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Musings for a rainy Friday
May. 2nd, 2008 12:18 pmI went home last night and stuffed my iPod full of music from my CD collection. To follow the convoluted thought process, I can take you to the afternoon. Someone at work said, "It's raining" which led someone else to say "Men?" Which, being a good gay boy, took me back to It's Raining Men, by the Weather Girls. Which initiated this flurry of taboo YouTubing. The Weather Girls led to Martha Wash, which led to Black Box. In the comments for a Black Box song, someone mentioned Heather Small, which led me to her video, Proud and then to M People. Somehow there was a leap from there to Jimmy Somerville and Bronski Beat and The Communards. Much enjoyable musical nostalgia
So, when I got home, onto the pod went: the greatest hits of Jimmy Somerville and the assorted bands, Lisa Stansfield, my favourite M People tracks, Dionne Farris (because I had downloaded my fave Arrested Development tracks which made me think of her) Bass is Base and Ivana Santilli's disc Brown, then ended with The Grid (456 and Evolver) and Moodswings' Psychedelicatessen. *takes breath* I love music, in case you hadn't noticed. I have no appreciable talent for it at all, except for a mediocre ability to carry a tune. But I love all kinds of music.
Then this morning, my iPod did some weird freeze up thing in the middle of Rollercoaster by The Grid and the power level dropped from almost full charge to almost no charge. Hmmm. Bad sectors on the drive, perhaps? Must test said song again.
This morning I woke up to an email from an old friend who lives in Edmonton. It's been ages since I've heard from him and he's gone through many changes. He's in a new relationship, and he has a daughter now. Which is a shock, because he was never the type I imagined for that. And apparently it came as a bit of a shock to him AND his new girlfriend. But I think, in the end, he'll be a good dad.
It kind of makes me think of the what ifs and might have beens. I've never really been driven by the need to breed. But there have been random moments when the urge has come over me. A couple of people have said I'd be a good dad, but personally, I think I'd be a disaster. I can barely take care of my self most days, nor can I keep a plant alive. I may be wrong, but I think children are a bit more complicated than ferns.
It would be nice to have a legacy, to leave some mark on the world that would live on beyond my brief existence. But then I remembered this, which I've always kind of summed it up. It's a lullaby written by Fred Small, called Everything Possible. I heard it done by the Flirtations, a gay accapella group. And as they say in their intro on their live disc, try and imagine how different you might be, and how different the world might be if more people sang lullabies like this to their children:
We have cleared off the table
The leftovers saved
Washed the dishes, and put them away
I have told you a story
And tucked you in tight
At the end of your knockabout day
As the moon sets its sail
To carry you to sleep
Over the midnight sea
I will sing you a song no one sang to me
May it keep you good company
You can be anybody that you want to be
You can love whomever you will
You can travel any country where your heart leads
And know I will love you still
You can live by yourself
You can gather friends around
You can choose one special one
But the only measure of your words and your deeds
Will be the love you leave behind when you're gone.
Some girls grow up strong and bold
Some boys are quiet and kind
Some race on ahead, some follow behind
Some grow in their own space and time
Some women love women
And some men love men
Some raise children, and some never do
You can dream all the day, never reaching the end
Of everything possible for you.
Don't be rattled by names, by taunts or games,
But seek out spirits true
If you give your friends the best part of yourself
They will give the same back to you.
You can be anybody that you want to be
You can love whomever you will
You can travel any country where your heart leads
And know I will love you still
You can live by yourself
You can gather friends around
You can choose one special one
But the only measure of your words and your deeds
Will be the love you leave behind when you're gone.
Oh yes, the love you leave behind when you're gone
So, when I got home, onto the pod went: the greatest hits of Jimmy Somerville and the assorted bands, Lisa Stansfield, my favourite M People tracks, Dionne Farris (because I had downloaded my fave Arrested Development tracks which made me think of her) Bass is Base and Ivana Santilli's disc Brown, then ended with The Grid (456 and Evolver) and Moodswings' Psychedelicatessen. *takes breath* I love music, in case you hadn't noticed. I have no appreciable talent for it at all, except for a mediocre ability to carry a tune. But I love all kinds of music.
Then this morning, my iPod did some weird freeze up thing in the middle of Rollercoaster by The Grid and the power level dropped from almost full charge to almost no charge. Hmmm. Bad sectors on the drive, perhaps? Must test said song again.
This morning I woke up to an email from an old friend who lives in Edmonton. It's been ages since I've heard from him and he's gone through many changes. He's in a new relationship, and he has a daughter now. Which is a shock, because he was never the type I imagined for that. And apparently it came as a bit of a shock to him AND his new girlfriend. But I think, in the end, he'll be a good dad.
It kind of makes me think of the what ifs and might have beens. I've never really been driven by the need to breed. But there have been random moments when the urge has come over me. A couple of people have said I'd be a good dad, but personally, I think I'd be a disaster. I can barely take care of my self most days, nor can I keep a plant alive. I may be wrong, but I think children are a bit more complicated than ferns.
It would be nice to have a legacy, to leave some mark on the world that would live on beyond my brief existence. But then I remembered this, which I've always kind of summed it up. It's a lullaby written by Fred Small, called Everything Possible. I heard it done by the Flirtations, a gay accapella group. And as they say in their intro on their live disc, try and imagine how different you might be, and how different the world might be if more people sang lullabies like this to their children:
We have cleared off the table
The leftovers saved
Washed the dishes, and put them away
I have told you a story
And tucked you in tight
At the end of your knockabout day
As the moon sets its sail
To carry you to sleep
Over the midnight sea
I will sing you a song no one sang to me
May it keep you good company
You can be anybody that you want to be
You can love whomever you will
You can travel any country where your heart leads
And know I will love you still
You can live by yourself
You can gather friends around
You can choose one special one
But the only measure of your words and your deeds
Will be the love you leave behind when you're gone.
Some girls grow up strong and bold
Some boys are quiet and kind
Some race on ahead, some follow behind
Some grow in their own space and time
Some women love women
And some men love men
Some raise children, and some never do
You can dream all the day, never reaching the end
Of everything possible for you.
Don't be rattled by names, by taunts or games,
But seek out spirits true
If you give your friends the best part of yourself
They will give the same back to you.
You can be anybody that you want to be
You can love whomever you will
You can travel any country where your heart leads
And know I will love you still
You can live by yourself
You can gather friends around
You can choose one special one
But the only measure of your words and your deeds
Will be the love you leave behind when you're gone.
Oh yes, the love you leave behind when you're gone