Beautiful

Do you know that feeling when you're quietly happy while listening to a sad song? Tonight I have been listening to this song over and over again...

I know

You’ve got such a pretty smile
It’s a shame the things you hide behind it
Let ’em go
Give it up for a while
Let ’em free and we will both go find it

I know there’s nowhere you can hide it
I know the feeling of alone
I know that you do not feel invited
But, come back, come back in from the cold
Tell me how you really feel
Tell me what is on the inside of you
All the somethings you conceal
Only keep away the ones who love you

Step away then from the edge
Your best friend is life is not your mirror
Back away, come away
Back away, come away
Back away, come away
Back away, come away
Back away, come away
Back away, come away
I am here and I will be forever

I know there’s nowhere you can hide it
I know the feeling of alone
Trust me and don’t keep that on the inside
Soon you’ll be locked out on your own

You’re not alone
You’re not alone
And don’t say you’ve never been told
I’ll be with you ’til we grow old
’til I’m in the ground and I’m cold
I’m not sitting up here on some throne
Like a dog you can always come home

It's by Jude, one of my favorite singer/songwriters, and it makes me think of a nice person I used to know. I think it's great that sad feelings can transcend into such a beautiful song.

Gotta go again. It's a very busy week and I still got some work to do...

Good resolutions...

Hi, here I am again! After a long week in which I caught a terrible cold, worked a lot, my parent's computer broke down, and I finally moved to my new room! It seems like no one has missed me here, so that is good. Or not, depening on your point of view. ;-) I'm trying to make this a succesful weblog, but so far it doesn't seem to work out very well. Interesting content is missing, time to make interesting content is lacking, and readers are nowhere to be seen... Of course, the main problem might be that this blog is missing a direction or a bigger plan. So I will have to think about that. What would make my blog more interesting?

Ok, so that's my first good resolution of today! Think of an overarching theme to make this blog much more fun to read.

I could tell you that I have just listened to REM's New adventures in hifi (hadn't heard that one in a long time, but it actually is very good!), that I'm currently listening to Maroon 5's Rag doll (Wonderful song!) and that I will put on the first Marcy Playground (cool band) in moment, but of course, that is not very interesting to anyone but myself... (but to be honest, I don't think it's even that interesting...)

The last movie I bought is:

Seen it once and liked it very much, just like the book. It's mysterious, it's tragic, and it's beautiful. It also has two beautiful soundtracks. One by Air, one made up of all these great seventies songs by Al Green, Heart, Todd Rundgren and others. And that brilliant song by Sloan: Everything you've done wrong.

The book I'm reading now, is The mysteries of Pittsburgh, by Michael Chabon. So far I like it a lot.

Well, see ya around. I promise I will think of something good and I will try to post here more often.

More new cd's and new books

Well, it seems that a busy working life is hard to combine with blogspotting. Last week I hardly had the time nor the energy to update my blog... But since nobody seems to be reading it, I don't think it really matters ;-)
This week I bought two books, which I look forward to reading them!

















I
Michael Chabon is defenitively one of my favorite writers! I was lucky to find Werewolves in their youth in the American Book Center in Amsterdam, which probably is my favorite bookstore in this country. Werewolves is a collection of stories and it's hard to find in the Netherlands. Hmmm, it seems that everything I like is hard to find here...


I also bought some more cd's this week... One came from America: The fourth world by Kara's Flowers. This is how Maroon 5 was called before they named themselves Maroon 5. It sounds really different from Songs about Jane, but you can hear it's them. It's a rather straightforward rockalbum, not half as original as Songs about Jane, but it is a good record!




















Yellowcard is a nice punkrockband with a violinplayer. It's not very original music, but it's easy to sing along with and typically a record that I like to listen to in the train, when I go to work. Ron Sexsmith is one of my most recent discoveries. His music is really amazing! This is a record with his long time musical companion Don Kerr. Many people think he makes sad music, but I don't really understand why, because his lyrics are often very uplifting.

Okay, hopefully next time I will be able to post something really substantial. ;-) I wouldn't be surprised if this blog is really boring for other people, but I don't care. So far, I like to chatter away a bit about music and books that I like. But if anyone wants me to write about something else, just let me know. ;-)

:wave:

Do I buy too much cd's...?

This week in the mail:

Sometimes I wish there were more hours in a day... ;-)

The heart is a lonely hunter

Wow, I just finished this amazing novel about this deaf-mute man called Singer and four different people of a small town in the American South. The heart is a lonely hunter is situated in the 1930's, during the Great Depression, in the wake of the Second World War. It was published in 1940. The main theme is, I think, loneliness. All these people are looking for someone who understands them and they think Singer does. But he doesn't and those four people never know that. He just listens to them and nodds. Singer in his turn thinks that only his deaf-mute Greek friend understands him, but the Greek is locked away in an asylum and seems to be a loony. When the Greek dies, Singer kills himself. You would think this book is very depressing, but it isn't. At least, not too much. Because it's also about hope. The girl Mick for example dreams of becoming a musical composer, which is almost impossible, because she and her parents have no money to buy a piano and are always in debt. It is her dream of a better future that keeps her going, even after Singer dies. She thought Singer understood her craving, but how could he, when he could not hear? There's many more to this novel, like the beautiful symbolism, but I don't really have the words for it. Maybe I will get better at this after I have written some more of these kind of posts here. ;-) In a way, writing about a book, helps to understand it better. Anyways, anyone who wants to read a wonderful story about life in the South during the Depression, should read this novel!

The next book I'm going to read is probably The turning of the screw by Henry James.

Now I'm listening to some songs of this wonderful cd:



It's definitively one of the most beautiful records I own. I don't remember how I discoverd this band, but I'm glad I did. I guess you can describe their music as Americana.

I sometimes wonder whether you should try to explain why you like a certain record or that you should just listen and admire. Music is so hard to describe... Could you ever put it's beauty in words? And is it necessary to do so? The ironic thing is that I write reviews myself...

Audioscrobbler

A website that keeps track of the music you listen too... I think Audioscrobbler, or Last.fm as it called now, is a fun idea. I registered at July 3, this year. Since then, these are the 20 artists that I have listened most to (on my computer, that is).

Top Artists – Overall
Generated: Wednesday Aug 10

1 Over the Rhine 152
2 Jason Mraz 151
3 Josh Rouse 147
4 Train 132
5 Howie Day 114
6 Goo Goo Dolls 101
7 Jude 100
8 Switchfoot 85
9 Fastball 84
10 Maroon 5 83
11 Van Morrison 80
11 Bruce Springsteen 80
13 Johnny Cash 77
14 Ron Sexsmith 75
15 Neil Young 72
16 Idlewild 66
17 matchbox twenty 64
18 John Mayer 61
18 The Juliana Theory 61
20 Kathleen Edwards 52

My favorite songs in this period must have been:

1 Josh Rouse - My Love Has Gone 24
2 Jason Mraz - Life Is Wonderful 19
3 Goo Goo Dolls - Name 15
3 Sandy Denny - Like an Old Fashioned Waltz 15
3 Over the Rhine - Born 15
6 Fastball - Falling Upstairs 14
7 Josh Rouse - Sunshine 13
8 Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved 12
8 Jude - I Do 12
8 Jason Mraz - stranger in the sky 12

I know, it is not very interesting to anyone but me, but I like this program very much ;-) I wonder whether the songs I listen too most say something about myself. :-)

For anyone who is interested: http://www.last.fm/user/marco78train

Today I bought two second hand cd's: Hoist by Phish and The boatman's call by Nick Cave. And also the best Van Morrison record: Veedon Fleece. Furthermore, I bought a book by Henry James: The turn of the screw/The Aspern papers. I look forward to reading it, since I really liked the sad story of Daisy Miller.

Hopefully, this weekend I will have time to post something more substantial. ;-)

:wave:

Why this blog?

Good question. I guess I just like to write about music, literature, movies and other stuff very much and this might be a good place to share my thoughts with other people. That is, if they are able to find this blog. ;-)

Right now I'm listening to the new Jason Mraz cd that I have completely fallen in love with... At this moment I only have it in (illegal) mp3's, but I hope the original cd will arrive in the mail this week. My favorite song of the moment is - perhaps not so surprising - Life is wonderful. This guy really has a way of turning what often seem to be silly lyrics into beautiful and meaningful popsongs. Well, at least that's my opinion. ;-) To give you an impression:

Life is Wonderful
Words & Music By Jason Mraz

It takes a crane to build a crane
It takes two floors to make a story
It takes an egg to make a hen it takes a hen to make an egg
There is no end to what I’m saying
It takes a thought to make a word
It takes some words to make an action
It takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction

A La La La La La La La Life is wonderful
A La La La La La La La Life goes full circle
A La La La La La La La Life is wonderful
A la la la la…

It takes a night to make it dawn
It takes day to make you yawn brother
It takes some old to make you young
It takes some cold to know the sun
It takes the one to have the other
It takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
It takes some fears to make you trust
It takes those tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to have it polished

A La La La La La La La Life is wonderful
A La La La La La La La Life goes full circle
A La La La La La La La Life is wonderful
A la la la la…It is so…….It is so…….

It takes some silence to make sound
It takes a loss before you found it
It takes a road to go nowhere
It takes a toll to make you care
It takes a hole to make a mountain
A La La La La La La La Life is wonderful
A La La La La La La La Life goes full circle
A La La La La La La La Life is wonderful
A La La La Life is meaningful.
La La La La La La La And life is wonderful
La La La La La La La

It is so wonderful
It is so meaningful
It is so wonderful
It is meaningful
It is wonderful
It is meaningful
It goes full circle
Wonderful
Meaningful

Love this song! However, it is really annoying that his cd is not being released in the Netherlands. Like so many of my favorite American records... Where would we be without the internet? ;-)

The book I'm reading right now is The heart is a lonely hunter by Carson McCullers:

Actually, my copy has a different cover, but never you mind. So far, I like it very much. It is about a deaf-mute guy somewhere in the South of the United States. I really love classic American novels like this one. My favorite authors here are among others Willa Cather, John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner. My favorite recent writer is Michael Chabon. He's the guy that wrote The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and Wonder Boys.

Okay, that was it for today. I hope future posts will be more interesting. ;-)

Why life is sweet?

OK, why did I choose Life is sweet as the name for this blog? Well, it is the title of one of my favorite songs. Especially the chorus expresses my view on life. Here are the lyrics:

LIFE IS SWEET
Natalie Merchant / Indian Love Bride ©1997

it's a pity
it's a crying shame
who pulled you down again?
how painful it must be
to bruise so easily inside
it's a pityit's a downright crime
but it happens all the time
you wanna stay little daddy's girl
wanna hide from the vicious world outside

but don't cry
know the tears'll do no good
so dry your eyes
your daddy he's the iron man
a battleship wrecked on dry land
your mama she's a bitter bride
she'll never be satisfied, and you know
that's not right

but don't cry
know the tears'll do no good
so dry your eyesthey told you life is hard
it's misery from the start
it's dull and slow and painful
I tell you life is sweet
in spite of the misery
there's so much more
be gratefulwho do you believe?
who will you listen to
who will it be?
it's high time that you decide
in your own mind

tried to comfort you
tried to tell you to be patient
they are blind
they can't see
fortune gonna come some day
all gonna fade away
your daddy the war machine and
your mama the long and suffering
prisoner of what she can not see

they told you life is hard
it's misery from the start
it's dull and slow and painful
I tell you life is sweet
in spite of the misery
there's so much more
be grateful

who do you believe?
who will you listen to
who will it be?
it's high time you decide
it's time you make up your own sweet little mind

they told you life is long
be thankful when it's done
don't ask for moreyou should be grateful
but I tell you life is short
be thankful because before you know
it will be overcause life is sweet
and life is also very short
your life is sweet

There's more to come, but not tonight. Have to work early tomorrow. :)

My very first post!

Well, I guess this must be my very first post in my own blogspot... Listening to the Wallflowers right now and having no clue what else to write here at this moment. ;) I guess I will come back some other time to say something about music, literature, movies and other fun things. :)