2010 A Song Odyssey

Welcome to the jungle, do not run

Today was not a good day

but tomorrow never knows

No need for a new drug, we have plenty

Don't stop disbelieving

Keep running up that hill and

Working for the next weekend

because money is hell, not a gas

Too bad there is no man in the mirror and Sharona left you

No, the boys aren't back in town

Jamie stopped crying years ago and she took the doves with her

and no one can hear London calling any more

There is machine to rage

or any purple haze so don't bother to kiss the sky

There is a "Do Not Disturb" sign on Heaven's door

The karma police quit

The dust has been bit

Video is dancing on radio star's grave

Major Tom's rocket never launched

Don't wake me up till October ends

Don't say what you need to say, keep it to yourself

I don't care where you have been, stay off the line

The immigrants lost their voice

Rikki ended up throwing away your number

Those stones gathered too much moss to keep rolling

The brothers gave up their doobies, Bob got singing lessons

and all of UB40 is in AA

California's hotel needs a reservation a year in advance

Two is now the loneliest number

Go ahead and jump off the ledge, my friend

but you won't fly like any eagle

My generation has no idea who they are

Turns out the Caucasian boy couldn't play any funky music

Ignore Mr. Cliff- doesn't matter how hard you try, you can't get it

God damn the queen and Billie Jean

but God save the pusher man

Johnny is now drugged after he was diagnosed with ADHD

The Wilburys don't get out much nowadays

Question answered: you should go now

Too bad all the streets around here have names

Analog Man in a Digital World

Hello blog, my old nemesis. All you do is stare back at me with an empty white page and scream that all my writings are meaningless. Well, I beg to differ. One thing I have realized is that if I don't write down my thoughts someplace, they will be lost forever. Our minds aren't meant to hold it all in.

BACK STORY

Recently, I've been busy writing album reviews for my new co-authored music blog (Yes, I've been cheating on you Google Blog). Also, been listening to a LOT of Radiohead. I literally started listening to Radiohead about three years ago and didn't find it appealing. Now, I find it to be the most provoking, quality music with incredible lyrical-depth and fantastic musicianship. I say all this to give you some back story before I begin spilling my heart's "lyrical" tears all over. Now you know why music and or lyrics are coming to me so easily as of late.

DOWN TO LYRICS

I never write down the lyrics I think of. Until now of course.

Here is a little rhyme that, who knows, could be in a song someday.

"What is the scariest thing in the world for a writer? Having nothing to say.

What is the scariest thing in the world for a musician? Having nothing to play."

Here is another little tidbit that just seems to make sense. In my subconscious, I think I've always believed it.

"I wish I was an analog man in this digital world."

Many days I do wish I had been born before CDs, mp3, the internet, anything digital. It's strange to think how my parents experienced this kind of life style and probably didn't think anything of it. Vinyl was scratchy, analog clocks weren't always easy to read, and they actually had to mail letters (with stamps, whatever those are). Nostalgia is a funny thing. Can you be nostalgic for something you've never known?

Maybe that "I wish I was an analog man in this digital world" line will be used in a chorus one day.

"You tripped my heart and I fell into love."

Just wanted to throw that out there. Even though my friend Nicholas Kole and I came up with it at exactly the same time (funny story, another blog) I would still like to believe its mine. And even though Nicholas' girlfriend is using it in her new song (her band is called "Partners in Rhyme") I would still like to use it in a song one day.

SUMMARY

I just realized I use the word "well" way too much in my writing. You have no idea how many times I tried to use it to start off a sentence while writing this.

Well (dammit!), its been too much fun.

Until next time.

-Ryan

Tom Morello

He is definitely my favorite guitarist. RATM, Audioslave, Nightwatchmen, Street Sweeper Social Club...he is a legendary guitar player. Whenever I watch interviews or video clips of him, he doesn't seem selfish or "rockstar" at all - instead he seems like the kind of guy you could have a great talk with about music or politics.

One interesting thing about him was that he started playing guitar very late compared to other famous musicians - at age 17. While going to Harvard (where he got a BA with honors in government) he had a rigid practice regime of 8 hours a day that he kept religiously.

10 Updates

1. Cuyamaca has started. This is my third semester at CC and I have mixed feelings about it so far.

2. Due to serious budget cuts to community colleges in California, there are not enough sections for the overwhelming number of students that are clamoring to get into classes. My College Composition & Reading class or English 120 is completely full with 10 other students on the waitlist.

So this leads me to wonder why there were budget cuts. Obviously California is in debt and can't shell out money (even for education?) like it use to. Maybe the students are to blame. According to one teacher: "Students don't vote so politicians don't have to worry about the problems students have."

3. My birthday is coming up soon. Supposedly I'm going to be 19 years old but I don't believe that. I still feel like I'm figuring out how to be 18.

4. Jury Duty - August 31st. Because I'm considered an "adult" (since I've been on this planet for approximately 216 months) I am given the ability to pass judgment on someone in a court of law - that is if I am even put on a jury.

5. Bought the new Arctic Monkeys' album "Humbug." Dark, deep, and mysterious. I am happy the Monkeys are changing their style.

6. This goes with #5. Arctic Monkeys' concert August 31st at SOMA.

7. Regal - still working but cut my schedule back. This means less money even though I need more money now then ever. And if I hear one more person say "Well, your a college student - this is the life" or something along those lines, I'm going to lose it.

I know its true though.

8. My sister got another tattoo. I don't know what to think - my mind keeps flipping in between two modes. The first is the 'big picture' mode where I think about what she will tell her kids, what meaning the tattoo holds, or what meaning her getting this tattoo holds. The second mode is the 'here and now' that says "everyone gets tattoos today," they don't have to have significant meaning, and why I am even thinking about this? Ha.

9. My cell phone is still malfunctioning.

10. Life in general: a struggle. Basically I'm getting older, poorer, busier, and not much smarter.

Summer Reading

My summer reading list. Most of these are centered on themes of dystopia, totalitarian governments, philosophical fiction, and dark comedy or satire that all focus on human nature and the workings of society. The only exception to this is "Executive Privilege" which a legal, murder mystery thriller.

1984 - George Orwell
My favorite book from George Orwell. Amazing picture of a dystopian society.

Best part: "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." Which basically means that those who are in power at the present, have the ability to manipulate the past (through propaganda, terror tactics, book burning, brainwashing, etc). Once you control the past, it is even easier to control the future because of the tremendous power you now hold. If people do not remember or understand the past, then they will not be able to fight against the tactics used by a dictator.

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
A society that is "perfect" in every way. All children are decanted (grown, raised) in test tubes and are formed into certain classes (Alphas, Betas, etc) that make up the society. The purpose of life is not to learn or expand the mind but for absolute pleasure, especially sexual pleasure which is unrestrained.

Best part: The "Savage" in the story realizes that society is lacking and desperately needs is control of their impulses, God, chivalry, chastity, and even the acknowledgment of sin.


Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
A dark comedy where an average man who works ridiculously hard is transformed into a cockroach over night. I believe that the hidden message in this story is that a man who works so hard, day and night, without any other hobbies or interests can turned into an insect who does the same. He became what he was...but that is just one approach to take.
Best part: A guy turns into a cockroach!



Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The captain of a riverboat somewhere in Central Africa tells of the trials he faces there and also gives deep descriptions of the people he meets.

Best part: Although I wouldn't say this is the "best part" its the best of what I got out of this book: the European companies that controlled the export of ivory from Africa enslaved the blacks there and would use them mercilessly. Whenever I read about horrible racism, its a fresh reminder of how easily man can hate anything that is different from himself.

Executive Privilege - Philip Margolin
A very interesting legal thriller about a murder mystery. A good book of its genre but not my type. Give me Orwell, Huxley and Wells or nothing at all.







Animal Farm - George Orwell
An absolute classic dystopian novel. I read Orwell's "1984" before I read this so that gave me an insight - "Animal Farm"is like a sped up and more parable-like version of "1984."

Best part: "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others." Oh, I laughed aloud at that part. A classic must-read book.




A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Story of a modern society where crime (especially with young gangs) takes over the night time. Very intense and explicit but a true portrayal of what happens without proper parenting and proper law enforcement.

Best part: The language! Nadsat Dictionary is brilliant. I have found myself unconsciously using the slang..."and all that cow."



Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut
Few words to describe: Insane. Deep. Philosophical. Unpredictable.
I will not even try to give a brief synoptise of "Slaughterhouse Five" because I would do it no justice at all. If you are looking for something to blow your mind and force you to have to re-read it over and over to even begin to understand it, this is the book.

Best part: Kurt Vonnegut says "And so it was" after ever single mention of death - from the smallest instance to massacres. Makes you realize how easily we hear about death and don't think about its significance.

Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Still reading but definitely a classic!

Children of Men - P.D. James
Coming soon. Waiting to be read.

Music is Feeling

As I write this, I am literally in discomfort. Musical discomfort. Let me explain why and how.

Music is my love; passion; interest; hobby; possible career? Nothing feels better to me then when I am hearing completely new and beautiful music. Nothing is better than cranking my iPod up to my car's great stereo and rolling down the road that a song which forces you to tap to the beat.

First off - I have 'music seasons'. I go through different periods of musical interest. There are major seasons (like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Beatles, or Reggae). These seldom come around, have great longevity, and are a huge influence on me as a musician. Then there are minor seasons of musical interest which are like rest stops on the ever winding road of music. They are usually just artists that I discover, enjoy for a brief time and then move on to the next. I still get influence out of them but not in the same way as a major season.

Getting to the point - I am in 'musical discomfort' because today at around 7 PM, I found myself without any new musician interests but clinging desperately to my old reliables which are starting to lose their luster after much overplay. After discussing this with an ex-coworker and musician friend, I found that all his 'amazing' and 'sick' bands ALL SOUNDED THE SAME OR SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING ELSE.

Why does all music sound the same today?
Why have we come out the metal/screamo genre of the early 00's to simply stumble upon alt/indie rock that pretends to be "independent" and garage band.
Why do all the modern alternative songs today sound like a white guy wailing to an echoing and wavering guitar?
Why does every band try to copy Radiohead?

Without any new, fresh, and exciting music in my life right now - I feel empty and depressed. I NEED something DIFFERENT. I almost feel like skipping the next 11 years so I can look back and be able to see what the quality music of the 2009-2020 was without having to fight through the stinking jungle of copy cats, short-lived trends, and especially POP.

Now that I have ranted myself silly, I only feel slightly better. Music is my lover, my closest friend, and my drug. Some days it carries me through life with loving arms of musical bliss. Some days I can walk with it while I work or play and it speaks to me.

And some days I find myself crippled without it or even hating it...

Writing is Thinking

What I hope to accomplish by starting this blog:

1. I understand that there are countless millions of people who are pounding away at their keyboards, writing useless blogs that will never be read or appreciated. What makes this one any different? Essentially, not much except that I am hoping that somehow, something I write here will catch your interest or maybe show you a different perspective for just a brief moment.

2. After reading George Orwell's "1984" (absolutely fantastic), one thing that I found interesting was that in the story - personal writing (such as a diary or journal) was forbidden. I believe this was the case because even though a journal is probably only read by the writer, the simple act of writing and contemplating problems/issues/dilemmas will cause a person to question why things are. For the totallitarian government in the story, this would have been fatal to its power if people were allowed to think for themselves.

Conclusion: 1) maybe I can write something you haven't fully contemplated yet or 2) by writing this, even if I am the only person to read it - this makes me think for myself.

feel free to email me: morgan.ryan.davis@gmail.com