I thought that when I started writing this blog that I would have important things to say a lot more often than I actually do. As it turns out I rarely, if ever, actually cobble together a coherent thought. And when I do I usually forget it or confuse it with something else that I was thinking about at the time before I sit down to write. I’m not being graded on this so who cares, right?
I felt like I was going somewhere with that open, but alas I forgot.
Whatever it is that I put down when I do write, it is what populates my brain on the ride home. I live in the city, but I work in the suburbs. Yes, that is bizarre but that’s what it is. I have a reverse commute. Last night one of my co-workers enquired about said commute and how I “deal” with that everyday. I go to my Zen place. I’ve always said that when they ask, but they don’t get it. For the record, it’s a figure of speech – I’m not a Zen master (whatever that means). It’s not even ‘my’ figure of speech (I stole it from David Nilsson). Regardless, my ‘Zen’ means my music. It’s not something that I have to deal with…it actually keeps me sane. That (45) minute drive gets me back to my center. I can put away the bullshit of today, inventory what I have to do tomorrow and transition into night. I think I would be a raving lunatic without my reverse commute. And I would probably be “a person of interest” if I had to live in the suburbs. It boggles my mind that human beings actually consciously choose to live there. That’s a rant for another day though, I guess. What was I talking about? Oh yeah.
Ladies Night in Buffalo rotated into position (1) on the iPod tonight. That’s a great song. I seriously doubt that you remember it. David Lee Roth, possibly the best rock ‘n’ roll front man ever went solo and recruited the next best thing to Eddie Van Halen in the person of Steve Vai. That guy is a freak of a guitar player, but it’s technical – EVH was a rock star. Vai is an incredible talent and I’m a big fan: it just wasn’t Van Halen. I guess that was the point. Helluva song though…it’s like he solos all the way through. The video is purposely not a video so that you listen to the song.
I’ve written a couple of “(10) song” blogs…this DLR song tonight led me down a different path. In my mind, there is an incredible lack of female talent in music today. Understand that when I say ‘music’ I mean music. I don’t mean the BS you let your kids listen to. There was a time when ladies grabbed the mic and had a voice…with balls. These are a few of the songs that live rent free in my mind on the regular.
Shirley Manson. That chick had it. There’s never been a red head in a pink dress sexier – plus she freaking rocked! Not really sure why she was hanging out with her old ass band though. Not that it is relevant as it pertains to her musical abilities, but I would straight lay down in front of a train for Shirley Manson's affection.
These Swedish ladies understood the game. They certainly wrote songs by a formula, but they were good nevertheless. They saw a window and jumped right through. It was awesome and it was rock ‘n’ roll. It was based a bit much on the “hot Swedish girl” factor but still. If I ever stumble into the bass player in a bar, that won’t suck.
The original rock chicks, right? Kim Fowley (one creepy S.O.B.) might have invented that term by putting this band together. They were a complete fantasy driven fabrication, but most of them went on to greater heights after this experiment. Lita Ford didn’t so much, but Joan Jett was, and is still a ballsy rock chick. So ballsy, in fact, that when I saw her open for Robert Plant in the 80’s she took her shirt off at the end of her set and nobody really seemed to notice. There was a movie about The Runaways recently. Not bad, but I think Cherie Currie would kick the shit out of Dakota Fanning – it’s really an insult that she was cast in that roll.
I’ve never hidden my undying affection for Kim Deal. When your resume includes founding member of The Pixies you jump to the top of the list in my opinion. Brilliant artist. She reappeared with the Breeders during the height of the Grunge cluster and didn’t get overshadowed – one of my favorite ‘90s bands. Her twin sister and lead guitarist Kelley was “the deal” as well (pun intended).
Another fantastic early ‘90s band. It seems a little “poppy” when I listen to it now but this was a jam in ’93-’94. I get the same feeling when I hear it today. Great freaking song. It’s been a staple on my iPod since I’ve had one.
Holy midriff Batman!! The memory of Gail Greenwood on bass continues to rock my world. This wasn’t even their best song. It’s a great song, but Feed the Tree was brilliant. And besides, holy shit, Gail Greenwood on bass.
Speaking of midriffs, Gwen Stefani pretty much invented that phenomenon, no? Sure she took her cues from 90210 and Melrose Place but this girl had mad skills, outside of the obvious. I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that this song is about her break up with the bass player. How do you stay in the band with your ex? I guess if your making bank you deal with it. Beautiful song on top of.
I hesitate to include this song. There’s a personal history here that I’ve not quite dealt with and have designs to write about sometime. But how can a blog about female musicians not include Grace? I was at this show. I’m not sure that I’ve missed a show when she was in town the past couple of years. I was blown away this night as I always am. She is an incredible talent. There’s a story here...I’ll tell you later.
I don’t know where you went to high school but these chicks did not exist where I did. Brett Anderson…oi! They played themselves as the female Ramones. I always felt like the drummer might have an amphetamine problem (I’m okay with that.) My personal opinion is that this was by far their best album, but who am I to say? They were also quite formulaic with their writing. This song always reminds me that rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t have to be important – hell it doesn’t need to have any meaning, or even be that good. As such, this is a perfect rock song.
Call me whatever, but this song has always seemed a bit too near my heart. Her voice freaks me out. Her lyrics are dead-on exactly what she is thinking. Maybe that’s the freak me out part…I’ve always thought that this is the song that my every ex would write if they had the voice. Incredible vocals…never heard a Poe song I didn’t love. She crystallized my "understanding" of the manner in which women process emotion (or at least how I perceive their emotional process.) And that continues to baffle me, whether it is real or perceived.
I have to admit that these girls scared the hell out of me when I first heard them. They still do in fact. They have skills, they certainly have chops. They were a pure rock ‘n’ roll band but they never really made it to where they should have been. Oddly, the market was crowded with girl bands at the time.
Do you hear it? That magical tragedy? She was / is the absolute. Her voice makes me want to cry…for no reason. She is that good. (44) years wasn’t enough. I identify with Billie on many levels. I get it, right? She drank. She made bad choices in her relationships. She drank some more. But she gave the world the purest vocal we could ever hope to hear. I wish that I would have been alive when she was…just so that I could say that I breathed the same air. Every song that she ever sang was the total embodiment of her life experience and she left nothing to the imagination. She died with 70 cents in the bank, under indictment. A couple of years after she passed this was written by a man who was with her in the end:
“Billie Holiday died in the Metropolitan Hospital, New York, on Friday, July 17, 1959, in the bed in which she had been arrested for illegal possession of narcotics a little more than a month before, as she lay mortally ill; in the room from which a police guard had been removed – by court order – only a few hours before her death, which, like her life, was disorderly and pitiful. She had been strikingly beautiful, but she was wasted physically to a small, grotesque caricature of herself. The worms of every kind of excess – drugs were only one – had eaten her ... The likelihood exists that among the last thoughts of this cynical, sentimental, profane, generous and greatly talented woman of 44 was the belief that she was to be arraigned the following morning. She would have been, eventually, although possibly not that quickly. In any case, she removed herself finally from the jurisdiction of any court here below.”
Disorderly, pitiful, beautiful, sentimental, profane, generous? Certainly. A legend and a supreme talent as well. An icon, in spite of her life.
What a rip-off. Yes, I get that it’s a cliché for dudes to be into her, but that’s what’s what. It would be pretty cool to be her point / counter point though, right? She has stood since forever (for me) as the standard to which all women are tested. That's not really fair, is it?
Maybe that’s been the problem in my relationships…I’ve settled for less than Billie Holiday. Not of consequence at the moment I guess.
This was Friday night's soundtrack and that’s what I’ve been thinking about tonight.
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