Uh, what’s happening CC?
They still call it the White House
But that’s a temporary condition, too.
Can you dig it, CC?

To each his reach
And if I don’t cop, it ain’t mine to have
But I’ll be reachin’ for ya
‘Cause I love ya, CC.
Right on.

There’s a lot of chocolate cities, around
We’ve got Newark, we’ve got Gary
Somebody told me we got L.A.
And we’re working on Atlanta
But you’re the capital, CC

Gainin’ on ya!
Get down
Gainin’ on ya!
Movin’ in and on ya
Gainin’ on ya!
Can’t you feel my breath, heh
Gainin’ on ya!
All up around your neck, heh heh

Hey, CC!
They say your jivin’ game, it can’t be changed
But on the positive side,
You’re my piece of the rock
And I love you, CC.
Can you dig it?

Hey, uh, we didn’t get our forty acres and a mule
But we did get you, CC, heh, yeah
Gainin’ on ya
Movin’ in and around ya
God bless CC and its vanilla suburbs

Gainin’ on ya!
Gainin’ on ya!
Gainin’ on ya! (heh!)
Gainin’ on ya!
Gainin’ on ya!
What’s happening, blood?
Gainin’ on ya!
Gainin’ on ya!
Gainin’ on ya!

Yeah!
What’s happening, black?
Brother black, blood even
Yeah-ahh, just funnin’

Gettin’ down

Ah, blood to blood
Ah, players to ladies
The last percentage count was eighty
You don’t need the bullet when you got the ballot
Are you up for the downstroke, CC?
Chocolate city
Are you with me out there?

And when they come to march on ya
Tell ‘em to make sure they got their James Brown pass
And don’t be surprised if Ali is in the White House
Reverend Ike, Secretary of the Treasure
Richard Pryor, Minister of Education
Stevie Wonder, Secretary of FINE arts
And Miss Aretha Franklin, the First Lady
Are you out there, CC?
A chocolate city is no dream
It’s my piece of the rock and I dig you, CC
God bless Chocolate City and its (gainin’ on ya!) vanilla suburbs
Can y’all get to that?
Gainin’ on ya!
Gainin’ on ya!
Easin’ in
Gainin’ on ya!
In yo’ stuff
Gainin’ on ya!
Huh, can’t get enough
Gainin’ on ya!
Gainin’ on ya!
Be mo’ funk, be mo’ funk
Gainin’ on ya!
Can we funk you too
Gainin’ on ya!
Right on, chocolate city!

Yeah, get deep
Real deep
Heh
Be mo’ funk
Mmmph, heh
Get deep
Bad
Unh, heh
Just got New York, I’m told

Stevie Wonder’s “Black Man:”

First man to die
For the flag we now hold high (Crispus Attucks)
Was a black man

The ground where we stand
With the flag held in our hand
Was first the redmans

Guide of a ship
On the first columbus trip (Pedro Alonzo Nino)
Was a brown man

The railroads for trains
Came on tracking that was laid
By the yellow man

We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
Its time we learned
This world was made for all men

Heart surgery
Was first done successfully
By a black man (Dr Daniel Hale Williams)

Friendly man who died
But helped the pilgrims to survive (Squanto)
Was a redman

Farm workers rights
Were lifted to new heights (Caesar Chavez)
By a brown man

Incandescent light
Was invented to give sight (Thomas Edison)
By the white man

We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
Its time we learned
This world was made for all men

Here me out…

Now I know the birthday of a nation
Is a time when a country celebrates
But as your hand touches your heart
Remember we all played a part in america
To help that banner wave

First clock to be made
In america was created
By a black man (Benjamin Banneker)

Scout who used no chart
Helped lead lewis and clark
Was a redman (Sacagawea)

Use of martial arts
In our country got its start
By a yellow man

And the leader with a pen
Signed his name to free all men
Was a white man (Abraham Lincoln)

We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
Its time we learned
This world was made for all men

This world was made for all men
This world was made for all men
This world was made for all men
God saved his world for all men
All people
All babies
All children
All colors
All races
This worlds for you
And me
This world
My world
Your world
Everybodys world
This world
Their world
Our world
This world was made for all men

Here me out…

Who was the first man to set foot on the north pole?
Mattew Henson - a black man

Who was the first american to show the pilgrims at plymouth the secrets
Of survival in the new world?
Squanto - a redman

Who was the soldier of company g who won high honors for his courage
And heroism in world war 1?
Sing Lee - a yellow man

Who was the leader of united farm workers and helped farm workers
Maintain dignity and respect?
Caesar Chavez - a brown man

Who was the founder of blood plasma and the director of the red cross
Blood bank?
Dr. Charles Drew - a black man

Who was the first american heroine who aided the lewis and clark
Expedition?
Sacajewa - a red woman

Who was the famous educator and semanticist who made outstanding
Contributions to education in america?
Hayakawa - a yellow man

Who invented the worlds first stop light and the gas mask?
- a black man

Who was the american surgeon who was one of the founders of
Neurosurgery?
Harvey William Cushing - a white man

Who was the man who helped design the nations capitol, made the first
Clock to give time in america and wrote the first almanac?
Benjamin Banneker - a black man

Who was the legendary hero who helped establish the league of iroquois?
Hiawatha - a redman

Who was the leader of the first microbiotic center in america?
- a yellow man

Who was the founder of the city of chicago in 1772?
Jean Baptiste - a black man

Who was one of the organizers of the american indian movement?
Denis Banks - a redman

Who was the jewish financier who raised founds to sponsor cristopher
Columbus voyage to america?
Lewis D. Santangol - a white man

Who was the woman who led countless slaves to freedom on the
Underground rairoad?
Harriet Tubman - a black woman

I went running this morning with Shoulder Guy, and it wasn’t awful! I have to rid myself of my summer weight, because I am too cheap to buy new clothes. Plus I’m kinda vain, too.

And I did a whole bunch of paperwork (like taxes, and change of address, and filing for due monies, and such), and feel way less of a lout than before. Go me.

Tomorrow I write.

This weekend the Younger, and His Friends Are Even Younger Spouse and I go to a wedding. Not sure what to wear.

And I’ve been listening to Vampire Weekend, Friendly Fires, Estelle, Solange and Rodriguez. Go look them up yourself, do you want me to do all the work?

A few nights ago, the Spouse and I caught the end of Spinal Tap. Fine, you say. Funny. You’d be right. But Spinal Tap–and the impending Frantic City trip (it’s a bachelor party, yo)–made him fire up Amazon and download some REAL Spinal Tappish bands. Like Rainbow. And “All Night Long:”

You’re walking up with your eyes on me
It’s looking good but I just don’t know
I need a girl who can keep her head
All night long
You didn’t came just to see the show
I guess you know what you wanna see
The way you smile lets me know
I can’t go wrong
I wanna touch you
I wanna feel you
I wanna make you mine
I wanna love you all night long
I wanna be with you all night long
I wanna love you all night long
I wanna be with you all night long
I saw you standing down by the stage
Your black stockings and you see - through dress
Your mouth is open but I don’t wanna hear you
Say goodnight
You’re sort of young but you’re over age
I don’t care ’cause I live your style
I don’t know about your main but
You look alright
I wanna touch you
I wanna feel you
I wanna make you mine
I wanna love you all night long
I wanna be with you all night long
I wanna love you all night long
I wanna be with you all night long
Your mind is dirty but your hands are clean
You show no class but your legs are long
I know I can’t stand another night
On my own
Hey girl would you like some wine
What’s your name are you by yourself
Are you the one what do you say
Can I take you home
I wanna touch you
I wanna feel you
I wanna make you mine
I wanna love you all night long
I wanna be with you all night long
I wanna love you all night long
I wanna be with you all night long

There’s so much wrong with this, it’s hard to know where to start. First of all, though, is that this incredible lameness DOESN’T EVEN RHYME! And if it does rhyme, sort of, he rhymes “long” with “long.” Nice going, asshat. And third? Third is that if he chose NOT to rhyme, the least he coulda done is come up with some interesting lyrics. No, instead we have “Hey girl would you like some wine?” I’ve heard better repartee in a Kate Hudson movie.

The Spouse played it for me, I listened dutifully, and then I gave him the Look. “You know I can never get those three and a half minutes back from my life, don’t you?” I asked. He just howled some more.  If you wanna see the horror in person, go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jvd8RR0wvNg

The Son and his class did a study of Ghana this year (as well as the Inuit, and the Amazon, I think). Anyway. We have a CD called London Is The Place For Me, which is a compilation of Trinidadian calypso in London, and includes the song “Birth of Ghana” by Lord Kitchener. The Spouse burned it onto a disc for our son to take into school and wow his classmates.

Does it make up for the fact that between the two of his parents, we can find a song that relates to almost any topic, and will sing it loudly even though the Son begs us to stop?

Probably not.

But still.

(Scott also included the Wylde Bunch “Last Day of School.” Beats Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out For Summer” anyday).

I just turned in the edits for Road To Passion to my agent (!); for Road To Desire, I’ll be making a playlist, plus a collage, if I can figure out how to do it on my Mac. Meanwhile, and not that you were thinking you’d go hunt these songs down, this is my Road To Passion playlist. It goes in progression from Alasdair’s initial mood–tortured, drug-fueld despair epitomized by the Birthday Party, on down to the hope he feels after meeting Mary, then onto the sex stuff, then the inevitable worries (Use Me), onto the acceptance of love and sacrifice.

Release The Bats The Birthday Party
Do The Du A Certain Ratio
Last Good Day Of The Year Cousteau
Talking To Myself Cousteau
I Don’t Know What It Is Rufus Wainwright
Me And Giuliani Down By The Schoolyard (A True Story) !!!
Shack Up A Certain Ratio
Use Me Bill Withers
Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get The Dramatics
I Got The Feelin’ James Brown
Erotic City Prince
Home Zero 7

We’ve had a respite here in terms of frantic frothing about North And South, but that is about to change: My girlfriend, the Super-Smart Lawyer, is coming over on Saturday and we will be watching it.

She has more passion for Ewan McGregor than I do, but we agree on Clive, Heywood Wakefield furniture, the color green, coffee, Mission Of Burma, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (although only one of us kissed a Dap-King a gazillion years ago, and it wasn’t me), red wine and the joy of living in Brooklyn.

Woo. And hoo.

In driving from Cape Cod to Brooklyn today (big snowstorm? Haven’t driven in seven years? Ten hours later? Yeah, you bet), I found myself thinking, hey, Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” is really an underrated song. It’s maybe, like, almost GOOD.

And then I had to slap myself.

In update news, I am heading back to the Cape tomorrow. Back to normal Monday, I hope. Picky Vegetarian, I keep thinking of calling, and it’s always the wrong time.

Megan

*Another Sign of the Apocalypse

I have been listening to the Alice Smith CD, For Lovers, Dreamers & Me ever since the Freelancing Spouse wrote a review of it for Marie Claire.

IT IS SO AMAZING, I CANNOT STOP LISTENING TO IT.

And now it is available for less than ten dollars at Amazon!

She’s got great lyrics, an incredible voice, and super-catchy melodies. She reminds me a lot of Fiona Apple, Des*ree and Alicia Keys. Also a lot like Angie Stone, come to think of it.
You can go hear a sample at Amazon: click here.

Gush, gush, gush. This is going to be one of my favorite albums of all time, I already know.

If you listen to it, let me know what you think. Or what your favorite albums of all time are.

Completely coincidental to Amanda’s latest post, but I have suddenly become someone who writes to music. I have a playlist for Road To Passion, which I will post here sometime, I’m still tweaking it.

But meanwhile, almost twenty years since I first heard them, I cannot move on from Soundgarden. Right now I am listening to “Jesus Christ Pose,” and the intensity of the song exactly suits the mood my hero is in right now.

Plus, as usual, there’s a foxy guy involved:

I just love Chris Cornell’s vocals. I haven’t liked his solo work much, and I never did get that last Audioslave album, but his voice sends me. And Kim Thayil’s guitar is so tremendously powerful. Not to mention Matt Cameron’s drumming.

I like to run to Soundgarden, too, which tells you a lot, since anything that can irritate me while running will. But Soundgarden propels me, which is good for the finishing thing.