Re-Covered Now

With all this indoor time on my hands, I have been spending more time reading and watching TV than I would like to be. Last night I watched an episode of a newer show called "Life on Mars" that has caught my attention, partly for the great cast (Harvey Kietel, Michael Imperioli, Jason O'mara) but mainly that it is set (sort of) in 1973. As a result, they have a great 70’s soundtrack and last night they played a favorite song of mine that took me back; “Whiskey in the Jar” by Thin Lizzy. Which leads to my intended topic on music. It is an issue that I have wanted to expound upon but never found the time until now. Covers. P.S. The show is actually a cover (if you will) of a BBC show from 2006.

So many artists over the years have “reinterpreted” other bands work, often with mixed results. One of the most prolific at this was Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, most famous for their hit “Blinded by the Light”. Many know the song and could easily sing along, but few might be aware that it was originally penned by none other than Bruce Springsteen. And if you gave a listen to the Boss’s version, you might be surprised and even have difficulty recognizing the song. There are many other well known examples, but this leads into my original point about covers and the song “Whiskey in the Jar”. Here is Thin Lizzy’s version.





Many of you might be saying now, I think I know that song. But some are also saying, who the hell is Thin Lizzy? Well, they are best known for the rock anthem “The Boys are Back in Town” and “Jailbreak”. But this was one of their best, lesser known hits. Most wouldn’t recognize the title or their version of the song but this interpretation might “jar” your memory.





Metallica made this a hit in 1998 and actually won a Grammy award that year for the song. But once again, it is actually not just a cover of the 1972 Thin Lizzy recording, but another reinterpretation of this song.





That was the Dubliners performing the Irish ballad in the 1960’s. The song is actually a traditional Irish ballad by an unknown author sometime back in the 17th century. It has been covered since then by a slew of Irish folk artists, Peter, Paul and Mary, Roger Whittaker, Jerry Garcia, 80’s bands like Pulp and even U2. The most recent cover was by the band Belle and Sebastian. This song obviously has a very long and varied history. But despite that fact, the public’s awareness of it is the metal rock version made famous by Metallica.

My intent with this is not to bash Metallica (I actually love their version). I just was trying to point out through this example that we are so often not aware of the origins of popular tunes. Many famous bands over the years have found great success reinterpreting “covers”. The Beatle’s, the Stones and even Nirvana (“The Man Who Sold the World” was originally a David Bowie tune but made famous by Nirvana in their 1993 during their MTV Unplugged set) made old songs their own. Manfred Mann in their day covered Springsteen more than once, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Joni Mitchell, the Police and even, the Rolling Stones. There is hardly a song on their albums that wasn’t penned by someone else! And yet, their versions are sometimes, my favorites. Though I love Bob Marley, who was a genius in his own right, I really dig Manfred Mann’s cover of “Redemption Song” (heard in the closing credits of the movie “I am Legend”) on their album “Somewhere in Afrika”. The Beatle’s were fond of covers and had big hits with “Roll Over Beethoven” (a Chuck Berry tune, later to be a hit again with ELO), “Hippy, Hippy, Shake” (Chan Romero) and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” (Larry Williams) just to name a few. And in turn, their music has been covered by more artist than I could ever possibly think of listing.

So, in conclusion, I guess my point is, don’t believe everything you hear (is new).

It could be a cover!

Where Ever I Go

Where have I been? Nowhere really. Just around.

Doing a lot of nothing but a little of this.





Not sure what we are doing this weekend. Supposed to be cold. er. Again.

Hope all is well where ever you are!

And warmer.

The Frayed ends of Sanity

That's right folks; Old Man Negative Thoughts is back! I have just about snapped. If I don't strap some boards on my feet soon, there will be repercussions. Maybe a bit overstated, but more than likely something could end up on YouTube. And that is never good.

You would think I might be flying high after our New Years "quickie (watch it!)" to Asheville. Warm, spring like temperatures, sweet trails and wonderful sites to see. Oh, it was grand. Wonderfully friendly people, cool art galleries, eclectic (and reasonably priced) restaurants, beautiful views from the hills surrounding the city and a great music scene. And the riding?

Take the shear drop offs, climbs and fun-factor of Oakland's trails and combine them with big rocks, Michigan like terrain and you get the sweetest trails ever. And that was only the one next to the Landfill! I have to go back to try Pisgah, Tsali and Bent Creek!

But that high, has faded now. And I am feeling a little shaky. Like withdrawals shaky. So, just to keep myself even, I have been getting a contact "high" off upgrades to the rides. Each of them has been tweaked, ever so slightly. Bar tape. New stem. Seatpost. It is keeping me sane, but barely.

This past week, I had to make my final run to New Mexico. My hope was for a little warm weather "bounce". But as my father in law loves to say (repeatedly): "man makes plans and the gods laugh". So, I guess the big-guy had a big-guffaw at my expense that week. It was 30 degrees in Dallas and 28 in Albuquerque. Are you Freaking kidding me?

But they did have sunshine in spades, so I did my best to soak up all the available melatonin you are legally allowed to carry on an aircraft. It took the edge off. Until I got home. Or Chicago O'Hare. Either of the two could have been the trigger.

When I did get back to GR, it was un-bury my car at the airport parking lot at 11 p.m. time. And the drive home was at a blistering 35 mph on the freeway to avoid certain embankment impact. The beast begins to raise from his slumber. The townspeople cower in fear.

But this week could be the deal breaker, umm kay?

Temps in the single digits are predicted and snow every day. This after a month (December) where we saw 3% of our total available sunshine. 3%. That is less than we get in one day here in July. We were the gloomiest, cloudiest, saddest place on earth. As if the Auto industry going out of business and the Lion's weren't suck-age enough for Michigan! No, it is a conspiracy. I know it.

So, to get my self through this next week of brutal cold and relentless snow, I decided to purchase some liquid sunshine in a bottle from a shiny, happy place.

And think happy thought like this.

Who knows? Maybe if I think hard enough, my wish will come true.

Nah.

Angelina will never leave Brad for me!

Top Yourself

Just want to say Happy New Year and offer a little inspiration for 2009. 

Keep smiling. Goes without saying, really.

Don't avoid all obstacles. There will be more of these in the future. I have to admit, I took a look first. But then I rode around it. And it felt good.

Just remember, above all; Love is the answer. Don't let them tell you its Money. Or Power. Or god forbid, Fame. It is still letter 'C'; Love.  So, keep on shining some.

Get some sleep. It does the body good.

Be a winner. Most of us can be in some way. Life is difficult, so make an extra effort.

It has been an interesting year, 2008. We are all still reeling a bit from the after effects. 

But there were good times too. Plenty. So, hold on to those and make more when you can. 

Lemonade tastes better when it's made with lemons.