Category: Music

What I’m listening to, and why I’m listening to it.

MJ Monday: MJ’s Music-Playlist for BETRAYED BY THE MOON

I create a playist for every book I write. I listen to the music whenever I can: driving, writing, alone time. The songs help keep my head in the story.

Here are the songs behind the story of the book coming out on June 26.

 

 

MJ Monday: MJ’s Music–The Monkees

Another of my teenage idols passed away recently. Peter Tork of the Monkees.  I vacillated between Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork being my favorite. Some of my earliest forays into writing fiction included Monkees stories, which would now be called fanfic.  Mrs. Sherman, my sixth grade teacher, caught me passing stories to my friends. She called me up to her desk. I just knew: So. Much. Trouble.

Instead, she complimented me on my writing, but asked me to not share the stories during class.

Here’s a song from the Monkees’ third album, Headquarters. Vocals are by Davy Jones, who passed away several years ago,  on the first verse; Peter sings the second verse.

You can also hear Peter at the end of the chorus, sounding lonely, singing , the title of the song: “Only Shades of Gray.” The lyrics are just as relevant today as they were when the song was released.

 

 

 

 

MJ’S Musings: Claustrophobic Feet

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A social media acquaintance, after reading my lament about not being able to wear a pair of fun and funky boots, even though an ad for them beckoned me for months, said I had claustrophobic feet.

What a perfect description!

My reason is that my feet cannot abide being trapped inside boot or sneakers. If I can’t easily kick off my footwear, I don’t wear it.

But I really wanted those boots. So I bought them. I wear them.

They are cute as all get out. I am, however, of an age, where comfort should take precedence over cute. And I can’t wear them a full work day. By mid-afternoon, I am shoeless at my desk.

I live in a part of the US where we have winter. We have snow. We have feet of snow. So yes, I wear snow boots. And if we’re at an event in the winter, and I have to wear boots for any length of time, I go crazy.

But I’ve ruined several pairs of shoes in the spring when it rains because I just can’t abide wearing snow boots. My solution? Rain boots. Gardening boots.

Again, cute as can be. At least my poor feet won’t be stuck in them for hours.

Flipflop weather is around the corner.

MJ Monday: MJ’s Music–The McGarrigles

Back in the last millennium, I was introduced to a duo of folk singers named Kate & Anna McGarrigle. Their voices were unusual; their music–most of which they wrote–was unique. Kate was married to Loudon Wainwright III of “Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road” fame (whom I saw in concert  with Bob Dylan). Their son is Rufus Wainwright, who has carried on the family’s musical heritage.

They wrote songs other artists covered: Linda Ronstadt’s “Heart Like a Wheel” is a McGarrigle composition.

They covered other artists, too. I love their Cajun version of Bob Seger’s “You’ll Accompany Me.”

Kate passed away in 2010.

I purchased digital versions of my favorite McGarrigle albums a few years back. Now, a lot of the music sounds kind of whiny to me, but some is still fresh and delightful.

This is probably my favorite McGarrigle song.

 

MJ Monday: MJ’s Music-Saffire

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A co-worker introduced me to a band called Saffire–The Uppity Blues Women. They were a short-lived group, but I do like their music. There’s something freeing about women singing true things. The gritty things. Smashing out of stereotypes.

These were women, singing about being women, and celebrating who they were..and who some of us are.