Raising My Spirits Up From "Down Under"

If you're visiting this blog for the first time, do me a favor first, & simply scan a few of the previous posts. If you do (or you've read them before), one thing should be painfully obvious: I've got problems. I'm not just referring to the ones I have working the apartment's intercom-buzzer system to let my Dad in each week, or the ones I have crossing the roadways in my incredibly-comfortable boots (I heard once that pedestrians had the right of way, but it seems local merchants prefer to shovel snow from their parking lots right onto the sidewalks)... I'm talking about real physical problems.

Frankly, that's one reason so many of my individual blogs over the past decade-or-so have started with a "Note" or "Disclaimer"; I figure everyone has some problems, & they don't visit sites to read someone else list or complain about theirs. What really gets me is one of the ways I relax is watching reality TV (I already have a timer set on the cable for "Amazing Race" tomorrow)... I saw one such show this past week where one of the "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills" was complaining about her friends getting busy with their new jobs, & she was discussing with people the option of making money herself through her blog. (If you take that link, it will take you to her blog; I only recalled the address because I had the captions on while watching the show, & was sure they'd spelled one of the words wrong; It's one of my problems related to my hearing, which is an admitted one of my physical problems... I am sure to watch a few episodes of "Leverage" tomorrow, & see a few dozen apostrophes in words like "its" that don't need one in that particular present usage.)

Anyhow, one thing you may have read about in my previous blogs is what many refer to as "cabin fever". I don't recall ever calling it that myself, & in fact, discussed my lack of usage of that term with my podiatrist less than a month ago. (His office told me they wanted me to order a new pair of shoes, & will expect me to do so at least once a year. I'm very happy with the ones I chose, but living in NE Ohio, am not exactly counting the days until I'll be able to use them outside.) It was while taking a trip recently to the Mall (maybe buying some "take-home food", AKA "groceries",) I thought about the subject of this blog...

"They still don't get it that it's not an easy job to be the one who says, 'Yes' when the whole world only says, 'No'."

The vast majority of you who have not already Googled that quote are probably expecting it came from Lincoln or one of the other Presidents that has their day in the just-ended month. (Which are we supposed to celebrate then, anyway?! Long told I'm a descendant of "local boy made good" McKinley, I spend most of that day recalling all of them I can minus Nixon, & wondering why I'm still expected to call Clinton or either Bush "Mr. President" the same way I would Obama.) You would be wrong. Those are not even the words of an American at all!

Those are the words said (or rather sung) by Australia native Ben Lee. Don't be surprised if you've never heard that name; I may never have either if not for a show called, "Hidden Palms". (I had that name wrong myself until I Googled what I thought it was called along with the song of Ben's I was sure I heard on it.) IMDB tells me the most-prominent stars only appeared in 1 season, which itself lasted less than 3 months; Not exactly "Seinfeld"-size fandom! However, it was created (the site says) by Kevin Williamson, creator of the "Scream" film series, as well as the TV series-es "Dawson's Creek", "The Vampire Diaries", & "The Following". Also, appearances in all episodes were logged by Amber Heard, now known from several films, if not for her connection to costar-turned-fiancee Johnny Depp... So you understand if they've been a bit busy to film the reunion special!

Anyhow, one of the non-physical problems I've blogged a bunch about is my computer being down. (That is, the one I used to have. Before Martin Luther King Day of this year, I had been doing my E-mailing & blogging from my Mom's appliance. Less than a month later, I was informed my new one was full of viruses; One of my more-common complaints now is of the Geek Squad, my "legal guardian", Mom, & others creating things in others' lives they know will be problematic so you need them to solve stuff for you.)

Anyhow, on any computer. you can type all you want, but you can't access the music & things you once had. For that reason, I had been spending my Mall trips listening to the same 60+ songs for quite some time.... Or should I have typed, "song"?! I must confess 90% of the time that I used the MP3-player, I was listening to the song "Yoko Ono" by Ben. (Not one I believe I've ever heard on TV.) Due to similar problems, I had improvised my last creation of a "playlist" on my player, relying largely on artists I liked, but songs I either knew nothing about, or felt had interesting titles.

(If you need proof, here are my actual "tweets" from one day I hung around the Mall last July: Singing Ben Lee's "Yoko Ono" while walking around in my shirt from The Monkees' 1997 tour; I DARE someone to ask me what I think about John Lennon! To say NOTHING of his Uncle Vladimir!!!)

As I alluded to, I spent about 1 of the past 2 months with a working PC in my room, & am ready sometime soon to change the "playlist" with other music I used to have, & things I've downloaded since then. However, that is my future, not my past, so a week or two ago, I was still walking down that same hallway between the Gymboree & the jewelry store (neither of which I've ever gone in, & no plans to change that), listening to Ben sing about Yoko. (I seriously just checked IMDB to see if she was born in this country or not.) I've mouthed the words along with that song more times than I care to count. (I sang solos when I was younger in a church where Mom does so now, & sang in the choirs at church & school after being cast in a "Summer Stock" musical, but nobody is hearing this voice for free outside of this apartment now.)

Suddenly, (some would say) "like something out of a dream" (mine largely involve dying or people in chicken suits), I heard the above-boldfaced lyric repeating in my head. I then found myself dying to figure out how to rewind the song on my player only a few seconds, so I could hear the words again. (I never did figure it out, resigning myself to the fact that if I had, I would've done it repeatedly, & my player's low on battery power anyway.)

A few afternoons later, I was sitting at the computer, visiting Websites while waiting for downloads to finish (much the way I am right now). I opened my Windows Media Player, & started searching my old music library for songs I might like to listen to. I found a song by Ben called, "Running With Scissors". Recalling this myself as an album by ("Weird") Al Yankovic, I wondered if perhaps Ben's song was a cover or a song about Al. I listened to it (recommend you find a way to do the same), & from the opening drumbeat-like sounds, followed by a guitar hook Louie Shelton would've never attempted (Take the link if you must!), I was into it in a major way.

Suddenly, the chorus hit, & I was out, especially that line about, "You can't hear the song until you dance". After all, I'm the guy who went to my first Gin Blossoms performance, & soon wrote a piece called "White Man's Burden" about how white guys can't dance (I don't try jumping thanks to Woody Harrelson & Wesley Snipes, or dodging taxes), play sports, or do a few other things. (Like have a month where TV stations & shows celebrate our race, unlike some I know.)

However, then came the bridge, which my sister & I have long agreed is the best part of most songs. (Blame it on Billy Joel.) "So don't ask me for a reason; Don't look at me for a reason; Don't look for me cause I'm runnin' too fast". I admit that I was probably the slowest kid in my graduating class going back all the way to when I attended the elementary school down the street from where I live tonight. Also, I don't do all that much running anymore, unless I'm heading from the Mall to: Wendy's, Best Buy,  or the movie-theater, & an approaching motorist gives me the go-ahead wave. (I have a longstanding rule: "If you don't waste my time, I won't waste yours," & that's true for far more than cars on my "walking trips".) However, much the way I doubt Ben or Steven Page (until recently of Barenaked Ladies, & the lead singer on "Be My Yoko Ono," long before he left & they moved on to "The Big Bang Theory" theme song) may have ever met Yoko, I assumed this was more of a writer doing so metaphorically. As a guy who constantly professes to "live Improv", I was DEFINITELY right back in!

I may-or-may-not do an all-Ben-Lee "playlist" for my MP3-player next week (also, maybe "all Bens", adding his group with Kweller & Folds, along with Ben Gibbard, leader of Death Cab For Cutie & the Postal Service)... Either way, I thank the Aussies for cheering me up, & apologize if my Steve Irwin impression has added a bit of Southern into the accent in recent years.

NOTE: I feel this blog would be incomplete without mentioning that I've never left the continent myself. Also, I own & enjoy many CDs by the co-writer of "Down Under", Colin Hay... I became a fan of his largely due to Zach Braff. This is somewhat ironic, considering Zach is probably celebrated in his home state of New Jersey, where his first major film ("Garden State") is set. I own the DVD & soundtrack to that one, & have pictures of myself standing in front of the now-gone building in Jersey one of my favorite bands is named after (they are also on my MP3-player right now), but don't consider myself to enjoy it as much as I suspect I might Australia... I suppose that is largely because I've actually spent time in one & not the other.