dual personalities

Tag: music

September 19, 2023

We ain’t perfect but we try

by chuckofish

I finished the Hillsdale College online course on Genesis and I’m happy to say I passed all the quizzes, the final and the course. It was a worthwhile endeavor and I will probably take another course. And they’re free.

This is an excellent article on a disturbing subject. “In 1939 T. S. Eliot gave a series of lectures at the University of Cambridge in which he described a fork in the road. Western Civilization might continue along the Christian path, he predicted, or it might adopt “modern paganism.” Eliot, a Christian convert, hoped for the former, but he feared that we were already hell-bent on the latter.” The pagans are winning.

And here are two articles about a favorite subject of mine: Puritans–Jonathan Edwards and his long workday and Puritan women debunking Puritan stereotypes.

I try not to get into arguments with people, but I remember one time I did. It was back when daughter #2 was a student at Wash U. and I had lunch with her and her boyfriend, who made the mistake of making a really uninformed remark about Puritans. He was your typical know-it-all, arrogant Wash U. student and I just couldn’t let him get away with his stupid comment. A lecture followed. I’m sure daughter #2 was mortified. Well, let’s just say I was pleased when they broke up at the end of senior year. Thank goodness DN has had the good sense never to knock the Puritans in my presence.

Like I said, I try to get along with people.

We find out when you die the keys to heaven can’t be bought
We still don’t know what love is but we sure know what it’s not
Sometimes you got to

Get along, on down the road
We’ve got a long long way to go
Scared to live, scared to die
We ain’t perfect but we try

—Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman, Josh Osborne

(The artwork at the top is by my talented six-year old granddaughter Lottie. It is her interpretation of the song “Coat of Many Colors” by Dolly Parton. The mean girl on the left is making fun of little Dolly’s dress.)

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August 28, 2023

Postcards from Music City

by chuckofish

Nashville sure has changed since we first went in 1996! And even in the five years since we last went in 2018–wow! So many tall glass buildings, so many tourists, so much partying and traffic and noise. You used to be able to walk around in the two square blocks where everything was, but now you really can’t. It is a real scene. Yes, Uber was a real good idea and daughter #1 is a whiz at getting around.

On Friday, after checking in to the very swanky Omni Hotel, we went to dinner at Bakersfield, then Uber’d to the Opry, which has not changed. We saw Ricky Skaggs, Deana Carter, Jeannie Seely, and Vince Gill, along with some up-and-comers.

It was a treat to hear good live music. However the Uber/taxi scene after the show was what I imagine Saturday night in Calcutta is like, but we managed.

On Saturday morning, we walked over to the Diner on 3rd Avenue that is 5 stories high.

We walked around on Broadway…

…and then went back to the hotel and to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum which is actually attached to the Omni. We saw the new Patty Loveless exhibit (and the Whispering Bill Anderson Exhibit) and then walked through the rest of the multi-level museum. It was full of great stuff!

We had tickets for the Patty Loveless sold-out concert/interview and daughter #1 got in line where she stood with Patty’s most devoted fans for good seats when the doors opened at 2:30–about an hour and a half. I came down after taking a quick nap in our room.

I was really surprised by my emotional reaction to seeing Patty.

The tears sprang to my eyes when she walked out (and they played a few notes of “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye”) and I literally did not stop crying as she sang through four songs. It didn’t help when a man yelled “We love you, Patty!”–reminding me of the boy in a similar moment back in the day. Thankfully I had a Kleenex in my purse. Why am I never prepared? Why do I bother to wear mascara?

Patty was crying during “Too Many Memories” and there weren’t a lot of dry eyes in the house. She is my age and she still looks great and sounds terrific. Quelle lady. After the mini-concert she was “interviewed” by one of the museum curators and talked for an hour and a half about growing up in Pikeville and her journey to stardom.

We thought about trying to shake her hand at the end, but I didn’t want to make a spectacle of myself, so we left.

We went to Husk, which is super hip, for a drink.

Then, exhausted, we went back to the Omni where we got a glass of wine for the room and watched The Fate of the Furious (2017). I really enjoyed it–Vin Diesel, the Rock, Jason Statham, Ludicris, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood, Tyrese Gibson, et al–over-the-top ridiculousness, but fun.

On Sunday we drove home (during a series of fierce rainstorms) and listened to the playlist of the “Western Edge: the Roots and Reverberations of Los Angles Country-Rock”, which was great too.

Love those Kentucky rest stops!

We had a great time in Nashville, but, boy, was Mr. Smith glad to see daughter #1 when we got home!

Thankfully, the OM did not burn the house down but Mr. Smith did chew up my vintage bicentennial rug in the kitchen. C’est la vie.

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July 3, 2023

The sheep of His pasture*

by chuckofish

It’s pretty quiet around here since the boy and his family are in Hilton Head for the week.

Before they left early Saturday morning, daughter #3 brought the wee twins over after soccer camp on Friday to have lunch and hang out with Mr. Smith.

Daughter #1 has a new chuck-it throwing toy which is great and wears Mr. Smith out with fetching.

Five stars for sure! The best part is you don’t have to pick up the slobbery ball with your hand. Of course, getting Mr. Smith to release the ball is an ongoing issue.

We had some wild weather over the weekend with a lot of downed trees and detritus everywhere.

Unfortunately, people were actually killed this time around in crushed cars and houses.

(Photos from KMOV4)

In church on Sunday we heard more from the prophet Hosea. His message, as our pastor put it, is “harrowing and brutal”–but maybe we need that.

“Do not rejoice, O Israel, with joy like other peoples,
For you have played the harlot against your God.” (Hosea 9:1)

Food for thought.

Tomorrow, of course, is the 4th of July and we send happy birthday wishes to my older brother. He was always a hit with the ladies.

The little girl in the picture was a neighbor of whom my mother was particularly fond. (Her name was Katie.) Anyway, here’s hoping he does something fun tomorrow.

And here’s a song–the boy introduced me to this rendition:

*”Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)

3 Comments
June 28, 2023

Culture she ain’t got

by chuckofish

Today marks the 122nd birthday of the composer Richard Rodgers (1902-1979). With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American composers of the 20th century. I mean his songbook is beyond impressive. Rodgers was the first person to win all four of the top American entertainment awards in theater, film, recording, and television–an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). He also won a Pulitzer.

Born and raised in Queens, he attended Columbia University where he met collaborators Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. The rest is history. What a remarkable career! To celebrate, I suggest you choose one of his many great musicals to watch: Jumbo, On Your Toes, Pal Joey, Oklahoma, South Pacific, Carousel, The King and I, The Sound of Music…the list goes on and on.

Funnily enough the first song by Rodgers that came to my mind was this one with lyrics by Lorenz Hart sung by the wonderful Jimmy Durante. It brings tears to my eyes!

It is also the birthday of cartoonist George Booth (1926-2022), who has always been a favorite of mine. I think daughter #1 can probably relate to this:

And, hey, Mel Brooks was born on the exact same day as Booth in 1926. Like Booth, Brooks served in WWII as an 18-year old. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge. His battalion was responsible for clearing booby-trapped buildings and defusing land mines as the Allies advanced into Nazi Germany. Zut alors! When he returned to the U.S. following the war, he commenced his comedic career. So if you’re not in the mood for watching a broadway musical, you could choose one of Brooks’s many good movies, such as To Be or Not to Be (1983).

Not quite Lubitsch, but close.

Meanwhile this scrappy little guy is burning it up at soccer camp.

Have a good day–stay hydrated!

4 Comments
May 3, 2023

Carefree highway

by chuckofish

Well, now we have the sad news that the great Gordon Lightfoot has died at 84. Rolling Stone called him “a genius-level Canadian singer-songwriter whose most enduring works include “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Sundown,” “Carefree Highway,” “Early Morning Rain,” and “Rainy Day People”.” Indeed, his songs have been covered by everyone from Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash to the Grateful Dead, Barbra Streisand, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Buffett, and the Replacements.

This article gives a good overview of his career (with videos).

My DP was a huge fan of Gordon in the 1970s and she and her best friend Laurie obsessed over him in typical middle school fashion. Laurie’s parents were also big fans and so they went to a lot of concerts. Truthfully, our mother also liked Gordon and so did I. We wiled away many an hour listening to his albums on our record player in the dining room. My DP and I even had a dance routine worked out for his tour de force Canadian Railroad Trilogy.

We may have been induced to perform this at her wedding reception. Do I remember that correctly? Well, if not, we should have.

So over the mountains and over the plains
Into the muskeg and into the rain
Up the St. Lawrence all the way to Gaspé
Swingin’ our hammers and drawin’ our pay

Into paradise may the angels lead thee, Gordon, and at thy coming may the martyrs receive thee, and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem.

Here in flyover country we also noted the passing of Mike Shannon, who having played third base/right field for ten years with the Cardinals, then spent 50 years in the broadcast booth calling games alongside Jack Buck and numerous others. He retired in 2021. This news caused a wave of nostalgia and over-drinking in this town, as you can imagine.

Fun fact: Mike hit the final home run in Sportsman’s Park and the first Cardinal home run in Busch Stadium. How about that?

Well, adios, amigos. Here’s Bob covering “In the Early Morning Rain”.

In the early mornin’ rain

With a dollar in my hand

And an achin’ in my heart

And my pockets full of sand

4 Comments
April 26, 2023

Just another Wednesday–more things of minor consequence

by chuckofish

Today we toast Kevin James and Channing Tatum on their birthdays!

In case you were wondering, they did actually make a movie together. The Dilemma (2011) directed by Ron Howard is not a great movie, but you might want to give it a whirl. I am always in the mood for these two.

Today is also the anniversary of the day in 1865 when John Wilkes Booth was surrounded in a barn in Maryland and killed. And, hey, Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote a song about it.

Meanwhile Ida is crushing tummy time…

And here’s a poem: “Days” by Billy Collins–

Just another Wednesday–make it a good one.

3 Comments
April 18, 2023

Cheers to classic Hollywood music

by chuckofish

Today we toast Miklós Rózsa on his birthday (1907-95). He was one of those many talented Hungarians who found their way to Hollywood before WWII and made huge contributions to the film industry. Best known for his nearly one hundred film scores, he also maintained a steadfast allegiance to “serious” concert music throughout his life. Rózsa received seventeen Academy Award nominations and won three: Spellbound (1945), A Double Life (1947) and Ben-Hur (1959).

Just last week, after watching Ben-Hur for the umpteenth time, we were saying how great a score it is, one of the greatest in fact. Definitely Top Five. The opening credits, the chariot race, the battle at sea, all are great classics, but remember Esther’s theme?

And the theme for Jesus?

And the galley slave scene? “Battle speed, hortator.”

It is one of the longest film scores ever composed and is a remarkable achievement. He was often copied, but he was an original. Hats off to Miklós Rózsa!

2 Comments
April 13, 2023

Oh Daniel prayed every morning, noon and night

by chuckofish

As you know we are reading the book of Daniel in my women’s Bible study group. I had, of course, read the book before–last year in fact–but I had never really noticed what a treasure trove it is. Daniel is an amazing guy! Angels are frequently showing up in his life, even Gabriel! He tells him: “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision.” (Daniel 9:22-23)

“For you are greatly loved.” In the next chapter Daniel is again told by an angel, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” (10: 19)

John Piper says, “I admit that each year when I read through the Bible and come to these verses, I want to take them and apply them to myself. I want to hear God saying to me, ‘You are greatly loved.’” He says we do hear it. But, wow, Daniel.

From the beginning of the Babylonian captivity, Daniel kept the faith. He shunned the depraved culture in which he was forced to live. And as he continued to surrender to God, Daniel rose to great prominence in the palace of the king. Even King Nebuchadnezzar turned to Daniel for counsel. So did King Darius. He reminds me a lot of Joseph and his rise to prominence in Egypt. There is a lesson here, of course.

Part of that lesson is that Daniel prayed. A lot. And his prayer is refreshingly straightforward. Right before the angel Gabriel appears, Daniel prays:

O Lord, hear!

O Lord, forgive!

O Lord, listen and act!

I like his direct approach. And I like Patty and Ricky’s version of this Gospel classic.

Oh Daniel served his living God
While upon the earth he trod
He prayed to God each morning, noon and night
He cared not for the king's decrees
But trusted God to set him free
Oh Daniel prayed every morning, noon and night
--Ralph Stanley
5 Comments
March 30, 2023

More things of minor consequence

by chuckofish

“There is hardship in everything except eating pancakes.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)

I read this article about Welsh male voice choirs still singing and my heart was glad. I hope they can keep that Welsh torch lit for music. We have a lot of men in our PCA congregation and, praise Jesus, they all sing out throughout the service. It is indeed wonderful. (And such a change from the Episcopal churches I have belonged to.)

I liked this true story about Lyman Beecher’s prodigal son.

And Kevin DeYoung explains the fight of faith in this sad world.

Meanwhile the Christmas cactus is blooming again!

The big questions in life are not “Who am I?” The big question in life is “Whose am I?” You have got to answer that question. Whose are you? Whose are you? That’s the issue. In the twentieth century, we get all bent out of shape about self-identity and stuff. Who am I, and my worth, and my esteem, and my value, and all that — man. When you read the Bible, the huge issue is right relationship with God and to whom you belong, whose you are.

–John Piper

Whose are you?

3 Comments
February 7, 2023

“We’re about John Wayne, Johnny Cash and John Deere.”

by chuckofish

Today we celebrate the birthday of John Deere (1804-1886), American blacksmith, inventor and manufacturer, who founded Deere and Company. Deere hailed from Vermont and attended Middlebury College. He moved to Illinois and invented the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837 by fashioning a Scottish steel saw blade into a plow.

(Early John Deere plow, circa 1845, made in Grand Detour, Illinois, displayed at the Henry Ford Museum)

Prior to Deere’s steel plow, most farmers used iron or wooden plows to which the rich Midwestern soil stuck, so they had to be cleaned frequently. The smooth-sided steel plow solved this problem and greatly aided migration into the American Great Plains in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

By 1855, Deere’s factory had sold more than 10,000 such plows. It became known as “The Plow that Broke the Plains” and is commemorated in a historic place marker in Middlebury, Vermont.

Deere & Company ranked No. 84 in the 2022 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations.

The John Deere tractor has, of course, become an icon of a certain way of life and has been glorified in many great country songs by the likes of Kenny Chesney, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, and Joe Diffie. But I like this one by Josh Thompson–“Way Out Here”:

(Thompson co-wrote the song with David Lee Murphy and Casey Beathard.)

We won't take a dime if we ain't earned it
When it comes to weight, brother we pull our own
If it's our backwoods way of living you're concerned with
Well you can leave us alone
Cause we're about John Wayne, Johnny Cash and John Deere
Way out here

So let’s toast John Deere tonight and my people Way Out Here.

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