The first of two blog posts on music, musicians, and the general good in people.
For my dad's 55th birthday back in February, I was a bit short of ideas for a present. When it comes to buying things in Leamington, I'm often looking for books or CDs, and 99.99% of the time, this will influence what I buy for other people's special occasions. Within a bookstore, I will spend a ridiculous amount of time between the Music and Audiobook sections, and whilst in the Music section this one day, there was the closest thing to gold that I could give my dad.
'Things The Grandchildren Should Know' is the autobiography of Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E, and most recognised as the genius behind EELS, a band that seems to have a song for every time in life that's leads you to pronounce "You know, I've learnt something today..." EELS are one of a handful of artists that my family all see as a songwriting genius. We watched them on Jools Holland when they were promoting Electro-Shock Blues and they rocked out with one of the best songs of the '90s:
The autobiography does deal with a lot of life's dark spots - and in this case, death is alarmingly regular in popping up and fucking around with E's life. He acknowledges the pain of those times, but where most people would shut down with grief, he pulls himself up, never willing to give in to life giving him a kicking. Electro-Shock Blues is the perfect example of distilling unbearable sadness into heartbreaking, yet beautiful art. Made after the suicide of his sister and around the time of his mum's slow death from cancer, the album refuses to fall into self-pity, and instead takes you on a journey through the highs and the lows of life. Album closer 'P.S. You Rock My World' ends with the inspired line "And maybe it's time to live". Anyone who's going through a shit time can be lifted by an album that, at first listen, could be seen as a morbid trip through some very bad places.
Seeing the recent tour in Birmingham, there isn't a marked contrast between the EELS of 1998 and the duo on stage in 2008 (E and live collaborator Jeff Lyster, aka The Chet). Every tour they approach each song in a different way. E is the only regular member left after Butch quit in 2003 after going into bankruptcy during the second European tour for Souljacker. But one thing remains, and that one thing is that every time you play an EELS record - be it Beautiful Freak, Daisies Of The Galaxy or whatever - you can take heart from knowing that now it's time to live, and you can do so too.
P.S. Recently, E contributed this performance of 'Railroad Man' to the memorial service of Antony Fursaro, a 15-year old who sadly died of cancer to the brain and spine. Antony met E at an EELS show in San Francisco, and presented E with a stuffed toy for Bobby Jr., E's canine sidekick. As Antony's favourite EELS song was 'Railroad Man', E gave him this beautiful send-off.
My Trusted MOGs
His voice sounds well-traveled. Nice story.