyn, as long as we're talking about age].
Hooray for concert DVDs! Especially the ones with the extras and the ones which go deep. Celine Dion's team tend to have made good ones - especially probably the last one.
Now of course there's BluRay and Ultimate BluRay.
Kate Ceberano is here right now.
It's a shared experience!
"Little Red Riding Hood
Deleteeven bad wolves can be good!"
From that novelty song. A DJ/mixer in my life loved to listen to it while hanging out in a party bus/biscuit van.
Sung and produced by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs.
There is a Readers Digest music collection somewhere, though the record I have is "Looney Songs".
Adelaide....
DeleteAw, do not call Bruce a senior citizen!! {Even though he is!!} Confession. I got in trouble with my Mom a little while back when I called Bruce "old". It was not derogatory or mean. I simply told Mom that when I saw Bruce perform on TV during The Super Bowl in 2009 {I had never seen him play before!! I loved it!!} that I thought 'Here is an old guy, who clearly loves what he does!! I wanna be just like him when I'm old!!' She did not like it!! Because, maybe, calling Bruce "old" was the same as calling Mom "old"? {She is younger!!} I just want to be like Bruce when I grow up!! And by the way? I love "old guys"!! I, too, cannot wait until he turns seventy, seventy-five, eighty!! When Bruce is one-hundred years young, he will still be rockin' shows!! We all know that.... ;-D
"In 2016 a lot of our musical people have been dying." I know.... David Bowie.... Glenn Frey.... Prince.... I hate it. All of these recent musician deaths have forced me to think about Bruce's eventual mortality.... But then I quickly mentally and emotionally run--fast--from this inevitable Reality. However. When--if?--Bruce does die, I will still hip sway/dance/cut loose to him!! Because a good, gifted, talented musician never truly dies. His/her legacy and memory live on forever!! You know who taught me this after his death? Clarence Clemons.... I never go an entire day without his saxophone!! So--in a cosmic fashion--it does not feel like Big Man is gone.... ;)
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
PS. Bruce and the E Street Band recently did an amazing cover of "Purple Rain" in honor of Prince. Check it out on YouTube if you haven't already!!
Wow! Will look at PURPLE RAIN and the E Street Band.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf-ml_ZH9Q0 [23 April 2016]
It does show Bruce's years and experience and his presence. And the band's harmony and melody grasp.
Frey was probably the death which touched me the most out of those three. [Love his piece from the 1980s about yellow journalism - DIRTY LAUNDRY]. I enjoyed some of Bowie's last songs, especially as they received chart attention they had not done before or in his recent work. And the videos themselves were gripping.
Yes. Legacy is very important. Wise to think of it and act upon it while still alive. For one man, a legacy can be a building. For another, a fund.
Clarence Clemons! Wow! That is one cosmic thing!
Thank you for the confession. Yes. A generational thing.
Wow. You never forget your first Bruce Springsteen experience. Mine was probably in 1996.
And we can't call Springsteen a retiree - even when the E Street band and himself have packed up and are no longer active.
Yep - running fast mentally and emotionally. Some of us are stuck, sometimes we wallow. Running is probably the "flight" aspect.
Henley; Henley; Henley!
DeleteHe is the one who did DIRTY LAUNDRY and THE END OF THE INNOCENCE.
Mostly now know Frey from working with The Little River Band.
Adelaide....
DeleteBruce and the E Street Band went all out trying to channel their inner Prince during that performance of "Purple Rain", trying to honor him. They even watched a video of Prince performing "Purple Rain" beforehand!! So you watched it?! I loved the purple lighting.... They were on throughout that entire show!! Everybody in the E Street Band even wore something purple!! And can we talk about Nils Lofgren's guitar solo?! He is so entertaining to watch!! ;)
Honestly? I have not heard any of David Bowie's or Prince's songs. However. I have heard The Eagle's song, "Take It Easy"!! Anyway.... Bruce and the E Street Band also recently covered David Bowie's "Rebel, Rebel" in honor of him.... Which I very much enjoyed!! And speaking of "Take It Easy".... They also covered that song after Glenn Frey died.... Which I sang word-for-word while watching!! You should check those out, as well!! But my favorite cover that they did was "Purple Rain"!! ;-D
If I ever meet Bruce--which will probably never happen--I'd want to tell him what I expressed here about Clarence.... I'd want to tell him that my nieces, "Amethyst" and "Opal" both know who Big Man is.... I'd want to tell him that "Opal"--who likes music--recognizes the sound of Clarence's saxophone.... I'd want to tell him that they do not even know Big Man is gone. A good, gifted, talented musician never truly dies.... ;)
Your first Bruce Springsteen experience was in 1996? Was it at a live concert or on TV? I absolutely agree!! You never do forget your first Bruce experience!! ;-D
Well, I should go to bed now, it's getting late.... ;)
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Probably neither. It was on the radio.
DeleteOr I do remember watching BORN IN THE USA on TV.
TAKE IT EASY is one of my first favourites. It all started in 1994-95 when a friend recorded an Eagles mixtape. The songs I enjoyed then were BEST OF MY LOVE and LYIN' EYES and NEW KID IN TOWN. Also LIFE IN THE FAST LANE. Then I came to love IN THE LONG RUN "I used to worry a lot; I used to hurry a lot".
Fabulous - the whole purple aesthetic!
You've not heard any of Bowie's songs? I heard Bowie long before I knew him. There was a play when I was young called THE SPACE ODDITY which I worked out later was based on the ODYSSEY - had a little bit of HAL 2001 and lots of STAR TREK.
It was 1993 when I felt I started to connect with Bowie and his second wife.
Listened to lots of Bowie tributes on various radio stations and music video clip makers.
So lots of Ziggy Stardust and shoe gazing and being spaced out.
I was more impacted by Bowie's fashion and movie making - for example THE LABYRINTH - as so many people were from the 1980s through the 2000s.
Wow: Rebel Rebel.
Prince: will never forget 1999 and WHEN DOVES CRY and BEAUTIFUL NIKKI which came back into my mind. And my first Prince experience was probably LITTLE RED CORVETTE and my favourite experience is WITH THIS TEAR which is a song he might have written for Celine - she does sing it.
Channeling and honouring. Not so much into the spiritual/paranormal implications but when you embody that person or that idea it is great.
So wonderful to hear about your nieces and their musical exposures. I exposed a 6-year-old to SLOW DOWN BROTHER by the Dutch representative of Eurovision 2016. And I have SLOW DOWN BROTHER written on a post-it note.
Better to introduce Opal to Clarence than say Bleeding Gums Murphy who is, however, a great example of a mentor for Lisa Simpson. And BGM is a great character.
A new link: Writing Diet by Helen Sword. She wrote that book a year and three months ago [Feb 2015]. Various of my pieces have turned flabby or given the software a heart attack. Except for a piece called SOME FAMILIES which was trim and fit.
Writing Diet measures in five fields:
verbs
nouns
prepositions
adjectives/adverbs
is/that/this/there [Helen Sword calls these waste words].
The thing that makes my writing flabby/heart-attacky is the verbs.
Writers' Diet counts 100-1000 word sample pieces that you feed in through cut and paste of a document. It starts to activate around 5%-6% of any component.
Writer's Diet
Hope the kids get to meet Bruce and any other musicians/artists they may want to meet.
The Internet is 24/7!
Adelaide....
DeleteBorn In The USA!! I freakin' love that album.... And song, as well!! I hip sway/dance/cut lose to it every single week.... On "Born In The USA Wednesday"!! Me? I was actually born the year that record was released!! But I debuted into this world first, date-wise!! I'm just sayin'!! ;)
No, I have not--best to my knowledge--heard any of David Bowie's songs!! Is that bad? My oldest brother has.... But not me. Then again. I am a Bruce Springsteen fanatic who has never--best to my knowledge--heard any of Bob Dylan's songs!! Is that bad, or what?! But I like Elvis Presley!! That counts as something, right? I should think so, since Bruce considers Elvis his "idol"!! Score!! ;-D
This may come across as a surprise, but you can easily bump into Bruce!! Because he lives Life as normal as humanly possible, despite his hard-earned success, fame and fortune!! I love that about him!! For the most part, you need to be in New Jersey for a chance meeting.... However. I have read stories of fanatics bumping into Bruce from all over!! So you never know.... ;)
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
The New Jersey Community College system seems to be a place for Bruce sightings.
DeleteYvonne Singer had offered a springtime course for Intro to Psychology at Middlesex Community College ...
Yes - Elvis does count. Certainly Maman thought so.
Adelaide....
DeleteMy Mom saw Elvis in concert once.... Right before he died. As a girl growing up, we listened to the oldies station in our yellow and white Chevy suburban together. Whenever they played Elvis, I would ask.... "Who's that?" To which Mom would answer.... "Elvis." And I'd say.... "I like his voice...." I think I was smitten with Elvis even before I knew what being smitten felt like!! ;-D
"Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive", Raelyn
Half the "dark side of giftedness" songs I am thinking of this week are from Marie Wilson [she was important to me when things were hitting very very hard - my very clear memory was seeing her face on a bus shelter or on a bus while travelling in 1998-99]:
ReplyDeleteTake me as I am
Ordinary girl [this one is very much about images and the media and finding yourself
"The whole world stares/but no one cares about her/she's just like you/she's just like the girl next door/she's just like/an ordinary girl"/"The papers talk about her lovers".]
Making it up as I go along
Real life [as in "Don't be so stupid/Don't be so hurtful"].
Won't keep a good girl down ["You can't stop the world from changing/but you could turn it around/you won't keep a good girl down"].
RESCUE ME and ON MY OWN are good too.
Right now this rock chick is doing songs for multiple sclerosis which have been crowdsourced by actual people.
Other songs: PITY the CHILD and SOMEONE ELSE'S STORY from the Chess soundtrack.
And a young lady's version of Poulenc 1 and 2.
Other songs which might show the darker side of giftedness might be "Death of a bachelor" to which I listened to this morning.
Surrounding myself every day with the musicality of so many people.
KEXP's HEY MARSEILLES had a brilliant concert with at least one cover song.
And there's David Cosma.