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This made me smile huge:


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Learn more about how this came about here: http://wherethehellismatt.com

(I went to this last link and, after learning the video was actually the third in a series, watched the first two as well. They are also great.)

Dancing, traveling around the world, and the execution of a simple idea on a grand scale . . . what's not to love?

:)
r

(Both links provided tonight by Julie!)

NOTE added on 7/11: The quality of the video is better if you click the link and watch it there. Also, Matt (we're on a first-name basis now, apparently) has begun adding other videos that supplement. These also leave me grinning!

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I spent fifteen minutes today learning the end dance moves to High School Musical. I've got the gist now. I'll probably try it again tonight. big cheesy grin Who's in for a pyramid dance formation? (Irvin? Karen?! I need backup!)

This movie is kinda terrible; but also kinda wonderful. We just watched it two nights ago. (We saw High School Musical 2 a few months ago—at Calvin's place, haha.)  The song "Stick With the Status Quo" is by far the best thing in this one—in terms of melody, lyrics, message, choreography; everything. Oh, man, it's so good! I get giddy. I've watched this track seven times already. I think I have to buy this movie, just so I can watch this track always.

This song takes the tired old premise I usually hate—about high school cliques being so rigid and everyone being so locked into their roles—and translates it into mass hysteria, with one guy's mini-rebellion creating a huge ripple effect of mini-rebellions in every circle. Anarchy; I love it! It makes me buy into this world, just so I can have the fun of seeing its rules get broken.

(Also: that turn of everyone wanting to hear your secret but then turning on you the second they do; I love that, too!)

I have to say that while 2's story was weaker (and the dialogue was horrible), the song-and-dance numbers in that sequel were fairly consistent*—with just the one travesty. ;) Whereas, in the first one, there's really only two shining song-and-dance numbers—"Stick With the Status Quo" and Ryan and Sharpay's callback number, which cracks me up. The others . . . have their moments.

But the end group sing [oh, that makes three; I can't count] is made for kids to want to dance along. It begs you to stand up and learn the moves, and they're really sellin' it in that beaming Disney way that calls to my inner upstanding youth. I could feel the urge—and the embarrassment—of wanting to get up and sing. I'm not one to let embarrassment get me down.

"We're all/ in this/ to-gether! Dah dah dat! Dah dah dat! Dah dah dat! Dah dah da-ahhh!"

The best character in this series is Zeke by far, the jock who confesses he loves to bake. Oh, man. And my second favorite is Ryan (who grew up to look the way Macaulay Culkin should have). I'm not a fan of the main guy, but those two?? *love*

Why don't they use Zeke more? Even his singing (if that is his singing) is better than all the others'. And that's sayin' somethin! He doesn't deliver a bad line or facial expression ever, in the few bits they give him. He rocks!!


And that is my rave about High School Musical.

I told you I don't let embarrassment get me down. :D

r

P.S.
Sharpay is a lot better and more fun in this storyline, too. Hilarious, actually. You know what? They made her and her brother too powerful at the Country Club, in High School Musical 2. In the high school setting, you feel for them. (You know? Their world was perfect before these people came along.)

Plus, being that little bit younger makes their ridiculousness that much cuter. :)

P.P.S.
Oh! Look what I can do! I can post a YouTube link to the big group sing I'm talking about!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7zzbB17Fvo
("We're All In This Together")

Quality isn't great, but you get the idea. The first time they do the chorus routine is one minute in, and the best is two minutes in, when they show the whole sequence clearly. (Damon's been egging me on, by the way. He's home sick with a fever, but is also full of advice about which foot to turn on. Contrary to what you'd think, embarrassing stuff is actually easier when someone's watching.)

And here, for good measure, is Ryan and Sharpay's callback audition:

"Bop to the Top"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAM-rh6B5DU

(They're the brother-sister act that rules the school's drama scene—until the new girl and this jock mess up their perfect world.)

Oh, and you need this link, too:

"Stick to the Status Quo!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymNVMSBhFHc&feature=related

The setup for this is that the whole school has just found out the school's star basketball player has landed a callback audition for the musical; which means he auditioned in secret. Haha. The first guy to sing here is my favorite, Zeke!


:D Cheers!
r

Pictures in this post were lifted off the Web. I don't remember the sites, but they're the same promo pictures circulating everywhere. I wish I could find one of Zeke!

Calvin, I know you're secretly practicing.

Emmie, you better be watching!!


* I really don't remember how good the numbers in High School Musical 2 were. I guess we'll be renting that next!
 

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[This post is from June 7th, due to technical issues. But the fact it's up this week is perfect!!]

Big news. Big, big news.

Jigawatt Trio has a new CD!! And you should get it the second it comes out.

The album isn't released yet. It's at press now.

June 29th. Save the date.

(I took this picture.)


(I took this picture.)


(I didn't take this picture.)


(I didn't take this picture.)


"Thank you, Chicago!!" (I took this picture.)

r!


[Note added on Friday, June 29th: Get the new Jigawatt Trio CD now!!]

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Do you ever mishear lyrics and get really excited, thinking they're so fresh and original, you can't believe some songwriter put them in the mainstream? And it makes you love that song? Only to realize, after, you'd just misheard? And the real lyrics were never as good as the ones you'd thought??

This happens to me all the time. One instance I always think of is Sophie B. Hawkins's song "As I Lay Me Down," which came out the summer Damon and I got together (1995). The lyrics, as I heard them, went:

Though I am not above the sorrow
heavy hearted
till you call...my...name!
And it sounds like church bells
or the whistle of a train
or a summer evening;
I'll run to meet you barefoot
barely breathing!

For some reason, this phrase--or a summer evening--really caught my attention. I was like, Gee, what does a summer evening sound like? Does it sound like church bells, or the whistle of a train, or a lover calling your name?? And I loved the way the imagery ran all together right there--the free association of the mere mention of a summer evening making her say what she would do, next (run to him barefoot, barely breathing). For one moment this word--or a summer evening--made me take this imaginative leap: I wanted to know more what the speaker associated with summer evenings. I love when songs do that!

Alas, the key word was on, not or: "The whistle of a train on a summer evening." No one was talking about what summer evenings sounded like at all. 

Not that I hadn't bonded with the song completely by the time I'd figured it out, what with all the psychic energy I'd put in. 


Another example is Janet Jackson's blockbuster song "All For You" from 2001. The lyrics I heard went:

All my girls at the party
Look at that body
Shakin' that thing like you never did see
Got a nice package alright
Guess I'm gonna have to party tonight!

Guess I'm gonna have to party tonight?! I was like, That's awesome! I know just how that feels!! When you're watching someone dancing who's got all the right moves and it makes you so happy, you just have to get out there and start dancing yourself, for the sheer joy of knowing there's so much coolness in the world! I know!!

But no. Janet does not know.

Got a nice package alright
Guess I'm gonna have to ride it tonight

Sigh.

A lot of people probably find the real lyrics better and more provocative. Probably most people. Compared to how excited I got over my lyrics, though, this turned out boring.

Seal once said he never approved the printing of lyrics in his album liner notes specifically for this reason. He cited some similar incident where he got excited over other lyrics he'd misheard, only to find the truth out years later. (He thought a song cited the name of an obscure actress he loved, but it didn't.) He said these happy accidents and mistakes take on such meaning for people, he never wanted to rob them of their delights.

I hope he never does print any of his lyrics. I like a lot of Seal songs. 

Lyrics make me love songs. I'm hooked on Lily Allen because her words make me laugh and give her songs that edge over other, similarly poppy tunes. They give me joy of language and make me want to sing.

So here is my latest foolishness: Beyonce's hit single "Irreplaceable."

I didn't know it was called "Irreplaceable." All I knew was there was a new Beyonce song on the radio with a hook I couldn't resist. It went, "You must not know what I mean, you must not know what I mean . . ." and this seemed so fresh and original to me, I wanted to know exactly what she was trying to say, what her guy couldn't understand, and what their whole communication issue was! I couldn't believe this was a hook to a song!

What a cool, everyday thing to say! And not just to say, but to repeat. If you listen to the song that way--"You must not know what I mean; you must not know what I mean"--the rhythm is irresistible: the "what I" all fast and with attitude. I wanted to sing it all the time!

You must not know 'bout me,
You must not know 'bout me.

Duped again.

In this case, it was a happy accident. By the time I figured it out, I'd already fallen in love with the rest of the song. I love when lines have that perfect, rhyming bite, like, Ouch!, yet still sound exactly like what a person might say in life. The flow of the Articulation Gods was with her during this fight!

The main line is a disappointment, though. I can't make myself sing it that way, no matter how much my own version doesn't make sense.

Beyonce's delivery is perfect. Actually, I can't tell if her delivery is perfect, or if I just love the lyrics so much at this point, the emotional subtext is just there for me, now, in the words, and all she has to do is sing. (Like that's so easy.)

It doesn't matter. I'm hooked.

You must not know what I mean,
You must not know what I mean . . .

To the left, to the left . . .


r


*P.S.
I just remembered another example. This one's a classic my friends made fun of for a long time: J-Lo's "Love Don't Cost A Thing" (also from 2001).

You think you gotta keep me iced 
You don't 
You think I'm gonna spend your cash
I won't
Even if you were broke
My love...don't...cost...a thing!
Think I wanna drive your Benz
I don't
If I wanna floss I got my own
Even if you were broke
My love...don't...cost...a thing!

It wasn't that I'd misheard this one; I'd just misunderstood. I wasn't down with this particular piece of slang. I was like, WOW! Not only does J-Lo not need your Mercedes Benz, she doesn't even need your floss! Which costs two cents!! Her love don't cost a thing!!!

Alas, alas. Oh, alas. Oh, how I wish that really was what those lyrics had meant. They were so funny and hilarious, I laughed every time it came on the radio. But when I told Damon the genius that was this song, he set me straight right away.

Of course, you guys know. The joke was on me. "Flossing," in hip hop terms, means showing off: your super hot bod, your blingin' rocks. It was not a contrast to the image of the guy's car. It was a continuation of the same. 

You must not know what I mean,
You must not know what I mean . . .

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Things I Love, Part I

George Michael Greatest Hit Compilations

At the beginning of January, I got this one:

George Michael: Twenty Five

Tonight, Mike gave us this one!

Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael

Oh my God. So sensual, great, and amazing, that inimitable voice.

Tanya introduced me to the greatness of George Michael in 5th and 6th grade, via the greatness of Wham! As it turns out, looking back, I see that everything Tanya ever introduced me to (Wham!, The Smiths, J.D. Salinger, Labyrinth, Bill & Ted's) turned out to be utter genius. But it took me many years to catch up in understanding with her.

Overheard at a recent ski trip:

Me: [Popping in CD I of the first compilation above.] Here's something that will make everyone have a great time! 
["Everything She Wants" come boomp-boomp-boomp-ing out, instantly making me bop the way that song makes you bop.]

Felisa: Unless you don't like old Wham! songs! 

Me: [incredulous and alarmed] Who doesn't like old Wham! songs??

Felisa: Just kidding. No one here.

We all then proceeded to have a great time. 


r 

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I have so many happy associations with Beyonce's song "Crazy in Love" (track 1 on Dangerously in Love). They just keep building up, to the point where I can now play this song on repeat and work out to it for 30 minutes at a time, three times a week, and never get tired.

I just keep getting more charged.

All my happy memories replay, too, every time the song starts over. I run through them all again. (Literally!) 

That's because this song's ridiculous, over-the-top intro always makes me think of my brother's wedding. Michael and Hanh entered their reception to this song, with Damon pumping up the crowd and really hyping up their intro—doing the world's greatest job as wedding emcee ever.

All my femme fatale cousins were rolling at my table, just from Damon ending in the phrase, "Give it up, for Michael and HANHHHHHH!!!"

Damon's stepmother laughed on one side of the room, and Damon's mom rolled her eyes on another, and toward the center, my aunts gushed to my mother, "Why, Damon's a perfect emcee!"

Then my brother and Hanh came dancing in. Rockin'. Lookin'  sweet. Gettin' down. While I ran up and took pictures.


Damon and I had suggested this song to Michael and Hanh the night before for exactly this purpose, which also makes me happy. We had a final details meeting where we learned my mom had been worrying Damon wouldn't make as "fun" and "loud" an emcee as a hired professional.

We showed her!!

She raved about what a good job Damon did, after.

But we stole this idea from Derek and Polly, who entered their reception to the same song two months earlier. So then I always think about how crazy Derek and Polly are, and how they had the two crazy emcees that got 300 Asian people up, old and young, on their feet all night.

I took some awesome pictures that night.

Then I think about how I danced my @$$ off to this song at my college's ten-year reunion earlier this summer, when this song came on toward the end of that dance. I felt so happy and carefree at that point, having gone back in time with all my old friends, this song pushed me over. And people took notice, after. 

Then I think about how the same thing happened again, at the SCBWI conference, toward the end of that night, too! Just this past August. The dance was winding down, this song came on, and I went nuts again!

That time I was on a stage.

By the time I've daydreamed my way through all these great parties (groovin' side to side and practically falling off my elliptical), the song starts over.

What a great song to enter a reception to. Michael and Hanh rocked their entrance. Hanh's dress looked amazing. Damon's stepmom cracked up. My cousins rolled out of their chairs! I can hear Damon's Barnum & Bailey routine now.

But we stole that idea from Derek and Polly . . .



When this song came out three years ago, I thought it was "fun at clubs."

Now I love it.

r


Actually, the first three songs make an awesome workout block. But at this point, all I need is Track 1.

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