Sunday, March 23, 2008

Carpe Diem - Harvest the Fruit - Seize the Day

iPod Game

Okay so here's the classic inspired by a former classmate - pull out your iPod & advance your shuffled playlist for each question.

1. What does next year have in store for you? Closer to You - The Wallflowers. This definitely is a song about intimacy & introspection. Sounds good to me!

2. What do you say when life gets hard? Race against Time - U2. This track has an amazing bassline that just drives & builds. This song is almost unknown instrumental with one real line "race against time" - I can hear me listening to this song while road-biking; good pace! As a side note - the song was originally released as a B-side for Where the Streets Have No Name.

3. What does your love life look like next year? Into Your Hideout - Pilot Speed - cool indy band I saw & heard open up for MuteMath in the fall. The song is about tearing walls down which I'll equate to continue to getting to know my lovely wife better and better.

4. Song that reminds you of good times? Out of Time - Jason Collett - another indie artist who I heard through Paste Magazine which sends me good music monthly along with an alright rag. This song fits in the rock-americana vein - a modern day Springsteen (definitely some Dylan influence) - good bass line here too. Reminds me that the good times are fleeting.

5. What do you think when you get up in the morning? Watch What You're Doing - Larry Norman - I loaded up some classic rock from the 70s after Norman passed away this past month. Classic blues rock song and great reminder to think before acting - especially as a teacher. If you know the song - amazing humour & great guitar tone.

6. What song will you dance to at your wedding? From West Texas - Explosions in the Sky - amazing song that drips with emotion, reflection, but I'm not sure it would be the best song to dance to - definitely would be a slow dance.

7. Song that reminds you of your first kiss? No One Like You - David Crowder Band - ha! I love it - it's actually a worship-type song that praises Yahweh with how Beautiful He is! I would say our first kiss was a God-inspired moment so it fits. I find a lot of love songs reflect well my relationship with the Creator. "There's never been anyone like you!"

8. Your favorite saying? We Are the Sound - The Afters. Hmm, it's a great song - I suppose it's somewhat about speaking up & about not giving up. It's not my favorite saying but I'm all for speaking up and not giving up.

9. Favorite place? Natural Beauty - Neil Young. Talk about eclectic and an amazing acoustic song by the legend from Winnipeg. This is a sad song and I have to admit being in that place is normally not where I'd like to be but I do know I learn from such circumstances. It seems my songs are all about seizing the moment - carpe diem.

10. Most Missed Memory? Norwegian Wood - The Beatles. Wow, trippy & reflective - gotta love the fab four. Admittedly this one takes me back to high school & the flirting in the hallways. Talking to girls, holding hands, etc.

11. What song describes your best friend? Jump - Van Halen. What? How'd that get in the mix...let's put our hands together for the Winnipeg Jets! Memories of a high school dance that wasn't was but was, seeing VH in the Winnipeg Arena twice...how does this describe my best friend? Well I have a few...I won't mention their names but it does capture the thrill of adventure we've experienced in life!

12. What song describes your ex? Good Intentions - Toad the Wet Sprocket. I think we both wanted things to work out but mistakes were made and the relationship died. Song is fitting - linked to era. I actually don't have too many regrets though years later as it all led to future decisions that has forever changed me. Oh and I skipped a couple tracks to get to this one...somehow the Hounds of Winter by Sting or God's Gonna Cut You Down by Cash didn't seem appropriate.

13. Where would you go on a first date? Ride - Cary Brothers. Great song that is all about escape - riding in a convertible with the top down is the picture I get or riding horses on some wooded trail.

14. Drug of choice? Hurt - Johnny Cash. Wow what a song. In my top 5 for sure - which is why it shows up on my iPod. This is a song about trying to escape but seeing the reality of hurt. My drug of choice has always been escape - usually on two-wheels or for a paddle - there is nothing like the high of surfing a wave or weaving through perfect single-track.

15. What song describes you? A Dream Like Mine - Bruce Cockburn. Hmm, again a bit of a Carpe Diem feel - imagining what could be. Love St. Bruce - seen three or four times and his lyrics ooze with depth & symbol. Great drums & bass - I love the subtleness of the surf guitar in this song.

16. What is the thing you like doing most? Synchronicity - The Police. Okay I saw these guys live back in November in Atlanta - they nailed this song! I love connecting things together when I teach - abstract things that somehow fit. I love connecting people together - & reconnecting people who have struggled in conflict. The thing i love most is teaching and so in a sense this song affirms that. Cool - I'll never look at this song the same.

17. The song that best describes the prime minister? Doomsday Clock - Smashing Pumpkins. Umm, okay that's a little freaky & no I didn't cheat on this one but I will say...I really haven't ever liked any politician anywhere. I don't think our prime minister is as scary as some country's leaders but can the power of leading any country be healthy? I definitely don't envy the responsibility that comes with such power.

18. Where will you be in 10 years? Typical - Mute Math. Ha! Okay I'm motivated by being unique and so my pet peeve is the typical. I love the music in this song and these guys put on an amazing live show!

"Come on, can’t I dream for one day
There’s nothing that can’t be done
But how long should it take somebody
Before they can be someone"

19. Your love life right now? Drunk With The Thought of You - Sheryl Crow. Okay, I'm laughing again. I love my wife and no she's not leading me to getting drunk - but I love the song's attempt at capturing being giddy with the thought of someone special - I think it is very Song of Solomon'ish. Love makes one do crazy things! Although I don't think this isn't a simple song about love & alcohol - it seems to be a song of unspoken love. I think in the busyness of being a dad, husband, & teacher - there are things unspoken & definitely times for escape! The song I wish I hit was Derek Webb's I Wanna Marry You All Over Again - great tune!!!

20. What is your state of mind like at the moment? The Book I Write - Spoon. I absolutely fell in love with this song when I heard it in the Stranger Than Fiction movie. This is the book I write - great line and absolutely apt.

21. How will you die? Bottom Line - the 77s. Okay hilariously there is a line, "I fall down every mountain I try to climb" that sounds pretty ominous. The bottom line is about "I'm going to live forever", about "I've got someone to love me forever" - interestingly these two lines are echos not captured in the liner notes. The bottom line for me is that I want to live my life to the fullest!

2 comments:

Jeremy said...

Wow, great list. A few laugh-out-louds in there, for sure, and tons of good music. It's kind of a silly exercise, and the questions are mostly a bit dumb...but it's an interesting process to reflect on some of this stuff.

Garth said...

Jer - i've started one of these before but never had the patience to stick it out and so I viewed it as a writing exercise and it worked. I appreciated your reflections as well and I think that's where some of the inspirations came from. Definitely a couple chuckles = I guess one could do a more serious exercise of actually picking songs on purpose for each but that too would be time-consuming!