there is
NOTHING TO SEE HERE
so what are you looking at?
What makes me happy
my wife
my son
writing
books
listening to music
comic books
movies
fantasy football
space exploration
law & order
unemployment
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What I dislike
Working at uninteresting, unfulfilling, jobs
My wife on PMS (hey, at least I'm honest about it)
Ignorant people who are unwilling to learn
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One current obsession
Digital Video Creation
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Sequential artwork I've recently read
**** out of *****
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If I were single, here's who I'd like to ask out and inevitably be turned down by...
Sanaa Lathan
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Serialized television viewing
DEADWOOD
****1/2 out of *****
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Recent posts
Graphic Novel Review: Blankets / Star Hero / Octogenarian Murderess / Hump Me
African-Americans & A New Racism / Baseball iPods / Money & The Wife
Fight Club / Life Between Jobs / Homing In On Home
Sunday Morning Shuffle 6/4/2006: 1990s Playlist
Congo War / Movie Review: X-Men 3 / Sports Pics
Sunday Morning Shuffle 5/28/2006: 1970s Playlist
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Sites I visit regularly
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Reading or Read Recently
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Listening
***1/2 out of *****
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Cooler than a penguin's feet
Venus and Earth
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(most recent article on top, earlier articles on bottom)
June 25, 2006: 1007 hours
SUNDAY MORNING MUSIC SHUFFLE 6/25/2006
I'm back to the @Ultimate playlist this time around. I'm going to cheat a little bit and hit the skip button a couple or three times. I've been on a tear lately ripping older CDs to my computer, and I don't want this list (which should be mostly newer songs) to be overly influenced by older stuff. Usually, I don't hit the skip button at all and just let this list reflect the 10 plus 1 songs that come along.
10 songs ago: "Beauty & The Beast" by Angela Lansbury (1991). I was really surprised to hear this come up, but then I remembered that in recent weeks I have added dozens of children's songs to my computer for my son. I liked the movie and I like the song, but consider neither to be among my favorites, not even among their respected genre. Angela Lansbury has a surprisingly good voice and the strings are nice, but that's about as warm a review as I can give this song.
9 songs ago: "Alright" by Janet Jackson (1989). I just got this CD which was my first Lala transaction (more on Lala later). I never bought the tape when it came out, though I liked all the singles. I did buy the single, "Miss You Much" which is one of my all-time favorite songs; probably because at the time it came out I was dating a young lady and she was the best girlfriend I ever had, besides my wife of course. Getting back to this song, it maintains a lot of the appeal of all the songs from this era of the Janet canon. It's bouncy, both lyrically and musically, and just a great head-bobbing summertime good-mood song. Janet even does a little faux-scatting along the way. Good clean stuff that doesn't try to be more than it is, and that's a great thing.
8 songs ago: "Charlie" by Red Hot Chili Peppers (2006). This is an very good song from a superb CD that signals a return to greatness for the RHCP. This is my favorite type of RHCP song, a funky jam band tune that is expertly composed but allows enough room for fiery guitar solos. Whenever I hear one of the songs from this album I feel like doing an Ellen Degeneres jig. Really!
7 songs ago: "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes (1981). A classic song about a classic actress sung by a woman with a classic pop/rock voice. Boy, this song takes me back to some good memories. Yeah, it's synth heavy, but that doesn't harm it in the least.
6 songs ago: "Another Sound Mission" by Dilated Peoples (2006). This is the first album I've heard by the DP crew and I have to admit that I must have been stupid to have never given them a listen before. This is rap the way rap was meant to be. The lyrics are clearly spoken and straightforward and aren't focused on bling or sex. The music has imaginative scratching from an actual DJ and not some idiot turning a "scratch" knob in a studio. But, the beat production has been updated to a 2006 sound, unlike some underground rap acts who revel in simple beats. Dilated Peoples understands the game perfectly, even to the point of keeping the song brief enough so it doesn't wear on you.
5 songs ago: "Supposed To Be" by Jack Johnson (2006). I can't say I was a Jack Johnson fan before the Curious George movie, but I am now. My son loves the movie, the books, and thanks to JJ, the soundtrack to the movie. This is a simple song, lyrically, that wonders if this (life) is right like "it's supposed to be." The music (piano, guitar, drums) fits the lyrics just perfectly. Whoever thought of asking Jack Johnson to provide the music for this movie should be given Hollywood's Matchmaker of the Year award.
4 songs ago: "Temperature" by Sean Paul (2006). Generally, I'm not a big fan of the reggae offshoot known as dancehall. It's all just a bunch of impossible-to-understand lyrics and bass and drum work. There's usually not much in the way of singing, the music is too simple, and I don't know what's being said. What's to like? This song doesn't vary much from that description, although the music is a little less simple. Yet, I like this song. Why? I guess it's because I saw the video a couple of times and it's so hard to turn away from that the song worked its way into my consciousness that way.
3 songs ago: "Wonderful" by Bubba Sparkxxx (2006). This is just good ol' feel good southern rap by a good ol' boy rapper. The beat production is a step ahead of pedestrian, just imaginative enough to keep my attention. And while Bubba's lyrics often slip in sophomoric nonsense land, the total package hits just the right spot for me.
2 songs ago: "#41" by Dave Matthews Band (1996). Because this song was added as part of my recent rip spurt (I had a lesser quality mp3 before this re-rip,) I nearly hit the skip button. However, a few seconds played before my finger made the move to the mouse and it was too late for me to switch off my all-time favorite DMB song. This song is just fucking perfect! Perfect I tell you. If you don't like this, you don't like music. And if you've never heard it, you haven't heard great music. Period, end of story.
1 song ago: "Gotta Go Gotta Leave (Tired)" by Vivian Green (2005). Vivian has an above average voice with just enough spunkiness in it that her singing caresses my ears just the right way. Other than her voice, this song is run-of-the-mill R&B. Stir in a touch of Vivian and it rises above the muck. In the end, it's pretty forgetful, but damn, while it's on she sounds so huggable.
Now playing: "K2G" by Puffy Ami Yumi (2003). Puffy Ami Yumi is making some of the most fun music being produced today. I got turned on to them because they sing the Teen Titans theme song, and this song was actually used during a chase scene in one of the early episodes. Because the lyrics are in Japanese, I have no clue what they're saying, but in this case it doesn't matter. Just listen and let yourself go. If you try this and like it, you really should try the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
In case you wondered why I list my Sunday Morning Music Shuffle, here's my reasoning. People read blogs (especially personal blogs) to get to know someone they otherwise would have never met, or to get to know better someone with whom they are already acquainted. I feel that one way to get to know a person is to learn what books/magazines they read, what type of movies/television they watch, and what type of music they listen to.
Another reason I do this is to be helpful and maybe turn you on to some music you haven't heard before. If I compare song X by artist Y to song D by artist E and you're familiar with one side of that equation, maybe you'll give the other side a try and find a new favorite act/song. I'm just helpful that way.
nothing to see here
Overworm is a writer available for work and/or agent representation. I write mysteries, tales of suspense, and African-American fiction. I also write articles for web and print, and marketing collateral.
nothing to see here