“Beautiful Day” by U2 (2000)

It’s been about a month since my last post. I’ve been busy with a major career change, a pretty spectacular (but stressful) tremor, but I’m so sorry I’ve stopped talking to you here for so long. I’m hoping this new job will add years to my life, so maybe it’s a net gain overall.

I couldn’t possibly tell you how awesome I think U2 is in one day, let alone one brief internet fart. Maybe over time, as you grow older, I can share their music with you, and you can make up your own mind.

But in case that doesn’t happen, just know that I think U2 rocks. And they speak the truth. And I believe that they will be the first band to “win” the Nobel Peace Prize.

I’ve decided I’m going to focus on the positive for a while. For a change.

So here we go: I love the joy and the power of this track. The magnificent hope of a bright future for all of us. ALL OF US. This is an ideal that many of us (including your daddy) are willing to fight for.

It’s absolutely irresistible.

(Thanks to LazloLozlaenQro for the upload. Damn U2’s corporate suits for making their music so fucking difficult to share with the people!)

And don’t swear in public!

“The Real Me” by The Who (1973)

This track is from the album “Quadrophenia,” which is one of my all-time favorite records. If I could only pick 10 albums to carry me through the rest of my life, “Quadrophenia” would be one of them.

To me, this represents The Who at their finest, and this is a band that has made more than a few superb albums. The songs are great, the musicianship is terrific, Roger Daltrey’s vocals are as powerful and engaging as ever, and Pete Townshend rips on guitar, while also creating sonic magic in the studio. This album captivated me when I first heard it at the age of 14, and it’s never lost its power or appeal.

On top of the great music, “Quadrophenia” explores issues of social identity and expectations. The story is set in England around a group of “mods,” but it could be about anyone who doesn’t quite fit into the mainstream. Or maybe it’s about questioning whether one WANTS to fit in. Or maybe just trying to find out who you are and where you fit inside the social machine. It was all of that to me, and it came to me at a time when those issues were important. And now that I’m an old man, the issues are still there.

I love every song on “Quadrophenia,” so if you ever want to know a little bit more about some of the stuff that hangs in your Daddy’s head, listen to the album. They even made a pretty good movie out of it in 1979, which I highly recommend.

“I ended up with the preacher
Full of lies and hate
I seemed to scare him a little
So he showed me to the golden gate”

“Evangeline” by Los Lobos (1984)

Sometimes narrowly defined as a “Chicano rock” band, Los Lobos was amazingly diverse, merging many different styles of music into their own wonderful sound. I hope you get to hear their records in their entirety, including the record from which this track comes, “Will the Wolf Survive?” These gents are fine musicians, and obviously very passionate about their music.

We’re lucky in California to have so many vibrant cultures, and to have people who are so receptive to other ways of life and of expression. It’s a shame that some people close their minds to so-called “ethnic” things, whether it’s music or food or languages or whatever seems different.

As far as I’m concerned, Los Lobos is one kick-ass American band.

With “Evangeline” you can hear how Los Lobos can rock with the best of ‘em. Now check out how well they play traditional instruments and folk tunes from Mexico, courtesy of an appearance on Sesame Street:

“I Confess” by The (English) Beat (1982)

Okay, the name of this band in the rest of the world is simply “The Beat,” but they had to add “English” to their name for us Americans due to another band with that name. I know them as The English Beat, but if you talk to a Brit about them, he or she will probably snicker if you call them that.

The Beat made wonderful, crackling music which just felt alive to me at the time (and still does). They blended elements of ska, punk, and new wave that was both danceable and thought-provoking. It was the perfect soundtrack to my youth. I remember driving around San Francisco with friends in the summer, excited about seeing some concert, and optimistic about the future. We sang along to The Beat, shouting the words out the windows of my beat up VW bug.

A lot of people have bands and/or albums that define certain phases of their lives, and The English Beat will always remind me of my high school and college years. I’m just glad it was a band as good as this.

“Party at Ground Zero” by Fishbone (1985)

Ska is one of my favorite styles of music, and Fishbone was one of the best ska/punk bands around. Later on they explored more diverse styles of music, but it’s their earlier skankin’ that is near and dear to my heart. This track is from their first release, an EP, and it really showcases the manic energy and enthusiasm that they poured into their music.

This track is definitely a crowd-pleaser. If it’s not, you may be in the wrong crowd.

“The Richest Man in Babylon” by Thievery Corporation (2002)

Thievery Corporation was started by a couple of blokes from Washington DC who wanted to meld club/dance music with jazz, dub, and latin styles of music. It’s probably considered “downtempo” music, or “trip hop” by some, but whatever category you put it in, it’s fine music that lifts you up while easing your mind at the same time. At least it does for me.

I particularly like this track, although in this case the subject may not ease your mind. It mixes a lilting, reggae groove with dancehall horns and floating, intriguing vocals. And hidden in the beautiful music is a stark social critique about the direction of our civilization.

“The wicked stench of exploitation
Hangs in the air and lingers on”

“Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen (1984)

Happy April Fool’s Day!  I’m posting this track on this day for a reason, so bear with me.

Bruce Springsteen is a national treasure.  You will find some really hardcore Springsteen fans out there, a testament to his ability to reach people through his music.  He tells it like it is, what it’s like to live in this country, both good and bad.  He’s not afraid to point out problems, to identify issues we all need to talk about.

This track is about a kid our country sent to Vietnam to fight a war.  America didn’t really know what to do about its veterans from Vietnam.  We were used to treating our soldiers as returning heroes, but the Vietnam War was an ugly mess.  An ugly mess that destroyed many lives, including those “lucky” veterans who survived.

Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man

And more:

I had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong
They’re still there, he’s all gone

It’s a pretty stark picture of the lingering effects of war.  A war that many people (including me) think was entirely unnecessary, to say the least.

So here’s the April Fool’s connection:  This song has been adopted as a patriotic anthem by people who never bothered to understand the lyrics.  All they heard was “Born in the U.S.A.” and assumed it was some updated version of “God Bless America.”  Certain right-wing politicians even tried (and still try!) to use the song in their campaigns, campaigns that include pretty militaristic policies.

To me that’s just indicative of an absurd, jingoistic mindset, the “my country right or wrong” idea.  An idea that is so ingrained in some folks’ minds that they can’t even hear the words in the songs they use to prop up their paper-thin patriotism.  April Fools!

“You’ll never have a quiet world ’til you knock the patriotism out of the human race.” — George Bernard Shaw

“Let’s Push Things Forward” by The Streets (2002)

“The Streets” is a name used by Mike Skinner, a British rapper/musician.  I love this track for it’s dub undertones and slightly off-kilter presentation.  It’s edgy and moving, with really engaging words that are fun to decipher and discover.  The track is a plea to shake things up musically, to explore new sounds and styles, to not get stuck in a sonic rut, which a lot of people do.

“You say that everything sounds the same
Then you go buy them!
There’s no excuses my friend
Let’s push things forward!”

Great advice!  Open up your mind to all kinds of music.  You may discover that Turkish folk music (Türkü) really rocks your boat, or that South African mbaqanga is just what you need to start your weekend.  But if you never explore your own tastes and the great wealth of music out there, you may miss something that you’d really like.

That kind of goes for all aspects of life, too.  At least that’s what your daddy thinks.

“One” by Metallica (1988)

This song was inspired by the book “Johnny Got His Gun,” a terrifying novel about the horrors of war written by Dalton Trumbo (who would also direct the movie based on the book).  I think this is a very intense track.  A soldier suffers terrible wounds in the war, leaving him limbless, voiceless, barely a life support system for his pain and active mind which can do nothing but endure.

Without ever actually experiencing war, art like this is the best way we can begin to understand the suffering of others.  In America, war is a pretty abstract concept, except for our soldiers who are sent by our leaders on dubious (at best) military actions overseas.

There are some incredible books and movies that show the horrors of war.  In addition to “Johnny Got His Gun,” I’d recommend “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Remarque, “The Naked and the Dead” by Mailer, and “And No Birds Sang” by Mowatt.  For movies I’d recommend “The Thin Red Line” by Malick, “Platoon” by Stone, and “Saving Private Ryan” by Spielberg.  One of the best filmed treatments of World War II, in my opinion, is the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers.”

These are just some examples, and they can be very difficult to get through, especially if you really try to put yourself in them.  They are difficult, but they can give you a very real, very human perspective on just what we’re doing to each other in these wars.

War is far from abstract for many people on this planet.  The least we can do is truly understand the consequences of our actions.

“The Foggy Dew” performed by The Chieftains and Sinead O’Connor

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I told you about your Irish blood, right?  Besides the great music and literature, and the knack for telling a good yarn, you have to respect the Irish for their tenacity and independent spirit.  Ireland has suffered many invasions and occupations in history, but always they survive.

“Ah, back through the glen I rode again and my heart with grief was sore
For I parted then with valiant men whom I never shall see more
But to and fro in my dreams I go and I’d kneel and pray for you,
For slavery fled, O glorious dead, When you fell in the foggy dew.”

Never ever underestimate an Irishman (or woman).