I need a distraction

I can't keep watching the news. It's too surreal, and frightening, and sad. I need a distraction. The radio is helping. Blind Mellon, "It's not sane ... it's not sane..." encapsulates the moment very well. Which segues me perfectly into my music moments meme thing. (What does 'meme' mean? some clever abbreviation I'm just not getting?)

I'm going to take a lot of liberty with this one and just babble about music in general. My first music obsessions were Michael Jackson and Prince. We lived outside Minneapolis for a few years right when Purple Rain and Thriller were happening, I would have been 10ish, I guess. I found radio, and music videos at about the same time, and was pretty obsessed with both. My sister Becky and I danced with abandon in the basement to Irene Cara and Culture Club. Katy was a baby, but she made a good audience. That is, until she pulled all the tape out of my copy of Thriller, that was tragic.

I've always been an avid radio listener, and sometimes, but not too often, an album collector. I've always been a sucker for a hook, can't help it. I like music that makes me want to shake my ass. Hence, the Black Eyed Peas CD, currently taking up long term residence in my minivan CD player. (Sorry, Patrice, hope that doesn't mean we can't be friends!) I can't seem to get enough of it, at extremely loud volume. I like the funny looks I get for driving a minivan (complete with carseats) with a subwoofer. I don't subject my kids to the loud volume, don't worry, I want them to be able to hear. Other favs that fall into the loud music in the car category are Outkast and Beastie Boys.

I've probably done most of my hearing damage in my car, instead of at concerts, unfortunately. But, I've managed to catch a few good ones. Prince in Las Vegas being a highlight, for the pimp suits and people watching as much as anything. And Ani DiFranco at the Hard Rock, but I was pregnant at the time, so it wasn't as good a time as it might have been. Clark and I have also seen REM, U2, NIN w/ David Bowie (that was cool), and a few others along the way. I don't have nearly the catalog of crazy concert stories that, say, Mr. J has, but I'm hoping to make up for some of it still. Dave Matthews Band was fun the other night. It was more mellow, jammin, than I thought it would be. Don't know why I thought that, but it was a nice turn of events. We got to sit on the grass and cuddle, and still hear and see really well. It was pretty windy though, and I felt bad for the band, they were getting it right in the face.

My current radio fav is Radio Free Santa Fe. LOVE LOVE LOVE this station. I had to learn how to put in a weblink, so that there may be one here, in honor of Radio Free Santa Fe. I have a feeling that if I just started buying albums of artists I hear on this channel, I would end up with an amazing collection of talent, cause a lot of it is unfamiliar to me, but I LOVE everything. The DJ's are totally cool, and they have a great Friday Night Funk show that we listen to every Friday on our Krause House Friday Night Outing. (Thank God It's FRIDAY). Oh, and they play the original, old reggae version of Smoke 2 Joints at 4:20 on every Friday. How can you not love THAT?

I have to admit that I still do love me some MTV. I was STOKED when I found out that our dish network here in Albuquerque had MTV2. Rad. I also have to admit that I am becoming more and more NOT the demographic that MTV is shooting for. Things that I will stop when walking through the TV room to watch on MTV are; Golddigger by Kanye West, Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani (sorry again, Patrice, but I just can't resist gawking Gwen in that cheerleader outfit), and that new Beck song.

Any discussion of music in my life would be incomplete without paying homage to my sources of all cool music, Lyamhound and Stine. I met these 2 in college, and my musical horizons immediately widened exponentially. Some of my biggest favs introduced to me by this dynamic duo include Morphine, Sky Cries Mary, Indigo Girls, Peter Murphy, Elvis Costello, Nina Simone, the list goes on and on and on. I need to get to a music store with Lyam when I'm out there and pick up that Maktub album I should have snagged years ago. The other CD that gets to hang in the minivan when Black Eyed Peas is out is a mix Stine brought when she visited me in February. Supercool tracks on that one are Playmate by MC Solar, Let's Pretend We're Bunnyrabbits by Magnetic Fields, Sex with Strangers by Marianne Faithful, and Babe, You Turn Me On by Nick Cave. Thanks guys!!

OK, that was nicely distracting. I was tripping about telling people what kind of music I like, cause I'm always worried that I'm not cool enough, but I'm trying to be real on here, and anyways, those of you who actually know me know all this already. My sweet little music snobs out there (you know who you are), don't judge me too harshly, I am what I am.


p.s. I was very proud of myself for finding time Wednesday before the concert to repaint the toesies. The blue from June was just too raggedy for a date night. I think they came out supercute. I also managed to figure out how to make the webcam take pictures I can post here, so I'm trying to get up the nerve to show my face. Toes will have to do for today.