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Musical Confessions


I was driving this morning and thinking about how much I love Jeff Tweedy.  I wondered, seriously, if my life would be the same without him.  No kidding. And I started thinking about how subjective music can be.  How deeply you can offend someone with your tastes or insult their own.  And how humorless people can be about it.  Music, painting and decorating so much of our lives, is fraught with opinions, memories and feelings that only we can understand.  Maybe it's time I got some off my chest........



Jeff Tweedy was maybe singing about getting
over addiction.  All I know is Sky Blue Sky
got me through my divorce and Yankee
Hotel Foxtrot and The Whole Love made me feel
real again.  I feel like I owe him something for that.
I really do.

Joe Strummer makes me want to revolt from
ever working again and also a little sad that I
know deep down that I can't.  It's almost like
I know that Joe would be disappointed in me, and
that makes me sad.  Even never having met him,
I wouldn't want to let Joe down.  Ever.


I only know Janis Ian's name from the movie Mean Girls.
And I feel stupid for that.

 I only know Nina Simone from the movie
Before Sunset.  And I feel stupid for that too.
AND she's from my home state no less.



I'll admit I liked The Eagles back when I was in
college.  It was something about the particular
place and time that just worked.  But Glenn Frey on
his own created some really mediocre stuff in the 80's.
If you're being honest with yourself, you know it's true.
Don't make me feel bad for admitting it.



The James Taylor song Used to be Her Town
still makes me sad.  I'll probably never completely
be over it.  Even when you heal from it,
divorce is a terribly difficult thing.

I will never ever talk bad about Lionel Richie ever.
He was and is awesome.  I sometimes sing You Are
without even thinking about it.  And fun fact,
Lady (You Bring Me Up) by The Commodores
was my first favorite song that I can remember.


Tom Waits is loved by many or loved by many who think
they're supposed to love him?  I'm not hating,
I just don't get him.




But just tell me how to live without Rufus Wainwright?
Maybe you've never heard of him, but Poses defined a particularly
low time in my life and Beautiful Child helped me get re-born.
How can I ever re-pay him for that?


Just hearing Modest Mouse, any song, makes me want to
do stuff to my husband.

Same with The Cure.






And The Doors.

And a young 80's time period REM.
Okay....Imma stop there before we ALL get embarrassed.



Listened to an interview with Lucinda Williams recently.
NPR tells me I should like her, but my head won't let me.
Am I closed minded? 

But life without Bob would be unthinkable.  Although
I must admit that he let me down a few years ago with
the only show I've ever seen of his.  Again, though,
being honest I have to say so, right?


Sting, though?
Has never let me down ever.  I sometimes howl to
Synchronicity II on my long drive home when it's particularly
annoying and taking too long.  And don't even get me started
on The Police or The Dream of the Blue Turtles or one of the
most perfect songs of all time: King of Pain. 

Almost everyone I know of a certain age loves Fleetwood Mac.
I don't.  I think they're boring.  Their STORY is fascinating though....
all that love and lust and partner switching and drug use?  C'mon!


The Beatles?  Never boring.  And they had a lot of drama too.
But they also had bubble gum.  And great lyrics. 
And experimentation.  And intrigue.  And many great songs.
So many.

Brittany Howard intrigues me more
than her band Alabama Shakes.
I'm not sure why.  I'm just being truthful.

George Harrison is his own separate category from
The Beatles because he was that great.
Just like Jeff Tweedy I think of him from time to time
like someone I used to know.  And I'm grateful for him.
Honestly grateful.

I don't know much about Jim James but I'm mystified by him.
My Morning Jacket was one of the best shows I've seen in
the last 10 years.  And it's partly the beard, I'll admit it.
 I didn't cry when Kurt Cobain died.  And something tells me
I should have.  I was only 19.  I should have cried.
But if Eddie Vedder died today my 41 year-old heart would crumble.
Again, honesty.


Think about going and sharing your own musical admissions.  It will honestly set you free.  Might lose you some friends too, but it could also make you some better ones. 

Does everyone think about this stuff like I do?  Probably not.  But considering all the fighting and disagreeing we have going on today, maybe they should.  I'm just sayin......

I'm also wondering, given my picks above, if my musical tastes are anti-feminine.  This has crossed my mind before.  I do love plenty of female artists and groups, but not as much as I love Wilco, REM and The Beatles.  Maybe this is something I should save to think on another time.  Sigh.  So much thinking to do......

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