On Monday, after another petit dejeuner, we walked down Boulevard Henry IV...
stopped in a park...
walked down to the Seine...
over Pont Sully...
and stopped at the Institut du Monde Arabe or Arab World Institute, per Jason's request. Unfortunately, the Institute was closed. Too bad: The architecture outside was cool...
We then headed to one of Carlos's requests: the Paris bookstore filled with English Language books - Shakespeare and Company. Yes, that is me in these pictures...
Carlos, Jason, Brandon and I spent seven days (plus a few travel days) in Paris, returning late night on Saturday, November 26.
If you want the 2:52 Short Attention Span Version of our Trip, click the video below.
If you want the details...
We left Friday morning, November 18 to catch a flight around noon. After a layover in Houston, we arrived in Paris around 8 am Saturday (November 19) morning. On the Paris flight over, I think I slept the most - and I slept only about 90 minutes.
Between finding an ATM, navigating the Metro, getting food and locating our hotel, we arrived around 11 am, tired and ready for some sleep. After checking into our hotel, we napped for about an hour and then went exploring....
Through a market a few blocks from our hotel...
Past the Bastille (now a traffic circle roundabout)...
To Notre Dame, where we spent a few hours, including eating freshly-made crepes and hanging out in the park behind Notre Dame ...
Through the outside of the Louvre and the surrounding area...
And that was Saturday (Day 2 of 9).
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Sunday (November 20) we spent at the Louvre. The last time I was in Paris, I went to the Louvre, but in the six hours I was there, I was only able to see the Denon wing. This time - in our kind-of-rushed-eight-hour journey - we made it all the way through the Denon wing, through all of the Richelieu wing (including the Medieval Louvre, which I find fascinating) and through the majority of the Sully wing. I feel there is still so much that we didn't see that I could go back again. Next time.
Here are some pictures to help convey how large the museum is...
After 9+ hours at the Louvre, we decided to tackle walking down the entire distance of the Champs-Élysées...
(stopping in shops along the way) to the Arc de Triomphe - and then walking up these steps to the top!
The view made it worth the trip (and the leg cramps)...
And that was Sunday (Day 3 of 9).
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I'll fill in more details, day by day, as I have time in the coming weeks.
Have you been to Paris? We're going back in 2013. Let me know your recommendations for places to go.
Here is how she described his death to me today at the wake:
"He had a stroke a few years ago and has been bedridden since. On Tuesday, he called to Linda [his wife] that he wasn't feeling well, and asked her to sit him up. As she did, they held hands and said the Our Father. He died at 'thy kingdom come...'."
The funeral home was packed: He had seven siblings, and came from a large Italian Catholic family.
He was 68.
Funerals always get me thinking about mortality.
My dad is 77. Although he is very active for his age, his prostate cancer has returned (though he is positive his current treatment will again cure him). I know that one day - hopefully not soon - we will lose him. As JoLynn's dad's mass was going on, my mind was wandering toward which funeral mass I would be attending next. I love my dad. I hope it is not his.
My mind was also wandering toward:
- I don't own a proper wedding/funeral suit. My current one is too small in the waist. I need to give it to Brandon - my only friend who is smaller than I am.
- Who would be the pallbearers in my funeral?
- Who would be the pallbearers in my dad's funeral?
Related Musical Interlude I ...
From (one of the best shows ever!) Supernatural episode "Two Minutes To Midnight": O Death by Jen Titus. ("Embedding Disabled by Request")
Funerals remind me of past funerals. I've been to too many. Tonight, I started to compile a list to post here, but it just felt distasteful while typing "Robert B. - 19 years old, Car Accident, returning from Biloxi while attending an Aerosmith concert, 1988".
This time, instead of posting a list, I think I'll keep these memories close.
Our Paris trip is getting closer. So close that I am asking my staff, "If you were standing in the middle of Paris, what would you buy?"
Pat - shot glass
Keisa - ash tray
Monica - ankle bracelet
Pat doesn't really drink except once in awhile with her bowling league. Keisa doesn't smoke. Monica, well, Monica is the type to wear an ankle bracelet. I'm so glad I quizzed them. I would have gotten all of them candles from Notre Dame or scarfs.
The four of met this past Saturday to discuss our plans - and then to watch Paris Je T'Aime.
Among other items, we discovered this about the weather via a travel web site:
The November Thermometer
Minimum
temperature: 5 degrees C (41 degrees F)
Maximum
temperature: 10 degrees C (50 degrees F)
Average
temperature: 6 degrees C (42.8 degrees F)
Average
rainfall: 54 millimeters (2.1 inches)
How to Pack
November
in Paris is rainy and chilly, with low temperatures approaching freezing.
Factor in wind chill and fewer daylight hours and you'll immediately
understand why your suitcase should be well-stocked with plenty of
sweaters, scarves, coats, and warm socks.
An
umbrella and/or a waterproof jacket with a hood are a must in this wet
season.
In
terms of footwear, you don't necessarily need boots, but suede shoes or
shoes made of any non-waterproof material are to be left at home. If you
enjoy sporting heels, remember to bring at least one pair of flat shoes
for walking, as the streets and even metro stairs can be slick from the
rain.
A
light pair of gloves will make walking around the city more comfortable.
You
may also want to think about bringing a small thermos so you can warm
yourself with hot coffee or tea while seeing the sights.
-------------------------
My To Pack list now includes a heavy coat, a scarf, gloves and a wool hat.
I'll post more details about our upcoming Paris trip soon.
For us TV junkies, the Fall is the best time of the year. New shows to sample. Old shows returning.
Here are my Top Ten Television Shows I'm Looking Forward To - Fall 2011...
10. Grimm (New Show - NBC, Friday nights) - I've always been a fan of fairy tales. This show proposes that those tales were real - are running around New York City. It could be interesting; it could be very lame. I'll watch the first episode and decide.
9. Terra Nova (New Show - FOX, Monday nights) - Time travel. I'm hooked before I even see an episode. I love good time travel yarns - the 2007 TV series Journeyman, the 1989 movie Millennium, (though it seems everyone else hates this movie), the 1995 movie 12 Monkeys, the 1979 movie Time After Time - but will quickly turn against bad ones - 2003's Timeline, no matter how cute Paul Walker is; 2004's The Butterfly Effect or any of its sequels - so I'll watch this show just based on that one point.
8. The Amazing Race (CBS, Sunday nights) - My friend Debbie turned me onto this show about five seasons into its run. I'm not a huge fan of reality shows. Except for Survivor, I really don't watch reality TV - though I did watch The Real World through the first New Orleans season. As far as The Amazing Race, if I like the contestants, I stick around.
7. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX, Thursday nights) - Such subversive fun. The people remind me of my friends and I back in high school - if we ran an empty bar and were all sociopaths. Here's a typical scene from one of my favorite episodes:
6. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday nights) – The first season is still the best. (I think the show is on its fourth season now.) But it’s still the second funniest comedy on TV. The first? See further up my list.
5. The Good Wife (CBS, Sunday nights - moved from Tuesday nights) – Carlos and I sampled this show last season – the show’s first – and loved it. Bonus: Carlos can point out Julianna Margulies’s wig in every shot.
4. Survivor (CBS, Wednesday nights) – As with The Amazing Race, if I like the contestants, I stick around. With Survivor, however, I don’t think I have ever not liked the contestants enough to completely delete the show from my DVR – though certain seasons are definitely better than others.
3. Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday nights) - I also watch the reruns on Ion Television and A&E. According to my spreadsheet, I have seen every episode at least three times. I also talk with other fans via two different newsgroups. For those who watch the show, I'd like to tell you that there are two episodes that I refuse to watch again: 100 and Mosley Lane. They're just too disturbing. Sorry: No spoilers here for those who haven't seen the episodes, but if you're a fan of the series, I urge you to see those episodes – but only once. I have tried to indoctrinate Carlos into the show. He can't get past that much of the violence is against women. I can't blame him, but I look past it.
2. Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday nights) – Even when I’m home alone, I laugh out loud. By far, the best comedy on TV. This would be my choice as the best show on TV except for …
1. Supernatural (The CW, Friday nights) – I discovered this show in reruns on TNT during its third season. Until I caught up, I was watching older episodes – first through season five, then back around to season one – along with the newer season six at the same time. I even buy the monthly Supernatural magazine at Barnes and Noble.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order):
Two and a Half Men (CBS, Monday nights) - Just the first episode to see how Ashton Kutcher does. I've never liked this show. Maybe I will now. (Update: I watched the premiere last night. Nope, I still don’t like the show. Though the Darma and Greg cameo, a show also created by Chuck Lorre, was cute.)
Glee (Fox, Tuesday nights) - I have to like the show. It's in my Gay Agenda contract. But I've never really been crazy about it. Please don't turn me in. (Here are my past posts about Glee.)
Bully Beatdown (MTV and MTV2, various nights) – Another reality show from Mark Burnett, the creator of Survivor. In each episode, show host Jason “Mayhem” Miller challenges bullies to fight against a professional mixed martial artist for a chance to win $10,000. The money they get depends on their performance against their opponent, with any money they don’t win going to the bully’s victims. It's great fun to see the bullies get their ass kicked.
1 Girl 5 Gays (Logo, various nights) – A Canadian talk show that premiered on MTV Canada in 2009 and on Logo in 2010. The female host sits down with a revolving cast of five gays to discuss love and sex. (Here is my past post about 1 Girl 5 Gays - from April 2011.) I used to love the show, but now that the novelty has worn off, I seek it out less and less.
Here are a few sample questions from the show:
Would you let someone go down on you if you hadn’t showered?
Is long hair sexy?
Describe your shortest-lasting sexual encounter.
Who would you do – John Stamos or Johnny Knoxville?
---------------------------
What show are you most looking forward to this season?
Season 1 was Fall 2010. Season 2 was Spring 2011. After this Season - Fall 2011 - I think we're only going to have them in the Fall. Spring is just too busy here in New Orleans.
Or we may end after Season 3. We'll see how this Season goes. Like any good "show"that ends with everyone wanting more - think M.A.S.H., Seinfeld, Mary Tyler Moore - we want to end on a high instead of limping to an embarrassing end - think Mad About You, Scrubs, Laverne & Shirley.
To recap, here have been ALL the Themes we have used so far...
Season 1 - Episode 1: Cold Food Episode 2: Vegetarian Episode 3: Dish Rhymes with a Saints Player’s Name Episode 4: Idioms (e.g. “Spill the Beans”, “Couch Potato”, “Sour Grapes”, “Cut the Cheese”, and so on) Episode 5: Dish Based On Your Fantasy Place to Live Episode 6 – Part 1 of 3: Appetizers Only Episode 6 – Part 2 of 3: Dish Rhymes with the Name of a Celebrity Episode 6 – Part 3 of 3: Food Must Be on a Stick
Season 2 - Episode 1: Healthy Food Episode 2: Dish That Reminds You of a Favorite Movie Episode 3: In Honor of Valentine’s Day, The Dish You Love The Most Episode 4: Mardi Gras Food (Purple, Green, Gold, or Parade Food) Episode 5: Jeopardy (Each person picks a theme from a hat, but does not reveal. The night of our dinner, everyone tries to guess the themes.)
Season 3 - Episode 1: Let Them Eat Cake
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Since Season 3, Episode 1 is fresh in my mind - because we met this past Wednesday - here is a list of dishes presented:
Christine - Tofu Cakes with Jicama Relish Greg – Crab Cakes Jason K. – Petit Fours on a really cute tiered platter. He named the presentation “Babette”. Jason S. – Angel Hair Pasta with Crab Cakes & Marzipan Cake (though that may not be correct) (first place for both dishes) Julie – British Fish Cakes and Chips with little British forks Marshall – Potato Pancakes (third place) Mary – Recession Cake (second place)
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A few people have dropped out this season. I am working on recruiting some fresh members. Everyone seems to be having fun, but we need a couple of dynamic personalities to lubricate the evening. I get nervous hosting any event. When I get nervous, I get quiet.
In my post Top 10 Artists: Badfinger, I mentioned my friend Kyle. This past Thursday, he called me. Besides a few brief conversations about four years ago, I hadn't really spoken to him in at least 10 years.
He called to tell me that his step-dad, the one who along with his mom raised him from an early teenager, had died on Monday (June 6th). After further questioning, Kyle told me that he had actually killed himself, one day after his 62nd birthday, apparently distraught about money issues.
I attended the visitation Thursday afternoon.
--------------------
In my post List: Top 5 Classic Rock Bands, I discussed Rush in detail. I have seen them live once before, in 1988 in Shreveport. Last night, Amy, Carlos, Debbie, Lloyd, Morgan, Steve, and I saw them live for their Time Machine tour, one of the highlights being that they played their 1980 album Moving Pictures in it's entirety.
Thursday night, the night before the concert, Carlos, Debbie and I watched Rush: R30, 30th Anniversary Concert - all the while blind taste testing Canadian beer, in honor of Rush's home country.
Carlos and I both picked Labat Blue as our least favorite. (Debbie came too late for the taste testing.) He picked Molson Canadian as his favorite; I picked Moosehead as mine. Truthfully, all three really tasted the same.
I first discovered the show while the TNT network was running season four. I have now seen all of seasons four, five and one - with the TNT network starting over the showings after season five. The show is currently in its 6th season on the CW network. I am watching the new episodes too. I have a big gap in the middle of the series, having never seen any of season three and only at the beginning of season two via TNT.
As I did with my other Favorite TV Shows Ever (This Week) Criminal Minds and Ninja Warrior, I have printed out a complete episode list and am crossing them off after viewing.
--------------------
Postscript to the above postscript:
When Morgan came over Friday night to pick Carlos and I up, I was watching an episode of Supernatural. His reaction was, "Oh, isn't that the show with that guy that used to be on Gilmore Girls." True, but not the connection that I expected from one of my straight friends. I guess Gilmore Girls is just that good of a show. (More on that TV show another day.)
In discussing the upcoming New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, he guides his readers: Maybe you’re afraid you’ll be Raptured this weekend and don’t want to make any big plans. That’s understandable, but I am here to help. If you fear you may be a divine bubble-team, a potential at-large participant on Selection Saturday, you still have time to ensure this is not so. Here’s a handy list of activities. Make sure you do a few of these over the next day or so and you can rest easy that your name will be wiped from the Rapture list, freeing you for dinner next Wednesday. You can thank me at MiLa.
1. Assert that the earth is more than 4000 years old
2. Believe in evolution
3. Treat someone gay as, like, just another human being
4. Dance (see Footloose for more information)
5. Refuse to handle snakes
6. Commit a crime against nature (this is an advanced strategy)
The series's Season 4 Episode 20 episode entitled The Rapture (click the link to see the episode) is described as: Castiel appears to Dean in a dream and says he has something important to tell him but they need to meet somewhere private. Dean and Sam go searching for Castiel but instead find Jimmy, Castiel’s human vessel, who has only a spotty recollection of being an angel. Jimmy wants to return to his family and normal life, but Dean and Sam are concerned about his safety.
Friday night, I was invited to an Asado by my friend Dale. Her (36-year-old) daughter Beth and Argentinean husband Gabriel were hosting at their Uptown house.
Gabriel designed and custom built a brick-enclosed grill - complete with chimney - in their backyard. I had been to a "Meat Party", as I call it, at their old house pre-Katrina. This one was just as fun. Gabriel would ring his bell - installed on his brick-enclosed grill - every time new meat was ready. I told him that I was up for whatever he was cooking - as long as he didn't tell me what was "odd" food and what was "normal" food.
I know I had ribs and different types of sausage. I found out later that I also had sweetbread. I can tell you that it is neither sweet nor bread - but it does taste a bit like chicken.
Saturday morning, Carlos and I were invited to a brunch at Steve and Sheree's house. (Steve is an old friend of mine from early high school. I have known him since we were both 13.)
When Steve invited us, he told me that there would be about 20 people there and that besides Carlos and me, everyone else would be food writers or food bloggers. I do read Steve and Sheree's blog regularly - and I highly recommend it, especially if you live in New Orleans and/or love New Orleans and/or love food.
I also mentioned to Carlos what Steve had said about the other attendees so he would have the same information as I had and could be prepared. He didn't seem concerned. Carlos is always so graceful and social at parties. I, on the other hand, show up at our (mutual) hair cut guy with prepared topics. Over the years, I have tried to absorb his calmness about "working the room".
This weekend were two great occasions to practice my social skills. Friday night, I knew maybe five people out of 50. Saturday morning, Carlos and I knew exactly two people out of 20 (the two hosts). Both outings were successful in their own way.
Picture yourself invited to a large party where you know a very small handful of people - maybe even only the hosts: Do you talk just with them? Do you branch out and talk with other people? Do you drink too much to overcome your shyness? Do you make an excuse to leave early? Do you wuss out entirely and not show up at all?
Over the years, I have done all of the above. Here are my Tips For Working The Room that I have learned over the years.
1. The first people and the last people at the party you should talk with are the hosts. But do not cling to them all night. They have an entire room to attend to.
2. When you arrive, have something to hand the hosts. Never show up to a party empty handed. Never. Plus it'll give you something to - briefly - talk about.
3. Leave the above item at the party. Always. Do not take it home with you. Ever.
4. Offer to help with something. Refill the ice. Stir the chili. Take the coats. It'll help the hosts and give you something to talk with your potential new friends about.
5. When introducing yourself to other guests, relate yourself to your hosts - someone you will all have in common. ("Dale and I worked at Kinko's together, and have remained friends ever since. I have known Beth since she was in her teens.")
6. Don't talk too much. Listen. Ask questions. No one wants to hear about your life. Everyone wants to talk about their own life.
7. Don't talk too little. No one wants to talk with someone who can't keep up his side of the conversation.
8. Find the most wall flower person at the party. She/he is feeling exactly as you are, but not handling it as well as you are. There is power in numbers. Go talk with him. Then the two of you go talk with other people together.
9. When you're introducing yourself to someone, repeat their name back to them. And again. And later again. (I still remember Karen's name from Friday night because when I met her, I kept saying her name.)
10. Think about what you have in common with the guests before you arrive. (Before Steve and Sheree's brunch, I read the 15 unread entries of their blog - and all the comments. Turns out, many of the comments were made by other guests at their brunch.)
And in case all of the above fails...
11. Have an exit strategy when you arrive. Near the beginning, work into the conversation with someone (preferably the hosts) that you may have to leave early because 1) you have to get up early for work, 2) you accidentally double booked the evening, 3) your spouse is a bit under the weather, and so on. Make the excuse something that you can brush off if your night is going well.
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Keeping with the weekend theme, here is the song W.E.E.K.E.N.D. by Arling & Cameron. If you are in New Orleans and listen to WTUL on Friday mornings, you know this song.
At the beginning of November 2010, we ended Season 1 (as I have come to call it) of our Wednesday Night Dinners - breaking for the holidays until January.
Before I describe the Dinners from Season 2 that we have had, let's recap the themes from Season 1. Episode 1 - Cold Food
Episode 2 - Vegetarian Episode 3 - A Dish That Rhymes with the Name of a New Orleans Saints Player Episode 4 - Idioms
Episode 5 - A Dish That Reminds You of Your Fantasy Place To Live
Episode 6 - Three Themes Together: An Appetizer, That Rhymes With The Name of a Celebrity, On A Stick
Here's my slide show with Season 1's pictures:
We awarded first, second, and third place - based on votes - but I didn't keep track of the winners. I will this Season.
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Our Dinners resumed on Wednesday, January 12 with the theme Healthy Food. (After the gluttony of the holidays, we thought that was fitting.) Here are the top dishes so far this Season:
Episode 1 - Healthy Food
First Place: Curt's French Onion Soup
Second Place: Angela's St. Charles Avenue 12-Hour Egg Salad
Third Place: Marshall's Chicken, Feta, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach Wraps
Episode 2 - Dish That Reminds You of The Name of a Favorite Movie
First Place: Jason S.'s Potatoes au Grey Gardens (Movie: Grey Gardens)
Second Place: Julie's Moon Pie Banana Stars (Movie: Moon)
Third Place: Debbie and Bart's Wine Sampling (Movie: Sideways)
Come Up Next (on February 9): Episode 3 - In Honor of Valentine's Day, The Dish You Love The Most
Most years, my sister and her girlfriend have an epic Christmas party. There are 100 people in their house at the peak of the party, with probably 150+ people attending overall.
I am always in awe of the numbers. I can muster 10 or 15 people for a party at my house. Christine and Karlie pull from both their jobs, the New Orleans Lesbian Tennis League (not the actual name, but it might as well be), all our extended family - and their kids, all my friends, and on and on.
There was a special Kids Central set up where the 20+ kids hung out.
Christine and Karlie are the same couple that have twice now rented a 50 foot water slide for their back yard. When it comes to parties, they don't fool around.
This year, Christine (my sister) called me a few days ahead of the party, freaking out that "no one" was coming to her party. She reminded me of a Halloween party that we apparently held when she was 6 and I was 7 - and NO ONE came. Yes, NO ONE. We invited all the kids from school and from our neighborhood. We set out all the treats. We decorated our house. And NO ONE came.
I have no recollection of this event. But Christine is famous in our family for remembering everything. I'll have to verify this with my parents.
Their Christmas party was, of course, a great success. Wine flowed. Lesbians talked with doctors. Young kids talked with 92 year old women. And on and on.
Carlos's work party was the same night so he came by at 9 pm. Here is the email exchange after the party:
Carlos:Christine and Karlie,
Before things get even crazier with the holidays, I wanted to thank you for throwing your annual Christmas party. I had a blast. Look, when I get boozy enough to introduce myself to total strangers on their way out your front door, then you know I've had a great time!
I even remember Donna Moore! Furthermore, one of your guests and her children came caroling at my door at 9pm Sunday night! The party continues!
Thanks again, and please, please, please have it again next year.
Carlos
-----------------------
Claudia (my younger sister):Carlos, you're funny:) Sorry we missed the fun!
----------------------
Angela (my mom):Wait, wait, wait: I missed Carlos introducing himself to total strangers???!!!
...And don't you love your new neighborhood, Carlos, where people come caroling during the holidays? We need to join them next year.
This was really funny.
Thanks, Christine and Karlie also for a wonderful party.
In 8th grade (1980), Rush's album Moving Pictures came out. My friend Steve brought it to school and insisted I borrow it. I did. And I was hooked for life.
The cover's double meaning (right) was lost on a 12 year old.
For years later, I wanted to be a drummer because of Neil Peart. Ironically, I never tried to play (the drum solo song) YYZ from the album. I used my drum sticks - known to my dad as his screw drivers - on my drum kit (AKA the floor and pillows of my bedroom) to perfect Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, Vital Signs and especially Limelight.
Here is what I wanted to be able to do as a 12 year old - done by a (then) 9 year old: Teddy Z covering, drums only, Tom Sawyer.
Hell, I'd like to play like that now.
Here is Vital Signs live in 1984.
My friend Lloyd and I would endlessly discuss the meaning of the songs Red Barchetta, Witch Hunt, Camera Eye, and all the other songs on the album.
A small footnote at the end of Red Barchetta says, "Inspired by 'A Nice Morning Drive' by Richard S. Foster." In the pre-internet world, it took me years to figure out that was a short story in the November 1973 issue of Road and Track magazine. I am still trying to hunt down a reasonably priced copy of the magazine on eBay. Those damn Rush fanatics.
Here's an article by Richard Foster describing when he finally met Neil Peart, Rush's drummer and main lyricist, in 2006.
After listening to Moving Pictures, I had to find out everything about this band.
Then I discovered their fourth album (right) - 2112.
The first side is all one song, divided into seven parts. I remember thinking, "It's something about a world without music, but I don't get it." Then I listened to it again and again and again.
Here are parts 1 and 2, live in 2007:
Side two has some decent songs, but nothing like the fantastic side one.
Moving up the band's history, I then discovered A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres and Permanent Waves. Without exception, every song on those three albums are fantastic and as still some of my favorites.
A Farewell to Kings has the (sort of) hit Cinderella Man, but I'm more partial to their longer songs such as Xanadu and Cygnus X-1.
I don't play an instrument, but I have been told that mastering their 10 minute instrumental La Villa Strangiato from Hemispheres is prized among musicians. Something about all the odd timing changes. My friend Kyle used to be in a bar band that covered that song - and well too.
Here is a live version of La Villa Strangiato from around 2004:
The Trees, another of the songs from Hemispheres is an allegory about, well, here are the lyrics:
There is unrest in the forest There is trouble with the trees For the maples want more sunlight And the oaks ignore their pleas
The trouble with the maples (And they're quite convinced they're right) They say the oaks are just too lofty And they grab up all the light But the oaks can't help their feelings If they like the way they're made And they wonder why the maples Can't be happy in their shade
There is trouble in the forest And the creatures all have fled As the maples scream 'Oppression!' And the oaks just shake their heads
So the maples formed a union And demanded equal rights 'The oaks are just too greedy We will make them give us light' Now there's no more oak oppression For they passed a noble law And the trees are all kept equal By hatchet, axe and saw
Here is a live version of The Trees from the late 1970's.
Permanent Waves has some of their most popular songs, including The Spirit of Radio - which they opened their concerts with for many years. (Even their 2005 live 30th Anniversary CD opens with the song.)
Here is The Spirit of Radio live from 1984:
By the time Signals - their next studio album after Moving Pictures - came out, I knew every song of theirs, and ate up the new CD. I was a Sophomore in high school and my Theology class (Catholic boys school requirement) was informally called "Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll". All we discussed were those three subjects. In detail. For nine months. Our professor, Fr. Ed, was quite cool. (I still keep in contact with him via Facebook.)
We were encouraged to bring in our favorite albums. He would play the songs and we would discuss the lyrics. We did one Rush song, Losing It, from Signals. Here are the lyrics:
The dancer slows her frantic pace In pain and desperation Her aching limbs and downcast face Aglow with perspiration
Stiff as wire, her lungs on fire With just the briefest pause The flooding through her memory The echoes of old applause
And she limps across the floor And closes her bedroom door...
The writer stares with glassy eyes Defies the empty page His beard is white, his face is lined
And streaked with tears of rage
Thirty years ago, how the words would flow With passion and precision But now his mind is dark and dulled By sickness and indecision
And he stares out the kitchen door Where the sun will rise no more...
Some are born to move the world To live their fantasies But most of us just dream about The things we'd like to be Sadder still to watch it die Than never to have known it For you, the blind who once could see The bell tolls for thee...
I don't remember the exact discussion. All I remember is how proud I was that we were talking about MY band with the entire class for an entire hour. How very cool.
There is no video or live performance of the song by the band, but here is the studio version of the song.
Geddy Lee, the band's singer/bass player/keyboard player, introduced keyboards more and more into the bands songs - starting with Signals. I kept buying their albums for awhile - after Signals came Grace Under Pressure, then Power Windows, then Hold Your Fire. By their latest live set A Show of Hands, I had moved on to other bands (though I diligently bought every new release, and still do). But every so often, I pick up a Rush CD from my pile and listen to it.
Recommendations -
If you have never ever heard a song by Rush, start with Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures or their second live album Exit...Stage Left, which contains songs from that time period. Those are the easiest to jump into.
If you're a fan of prog rock, start with 2112 or Hemispheres.
If you're already a fan of Rush, you must see the documentary Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage. My favorite part is watching the actual home movie of Alex Lifeson (guitars) telling his parents that he is dropping out of high school to go on the road with his band. Priceless.
Following up on that and on all the recent gay teen suicides, I have been working on a really long blog post that I will share soon once I get my thoughts together.
Meanwhile, I wanted to post this very powerful video that I saw via Jason's blog.
Yes, it's 12 minutes long. Stay for the entire show.
