Saturday [14 till close of play]

(1558) Almost evening all.

22.  Down the rabbit hole

The less elevated music of any era, meaning the popular music of the day, tells me more about that era than the more noble classics … it comes and goes in phases, such as the 20s jazz era … and then how it changed after that in the 30s, moved to big band and swing.

I was never one for just pop, e.g. Dione Warwick’s “wo wo wo wo … do you know the way to San Jose” or Petula Clark’s Downtown, though some hits stood out, e.g. Norman Greenbaum or Judy in Disguise … with Glasses.  If I go to any greatest song list and it has anything on the list after 1997, it means little to me, except three or four songs total.  Autotune or pitch correction has really killed popular music.

My parents … to name some songs … somewhere over … Perry Como … Il Silenzio … Strangers … even fun songs … I was too young, started to listen, never heard 50s rock like Little Richard unless on the radio occasionally … that was much later for me.

This could go on forever … essentially, as each song came out, I pretty much heard it, as did my mates and gal friends. Donovan was a major one for us late 60s. This is the first song our garage band played.

Beatles faded, Stones, in came the Eagles, Bad Company, Roxy Music, my radio show started:

Krautrock, alternative, things esoteric but still melodic … and here is the point I think I’m getting to, readers, by degrees … music fragmented, yes, songs even became discordant but still returned to the melodic by the end.  There were even sort of melodic songs, rhythmic at least, in 2010-12:

But something happened before that, inbetween, a brief decade perhaps, where the music became awful … it was almost as if they were in deep depression, on narcotics, the guitar played pretty much one chord throughout, e.g. this Nirvana thing … I listened as long as I could … now how had I missed that entire era?

I mean, it was okish but like the noisepop of the early 90s, deeply, darkly depressed … even Pulp’s lyrics were depressing with nothing in their lives, girls all hoes … this was similar … music to slash your wrists by.

Why? Then I realised … it was not so much an era, it was a generation … and the reason I’d missed this generation completely was threefold … I had been teaching secondary and the female music was everywhere but not the heavier boy music, then I went to Russia and same sort of thing … so for years it was Backstreet Boys, Take That, Macarena but lad music itself was missing. Lads were missing themselves, full stop … females were everywhere.

This evening, I’ve been reposting you here plus Toodles while there’s a food thing going on with Liverpool, Norfolk and Bradford lasses and me, plus on our landing are standing a Zoomer guy and a late Millennial guy and we’re discussing this very music. 

Millennial said Nirvana were quite old. Well yes, they were … so how had I missed them? But both he and I agreed the music was not too good.  I do think it’s generational … he pointed out that the next half generation has a different feel to it, outlook etc. … the one closest to us. So Gen X might not be impressed by Millennial culture.

Anyway, where has this got me, this rant? Where’s it got you? Probably nowhere. So, to finish up, any song every currently living generation would all like?  What can I run below that all generations would not turn away from?

How about Pre-Boomer Leonard Cohen sung by a Gen Xer:

… plus by a Zoomer:

21.  Steve

War Room snippets...

a.  Laura Jacobs Discusses The Declining Birthrates In Western Civilization | https://rumble.com/v4rseul-laura-jacobs-discusses-the-declining-birthrates-in-western-civilization.html

b.  Mike Davis: "This Is A Criminal Conspiracy To Violate Rights" | https://rumble.com/v4rsh4i-mike-davis-this-is-a-criminal-conspiracy-to-violate-rights.html

c.  Dr Kevin Roberts: "The Administrative State And All It's Abuses Is A Creation Of Congress" | https://rumble.com/v4rr1w3-dr.-kevin-roberts-the-administrative-state-and-all-its-abuses-is-a-creation.html

d.  Jeremy Carl Discusses His New Book 'The Unprotected Class' And Anti White Racism | https://rumble.com/v4rrxaz-jeremy-carl-discusses-his-new-book-the-unprotected-class-and-anti-white-rac.html

20.  Andy

Time to steal the lead from the church roof?

https://www.churchofengland.org/media/finance-news/church-commissioners-appoints-laura-moss-bromage-planet-lead

19.  About to dive down a rabbit hole

… plus work out when to run Andy and Steve again. You see, I started the last post early, which caught Steve short. Usually, anything with urls goes in the next post but this time, there isn’t one … except tomorrow morning, which is too late.

So items 20 and 21 will be those in a few minutes.

Now, this rabbit hole … it involves music and I can already hear you groan … the last two evenings at this place have not been all that auspicious. So, provided I keep it to, say three overall, plus many linked songs, I plan to answer a question to myself … how come I, who have always been interested in alternative rock or pop, who had a radio programme in the 70s … how come I missed out completely on one particular decade of popular music … how did it happen?

Also, how did I escape that no-music jail and start listening again?

The last thing I want to do is write some turgid dissertation on songs you yourselves have not heard and even if you had, they’d done nothing for you.  Let alone who only like classical or jazz. Also, the chances of offending you are high … that earlier post about ultramarine would not have gone down well, esp. with those who adore the colour bright red.  I do suspect I know why one particular sub-era of popular songs passed me by and that’s a whole age group of N.O. readers … yikes, don’t wish to offend.

For example, I just listened to some band called Nirvana for the first time … first time really listened with an open mind, plus another called Oasis with two brothers.  In the 90s, I was stepping out with a gal who was a mad keen Oasis fan but I still don’t think I’ve ever knowingly listened to any of their songs.  Yet Pulp I’ve heard much of.  Just listening to some guy called Jeff Buckley who apparently sings more than Hallelujah.

Anyway, more on that whenever …it won’t be a short post.

18.  Some pre-dinner doggerel just for you

17.  It’s all Greek to me

16.  You have too much unused space in your home

If you won’t be reasonable and sell at fire price, then we’ll just allocate two or three fine young chaps from Somalia or Albania … you’ll get along just fine. What’s your daughter or granddaughter count at your place by the way?

15.  My DEI story - the diversity DA

14.  This Horizontal Harris diversity hire

Andy:

Kamala's Secret Service agents BRAWL: Armed agent assigned to Vice President gets into a fight with a colleague and has gun taken off him
An armed Secret Service officer assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris was removed from duty after he got into a physical fight with fellow agents on Monday, according to reports.

The agent, whose identity has not been revealed, began fighting fellow officers Monday morning after appearing for duty at Joint Base Andrew before the vice president arrived for a planned trip to Wisconsin, according to the Washington Examiner.

Sources said the special agent in charge and a detail shift supervisor tried to calm the agent after the official began exhibiting aggressive behavior, but the agent in question tackled the Senior Agent in Charge of security detail and began punching him.

Steve:

As previously reported, an armed Secret Service agent assigned to Kamala Harris got into a physical fight with other agents at Joint Base Andrews on Monday morning.

According to reports, the problem agent, identified as Michelle Herczeg, began acting aggressively, speaking gibberish and shouting incoherently at other agents while they were near the lounge at JBA.

Herczeg reportedly threw menstrual pads at another agent before getting into a brawl a JBA.

RealClearPolitics reported that Herczeg grabbed a male agent’s personal cell phone and began deleting apps on it before she completely melted down.

JH: I presume when asked to comment, Harris cackled.