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 |    My primary Writing.com blog. |
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Logocentric (adj). Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics). Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:  "The Soundtrackers Group"  "Blogging Circle of Friends " "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" "JAFBG" "Take up Your Cross" Thanks for stopping by!  |
 | Day 13 | "Ghost" by Justin Bieber On the thirteenth of this month, I was actually in the Sacramento area for a dedication ceremony for my mom. After her passing in November 2020, the county fire department approved plans to build a memorial at my parents' local firehouse with a bench, plaque, and a free "little library" where people can come to borrow a book and return it, or take one and replace it with another one. My parents had been instrumental in starting the local fire safe council (a nonprofit that helped the community raise funds for clearing dry brush, fire awareness education, etc.), and my mom was an avid reader, so it felt like a really nice opportunity to celebrate her, especially since my dad has no plans to do a formal memorial service. This was a song I listened to a lot over the past year since its release, and I'm also including it because Justin Bieber was just in the news for selling his entire music catalogue to a private equity firm for $200 million. And, on the face of it, $200 million is a whole lot of money (I think it might even be the biggest sale of a musician's catalogue (Bob Dylan's sold for $150 million, I think). But Bieber is also a relatively young artist and it seems to me like the catalogue might be more valuable in the long run if he has years and years left of making music, touring, etc. I can understand why older artists might sell toward the end of their careers (it's easier to enjoy and then bequeath cash rather than music publishing/licensing rights to your descendants) but I'm really curious whether $200 million will end up being a steal for the equity firm in the long run, if Bieber keeps performing and making music. Strange times we live in, where bankers are buying music rights from artists. Then again, they're trying to buy up pretty much everything else (real estate, trademarks and other intellectual property, naming rights, etc.) so why not music catalogues as well?  |
| Day 12 | "I Hate Myself For Loving You" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts My other "blast from the past" song for this year's "The Soundtrack of Your Life" playlist is from Joan Jett. While "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is probably their most famous song (and also one of my favorites), I rediscover this one from time to time. The last time was in 2018 when it was featured on the soundtrack of Ready Player One and I listened to it a bunch back then. It popped up on my Spotify suggestions playlist again this year, and I found myself listening to it a lot this past year. I love Joan Jett's voice and the band's whole sound. They have a number of really iconic songs (this one included), and whenever I go through a classic rock phase in my listening habits, at least one of their songs is almost always featured on my playlist. |
| Day 11 | "Since You've Been Gone" by Rainbow I hadn't heard this song for years, until it popped up in the trailers for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3. I had completely forgotten about it and I'm pretty sure the last time I listened to it was back when my mom used to drive me to school in the morning and we would listen to the local classic rock radio station on the drive. Say what you want about James Gunn, but he does know how to pick great songs for his movies. The thing I love most about this song is that my three (almost four!) year old daughter loves it. I was reviewing some trailers one night and she asked me what song it was. I told her it was by a band called Rainbow, and she loves rainbows, so she asked to see the music video of the song, and to add it to her playlist that we play in the car on the drive to and from her daycare. She'll literally get buckled into the car some days now and go, "Daddy? I want to listen to Rainbow." And when it comes on without her requesting it, she'll say, "Oh, that's my favorite song!" So this song definitely got a lot of play late last year and early this year since our family rediscovered it. |
| Day 10 | "Hold My Hand" by Lady Gaga While I do like this song a fair bit, I'm including it in my playlist this year more for the movie that it's from. Top Gun: Maverick was a real surprise for me; a decades-later sequel that actually felt like a movie worth making, rather than a cash grab, an attempt to play on nostalgia, a half-hearted remake, or all of the above. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and thought they improved on the original in a lot of ways. I'm not sure it's quite Oscar Best Picture nominee material, but never bet against the Academy's cynical efforts to stay relevant.  One of my favorite things about the movie is actually a popular fan theory. SPOILER ALERT for anyone who hasn't seen the movie yet. The fan theory goes that, during the prototype test flight at the beginning of the film, Maverick actually dies (ejecting out of a hypersonic jet at 10Gs is... not something someone is likely to survive), and the rest of the movie (from his convenient landing back in the USA after going partway around the world, to a storyline where he reconciles with Goose's son, finds love with a long-lost acquaintance, and helps a new generation of fighter pilots succeed in a generic mission against an unspecified enemy, including a beach sports game as a high point of his bonding with them, just like when he was younger in the original film) is his subconscious working through his unresolved issues and giving him peace before he finally dies. The reason why I love this fan theory is because it actually explains some of the convenient moments in the movie better than just assuming they're all random.  Anyway, Lady Gaga has a great voice and always manages to create compelling songs. But the reason this one is on my list this year is because Top Gun: Maverick also happens to be one of my favorite films from last year. |
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