FAN FRIDAYS

As you eagerly scroll through this blog, do not miss the "Because" link, do not miss the "Because" link, do not miss the "Because" link, do not miss the "Because" link...

FAN FRIDAYS

I know I'm going to bore most of you with my blog today, but the purpose of Fan Fridays is to share with you, all of the people, places and things I've been a big fan of throughout my miserable, worthless life.

I say that because compared to this person we are discussing today, I'm totally insignificant and worthless, musically speaking.

Who is this dude that's so magnificent?

DRUM ROLL....

Ludwig Van Beethoven

I'm not going to start sounding like a boring "egghead," and start talking about his 9th symphony being better than his 5th symphony, or his sonata's, or his movements. (Especially not his "movements!")

First, I want to talk about him being bi-polar, like me.

For those of you who have known me during my "bad" times, see if this doesn't match my old personality.

http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/tlc/publications/soundings/soundings-2008/philip-dehm.pdf

Beethoven: The Man and the Madness

behind the Music

By Philip Dehm

Widely hailed as one of the greatest composers of all time, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-

1827) was a musical genius constantly troubled by physical ailments of varying gravity.

Recently, however, it has been suggested

that Beethoven also suffered from bipolar disorder, or manic-depression, a psychological disorder associated with “unusual shifts in a person’s mood,” and alternating “episodes of mania and depression."

Beyond Eccentricity

Beethoven was a most eccentric man. The Baron de Trémont, a member of Napoleon's Council, could not help but notice what he called “the bizarrerie of his character” upon meeting him in 1809. Ignaz Moscheles, an acquaintance and fellow musician, in his recollections of Beethoven made reference to “the peculiarities of the man,” and Ferdinand Ries noted how “all came to know his oddities” . Suffice it to say that he had a reputation for bizarre  behavior.

Austrian poet Franz Grillparzer observed in his memoirs that “Beethoven’s manner of life estranged him from all the habits and customs of the world." Ries, who knew Beethoven better than most, admits that he was “extremely violent,” and a

statement, this time made by Italian poet Carpani, referred to him as “a misanthrope, cranky” and  

added that he couldn’t keep friends . Clearly, Beethoven, at least occasionally, showed signs of 

considerable mental instability. He appears to have had trouble getting along with people, even to 

the point where he was avoided; upon trying to make his acquaintance, young Bettina Brentano 

found that “for fear of his melancholia,” none wished to take her to meet him; not even “those who

called themselves his best friends!"

Okay, so now that I've bored everyone to tears...doesn't that sound like the old Danny?!

That description of Beethoven could have been an exact description of ME a few years ago!

Thank God for the help he's given me!

In no way am I comparing myself to Beethoven, except that we both suffered from the same illness!

In my opinion, Beethoven found the key, the perfect link or connection between music and peoples emotions.

You know how when you hear a song by Coldplay, for instance, you immediately have an emotional response that makes you feel happy, sad, comforted...and they use beautiful descriptive words!

Beethoven, on the other hand, could bring out all of these emotions, and more, with just his music alone.

This is not putting down wonderful musicians like Chris Martin, James Bellamy, John Lennon, and others who also found that connection to our souls, however, I have evidence that Beethoven was the one who inspired many of the great musicians that we love so much today.

Chuck Berry famously demanded Beethoven “Roll Over” to help usher in a new era of rock and roll. But rather than eschewing the famous German composer, popular musicians started quoting him in their works (including the Electric Light Orchestra in its cover of Berry’s hit). In conjunction with Beethoven Awareness month this November, we’ve collected our favorite five samples of Beethoven in popular music.

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1. The Beatles: "Because"

In an oft-repeated tale, John Lennon said that he wrote the Beatles’Abbey Road track “Because” after listening to Yoko Ono practicing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. He claimed to have asked her to play the piece backwards, and therein found the chord progression on which he would build his own work. However, you don’t have to listen to Beethoven’s original in reverse to recognize the similarities.

2. Deep Purple: "Exposition/We Can Work it Out"

British rock royalty Deep Purple, which once held the Guinness World Record for loudest band, was known for classically-inspired arrangements as well as its ear-splitting concerts. For example you can hear an electric rendition of the allegretto from Sympony

 No. 7 in the beginning to “Exposition/We Can Work It Out” from the group’s album The Book of Taliesyn. The late band member Jon Lord, a classically-trained organist, is credited with incorporating classical standards and his own symphonic works into the band’s repertoire.

3. Leonard Bernstein: "Somewhere"

Leonard Bernstein’s elegiac song, “Somewhere,” from West Side Story, has been covered by performers from the Supremes to the Pet Shop Boys. However, Bernstein’s famous theme (“There’s a place for us”) comes from the Emperor Concerto’s second movement. The following line of the song shares a familiar motif with Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.

4. Billy Joel: "This Night"

As the Piano Man, Billy Joel has spent a lifetime tickling the ivories. His knowledge of music written for the keyboard was put to good use when he penned “This Night,” which takes inspiration from the Pathétiquesonata. Joel, giving recognition where it’s due, gave L.V. Beethoven a credit on the album, An Innocent Man, which he explained in a 2012 WNYC conversation with Alec Baldwin on WNYC's Here's the Thing.

5. Nas: "I Can"  

Without copyright fees, the classical canon lends itself to sampling, and one of the best examples comes courtesy of the rapper Nas, who co-opted the familiar “Für Elise” for “I Can” on 2002’s God’s Son. The rapper wrote the track, warning of the dangers of drug use and crime, as a tribute to his dead mother, who asked him to compose an uplifting anthem. Its endorsement of practice would also make many piano teachers happy.

Runners Up: Alicia Keys, “Harlem Nocturne” (Moonlight Sonata); Bright Eyes “Road to Joy” (Symphony)

THIS WILL GIVE YOU CHILLS!!!

In conclusion, listen to Beethoven's Ode To Joy and see if you don't agree with everything I've said...or not!

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS

I have been getting a lot more views on my blog than I ever dreamed I'd get! 

Yesterday I had over 100 views on my blog , and 20 views on my Music Fun Page! 

That is wonderful! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! 

I have been sad over the passing of Richie Havens, and obsessing over him (my favorite singer) too much, but I just have one more thing to add.

The next thing you'll be reading is the ending to my book that I wrote a few years ago.

The title is Hitchin,' God's Way Of Letting You know You Don't Have A Car.

I had forgotten that it included Richie Havens as an angel, I thought it would be fitting to share this with you now:

I had never really thought about it much until I started hitchin’. It just slipped my Mom, I guess. No one ever said anything to me about it. 

(Of course, these were “hippy” times and everyone was “trippin”; whatever that means.) If someone had “axed” me about it, I would have replied, “I don’t know.” It just didn’t seem important at the time.

However, after millions of miles of hitchin’ across deserts, over mountains and rivers, through the woods, rain, snow, sleet, dust storms, hail storms, Gale Storm; dealing with psychopathic drivers, bumble bees, little sharp tiny rocks pelting my sensitive wittle body, hunger, thirst, humiliation……………Oh, I could go on and on! 

I have? Uh, sorry ‘bout that.

Where was I? Now I merember. After all of that intense suffering, heartache and pain, I finally realized that God was trying to tell me something.

“What“, you ask in anxious anticipation. ( Try saying “anxious anticipation” three times fast.)

Now remember, I’m still sitting on a rock in Colorado. No! I don’t mean I’m sitting on a rock in Colorado at this moment! Heck no! Go to the end of chapter 6 if you’ve completely forgotton that part. We can wait……………………………….......................

It’s about time you got back! Chihuahua, you’re slower than one of those big butted people in the checkout line at Walmart! 

I apologize to all of you readers with big butts, but I’m not talking about you guys. I’m talking about those folks with MASSIVE  butts! Butts so big they need their own zip code! Butts that look like two Volkswagons trying to pass each other! Butts soooo enormous ……………………….Tell me to shut up. Thank you, I needed that.

O.K. I’m sitting on this stupid rock and I “imagine” an angel standing in front of me. This was not your ordinary, average, run of the mill, angel. Oh, no! This angel looked exactly like Richie Havens, but was about 60 feet tall. 

The Angel spoke. 

Angel……”What’s hapnin’, Danny?”

Me……”Not much.”

Angel….”How’s the blisters on your feet?”

Me….“Oh, they’re O.K………..“Hey! How did you know…….Oh, yeah, right; Angel.”

Angel…..“God has a message for you, man.”

Me……“For me? Wow! Great; what is it?”

Angel…. “Don’t you know what it is already, dude?”

Me…. “No! This isn’t gonna be some kind of riddle or something, is it?”

Angel…..“Nooo, nooo, man, nothing like that.”

Me…. “Then what’s the message, Richie, or Gabriel or whatever your name is?”

Angel…. It’s Norman. Anyway, here is God’s message.

( This is cool because now it gets dark, rolling black clouds appear, and there is thunder and lightening flashing through the pitch blackness, like in The Ten Commandments!) 

“DANNY! DANNY BRUCE MANESS! THIS IS WHAT GOD HAS SPOKETH UNTO YOU!” “HITCHIN’ WAS MY WAY OF LETTING YOU KNOW YOU DON”T HAVE A CAR!”

Me…..Say what?

Angel……“I REPEAT; HITCHIN’ WAS MY……

Me……“RIIIIGHT!  I heard you the first time. So you’re telling me the reason I’ve been going through all this hitchin’ hogwash is because God was letting me know I didn’t have a cockadoody car?”

Angel….. “That’s right, bro.”

Me….. “Wouldn’t it have been easier for him to just email me?”

Angel…..“We don’t have emails yet, son. This is the early 70’s.”

Me…… “Well, then he could have created emails and sent me one! It would have been better than putting me through all the suffering, pain and heartache of hitchin’ my butt off!”

Angel….”Let me ask you this, ungrateful one; did you KNOW  you didn’t have a car before you started hitchin’?”

Me…..“Well, no. I never really thought about it but…………….

Angel…..“AAAHHH!  AAAHHH!”  “Would you have done all the cool things you, uh, done  if it hadn’t been for hitchin’; like seeing Tony Dow?”

Me….”You’ve got me there, Norman.” “ I have to admit I’ve seen wonderous and magnificent things along the highways and byways of the good ole U.S. of A. In fact, just yesterday………

Angel….. “Enough already! I can see that you get the point.” “I’m outta here.” (Cue music: Richie Havens singing the classic song, “Follow”), “And don’t mind me ‘cause I ain’t nothing’ but a dream; and you can follow, folloooowoooo, followoooo-oo-ooo.)

YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THIS NOW! REALLY!

Norman begins to rise in the air and floats, floats, floats, higher and higher and POP, he’s gone!

Now, I knew why everybody said I was so dumb. I should have known I didn’t have a car. Even after hitchin’ a billion miles across the western section of America, I was too stupid to figure it out on my own. God had to send an Angel, for heaven’s sake

 (Hey! That wasn’t bad! An Angel for heaven’s  sake), to tell me!

Anyway, I finally  understood the indisputable fact that I didn’t have a car. 

Funny thing about it; I didn’t care. Like Norman said, I would have never had the strange unique experiences, met such weird, exciting and lovable people, AND (here is the most important thing), been able to write this book, if I had, had a car.

That is sooo true! I would have been cooped up in my little Rambler or some dumb car like that, by myself, missing out on everything interesting, cool, Glirkazoid related, angelic, and, well, just EVERYTHING  that has made me the diverse, whacked out critter I am today!

In conclusion, if somebody, ANYBODY, who reads this book knows Richie Havens OR  Joni Mitchell, give him/her my email address. You can find it in the book somewhere.

Wait a minute! What if Joni and Richie are reading the book TOGETHER at this very moment! Wow! OH, WOW!!!!  

No, that’s stupid for me to ever believe my favorite singers of all time, who never fail to put me THERE, would read my idiotic book. Also, Joni Mitchell is the greatest songwriter of all time (Excluding Lennon, Dylan, and Manilow); it’s absolutely CRAZY for me to even dream in my wildest dreams she would like my dumb book, ‘cause I’m nothing but a “silly-boy” writer compared to her writing.

 (Pssst, gang, listen up. See what I’m trying to do? I’m hoping Richie and Joni hear about my love for them in some way (Maybe through the “grapevine”) and show pity on me and throw a big party in my honor where they both perform their awesome, AWESOME, AWESOME  music!!!!!! 

I just got a chill up my leg! What if other celebrities hear about the party and the guest list includes Halle Berry, Steve Martin, Chuck Norris (See what I’m doing now? I’m fantasizing about all these other celebrities coming to the party I’m fantasizing about), Greg Batton, The Aposematics, Robin Williams, Yvonne Greer, Michael Buble, Michael Lynche, Adam Lambert, Crystal Bowersox (She‘s wonderful) , Cameron Diaz, Ben Stein, Martha Stew…….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Out Of This World Wednesdays

Last week I changed Who, what, where, when, why, how Wednesdays to something more dear to my heart...

Things out of this world, world, world, world, world!!!

Here is the fascinating continuation of..

THE GLIRKAZOIDS

I cannot destroy Glirka ( Um, I mean, let Oglama destroy Glirka) without giving you a brief, mesmerizing, mind altering, virtual tour of the baby blue planet.

You are beamed down to a hill of flowers that have grown “incredibly high!"

( Now, remember children; Glirka has already blown up a long time ago, so this is one of those going back in time things that we always see in the movies.)

The unending variety of gorgeous flowers are so breathtaking it causes you to puke your guts out, which is the normal reaction to the flowers on Glirka. ( It’s O.K. Everybody does it.)

Feeling better now, you look out to the horizon.

It is a surreal, dreamlike scene that resembles a newly discovered “Van Gogh” masterpiece... only bigger!

The mixed pink, purple and yellow mountains of Glirka are shaped like “Devo" hats. (Remember; upside down flower pots?)

(Warning! Venturing too close to these unique mountains can cause ZITS due to the natural chemicals they emit!)

ANCIENT GLIRKAZOID POEM

Our mountains look like “Devo” hats,

Or maybe Mayan temples, 

But never get too close to them,

‘cause they will give you pimples!

As you raise your astonished eyes to the heavens, you are awestruck by the “fire engine red” clouds that form shapes of Macy’s Day Parade balloons, floating against a “Kermit green” sky.

(O.K. Now, let me remind you kids once again. Glirka is bye-bye. These once beauteous vista’s are just burned up pieces of space dust at the present time. Thank you.)

Walking in the ever present swirling blue mist  makes every step feel as if you are sleepwalking in a , uh, lets see, BLUE MIST.

The sun that gently warms the inhabitants of Glirka, looks exactly like the sun on the “Raisin Bran box,    with the face, scoop and everything!

All the lovely trees of Glirka, look like Christmas trees.

They grow that way.

Even the bubble lights grow naturally, like vines, and climb up, up, ‘round and ‘round to the top of the trees for sparkling illumination! How cool is that?!

The rivers that twist and  turn across the Glirkazoidian landscape are flowing with, life giving, “glirf.”

“Glirf” is the purple liquid that meanders down the river beds, fills the lakes and seas, and tastes like (you guessed it) grape Nehi.

The vast array of wildlife on this diverse and really, really cool planet is almost too incomprehensible for our little brains to, uh,…….COMPREHEND. 

( Lest we forget, all of this wildlife was turned into “crispy critters” when the planet exploded in an awesome display of destructive and cataclysmic beauty!)

Here is a short list of Glirkan animals and “creepy crawlers” that lurked, flew, swam, slithered and generally hung out on Glirka long, long ago.

Glions and gligers and glares, oh my!

Glizards...Glonkeys…

Well, maybe this ancient and traditional poem will explain everything in a way that even I can understand.

( I’ll try and keep up.)

Ancient, Traditional Poem

The glions look like koala bears,

The gluppies look like sharks,

The glelephants are baby birds,

The gli-cats; dogs that bark.

The glrats resemble horses,

Gliraffs are tiny snails,

A Glirkan glippopotomus, 

Looks like a flying squirrel

The glady bugs are camels,

The glokadiles are trout,

Hey, Glirka is a crazy world, 

That soon will be “snuffed out.”

( How prophetic)

Here’s a Glirkazoidian “ditty” that was a favorite among the super intelligent infants of the now incinerated planet:

( Sung to the tune of, “The Big Rock Candy Mountain.”)

Oh, the buzzin’ of the glees,

And the glycamore trees,

The sweet “glirf” soda fountains,

The glemonade springs where the glu bird sings,

In the Glirkazoidan mountains.

In the Glirkazoidan mountains,

All the gyails  are made of tin,

And you can beam right out again,

As soon as you get in.

In the Glirkazoidan mountains,

All the “gleebops” have no legs,

And you never see that “ALIEN” beast,

Popping out those creepy eggs.

Oh, I want to glow, 

From electric snow,

Watch the rivers flow,

Where the “glirf” runs slow, 

And you don’t need “dough”,

In the Glirkazoidan mountains.

(Now, wasn’t that precious?)

The cities of Glirka were a sight to behold! 

Have you ever been to San Francisco?

Well, Glirkan cities didn’t look like San Francicco.

How about, New York city?

No. They didn’t look like New York, either.

Wait!  I’ve got it!

Have you ever been to Phoenix? 

O.K. Good!

Did you see those FANTASTIC  homes that were built in to the sides of the mountains?

Great!

That’s it.

That’s what the cities of Glirka looked like.

( Confidentually, the mountain homes of Phoenix were designed by ex-patriated Glirkazoids.)

We are running out of tom, so lets get back to the total obliteration of Glirka. 

(TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEDNESDAY)

Richie Havens

Richie Havens, my favorite singer, entertainer, and guitar player passed away Monday, April 22, 2013, at age 72.

My sister reminded me today of how I would do my best to imitate him. I even learned E Tuning, trying to duplicate the unique sound coming from his Guild guitar. 

However, how could I EVER duplicate the rich, deep, penetrating to my soul, voice that carried all of his fans to a higher level of peace and love.

I know, I know, that REALLY sounds clichéd, but it's absolutely true.

I cannot think of any musical instrument that can give me the soothing,  calming feeling his voice gave me.

Some described it as a "gravel voice." 

Louie Armstrong had a "gravel voice."

Richie's voice had the texture of...

Some of you may remember the feeling of running your fingers over your corduroy pants or jacket, and how it didn't feel rough, exactly, but the texture made you feel warm and cozy.

That's what Richie's voice was like to me when he sang his heartfelt mellow songs.

On the other hand, when he sang "Freedom," "High Flying Bird," or "Handsome Johnny," his voice was like a primordial scream that came from a place deep down in his soul that I would have never had the courage to go to on my own.

I saw him live in concert 3 times, and I can describe his performances as pure energy, thoughtful, exquisite, and transcending. (Passing beyond the normal limits of emotion)

When he was performing, and off stage, racial prejudices disappeared, due to the abundance of love he showed for everyone, and the way he conveyed that love through his music.

What a glorious time in Heaven as he sings again there,  just like he did at Woodstock, with that strong, powerful, glorious voice that could shake the rafters or gently soothe a baby to sleep.

All of your fans love you, Richie Havens, and will miss you...but will never forget you, man! Never!