h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was having a conversation with Sea Change the other day about songs which remind us of each other, and it's made me curious as to what songs my virtual friends might consider to be representative of them. So tell me: which song or piece of music would you say is "you"?

Here are the lyrics to mine; an Incredible String Band song, surprise, surprise:

http://the-incredible-string-band-lyrics.wonderlyrics.com/Painting-Box.html

I don't suppose there could be a single piece of music which is me - any more than I decided a single avatar could be me. There's too much to fit. The soundtrack more literally to my early life was Beethoven's Septet though (in particular the recording on an old pale-green-covered record).

What about you at this point in time?

I have CDs now.

Is it too personal a question to ask what sorts of music you like to listen to?

I don't have music on that often (except for specific occasions). Other times the soundtrack is in my head (often writing it on the fly as well as replaying older stuff). I still like classical music (not generally opera or modern) - with Beethoven definitely still a front-runner. However, as rock and pop got invented I like some of that too (though I can seldom catch the words and when I do I tend to find them stupid annoying/funny, ill-thought out and even expressing the reverse of what the incompetent writer intended). I don't like scat jazz - no tune, no harmony and often little rhythm either. Nor do I like the modern garbage which masquerades as music - out of tune, approximately 2 chords and mindless thumping rhythm.

Lots of opinion there! Thank you.

If I attempted to write out a reasonably *comprehensive* list of tracks that might be considered a soundtrack to my life it would take more time and deep thought than I really feel inclined to give right now.
I've made attempts at it before, whilst trying to keep it at a reasonable brief length and never been happy with the result.

It doesn't have to represent your whole life; just an aspect of you, or perhaps the way you feel at the moment. I'm not after anything comprehensive; this is just a frivolous question.

Can't recall the songs name at the mo but its by Martha and the Muffins and my current tagline is a recurring refrain from it

I've just been to the Martha & the Muffins website and trawled through all the lyrics from all their albums. It wasn't there. Then I Googled for the phrase itself, and it turned up nothing. I think you dreamed it, Blackberry Cat!

Very interesting lyrics they have, though. I'm looking forward to finding out what they sound like.

nope, I was listening to a CD of theirs, decided to use it, listened to the song several times to get the wording exactly right
I'll try and check the title tomorrow
did you note I said it was a recurring refrain, just realised what nonsense that phrase was, like there is such a thing as a non-recurring refrain

The title is 'Indecision'
Google is wrong, listened to it again this afternoon

Today it is 'London Calling' by the Clash

Yup, I take your point, Kaz.

The lyrics to Indecision aren't on the Internet. Ah well. I get the basic drift from your tagline.

I didn't notice your tautology, B'cat. Perhaps you should have kept shtum. Speaking of embarrassing English usage, I've just remembered a dreadful spelling mistake I need to go and correct.

I’ve always been strangely drawn to Breaking Glass by David Bowie:


Baby, I've been, breaking glass in your room again
Listen

Don't look at the carpet, I drew something awful on it
See

You're such a wonderful person
But you got problems oh-oh-oh-oh
I'll never touch you



Not sure why I identify with it so strongly, Its not like I’m in the habit of writing obscenities on peoples floors. Honest.

Just the glass-breaking, then?

We were talking about songs we thought might represent certain consecutive time-slices of the other, we didn't really talk about musical self-image, or even try to be complete. We might have each supposed that you never really completely know anyone, or we may have just been frivolous. It's still fun. I find Snaily is very good with lyrics on her own, so her reactions to things is interesting to read.



I don't think linearly, so the burbling returns with minor variations of "Flow" from Glassworks by Philip Glass. It's a minimalist piece, so it doesn't have any lyrics. I had such a hard time speaking out what I was reading that I was tested in grammar school to see if I were retarded; it just turns out I am aphasic that way, and my raw thoughts are not verbal.

As a teenager I would have said "Jerusalem". It floored me to discover two years ago that it was considered to be patriotic and something of a national anthem for the UK. I am a stubborn son of an arrogant son of a mean brstaad, none of whom gives up for anything, and I was much more so during puberty. If you had asked me when I was 5 what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said "Judge".




In my 30's I would have chosen "Excellent Birds" by Laurie Anderson and Peter Gabriel. I liked the impressionism and my view of life had come to appreciate the empty spaces around the edges of what everyone else sees.

Because the truth, the whole truth, and the full truth is very important to the Navajo, the people I knew would often pause for long periods of time, days even, in order to accurately answer your question. It would be answered in such a way (if it were answered at all, because eurocentric american folk ask lots and lots of questions, which is rude to their way of thinking) that not only would the answer be true, but that you would understand the answer to be true and that the answer given was a direct and complete answer to everything you implied with your question; or that at least it didn't allow for contradiction later and was internally consistent based on the words you chose. I really liked this concept and had been practising it for awhile in my life by then.

It had occured to me that the way that the very simple image in this song was gotten at completely from several different angles, and the empty spaces in the music were every bit as evocative as the words that weren't there. To this day as a native Californian who has lived most of my life here, I can count the number of times I've seen snow fall on the fingers of one hand, but I still smell it when I listen to "Excellent Birds".

[WARNING: THIS LIST IS FAR FROM COMPLETE, IS ALREADY WAY TOO LONG AND THE REASONS WHY THE SONGS REFLECT AN ASPECT OF ME, OR MY LIFE OR MY PERSPECTIVE ARE LIKELY OF NO INTEREST TO ANYONE LIVING OR DEAD & MAY BE TOO BE OBSCURE ANYWAYS...]

http://toolshed.down.net/lyrics/latmaster.html is a link to a number songs with some meaning for me.

The same guy that wrote those wrote this as I understand it:

"Don’t be aroused
By my confession
Unless you don’t give a good goddamn about redemption
I know
Christ is coming
And so am I
You would too if the sexy devil caught your eye
She’ll suck you dry
Soon you’ll cry
To be back in her bosom
To do it again
She’ll make you weep
And moan and cry
To be back in her bosom
To do it again

Pray – shall I go blind?
Pray – cos nobody ever survives
Praying to stay in your arms
Just until I can die a little longer
Saviours and saints
Devils and demons alike
She’ll eat you alive

Jesus is risen
It's no surprise
Even he would
Martyr his momma
To ride to hell between those thighs
The pressure is building
At the base of my spine
If I gotta sin to see her again
Then I'm gonna lie and lie and lie
She'll make you cry
I'll sell my soul
To be back in your bosom
And gladly help
Please suck me dry
And still you'll cry
To be back in her bosom
Do it again

Pray – shall I go blind?
Pray – cos nobody ever survives
Praying to stay in your arms
Just until I can die a little longer
Saviors and saints
Devils and demons alike
She’ll eat you alive

My pulse has been rising
My temples are burning
The pressure is so overwhelming and building
So steady and heavy
I'm ready to blow
She waits, what is she waiting for?

Pray – until I go blind?
Pray – because no one ever survives
Praying to stay in your arms
Just so I can die a little longer
Saviors and saints
Devils and demons alike
She’ll eat you alive"

~Puscifer > 'RCV22:20'~

It's a song that has meaning for for as some might say 'on just, like, so many levels, ya'nah'wha-I-me-ean...?'

That song featured on the soundtrack to the film 'Underworld' with the ever gorgeous Kate Beckinsale as a Vampire, there were other tracks on the soundtrack that I could very well identify with. And, not just those by A Perfect Circle who's songs are written by Maynard James Keenen like the one I've mention so far. Some A Perfect Circle songs that may give insight into aspects of me include 'Gravity', 'The Nurse Who Loved Me', 'Pet', 'Magdalena', 'Sleeping Beuty' and 'Weak and Powerless.

Jack Off Jill tracks - 'Fear Of Dying', 'Strawberry Gashes', 'Love Song', 'Rabbiteen', 'Swollen', 'Surgery' and 'Girl Scout'.

Nirvana - Been A Son, Come As You Are, Lithium, Rape Me, All Apologies, You KNow Your Right, Heart Shaped Box, Pennyroyal Tea, Milk It.

Garbage - Butterfly Collector, Stupid Girl, Milk, Sleep Together and probably half a dozeb other I can't think of right now...

Queen > I Want To Break Free, Going Slightly Mad, Under Pressure, Bicycle, Who Wants To Live Forever and Gimme The Prize.

JoyDropp > 'Beautiful'/'Beautiful Like Me'

Soz...