-
-
Places to Go:
Music Monday: Clem Snide
If it wasn’t for Marta I would never have heard of Eef Barzelay (lead singer of Clem Snide). In fact, if it wasn’t for Marta I probably would still be listening to my mixed tapes from 1998.
A couple of years ago I left the life I was living in Los Angeles and drove to the South. I had always wanted to drive across country, but the idea of going solo was making me tense. Marta put together a thick wallet of CD’s to listen to as I made my drive. Many of the songs were location themed, but the first was a collection of eclectic music that was meant to help ease me into the mind-frame that one must adopt as they begin a long and tedious journey.
On this mix of music was my first introduction to Cat Power, The New Pornographers, Billy Nichols and the band that I want to tell you about today: Clem Snide. The first song I heard by this band is a stunning and lulling tune called Joan Jett of Arc. (amazing music site linked there…fyi)
Opening lyric: She fixed me a dinner of sunflower seeds and ready-whip topping inhaler. And takes me down south with with Hall and Oats in her mouth, my first love, my Joan Jett of Arc.
The next song of this band that I fell in love with is called I Love the Unknown. Sample lyric: “the doctor asked him what he was afraid of
just what was he running from?
he said, “it’s not a fear of success, nor of closeness
but of going through life feeling numb.”
It’s good stuff. All of it. Sadly there are not a lot of videos on line to share, so you will have to trust me. But just to reveal a bit of the fabulousness that is Clem Snide I will share a live performance of a song I had never heard until this morning about Lucille Ball:
oh and this is a beautiful song as well…it’s about love. And the video might make you sigh with bliss.
Last night I watched Into the Wild. And then I cried all night. I found myself feeling like I wanted to have an adventure. Certainly not an Alaskan walkabout, but something about the idea of taking off and being anonymous and starting over is alluring. No need to dive deep to wonder why that is.
I think the cement foot feelings of late are part of a process that I need to go through. I simply must be sad and be malcontent and be frustrated. I am glad that the W is allowing me to feel these feelings without feeling like they will overwhelm me. I feel like I am tired of swimming in an ocean, but I do not feel lost at sea. If anything it seems like I need to realize that all I must do to return to shore is stand up. The water is not as deep as it feels. Rationally I know this. Emotionally I am learning it.
I know this blog has gotten to be so tremendously tedious and annoying. There is nothing thrilling going on here, no news to count down to or look forward to. But this moment in my life is still connected, very much so, to the name of this blog. It will all be something that fuels how I go forward. Hopefully it will make me appreciate the journey to know that my path was a complicated one.
As Eef sings in the first song about Lucille: Because Happiness is boring. It’s always black and white. And the good times never last, the chocolates move too fast for us all.
Tomorrow (tuesday) I will share with you a post that I have been working on for a while about GM. Things have not been so terrific, but Alzheimer’s puts a damper on pretty much everything. I will be sharing some of my favorite photos of GM. And because I know that so many of you have your own darling Grandmothers here or watching over you I would love to meet them too. I’m going to activate a linky tomorrow so you can leave the address of your blog with a link to a post or photo about your Grandmother. That way we can spend time visiting with them and honoring them in whatever way you wish.
Comments
8 Responses to “Music Monday: Clem Snide”
Got something to say?
-
-
Give to U.T.E.R.U.S.
-
Great Hosting By:
-
You really said it well. I think the mind has its own timeline and process, and even if you’re “moving on” with life, things are still churning away in there, even if it’s not front and center. To me, it’s like a cow chewing its cud. I can swallow something, and then every now and then it comes up again and I chew on it again for awhile. As you said, the W makes it harder for the feelings to engulf you and set you adrift.
And I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that this blog should not be about keeping us entertained, and am glad it can provide a vehicle for you for venting and exploring the waters.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any (at least digital) photos of my GMs, both passed. I do have some of my 93 year old GF which I may share if that’s ok.
I watched Into The Wild this weekend as well. I also watched Waitress.
Don’t defend the content of your blog. People come here because they WANT to hear what you have to say, not because they have to.
I don’t find you tedious in the slightest, dude. I heart you through and through.
NEVER apologize for what you write here. You are, after all, writing YOUR blog, and you are entitled to feel however you damn well feel. I LOVE your honesty.
Now about this grandmother thing. Is this a grandmothers-with-Alzheimers thing, or a general grandmother thing? You may well be opening a huge, huge, scary door for me, and I’m glad. Just so you know.
xoxo
I totally get the need to apologize for feeling tedious. And I actually like feeling tedious sometimes. It’s so much work to feel original and fresh and witty and “oh something new for dinner too.” Fuck, no, not every day. Tedious can be comforting sometimes. But from the outside, tedious you ain’t - it’s just not constitutionally possible to see you or read your experiences with that word attached to them.
As for grandmas - I’m definitely down with participating. I went home and lived with her during respite for the last few months and it’ll be 2 years this May since she died. She was a fiesty but amazing woman and I still cheers to her every time I drink a glass of wine.
I like what Francesca says — tedious is part of everday life… but you Miss Calli are not tedious. It’s part of depression I think - because you are dealing with what is inside your mind and it feels like you can’t shut it all off (despite drugs, sleep, eating) … so when it’s all you think about, sharing just a tiny bit of what you are going through probably feels like you are pushing repeat on a song over and over, and we’re hearing it. We are hearing it, but it is not tedious - it is painful and something you need to reach out for. Never apologize for that.
I am looking forward to sharing about my grandmother Helene, I’ve been wanting to write what I can remember for so long.
Your blog is neither tedious, nor annoying. You are a brilliant writer, amongst other things!!! It is awesome that you have this place to share what you are going through. It’s a gift to people who come across your blog.
Watching Find Love at a retreat to the tempestuous Oregon coast, specifically designed to promote healing, I recognized the beauty and the magnificence of webs. This beautiful world wide web holds us all. It also holds our silences.
You are a gift. You are precious.
sighing and smiling
and sighing and smiling again