Lady Miss Ian
Similar MOGs' Top Songs This Week
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Ok, ok. I’ve had the MOG phone off the hook for a few weeks. I needed some peace and quiet while I’ve been working on a project. And hells yeah, I spend far less time on the computer when I’m not tempted by the MOG-O-Sphere, but as so far as quality of life is concerned, that’s a different matter.
So, what else have I been doing on my summer MOG vacation? Test driving (literally) music. Throwing discs in the mobile vehicular CD player and seeing how they feel as I log miles and burn expensive petrol. Some songs are just meant for summer driving, and I think I found one of my top tunes for Summer Motor-vating 2008.
With their jangley, garage rock slathered in smart-ass grrrrrrlll harmonies, the Vivian Girls have wedged their way into my car’s CD slot, and are standing their ground. "Where Do You Run To" works while cruising the byways, day or night. Under the humid stars or burning up on the way to the beach. A hip-swingin’ time is had by all.
I came across the grrls via word o’ mouth recommendation. They’ve been making themselves known after a SXSW appearance and lot hard work, in NYC and beyond. For more, check them out at: http://www.myspace.com/viviangirlsnyc
Their name comes from the work of outsider artist Henry Darger. The Vivian Girls were the heroines of his weird, sprawling work "In the Realms of the Unreal", and have been referenced in songs and song titles since 1979 (by Snakefinger) up to the current day. For more on his wonderful bizzareness, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Darger#Darger_in_popular_culture
But, no matter where they came from or how they got to here, the Vivian Girls are fueling my summer soundtrack, like premium unleaded, baby. Zoooooooooooom!
This song is for a body part I'm saying goodbye to on Wednesday.
I’ve been doing a lot of pondering about this over the last few days. What does it means to have a part of you taken from your body. And how do you say goodbye and thank you to this part? I want to thank it for being there and going through what it has. I know that sounds weird, but it feels important to me to honor it, thank it, and let it go. This small body part surrendered itself for the greater good of the whole. Its energy can now fade, change and rejoin the universal creative energy. I know, I know, this all sounds freaky, groovy, new-agey, but bear with me. Don’t write me off because I’m treading in some philosophical or spiritual territory. I am getting to the music. I wanted to find an appropriate musical send off for it and something to comfort me. I imagine this song as something that could be sung from either point of view - the part's or the person's. Sometimes things can't stay and separation is necessary, even if it's painful.
I'll be out for a while recovering. As soon as I can sit up and type, I'll be back.
Surrender
Together, as if in silent prayer
And whenever I looked out
You were there.
Love flowed from our hearts.
How could we ever
Stand to be apart.
Don’t throw your faith in others away,
because we have ended this way.
Don’t ever think I don’t care about you.
What you’ve always known is true.
It always seems sad.
Things have to change.
Like our feelings.
Let’s not look for blame.
After all is said and done,
I am the sorry one.
Why must we hurt the people we love.
It’s like my destiny falls on me from above.
I love you, but I can’t hang on anymore.
I love you, but I can’t stay anymore.
Comments
Wow..I think its fair to pay tribute to the part.
For Liver: Liver Splash-The Meters
For Kidney: Mister Kidney - OFS Unlimited (from the prix label eccentric soul)
For Teeth:Your Gold Teeth - Steely Dan
Be safe and get well soon.
Oh body part, how will I miss you, let me count the ways.
1
2
3
4
.
Seriously, rest well. No haulin' toilet bowls around when you should be kickin back.
Speedy recovery Lady. I mean that.
Hi Gents - nice to see other late nite moggers out there.
Cody- Of course I knew you'd have some part-appropriate suggestions. I'm being purposely vague about the part in question, just cuz. Let's just say I can live my life just fine without it.
Hey Mr. Am - Thanks for the good wishes. Thank goodness I'm not in the middle of house remodeling or something. Hardest thing is going to be keeping the cats from jumping on me.
Voices and music on very old recordings sound like they are made by ghosts composed of dust and ectoplasm, being listened to at the end of a very long tunnel. And they are. They have traveled through time and space to reach your ear right at this present moment. It makes me think of someone in the past getting into a primitive, steam-powered time machine. Of course they look and sound odd to us, and their technology strangely laughable, but the amazing thing is that they made the trip at all.
The anticipation of listening to very old recordings is akin to having a séance where you are trying to summon up the spirit of, oh say, your great-great-great-great aunt Margaret. You hope, perhaps, she might divulge where she hid her cigar box filled with pearls. But, instead she decides to tell you about playing jump-rope with her cousins. You’re not disappointed to have contacted her, but secretly hoped the news would be more exciting.
This artifact from the 1939 World’s fair is an audio snapshot of the music and announcements played at the "circus" performed there, highlighting the Equestrians of the World. All music and commentary should be taken in context of the time period. Though it contains nothing earth-shattering nor revelatory, it still has fascinating, transportive quality to it. As future-oriented as that fair was, this seems kind of quaint in it's old-fashioned, nostalgic "days of yore" circus feel. Many thanks to the New York Public Library and their free audio downloads from Itunes for sharing this with us. Bless those obsessive archivists.
Comments
This is also the reason that I sometimes seek out TCM for the obscurities from the early days of talkies. They're almost invariably stagy, static and wooden, but they do impart a musty perfume that is the time in which they were made. There's a double spell, though, too - because these were also the kinds of shows they used to fill up the airwaves with when I was a child (back when there was barely any original TV programming), they also offer a narrow path back to childhood moments. They're like the smell of your grandparents' house. Thanks much for this, LMI....
The anticipation of listening to very old recordings is akin to having a séance where you are trying to summon up the spirit of, oh say, your great-great-great-great aunt Margaret. You hope, perhaps, she might divulge where she hid her cigar box filled with pearls. But, instead she decides to tell you about playing jump-rope with her cousins.
I like it! Intestesting stuff...
That's right in my sweet spot. Someday when I have a proper amount of time I'd love to go through that stuff. I remember when the Library of Congress started putting their photos on line..Not famous folks or beautiful landscapes..just regular stuff. I don't have the link, but like this, it is awesome. Nice one. Then again, I'm one of those people who doesn't mind looking at someone's (a stranger) vacation slide show. It seems like you can get a clearer vision of the past from the mundane..oh, whatever. I can't explain it...but I dig it.
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Comments
First time I heard them. They sound great.
How you feelin'? Pretty righteous, if your avatar is any indication....
Yeah, I could see this leading to multiple speeding tickets if not used carefully.