Find Your Musical Touchstone

I am writing this from a plane, trying to take advantage of the really spotty Southwest Wi Fi, as I make my way back home to Fort Myers. For the past two years I have basically done this exact same trip every week. For the two years prior to that it was every two weeks as I would fly to Fort Myers to see my fiancée, or my girlfriend, or the woman who ten years ago this week sat directly behind me at graduation and who I really hoped would become my girlfriend. The fact that this all refers to the same woman stuns me, partly due to the nature of the story and partly for the sheer fact that someone would put up with my nonsense for four years and counting. But for every flight there has been one constant. Every single time I have gotten on a plane to see Kim the first thing I do after we reach 10,000 feet is put on my headphones and listen to Josh Rouse.


I am not exaggerating about this in the least. On every single flight I have listened to the same performer. You can call me a creature of habit (or obsessive compulsive if you happen to be my therapist) but this is part of my routine. I have listened to all of his albums over and over again to the point that I can discuss individual chord changes and can probably identify when he changes members of his band. All this for someone who has never had a single hit and who almost no one I have ever met has ever heard of.

Even I have a hard time explaining how I first came across his music. I think it was from of all things one of those Music Choice cable channels that exist at like channel 753 on your cable system. The ones no one ever visits, especially the one channel that focuses on Americana or Alternative Country or Music that Sounds Vaguely Folky but not Hipster Folky like Mumford and Sons or whatever we are calling that genre this week. There I came across a song I liked from someone I had vaguely heard of so I picked up a copy of Nashville. And then a copy of 1972 and of Home and of Under Cold Blue Stars and on and on and on. And the only reason I could ever provide as to why I kept on buying CD after CD was that whenever I listened to one of his discs good things happened.

Josh Rouse has obviously become one of my favorite artists and yet I still struggle to explain his music. He just writes simple and beautiful pop songs. He can make a line like “In the Nashville sky shines a diamond bright” sound like pure poetry. There are no obtuse lyrics or stretches for meaning or repeated singing of “Baby oh yeah baby all right.” Everything is straightforward and heartfelt and for some reason that I can’t explain can turn off all of the noise in my head, remove all of my anxieties and leave me hopeful for what is to come. One of his lyrics has even become a personal motto for me. “Some people don’t evolve. They’re content with what they’ve got. They just sit back and they watch TV. But that’s not me.”

I read online this week someone try to explain how when you are growing up and finishing college you kind of have a view of the world that once you become an adult and are out in the real world that life will become easier. That and all of the flailing about that you undergo in your youth falls away and everything makes sense. Of course that is complete nonsense as becoming an adult just means more wandering about with no clue what is going on in the world except that now there is even more pressure on you. The only difference is that becoming an adult means that you recognize this and learn how to handle it. Music has always been one of my ways to make sense of the world and Josh Rouse has played more than his role.

Everyone should find some artist like this in their life. Someone whose work you follow, who you build a personal connection to and who just plays their part in your personal soundtrack. Life can be rough and horrible and more challenging than you had ever feared. I know that all too well and I’ve had as blessed a life as anyone could ever imagine. We all need are touchstones in life. Josh Rouse is mine. Listen to his music. Good things will happen.

“We’re going through the changes, hoping for replacement, until we find a way out of this hole.”

Television Time Warp: Volume One

I’ve decided to start a new recurring series tonight. Let’s say you have a time machine which, given the note I found on my kitchen table this morning, I will be in possession of on March 27, 2012 at 2:57 P.M. When you inevitably travel back in time you will be faced with the obvious question of “What should I watch on TV tonight?” That is where I come in. I am going to go through past television seasons and figure out what you should have watched / watch / will watch depending on your location in the space time continuum.

I’ll start with the 1980 – 1981 season when I was a second grader full of joy and wonder. My recommendations will be based on a combination of a) what I actually watched, b) what I wish I had watched now that I am an adult and c) shows that I am now searching for DVD compilation sets. I’ll go in five year increments every week until I’m to the present. Got it? Let’s have fun with this.

(Tip of the hat to The Onion, which is doing a similar thing with the So This is What I Call Music CD series.)

(All times central since I am a Chicago boy)

Sunday:
ABC: 6: Those Amazing Animals, 7: Charlie’s Angels, 8: The Sunday Night Movie
CBS: 6: 60 Minutes, 7: Archie Bunker’s Place, 7:30: One Day at a Time, 8: Alice, 8:30 The Jeffersons, 9: Trapper John, M.D.
NBC: 6: Disney’s Wonderful World, 7: CHiPs, 8: The Big Event

Recommendations: You have to start off with 60 Minutes for news and information and as a kid I didn’t have control over the remote anyway. Besides, I didn’t really grow up as a Disney fan (I swear I haven’t seen Bambi, Snow White or Cinderella in my entire life.) 7 o’clock is a real toss up here. Archie Bunker’s Place was the follow up to All in the Family in which they kept the main character and removed everything that was actually funny. One Day at a Time was by this point losing much of their cast to rehab and people slowly beginning to wonder why no one had an issue with the building maintenance guy just randomly walking into an apartment that happened to house two teenage girls. I’d say go with Charlie’s Angels over CHiPs in a really close call, due mainly to the presence of Tom Bosley. Rest of the night is all CBS as you’ve got classic comedy in Alice and The Jeffersons followed by your medical drama in Trapper John. TV movies are boring and I have no clue what the hell The Big Event was.

Monday:
ABC: 7: That’s Incredible!, 8: Monday Night Football
CBS: 7: Flo, 7:30: Ladies’ Man, 8: MASH, 8:30 House Calls, 9: Lou Grant
NBC: 7: Little House on the Prairie, 8: Monday Night Movie

Recommendations: Real easy choices here. You have to start with That’s Incredible! I mean, the show was freaking incredible! It says so right in the title. Mainly you have to appreciate any show that provides you with footage of stunts, world records, funny animals and Cathy Lee Crosby. MASH is simply a requirement and to be honest I am about to look to see what cable channel is showing it in reruns right now. Then it is over to the Howard Cosell era of Monday Night Football. Quality night of television.

Tuesday:
ABC: 7: Happy Days, 7:30: Laverne and Shirley, 8: Three’s Company, 8:30 Too Close for Comfort, 9: Hart to Hart
CBS: 7: The White Shadow, 8: Tuesday Night Movie
NBC: 7: Lobo, 8: Local Broadcasting, 9: The Steve Allen Comedy Hour

Recommendation: The White Shadow just gets the nod over the double bill of Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. I mean you can go either way but based off of what DVDs I want to own The White Shadow wins by a mile. A story about a high school basketball team coached by someone reminiscent of Bobby Knight is still one of my favorite shows of all time. Potsy, Lenny and Squiggy just can’t live up to that. You can tell it was a different world back in 1980 given that NBC didn’t even have programming scheduled for a portion of the day. Given the choices I’m going to have to say Three’s Company and Too Close for Comfort provide you with good comedy and Jim J. Bullock respectively and Hart to Hart provides you with, well, people named Hart. Still better than Steve Allen.

Wednesday:
ABC: 7: Eight is Enough: 8: Taxi, 8:30: Soap, 9: Vega$
CBS: 7: Enos, 8: The Wednesday Night Movie
NBC: 7: Real People, 8: Diff’rent Strokes, 8:30 The Facts of Life, 9: Quincy, M.E.

Recommendation: There was no better show as a kid than Real People. You had Sarah Purcell and Skip Stephenson and, well, real people. I swear to god that at one point in time this was like the most popular show on television and everyone was expecting Skip Stephenson to become a major star. Now I’m the only one who remembers who he is. The 8 o’clock hour shows the difference between what you’d watch as a kid and an adult. The kid choice is easy: Gary Coleman and Mrs. Garrett rule the day. But as an adult I’ve realized that Taxi and Soap are probably two of the greatest sitcoms of all time. When Andy Kaufman is your third or fourth best character on a show you are doing something right and Soap was just hysterical. Nothing beats Quincy, even though no one ever bothered to explain why the medical examiner took it upon himself to become a detective in his spare time.

Thursday:
ABC: 7: Mork and Mindy, 7:30: Bosom Buddies, 8: Barney Miller, 8:30: It’s a Living, 9: 20/20
CBS: 7: The Waltons, 8: Magnum, P.I., 9: Knots Landing
NBC: 7: Games People Play, 8: Thursday Night Movie

Recommendations: Seriously, did every night have a movie associated with it? This is what life was like in the days before cable. Anyway, I don’t think I ever missed an episode of Games People Play. The three things I remember most about it 1) the ongoing mechanical bull riding tournament, 2) the belly flop contest and 3) the world’s toughest bouncer competition (featuring Mr. T before he was famous) in which the contestants at one point have to run through a wooden door. Yep, I watched that over Robin Williams at his funniest and the surprisingly attractive Pam Dawber as well as a young Tom Hanks in drag. That said, I was seven years old. Barney Miller beats out Magnum P.I. (a show I never really liked) and I’ll probably try to find an episode of Benny Hill on somewhere in the land of syndication at 9.

Friday:
ABC: 7: Benson, 7:30: I’m a Big Girl Now, 8: The Friday Night Movie
CBS: 7: The Incredible Hulk, 8: The Dukes of Hazzard, 9: Dallas
NBC: 7: Marie, 8: Number 96, 9: NBC Magazine with David Brinkley

Recommendations: Outside of Benson you should just watch CBS all night. Problem is I found Benson funny as a kid and would probably still find it funny today. I’d say watch that for the first half hour and then switch over to the Hulk because a) Lou Ferrigno never showed up until the second half anyway and b) that way you still get to hear the piano theme. Then it is simply an hour of southern boys in cars with explosions followed by people talking about oil for an hour.

Saturday:
ABC: 7: Breaking Away, 8: The Love Boat, 9: Fantasy Island
CBS: 7: WKRP in Cincinnati, 7:30 The Tim Conway Show, 8: Freebie and the Bean, 9: Secrets of Midland Heights
NBC: 7: Brabara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters, 8: Saturday Night Movie

Recommendations: Sigh. This was seriously the golden age of sitcoms. You could grab any random episode of WKRP and it would be better than anything on television today. The fact that 30 years later if you mention Les Nessman, Dr. Johnny Fever or Venus Flytrap that people will know precisely who you are referring to speaks wonders. I don’t know what Freebie and the Bean is and to be honest I am scared to click on the Wikipedia link to find out just what I was missing. You have to go for the classic Saturday night twin bill of The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. I mean you had exotic locations, special guest stars, little people and rich Corinthian leather. No better way to spend a Saturday night.

Thoughts? Did I miss someone’s favorite show?

Wednesday Night Music Club: Josh Rouse hanging out and playing in Paris on a February night. In a perfect world everyone buys his albums and we all live happier lives as a result.

Those darn kids today...

A few years back a company was foolish enough to let me work in their marketing department. The fact that said company is now nearly bankrupt is probably not a coincidence. Seriously, given that all marketers think that their customers are precisely like them it is not entirely wise to try to build a campaign that would make me happy. If I am anything it is non-typical.

One of the things I did learn though is that everything sold is geared towards the needs and desires of males aged 18 to 34. When I was in marketing I was in this age range and therefore felt perfectly happy. As a 36 year old though I have begun to realize that I am no longer a target market. In fact, I have lost touch with the mainstream. Here are a few mainstream media staples that have no bearing on a 36 year olds life.

Saturday Night Live: Taylor Lautner hosted a few weeks ago. I don’t know who Taylor Lautner is. To be honest, I couldn’t tell you if Taylor Lautner is male or female. I know that Taylor Swift, who also hosted, is female and that one of the members of Hanson was named Taylor but I am at a loss here. January Jones also hosted and I know that she is in Mad Men in the same way that I know that the sled’s name is Rosebud: I’ve never seen it but that is what I have been told. It’s not as though SNL is cutting edge; it is about as far from it as is humanly possible. But if I can’t recognize a host I am in trouble. Also, it stopped being funny once they got rid of Adam Sandler and David Spade. And whatever happened to Ellen Cleghorne anyway?

(Oh and do you know who the musical guest was the last time Charles Barkley hosted? Nirvana. Alicia Keys: Definite downgrade.)

American Idol: The new season starts this week! I was vaguely aware of the show when it was that fat guy going up against the Barry Manilow impersonator but I’ve completely lost track of the show. Apparently we no longer have Paula Abdul to kick around anymore, which will cause the show to…to…ok, what was her job anyway? Other than act like a complete whack job? Basically, this show now consists of performers I don’t care about singing songs that I don’t like.

Prince’s 1999: Completely out of date yet no one has come up with another date that we are supposed to party like it’s. I guess I’ll stick with 1999 for the time being.

Two and a Half Men: Actually, this has bearing on no one’s life except for Charlie Sheen. If it wasn’t for his attorneys this show wouldn’t even be on the air.

Jersey Shore: I was remembering this week about the Real World: London cast in which the producers a) sent them on an Outward Bound style team building activity and b) took a safari trip to Africa. Fifteen years later we have the Jersey Shore in which, well, stuff happens. Take basically the worst people you knew in college and have them invite over their douchebag friends and watch the punches fly. This show doesn’t cast negative aspersions on the people of New Jersey; it passes negative aspersions on the human race.

Yes, I have now become a curmudgeonly old man. Sigh.

9th Best Album of the Decade: Josh Rouse “1972” (2003): I was completely unaware of Josh Rouse until a few years ago. Now he is bar none one of my favorite performers. There is just something about his voice that puts me in the right perspective. I can’t really explain it other than there are some performers who you just get. 1972 is his masterpiece with its lush, early 70’s inspired sound. Even in this clip with just Josh and his guitar you can get a sense of how full it is. “We’re going through the changes / and hoping for replacement / until we find a way out of this hole.”



The five random CDs for the week:
1) Bruce Robison, Charlie Robison, Jack Ingram “Unleashed Live”
2) The Subdudes “Behind the Levee”
3) Liz Phair “Whip Smart”
4) Gillian Welch “Revival”
5) Josh Ritter “In the Dark”