But'cha Gotta Have Friends

Sorry I wasn't here yesterday, I just sort of ran out of time.  Had another great day at my parent's house, helping my Mom make some more stuff for the project she is working on.  That woman is so outrageously talented it boggles the mind and I love that I can help contribute whenever possible.  I had to get home because a good friend who I haven't gotten to see lately was coming over. She wanted me to meet her new beau (who, by the way, I really liked alot and could not be happier for her).  I whipped up my famous spinach/artichoke dip and whilst I was whipping (well, chopping and mixing actually) I got a call AND a visit from another old, very dear friend who I also have not seen in awhile.  I really needed that last night.  I have been feeling like I was losing my mind the last few weeks over someone that I truly thought I would be friends with for the rest of my life.  Like I have said before, people and computers, there is just no figuring them out. Who knows, maybe that friendship will come back around.  Everytime I have consulted a power higher than myself, my Magic 8 Ball, it says, "Response Cloudy" "Ask Again Later".

As for today, I would love to tell you that I created an amazing meal, but it was nothing spectacular.  I had a really nice piece of Top Round Steak (about 1 1/2" thick) that I seasoned and cooked in the oven for a good long time and then did a potato, peppers and onions medley in a skillet.  It was really good but nothing to write home about!  But here I sit, fat and happy and ready to listen to some music. How about you?

It is Thursday and you know what that means!  BONUS SONG!  Red Robot, who by the way is working on his undercover spy look, helped pick out the songs.  Here they are folks, Today's 10 +1 Tunes.....

(Click here to listen to clips of these songs)

1.  Sad Songs (Say So Much) - Elton John 4:08 (Geffen Records)  I absolutely love this song.  This lyric is sooooo true.  There are just times when life is too much and you just need to crawl inside a sad song and get lost for awhile.  Gawd knows I have lived my whole life doing this.  I can remember coming home from grammar school and just needing to be alone with the Carpenters or Olivia and it was always the headiest and saddest songs that I would find my comfort in.  Folks, I can tell you, the situations may have changed but the results are still the same...I still find the greatest comfort in hiding in my music.  Believe me, these days, I have needed it more than usual!

2.  Lonesome Loser - Little River Band 3:29 (Capitol Records)  I always related to this song for some reason.  I still find myself putting my heart before my head.  When will I learn?  I love the bridge of this song, the tone changes for a minute and then it goes into a great guitar solo.  There was always something magical about LRB to me and this whole album is among my favorites.  This is another one that Dave and I pull out every once in awhile, it never gets old.

3.  Angie Baby - Helen Reddy 3:29 (Capitol Records)  This is one that somehow made its way from the spindles to a sleeve!  Hmmmmmmm  Ok, this one has got to go on the 100 Coolest List and I would put it in the top 5!!!!  Hey, how many times do you hear someone telling someone else that they are "a little touched, ya know" in a song?  It's an age old story.  Lonely, somewhat nutty girl with only a radio for a friend, thinks that the songs are telling her what to do. Then, "stopping at her house is a neighbor boy with evil on his mind" he enters her room, invites her to dance and then disappears into her radio.  "The headlines read that a boy disappeared and everyone thinks he died/'cept a crazy girl with a secret lover who keeps her satisfied" Folks, it happens all the time.  Read your papers.  Best line of the song - "It's so nice to be insane/no one asks you to explain"!  I still think this would make a great movie!

4.  September Morn - Neil Diamond 3:40 (Columbia Records)  Such a great song.  I love the arrangement here.  The horns, piano and, of course, THE KEY CHANGE!!!  I love singing this song and if it wasn't so late, I would be singing it at the top of my lungs right now.  The lyric is wonderful as well. It always conjures an image of two people that knew each other when they were so very young and in love but time and circumstance took them half way 'round the world only to find each other again.  In my animated brain, this meeting is taking place at some elegant affair with him in a tux and her in a ball gown.  I used to dream that this would be a song I would sing on my first album.  Ha!

5.  Would I Lie To You? - Eurythmics 4:02 (RCA Records)  An absolutely flawless song!!!!  Chair dancing here and RR is shooting off his little ray gun making a great light show!!!  Love Annie Lennox!  But you already know that!!!  Freakin' amazing attitude in this song.  "Had all I can take now I'm leaving you!"
Ok, I ask you, if you have to lie to someone why would you want to be around them?  There is no point to it. I used to be the consumate liar.  I elevated it to an art form at one point in my young life.  Or so I thought.  When I realized that it was costing me friends and lovers, I vowed to never lie to myself (which is all you really are doing) or anyone else again.  If anyone ever accuses me of lying these days, all I can say to them is, you are not worth lying to! I would never put all that effort into something with such a questionable payoff.  I have zero tolerance for liars and I do not suffer fools well!  (Holy venting Batman!)

6.  More Love - Kim Carnes 3:40 (EMI Records)  AHHH those "violins" in the beginning of this song just bring me back in time.  I love Kim Carnes' raspy, sexy voice.  This song is one of the greatest white-girl-soul-songs ever!  AND it has a key change.  Could you ask for more?  Seriously!  Groove chair dancing! This is a Smokey Robinson cover, isn't it?  Why don't radio stations play these songs anymore?  Listening to this right now, I can almost smell our old room (it was not a bad smell it just....aw hell, you know what I mean.  shuttup) at Battery Avenue and listening to this on the radio!

7.  Will You Still Love Me? - Chicago 4:10 (Warner Brothers Records)  Oh, 80s Chicago!  The decade of Peter Cetera on lead vocals.  His powedery voice always cut through me like a knife. Like fingernails on a chalkboard.  Like a cat caught in a blender (it could happen, by accident of course.  shuttup)!  The lyrics to this song are great and remind me of being that young and optimistic about love. Such a sweet feeling.  The opening line is so great and simple...."Take me as I am"! I always try to take everyone as they are but for some reason, I am judged by a higher standard.  Go figure.

8.  Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again - The Fortunes 2:51 (Capitol Records)  As soon as RR let this song go I smiled.  Those opening notes just make me happy.  Which is ironic, considering the lyric!  But it just reminds me of being a kid again when hearing songs like this on the radio made me feel sane.  Like it was there just for me.  "it always seems to be a monday/left over memories of sunday/always spent with you"

9.  I Knew You When - Linda Ronstadt 2:53 (Asylum Records)  Another amazing "in your face" song from Linda! From a singers standpoint, I can totally understand why Linda recorded this one. It shows off every facet of her voice.  Big, bad, angry belt to little tiny quiet voice and she crawled into and inhabited every nuance of this song.  Lyrically, I can totally relate.  For the longest time, the people that I would date and that I really felt something for would break up with me and then seem to find the love of their lives.  It was almost like I was the prep guy!  I got them ready to find real love.  Well, at least I served a purpose, right?

10.  My Life's A Dance - Anne Murray 4:04 (Capitol Records)  80s Anne Murray is probably my favorite Anne Murray.  She recorded some of the best original songs during the 80s and this one is no exception.  It is such a well crafted song and so very contemporary.  The one thing that I love about any Anne Murray song is that you can always understand every word she sings and she sings each word with heart.  She relates to what she is singing or she wouldn't have ever recorded it.  This song will always remind me of the love of my life.

11.  All Fired Up (Single Version) - Pat Benatar 4:08 (Chrysalis Records)  This song is as close to perfect as any song could ever be.  This is the one that started the Shane-Gary-Pat-Neil fest that has lasted 23 years now.  I can't describe to you the thrill I get when I hear Neil's guitars in the opening of this song.  It is 3.25am and I am "wide awake" listening to this song.  Even RR is bopping and pointing and giving attitude.  This was a turning point in Pat and Neil's career when they were only going to record what they wanted to record. EVERYTHING on this album, "Wide Awake In Dreamland" was perfect. "Now I believe there comes a time when everything just falls in line we live and learn from our mistakes the deepest cuts are healed by faith" How freakin' true is that?????  I can not wait to see them this summer!!!

I can't believe how late I am actually posting this but I got side-tracked by a phone call from yet another old friend that I have not talked to in awhile. (It is like "Hey, let's call Gary O. Day!) Our friendship was a temporary fatality of that douche bag that I have spoken about before.  You know, the one that caused me to become friendly with a pro-bono attorney that is just waiting for him to make the littlest misstep? Anyway, it was great talking to her tonight and I have always sorta known we could salvage our relationship and get back to being good friends.  It never ceases to amaze me how the universe provides.  If there is one thing I would want to pass on to my nieces it is this.....no matter how bad things get or how depressed and disgusted you could ever possibly be, the universe will always give you something to turn things around.  You just have to be willing to see it and accept it! My Mom taught me that! The last two days have shown me that I have not been living my life in vain and that the people I put my faith in, that really deserved it, are still there.  I am one hell of a lucky guy!  Please make sure that the people you love really know it.  Don't bullshit them because, ya know what, they will see right through it.  See you tomorrow.