The Latest In Action News

It's been awhile since the last update. I love the idea of blogging not because I like the idea of other people reading my entries as I know they don't. I like it because it's my modern day dear diary. I almost feel like a 12 year old girl writing in a diary about life's occurrences each and every day while wearing my fuzzy slippers.

The hard thing is that I cannot allow my blog to be my diary as we all know by now that you can be fired by the things you write. What power words hold (and the fact that HR has nothing better to do than to hunt for employee's musings online). For that reason I am not allowed to talk about everything that I think about. Which leads me to, at times when I'm in the greatest need to write, not to.

The economy has hit my family hard. My wife lost her job in December and as of right now still out of work. It's amazing how hard it is to get a job these days. She has applied to around 60 jobs and had several interviews and two very close calls. One problem is that with things so bad no one is in a hurry to offer a job to someone any time soon when they can save money by postponing as long as possible. We are in a hard place money wise. As for me job wise, things are good and bad, but due to the above acknowledgment I'm not going into details. I am the sole bread winner these days.

I am enjoying the fact that I have begun to write more lately than I have in a long time. I have a 1st draft novel and a poetry/art project I'm working on with a very talented rediscovered friend.

Oh, and I've also recently discovered I have IBS, which could be do to my daily stress, eating, or both. Let's just say things are better after a year of pain.

I've given up on having two specialty blogs on R.E.M. and Pearl Jam so I've combined my old posts to this blog. I did however keep one of the two blogs as I enjoy the title and don't want to give it up as of right now.

Let us hope that in the near future I can be a little more upfront with everything going on in my life.

I am learning to develop patience.

Shiny Happy People

Shiny Happy People
Out of Time, 1991
2nd Single
US Chart #10
UK Chart #6

Some say this song was an ironic attempt to publicizes the Tiananmen Square uprising. The title comes from a propaganda poster called 'Shiny Happy People'. This is all well and good but, I think they could have done a better job of portraying that idea in either the lyrics or video. Otherwise it seems to be something they thought up after words.

My own personal belief on the song is that it's a very happy shiny song, and at times I love the song, and at other times I would rather not listen to it. The video is an adrenaline rush of joy. I do have to say I love singing the "Do do do do do do dodo". I love Peter's expression throughout the video.

Kate Pierson from the B-52's has a great voice and I don't think anyone else could have helped Michael sing the song. I also have to mention that this song was turned into a Sesame Street song in 1999, called "Furry Happy Monsters".

Begin the Begin

From - Lifes Rich Pageant
Released in 1986
Track 1.

It is only proper that I begin at the beginning. The title of the song as many of you know is a play on words from the song written by Cole Porter, "Begin the Beguine", which was written in the 1930's. Personally I think it has a lot of the same energy of the big band songs of the 30's with a modern take.

The song starts out with a punch and continues to progress with a steady drum beat. The Chorus has an almost haunting echo to it. It ends like a car crash sudden with painful sours. I love watching Michael dance about the stage to this song; he seems to swing on a loose wooden gate.

What I love most about the song is the desire to start over. It is easy to see that we've screwed up and it's time to stop what we're doing and start over fresh. This is a common thread through out the album.

Some of the lines that stand out are, "The insurgency began and you missed it. I looked for it and I found it. Myles Standish proud, congratulate me." I love the fact that he seems to demand an answer to our inaction. The reference to Myles Standish, a famous solider during the Plymouth Colony only seems to give weight to the idea that we all must decide what we are willing to fight for. This also adds to the reference to Martin Luther, another man that was willing to try a new start and fight the most powerful organization to do it. "Silence means security silence means approval" this is a simple and yet great line. Even if we don't agree with what's going on, even if we are afraid, we have to do more we have to take action or our inaction is approval. "I can't think clear; you look to me for reason. It's not there, I can't even rhyme here in the begin." At last Michael makes sure to let us know he isn't the leader he is only one that stood up, and spoke making his voice heard, but it's up to us to do our part. Find our own way.

Corduroy

I have to start with this song. Its number seven on the list for most played songs live, with a total of 377 as of today. It's the most played song off the album Vitalogy, and one of my favorites from that album.

I have a strong memory attached to this song and really to the whole album. I use to listen to it a lot during a period in my life where I was working in a factor that made the "guts" to slot machines and vending machines. The job was alright, a little mind numbing, but alright. I'd go out to my car for lunch and listen to this album over and over again everyday and it would always cheer me up. I had just barely broken off a horrible relationship with my first love and I had a lot of built up aggression and this song is just great to scream along to. I still love going a little crazy in the car with this song.

Some of my favorite lines in the song are:
"I don’t want to be held in your debt...
And Ill pay it off in blood, let I be wed...
And I’m already cut up and half dead...
Ill end up alone like I began...

Everything has changed, absolutely nothings changed
Take my hand, not my picture, spilled my tincture

I don’t want to take what you can give...
I would rather starve than eat your breast...”

This is right in the middle of the song and it just demands to be song along to. I love hearing this song live just so you can scream it at the top of your voice with everyone else. It validates all the pain and crap you allow other people to put you through.

And for those of you who always thought the song was about the wonderful fabric know as corduroy please look up this website and give them your support.

Corduroy Club

Pearl Jam at Lollapalooza 2007

August 5th, 2007

Setlist:
Why Go, Corduroy, Save You, Do The Evolution, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Severed Hand, Education, Even Flow, Given To Fly, World Wide Suicide, Lukin, Not For You, Daughter/Another Brick In The Wall, State Of Love And Trust, Wasted Reprise, AliveEncore 1 Better Man/Save it for Later, Crazy Mary, Life Wasted, RearviewmirrorEncore 2 No More, Rockin' In The Free World

The energy before the show was high everyone waiting in a crowded mess of people for Pearl Jam to take the Main stage on the last night of Lollapalooza. If you stood still waiting you felt more like a stone in a river or oasis in the desert as a constant stream of people pressed past you trying to get just a few more feet closer to the stage. It all seemed futile, and I stopped moving once I made it to the left hand side of the sound board tent. Not my best seat ever but close enough to know the band would really be there and not just broadcasted on two large screens to either side of the stage.

The band was a few minutes late starting and the crowd began to grow restless, but once they took the stage Pearl Jam held it for the remainder of the night. They opened hard and stayed that way until they played Elderly Woman which Ed mentioned being for a young boy who use to ride the 'L' into Chicago to go to the record store. Later he would also mention the joy he has every time he plays in Chicago and the memories it brings. The set was basically a hits set with little in rarities but the highlights for me where, 'Education', 'No More'w/Ben Harper, and 'Rockin' in the Free World' w/Ben Harper on chorus as these were the only songs I haven't already heard live before. They also did a great little improv about BP oil that was fast and short (don't expect it on the next album).

All in all it was a fun show, but doesn't give the best representation of their regular tours. The crowd wasn't as willing to sing with the band as die-hard fans, but still it was a great show. The only thing that I didn't like about the show was the people constantly moving in and out and in front of you. I have to say I don't miss the old mosh pits of the 90's. I enjoy the current system of chairs on the floor and how they create a nice breaker between you and the other fans.

End note. See Pearl Jam on their own tour and not at a festival. They play longer have more rarities and the crowds are fun to be with. If you've only seen them at a festival go see them on their next tour you won't regret it.

Lollapalooza Recap site

Pearl Jam setlist site

Dickipedia

Are you a dick? One way to find out go to Dickipedia and find out. Two of my favorite people to read about are Joaquin Phoenix and Your Mom.

Enjoy