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Mental Gymnastics

~ : challenge your world-view

Mental Gymnastics

Category Archives: music

Songs to Wake With

08 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by Rob in mind, music, Thoughts, Uncategorized

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

life, Music, musings, rants, song, thought processes, thoughts

The relationship I have with my mind has ever seemed fickle, weird, even a little fucked-up, to me. Often, my mind seems to have a mind of its own, which may seem tautologous and probably is.  This is never so apparent as when I wake up with a song.   I’m familiar with the phenomenom of hearing a tune and it staying with you all day.  But that has clear cause and effect.  What I can’t get my head around (?) is how I can wake with a song I haven’t heard or played for years.

This morning I woke with James Taylor’s Fading Away.  Now this is not too much of an imposition: it’s a good song and I know the words.  I can sing it end to end several times over during my morning shower and drive Maeve to distraction in one fell swoop: result!  One morning last week I woke with Middle of the Road’s Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep!  Yuck and more yuck!  Where the hell did that come from?

53.182107 -0.610692

Saddest Song Ever Written?

18 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by Rob in Dating, friends, glamour, Life, music, Musings, self-image, Sex, Thoughts, Uncategorized

≈ 52 Comments

Tags

happiness, life, love, Music, musings, self-esteem, self-image, sex, thoughts

At Seventeen by Janis Ian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypn9oKaO-3E

I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired
The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth…

And those of us with ravaged faces
Lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained at home
Inventing lovers on the phone
Who called to say “come dance with me”
And murmured vague obscenities
It isn’t all it seems at seventeen…

A brown eyed girl in hand me downs
Whose name I never could pronounce
Said: “Pity please the ones who serve
They only get what they deserve”
The rich relationed hometown queen
Marries into what she needs
With a guarantee of company
And haven for the elderly…

So remember those who win the game
Lose the love they sought to gain
In debitures of quality and dubious integrity
Their small-town eyes will gape at you
In dull surprise when payment due
Exceeds accounts received at seventeen…

To those of us who knew the pain
Of valentines that never came
And those whose names were never called
When choosing sides for basketball
It was long ago and far away
the world was younger than today
when dreams were all they gave for free
to ugly duckling girls like me…

We all play the game, and when we dare
We cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown
That call and say: “Come on, dance with me”
And murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me, at seventeen…

53.182107 -0.610692

Record Shop

22 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by Rob in Humour, joke, Life, music, Musings, Thoughts, Uncategorized

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

doors, fire blanket, humour, joke, life, Music, musings, thoughts

I walked in and asked “What have you got by The Doors?”.
The assistant answered “A bucket of sand and a fire blanket”.

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This is seriously impressive!

11 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by Rob in Life, music, talent, Thoughts, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

335, guitar, Jess Lewis, Music, Talent, thoughts

Check out 17y.o. Jess Lewis playing Larry Carlton’s “Room 335″ on YouTube.com. My but she’s good!

I’m in love!

06 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by Rob in Life, music, Musings, relationships, talent, Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

life, love, Music, musings, Skegness Latest News, thoughts

Yes, it’s with an inanimate object and I realise that’s a bit weird. Well, a lot weird really. But it is a beautiful guitar, with a mellow tone and fantastic finish. It feels so comfortable in my lap: I don’t want to put it down.
If only I had the talent and musical ability to make it sound the way it could and should! Sigh………….

For those interested in the detail, its a Tanglewood TW155AS Semi-acoustic Six String, circa £350 new.

Singers

15 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by Rob in Life, music, Musings, talent, talent contest, Thoughts, Uncategorized

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

decisions, Music, rants, Talent, Talent Contest, thoughts

Folk I know can sing. Many of them don’t have good voices but I can’t think of anyone who is incapable of singing a note. Most can give a reasonable rendition of a song. I don’t think singing is a rare talent.
Not many folk I know can play a musical instrument.  I think this is a much rarer talent.  Rarer still is the ability to arrange a piece of music: to sort out the various instruments and vocalists, decide who plays what and when.  I don’t know anyone who is capable of this.  I am very poor at it.

Television is awash with talent contests.  In these contests, vocalists are held in high esteem, musicians are occasionally mentioned, arrangers are never mentioned.  This makes no sense to me.  Can anyone offer an explanation for this apparently counter-intuitive logic?

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Can we make things better?

Why do we put so much time, effort and money into making life difficult for folk? Isn't it time we challenged some of the "accepted wisdom" that makes this world tick? Is there a raised standard of happiness available to all from more acceptance of diversity and tolerance?

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