Category: Music

Yes, I have blogged numerous times about the men I adore – and even more so, their beards. I am very open about my fetish for facial hair, and fully grown beards astound me. I was going through my music collection and paused (as always) on Kenny Loggins’ album artwork.

I absolutely love this picture – look at that masterful pairing of billowing hair and full and manly beard. My god, that’s a beautiful sight to behold. And so, I dug deeper into the Loggins and Messina phase – where he had the FULL ON hair and beard combo.

I could gnaw on that beard for hours. Love Kenny Loggins.

Ambivalence is my curse.

n. uncertainty or fluctuation, esp. when caused by inability to make a choice or by a simultaneous desire to say or do two opposite or conflicting things.

Whilst I would prefer more exciting words to describe me – none describe The Me as well as “ambivalent”. I live in the middle of the push and pull. I either lack the capacity to weigh pros and cons effectively or, the capability to execute a decision. This coupled with narcissism and obstinance – leaves me with choices made in the knowledge that it probably should have gone the other way.

I am the kind of person that flips a coin to make a decision and pick heads after it lands on tails. I trust neither myself, nor gravity. Would I follow the directions on Jack Sparrow’s compass – the one that points you to your hearts desire? Would a Magic 8 Ball do?

The world keeps spinning – whether we make a good decision, a choice we regret… or neither. Sometimes, I feel I am running against its direction – in some vague, faint, pointless attempt to catch up with my past – to make new decisions that serve as a crutch for the old ones.

What a silly and tiring thing to do.

The soundtrack for this mood has been sponsored by Bob Seger. What an apt and beautifully written song.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcDCvQbOdig]

Against the Wind
Bob Seger

It seems like yesterday
But it was long ago
Janey was lovely, she was the queen of my nights
There in the darkness with the radio playing low
And the secrets that we shared
The mountains that we moved
Caught like a wildfire out of control
Till there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove

And I remember what she said to me
How she swore that it never would end
I remember how she held me oh so tight
Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then

Against the wind
We were runnin against the wind
We were young and strong, we were runnin
Against the wind

And the years rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends
I found myself further and further from my home
And I guess I lost my way
There were oh so many roads
I was living to run and running to live
Never worried about paying or even how much I owed
Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I began to find myself searchin
Searching for shelter again and again
Against the wind
A little something against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter against the wind

Well those drifters days are past me now
Ive got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out

Against the wind
I’m still runnin against the wind
Well I’m older now and still
Against the wind

Having had a rock/metal ear growing up, I have naturally tortured everyone around me with music that was described as “just noise”.

And I didn’t get it. To me, I could pick out the melodic intricacies and deep, meaningful lyrics from the thrash and thumps. And I don’t even think I listened to that heavy of metal – it spanned (over time and not limited to) from Guns N Roses to Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Queensryche, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, Disturbed, Vai, Dream Theater, KoRn, Tool, Staind, Rush…   Leading to the more recent –  Muse, System of a Down etc…

And what has become of this? The heaviest music I listen now is Modest Mouse and maybe, The Shins (well, they are on Sub-Pop). As great bands as they are, that’s a sad boiling-down-to point. My choice of music selection runs on a day to day basic, pending mood – and this usually fits within:

• Erykah Badu/Common/India Arie
• Iron & Wine/Band of Horses/Josh Pyke/Jose Gonzaléz
• Zero 7/Imogen Heap-Frou Frou/Bob Marley
• Peter Gabriel/Neil Young/Paul McCartney
• Modest Mouse/The Shins/Powderfinger

And then there are the one off dance/hip-hop songs – usually reserved for weekends.

I have come to realise and accept that the threshold for music volume and wrist-slitting lyrics decreases with age – which is tied to the amount of energy one has. I think, when you’re young, you’re blessed with unlimited energy – since the only thing you have to focus on is to not get an F on a test. You didn’t have to worry about credit card payments, biological clocks, idiot bosses, breakups, deadlines and how far 50 bucks would take you in the supermarket.

You had all this energy to burn – which one could willingly and efficiently dispose listening to loud, angry music. Now, at this wonderful and blessed age, all I want to do when I get home, is slide into bed with the stale of idiocy and mediocrity washed off, one lone candle lit, and “Such Great Heights” by Iron & Wine playing softly.

How beautifully ironic that you understand your parents only when you’ve grown up.

I know Singapore is a small country but we have about 5 English pop stations (Lush doesn’t count, cos there’s only so much Lush one person can listen to).

These are, I’m sure, the worst radio stations in the entire world (allowance given that I have not heard all the radio stations in the world. Smartie pants).

Our DJs are all pathologically inane, immature and I’m fairly certain, mentally stunted. Ask me how!

1. They make jokes about burping and farting on national radio. (Seriously.)
2. They play 2 songs (if you’re lucky), talk for about 5 mins, plays ads for about 5 mins and then, another 2 songs (if you’re lucky).
3. They skirt around potentially dirty (dusty, more like it) jokes in the way only Singaporean DJs can.
4. There are about 3 of them on the radio per station at any given time. How many DJs does it take to have a good show? (None, they doesn’t exist).
5. They’re whores. They move from radio station to radio station. They’re the Gurmit Singh of airwaves. For goodness sake, aren’t there more people who can become DJ’s in this godforsaken country?
6. They think they are value adding to our lives by discussing news (from today’s newspapers) and gossip from online tabloids. Guess what? I can work the Google box too! Tell me something interesting about the music, the artists etc… you’re playing music, not reading on BBC.
7. They think talking can replace music. It really can’t.
8. What happened to good radio voices? How are these people selected for the coveted radio DJ jobs? It’s not their looks.
9. How old is the Flying Dutchman? Seriously. Move on to Gold, buddy.
10. Every station plays mutually exclusive music. Gold crosses with Class. Class crosses with Power. Power crosses with Perfect. And Lush reigns above them all, like the eye in the sky. God only knows what 91.3 plays.

Do yourselves a favour, guys. Listen to Ryan Seacrest – a stellar example of solid DJ-ing. As famous as he is, he sticks strictly to talking about the music, a few interviews and then shuts the fuck up and plays music. We want radio DJs, not “radio personalities”.

Where’s video when you need it?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWtHEmVjVw8]

I spent my Sunday evening, mellowing out (in anticipation of Monday), listening to Carly Simon and realised how wonderful her album artwork is – primarily because of her stellar fashion style. I especially love the non-staged albums – it looks almost although she was snapped having a leisure moment.

So, I dug mildly deeper and really got a taste of her fantastic taste of style (either that, or Rachel Zoe was working it back then). How wonderful to have the sort of personality that can carry off wispy clothes with frills and flaps. I’d look like a blooming tent. Although, I suspect I could pull off those strappy sandals.

You probably think this post was about you.