This decade's biggest musical event: the 2005 Pink Floyd reunion

It happened on only one night in 2005...but, in my opinion, it was the single most significant musical event of this decade.

It was Pink Floyd's reunion for Live 8, which occurred in London.

I point to the significance of this event on several levels.

1. It was the first time since 1981's tour of The Wall that Roger Waters appeared onstage with the other 3 members.
2. A cause "worthy" of a reunion brought the band together...and I realize I'm sounding as if a rock band is more important than a cause to help the ailing and sick continent of Africa...IT ISN'T.
   
3. In a passionate call out onstage from Roger Waters, Syd Barrett was recognized through an embrace of brotherly love, and was alive to hear it. Those who know the band understand the significance of Syd and the unimaginable weight of Roger's words (see the video here).
   
4. The event almost never happened to begin with due to constant feuding between Gilmour and Waters over the years...I'm convinced we caught them in a rare moment when the waters were calm (pun intended)...but considering how often they are ridden with disagreements, for one moment the stars and (dark side) of the moon lined up and they came together.
5. They actually appeared happy to be together onstage...they "all were Pink" that night. Roger Waters looked elated to be there, like a kid in a candystore. I think they were all realizing the importance of what they were doing at the time, and that it meant everything to them.
6. The fans were finally served what they'd been so richly deserving for so many years...their band together again, even if it was for only one night.
7. And, for the foursome that hadn't performed together in nearly 25 years, they sounded pretty damn sharp. Amazingly sharp, actually.
   

The significance of the reunion event has since been further elevated with the passing of songwriter /guitarist Syd Barrett (the band's founding member) a year later in July 2006...and then more recently Rick Wright in September 2008 (their man on the keys).

With Wright now gone -- a co-founder of the band who played in every single live performance the band ever put on -- it's safe to say that the band is finished, and that their 2005 reunion was the final curtain call.

Again, the fact that these four men were onstage together for even one night, opposed to a prolonged tour, only adds to the enigma of the band and its legendary status...and it makes the Live 8 event that much bigger of a deal.

This, of course, is being stated with less than 12 months of this decade left to tick off the clock...but I'll take my chances.

Feel free to share any thoughts on this.

Election countdown psyche-out: music defining the times

I don't usually like to get political on this blog, however with the election 11 days away, I can't help myself.

Music and politics do sometimes cross paths...more often than not, actually. There's lots of music out there that is political in nature, but there are only a handful of albums that can be deemed sharply topical enough to apply to the state of the country and the world over the course of this decade.

The music I have listed here is ranked in order of significance, so if you're interested in picking any of these up I'd work from the top down. A small hint: it's a bit left-leaning.

So here it goes.

1. Neil Young - Living with War (2005). The quintessential anti-Bush album; Neil Young's primal scream against the administration and its policies. Interestingly enough, Young comes across as more of a single voice in the crowd than some random complaining artist. That being said, Young has plenty to complain about, and he might actually have a point...Living with War involves mainly Iraq, and focuses on various aspects of war and its consequences. It also screams impeachment and the desire to look for a new leader. The most essential album of the times. Living with War is a very relevant and sympathizing with lots of the anger out there in the country.
2. Green Day - American Idiot (2005). The Gen X version of Living with War, with the punk edge. It's not quite as heady as Young's album, but has its moments. It's actually refreshing to hear Green Day getting more personal and behind societal issues. The album has much more substance to it than just its title track, and it focuses on a wide array of issues Americans are facing today; including war and illegal survellaince...but it's mainly about Iraq.
   
3. Roger Waters - Amused to Death (1992). Waters is totally amazing and prophetic...and one might conclude that the guy doesn't really like war. The subject matter of this project from the early 1990s calls out unrest and wars in the Middle East, as it came off the heels of the Gulf War...and Roger does it in a tone of sarcasm as only he knows how. It has a little bit of everything, including a musing on a cheering crowd-filled stadium and the voice of Marv Albert commentating on a sub torpedoing an oil tanker in sports play by play fashion, in addition to a skewering of Andrew Lloyd Weber. The subject matter, which involves war and how power and oil drives it, is as relevant today as it was 15 years ago.
   
4. Rush - Snakes & Arrows (2007). Lyrically very heady, but there may be no piece of work out there that's more relevant to the state of the world. This is what you get when you hear an atheist Libertarian Canadian drummer commentating on the state of the world through a falsetto singer. Had Rush been an American band, Peart's lyrics probably wouldn't be as couched in metaphor, as the band is careful about coming across as too specifically topical when it comes to the American-based politics Canadians are affected and understandably frustrated by. However, Snakes & Arrows is as political as the band has ever been since 1984's Grace Under Pressure. The use of lines like "The battle flags are flown at the feet of a God unknown," obviously deliver the point straight home, and there's many more weighty and interesting moments in this project. Snakes & Arrows is a fascinating and mature response to the far-right religious ideology and dogmatic shit sandwich that has been shoved down the throats of many Americans, Canadians, and the like over the last several years. For those who sit down with it and take it all in, Peart's lyrics will have you pondering the subject matter long after the listen.
   
5. Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way (2006). What can I say...I just couldn't help myself. There's no artist out there who's more relevant to what's been happening this decade than the Dixie Chicks...or more victimized. The subject matter in this album covers the issues they dealt with several years back when they took flack and were banned on many of the country airwaves after criticizing the Bush administration. Much about it involves their response to the criticism...so I had to throw a personal call out here to these brave women and all the unneccessary crap they put up with. Here's to free speech...Dixie Chicks, this one's for you!
   

So those are the recommendations...only 11 days until the election! Rock the vote, everyone! Happy voting!

The Gene Simmons Roast

One of the more amusing and entertaining television programs recently has been the Gene Simmons Family Jewels. Had I not found The Osbournes to be amusing a few years back, I probably wouldn't have watched this.

I'm not much of a TV person, let alone reality TV, but for some reason the reality rock 'n' roll family shows strike a chord. The Simmons program is better than the Osbournes, mainly because of his son, who comes up with some of the funniest stuff imaginable. It looks like he has a brilliant future ahead of him.

Here's a clip from a roast Simmons' wife put on for him, along with a dozen comedians to poke fun at him. It's a special 1.5 hour episode, I think showing on A&E. This is the clip with Cher and Diana Ross entering the room.

There's all sorts of interesting stuff at this roast: the comedians get weirded out by Simmons' kids being in the audience, Steve-O gets tossed before the show even begins, Carrot Top looks like he's out of control with the steroids. He looks like Ronald McDonald turned Frankenstein, and not in a good way. Creepy stuff, actually.

Perhaps the funniest moment is when Craig Gass does a mock KISS press conference where he imitates Paul Stanley, Simmons, and Gilbert Gottfried as if he was in KISS. He follows that up with an impression of Al Pacino handing Simmons an acting award and quoting KISS lyrics. I almost fell off the couch laughing.

If you ever even had a remote interest in KISS, or wanted to know what the hoopla was all about, this is an interesting way to get behind the music and into the mind of one of the more amusing characters in rock, Gene Simmons. A legend with the ladies.

One more line from the roast. Quoting Andrew Dice Clay: "Gene made a decision when he was young...why not become the Bozo the Clown of rock 'n' roll?" S

A bro bestows the treasure trove of a lifetime: R.E.M.

This is one of those rare events that stands as an unusually vivid memory nearly 20 years later.

It was the spring of 1989, March 18th actually... and I was hanging out in the fraternity house I had pledged the year before... I'm trying to recall what I had going on at the time, but it couldn't have been very important. I know I was hanging out in my room on the second floor of the wing of the house, which was sorta designed like a Motel 6... probably trying to decide what to do for the night. I want to say it was the weekend, more than likely a Saturday.

Then he appeared, knocking on the door unnanounced... I hadn't seen him in quite awhile, as he didn't live in the same place I did. Skinny had arrived, and he had an extra ticket for the R.E.M. concert playing across the street at what was called at the time the ASU Activity Center, located on the campus of Arizona State University. It was literally across the street from our house, probably a 1000 foot walk.

"Get ready dude, the show's starting soon." he said.

Flattered that he had thought of me, and reacting to the spontaneity of the moment, "It's right now?" I asked. "I don't know much about this band... you might have to give me R.E.M. 101"

"No problem" he said. "Let's go!"

So off we went. I was only vaguely familiar with the last couple of albums from the band, and radio friendly songs such as "The One I Love" and "It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)." I knew nothing of the band's catalog before 1987... however I'd get a pleasantly heavy dose of R.E.M. 101 that night.

As we settled into our seats in the small basketball arena, we realized we were sitting in a sea of familiar faces and friends all around us. Nowadays I find that I appreciate shared experiences like that, under the guise of the unadulterated freedom of college life and affordable spontaneity --- something that probably wasn't quite realized at the time --- and in a heavier sense, definitely underappreciated.

The band opened their set with "Begin the Begin," which I guess made sense considering the title... however I still had to lean over to Skinny and ask the name of the song and the album it was from.

"Life's Rich Pageant" as he responded with the album title.

This question asking exercise went on throughout the night, as more of a play-by-play exercise than anything, and not one time did he complain about my questions. He seemed to be happy to be educating a friend on a band he liked.

R.E.M. were touring on an album they had released the year before, Green. While I had heard the CD a couple of times, the songs only rang as vaguely familiar. I enjoyed myself nonetheless... and there were a few surprises that night.

The band employed some unique features for the visual part of their show that I hadn't seen before, nor since at any concert... and I've seen over 100 of them...

I recalled noticing, before the set began, an old classroom film projector on the soundcheck island. It became apparent THAT was going to serve as the video footage for the night. In the advancing video and computer-driven technology of the time, it was nice to see someone using older technology in a quirky and inventive way. As the projector flashed scenes of this and that on the screen behind the band, the effect of the silhouettes of the band members and heads of the audience ended up being more compelling and interesting than what was on the film... at least that's what I remember about it.

In another unique and original maneuver; at one point during the set, lead singer Michael Stype whipped out a megaphone and decided to abandon the use of his microphone. If my memory serves me correct he used it during the song "Orange Crush."

It was one of those moments where one has an epiphany; something to the effect of "Wow, I'm witnessing something very cool and unusual."

R.E.M. present a unique sound, serving as an original blend of many influences... I hear the Beatles in them, I hear Johnny Cash, and I hear some folk leanings. I see the influence of some punk, as well as Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground with the Warhol spin in their live visual presentation... and being from Athens, Georgia, I know there's a southern influence somewhere in there; however I can't really pick it up or identify what it would be... I guess Cash was from the south.

As expected, we all went back to business as usual after the concert... but R.E.M. resonated with me. In short time I became a big fan of the band, would collect all their material, and would see them live again in the 1990s. That may not be the last time.

R.E.M. would move on to discover international success of the release of their next project, 1991's Out of Time, spearheaded by the mandolin-driven superhit "Losing My Religion." They would follow that project with several more successful projects and tours over the next 10+ years, going on to sell millions of albums and entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after the turn of the new millennium.

I take some pride in discovering R.E.M. right before they became really big. I guess I can park my car in the "old school" lot of the band...

...and Skinny deserves all the credit.

Being the Curious George that I am with music, I have usually sought out most of the bands I listen to, as I've noodled through LOTS of material out there... so that being said, I can probably count on one hand the number of bands that have been introduced to me by friends which I've really taken to.

R.E.M. is one of those bands. S

Set list for ASU activity Center on 3/18/1989:

Taken from The R.E.M. Timeline
support: Robyn Hitchcock
set: Pop Song 89 / Exhuming McCarthy / Welcome To The Occupation / Turn You Inside-Out / Shaking Through / Underneath The Bunker / Orange Crush / Disturbance At The Heron House / Feeling Gravitys Pull / Flowers Of Guatemala / Begin The Begin / World Leader Pretend / Tired Of Singing Trouble-I Believe / Pretty Persuasion / Superman / Get Up / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
encore 1: Stand / Boy (Go) / Fall On Me / You Are The Everything
encore 2: Finest Worksong / King Of Birds / Summertime / These Days / See No Evil
encore 3: Dark Globe / Harpers / Crazy / Perfect Circle / Academy Fight Song / Radio Free Europe / After Hours

"The soundtrack to our lives" at RushCon7

That quote, out of a Neil Peart interview a few years back, was what I came away with when I look back at what we all shared this last weekend at RushCon7 in Toronto. I'm playing the "red album," HYF, as I write and edit this post.

It was my first time attending this conference, which was by now in its seventh year. I arrived with the notion that it was one component of an overall pilgrimage to see Rush, my favorite rock band, perform in their hometown. After arriving late Thursday night, I powered up early the next day and drove to St. Catharines to see Lakeside Park, Neil Peart's hometown. That afternoon, with the advantage of hotel proximity in downtown Toronto (referred to as T.O. by the locals), I walked up Yonge Street to peruse record stores and swung around through Queen's Park... for the ultimate site, the front of the Provincial Parliament Building. I took a quick tour of the inside of the building---that is, after gawking in shocked awe at the arches in the front for about 20 minutes... You guys must understand that Moving Pictures was the VERY FIRST rock album I owned---I got it for my 13th birthday. The MP cover was all I had to look at for the better part of a year---I would stare at the thing for hours, thinking there were secret codes and messages in it... like "Why's the little girl screaming? What's supposed to be happening inside the building?" Then I finally received Signals... for my 14th birthday... still have those original vinyl copies, I'll never let them go!

Then when Grace Under Pressure was released in the spring of 1984, along with the ensuing tour (my first ever concert), I realized I needed more cash in pocket to buy more Rush and to diversify my music a bit... which meant I needed to be employed... sorry to digress!

With respect to RushCon; as someone we know has once said: "Anything can happen." Nothing would prepare me for the mind-blowing experience I was about to have... It was without question the easiest room I've ever entered; it was like meeting long lost brothers and sisters for the first time; a meeting of the minds of sorts... As if you were finally hanging with your own kind. Everyone just knew it and understood it. You weren't going to connect with everyone---as there was simply not enough time---but for those who you did connect with, it was very special. For me, having been a fan since 1981 and attending live shows since 1984--now up to a total of 19 (including #5 of the current tour)--I didn't think it could get any better. However visiting Toronto, and especially attending RushCon, brought the meaning of the band to a whole new level that is very hard to describe.

That Friday night, the group took chartered "school of rock" busses to the Opera House in town, where the night started out with some karaoke and air drumming contests. Then the Rush cover band Limelight played for nearly 4 hours! The band, a 4-piece with a lead singer, was obviously very dialed into the set list of the current Rush tour---as most of the material they covered filled in the blanks of what we weren't hearing live from the "real Rush." Hey, we even heard "The Necromancer" and "Beneath, Between, Behind!" ...and for 4 hours---I think everyone can appreciate what kind of a workout that was for Limelight. The lead singer, sporting a N.Y. Rangers Mark Messier hockey jersey, kept himself in top form throughout. The guitarist had all the Lerxst guitar facial expressions down too, and the rhythm section kept everything both grounded and animated. Animate everyone, they definitely did. Very impressive!

Saturday was a big day. Things began midday with a series of fun and games, including "Let's Make a Deal," "Wheel of Tidal Fortune," and various other trivia games. Then it occurred to me that I've obviously been out of the video game loop for quite some time, as participants were able to hold makeshift instruments and "compete" in a digital rock concert setting to songs of their choice. While numerous improvised versions of YYZ were "performed" with instrumental theatrics, including lowbrow computer animated characters spinning guitars, machine gun guitars, and muscle flexing with guitars---the group went really outside it's realm and performed "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns and Roses. It was actually a welcome break!

Then as the evening rolled around, we met in the bar downstairs, and after some time it was back onto the School of Rock bus---and... SHOWTIME!!! The boys rocked to a packed house at the Air Canada Centre, and you could tell they were really amped to perform for the home crowd! Everyone I ran into at the venue was really friendly; I exchanged emails with a fella visiting from Germany (also on a similar pilgrimage), and sat with locals during the show---to my left was a fella I had sold my ticket to earlier in the day, and to my right was a sweet teenage couple attending their first ever concert. As the more veteran fan, I tried to provide a little "song and album" context whenever they asked or were scratching their heads---but I tried not to do the infamously annoying "play by play," as that's never a good thing. It's never good to become Harry Carey and turn an otherwise life-changing event into a Cubbies game.

Post gig festivities went into full gear as the group did some bar hopping, including a little skip down to the Orbit Room, and some late night eats at a local 24 hour joint. There was a congregation of folks there who attended the concert, including several who weren't part of RushCon---just fans making their own pilgrimages to Toronto, or folks who just lived in town.

As a side note, may I mention that ever since I had arrived at the Days Inn late Thursday night, I'd been wondering IF there was a room numbered "2112," and WHO it was that might be staying in that room. My curiosity was further peaked as I was assigned room #2011, frustratingly 101 digits from the promised land. I thought of yelling "Hello up there!" but figured it was 2AM and I'd wake up the neighbors. As it turned out, I met the inhabitants of the sacred room as I hung out with a power trio of late night partiers Saturday night. They'd artfully recreated the inside sleeve to 1982's Signals on the front door of the room. A priceless photo indeed, and my original question from the night of my arrival was indeed answered! I thought I heard a waterfall in there, but it just turned out to be the bathroom sink (there was no blueprint of a bathroom sink either, nor a Lerxst to be found working on said sink).

The final highlight of the trip involved a walking tour of Anthem Records. Once again, the proximity of the Days Inn paid off as the group of us was able to do a straight walk down Clifton street (about 4 blocks) to our destination---what appeared to be a most unassuming residence---otherwise you would simply walk by it and never know Rush's record company was inside. The staff there was very kind as they let staggered groups of us walk through and gawk at the countless sea of gold records, platinum records, and numerous other awards that hung on the walls. The most impressive artifact, however, was the large size painting of the Power Windows album cover. With respect to the Anthem tour, one person commented that it felt like a dreamscape, while I mentioned it reminded me of a Rush screen saver I've used before---you know, that one with the maze of album covers aligning the walls. Maybe that makes me sound outdated, as I haven't used it in awhile.

Sunday continued with a well organized charity auction, where participants held their red stars high in hand to bid on various items and Rush memorabilia. There was some very interesting and creative things to bid on, and it appeared that lots of money was raised for local charities. A send-off event at the Orbit Room Sunday night ended the weekend.

RushCon was all about bonding and forming new friendships, and no topic was off limits. Folks at the conference came from all walks of life; students, professors, realtors, accountants, grant writers, engineers, planners, casino money counters, photographers, artists, clowns (seriously), writers, aaaaaaaaand (of course) SALESMEN!!! Discussions in many ways were not focused on Rush; they tended to cover other bands of interest, careers, hobbies, politics, religion, and other personal passions... pretty much the whole gamut. Rush discussions tended to focus on which tours were attended and where, then the conversation might venture into the details of one's formative years. By filling in those blanks, you could essentially superimpose the soundtrack to the upbringing of the person you were talking to. The band, their catalog, Neil's lyrics and what they represent provide a potpourri of springboards to work from in terms of getting to know someone who has the same appreciation, and as someone put in the RushCon program, "Get's it" (or as Starwoman from the 2112 room suggested, "Geds It." Get it???) Everyone was able to share stories from their successes to personal tragedies, and dig a little deeper in the short time we had together.

The band plays the central role in making folks gel together like they did at RushCon. The most satisfying part of this is that the band seems to understand this and appreciate the role they play in the lives of their fans---as I've picked up on this from some of the interviews I've read or listened to over the years---which are too numerous to mention. As Neil was once stated as having his own epiphany about the feedback he's received from fans; that the band has provided the "soundtrack to their lives." From what I understand the band is deeply moved by that notion.

Thank you, my Rushie brothers and sisters, for a stellar, incredible experience! ...and a special thank you for the hard work of the RushCon staff for all the dedication and running around they did to make everything happen. I'll venture to speak for all the guests at the convention, in that we can appreciate how hard all that work was. Simply put, you put on a very entertaining, flawless convention. It was an honor to be a part of it.

So, until we meet again, "The song remains the same..." Whoops, wrong band... let's try this again... "God save the Queen!" No, that's the Sex Pistols convention...

Well, then how 'bout this: "Though we know that time has wings, we're the ones that have to fly!!!" Thaaaaat's more like it. Happy (vapor) trails everyone, see all of you down the road!!! S