Music

Tuesday Tunes – Dolly Parton

I’m not going to eulogize Ms. Parton. She was amazing, and if you think differently, well… you’re wrong. So I bring to you, Dolly’s first performance of Coat of Many Colors, from Jan. 13, 1970:

I’ve been a Dolly fan for years, and more than her music, I have loved her attitude. She understood how to give someone a hand up rather than a handout. And that’s what I remember her for. Rest easy on your bed of comfortable cotton, Ms. Parton. We miss you already.

Tuesday Tunes – A Lady Should

I ran across this one in a queue of music that Google/YouTube curated for me. I must say, I have become a big fan of Inappropriate Jazz, which is advertised as “edgy angry woman singing.” I admit, I would not want to listen to the entire album in one sitting, but dispersed throughout my day, it’s a fucking pleasure. Heh…

So many people have told me what a lady should and shouldn’t do, over the years. I got tired of it, stopped listening entirely, and simply focused on being the best PERSON I could be. It wasn’t until my early 40s that the idea of being a lady came up again. I’m still not sold on it, but there are moments when I dress “as a lady” and behave myself with a modicum of politeness because it’s appropriate to the time. I suppose in those moments, I could be called a lady.

In any case, this song makes me smile.

Tuesday Tunes – You and Me

Sometimes you think you know a musical artist, and then they throw you a curve ball. Alice Cooper was like that. He started out wanting to be the “worst band ever” and became popular. Then they did the 70s thing and went mainstream (that’s where this song comes in). And then shock rock became a thing, and he found his complete groove. I hope you enjoy. This is one of my favorite Cooper songs, and it never got air play because it’s not “scary” Coop stuff.

Tuesday Tunes

I’ve always liked this song. I think the first time I ever heard it was on the Muppet Show (yeah, I know, I’m dating myself). More than just liking it, I feel like it says so much about today…

There’s a portion of the lyrics that say:

There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Are getting so much resistance from behind

It just resonates. I realize in ’66 it was probably the Left they were talking about, but if you really put your mind to it, the issues of ’66 on the Left are today’s Right leaning issues more often than not.

I’m tired of there being no way to communicate across the great divide. I’m tired of the resistance to facts. I’m tired of the lies. I’m tired of having to police Every Single Thing I read or hear about in a day. It’s just exhausting. I’m sure that’s what it’s supposed to be…

But here’s the thing: I’m not giving up. I might be quiet (because, as I remind myself frequently, I am NOT the idiot-whisperer), but I’m still here. I am not giving in to illustrating “when people are wrong on the internet” (for the most part), because it doesn’t actually fix anything. But I do speak up when it’s important, among my friends and family. I’m not where they are, a lot of the time… but I’m noticing more and more that people are beginning to be more open to talking.

This week at the Fort, I had a long talk with someone whose opinion I value highly. We were not on the same side… but we recognized that our end goal was the same. It led to interesting discussion, which both of us decided was worth looking into. Neither of us changed our opinion, per se, but we heard the other side and granted there was at least a grain of truth that warranted investigation. So it isn’t all bad, folks. It just feels like it is, sometimes.

White paper with musical notes closeup background. Music writing concept

Tuesday Tunes – Fuck Around

I think this may be my new favorite song. Let me introduce you to Fuck Around, by Breaking Law.

From the chorus, “I ain’t all talk, I’ve been here before. You push me hard, I’ll push back more.”

This is … a view of the Right side of America today. Read that however you like.

A out.