Music for the Cyborg

Remember how scared we were of robots back in the 1980s?



Lyrics | Dennis DeYoung - Mr. Roboto lyrics

At least things have changed... we aren't as scared of the Japanese as we used to be.

(even though robotophobia is still around)


 Subscribe in a reader

Rush: 2112

Call me old-fashioned, but in many ways I am still much more tied to the music of my growing-up years than I feel I can ever be to the things you find coming out today. Perhaps that is true for everyone. Maybe we are just put together in such a way that the music of our formative years will continue to resonate with us as we grow up in a way that nothing else quite can. I have a friend who refers to this as “the soundtrack of a life,” because the music we grow up with becomes so intertwined with the experiences of growth. Perhaps there is something to that.

So, that said, I suppose it would not be surprising that I would call a more-than-30-year old piece “Music of the Future.” My labeling it thus has nothing to do with when the piece was written, obviously, but has more to do with the piece’s connection with the sort of books and movies that speculate about possible futures for humanity, and explore those possibilities in artistic form. For me, Rush’s “concept album” 2112 is a nice fit into this genre of speculative fiction.


You can read the rest of this article, with some thoughts about the lyrics of Neil Peart, on my main blog. Admittedly, though, there's not near enough space in a single post to do justice to the band (or the man's) genius. Perhaps it is an issue I will revisit from time to time.




 Subscribe in a reader

Wally's R and B

I love good music. R&B, Jazz, Classic Rock... when it comes down to it, I have more of a taste for oldies on the radio than I do for most newer music. And when I do find newer music that I like, it tends to be a throwback to the style of the oldies.

I've had a lot of fun the last couple of years introducing oldies to my newphews and to my godchildren. I've got one nephew who will pretty much stop whatever he is doing to come and dance to me if I start to sing "Down By the Riverside," and another who seems to answer to "Hey Good Looking" as if it were his name. My godchildren can list every song on my Beatles CD in order, and love listening to it when they ride in the truck with me. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was an early favorite with them, and "All My Loving," which the 4-year-old early on mistook for "All My Nothing," has become a standard joke between us. The older one has recently developed a taste for "A Hard Day's Night," but complained to me over the weekend that she has trouble fitting the words all in when she tries to sing it.

Wally's R & B is precisely to my taste in music. Their blend of oldies, with Rhythm and Blues, jazz, and doo-wop forming the anchors, is very pleasant listening for me over the weekend. If you're an oldies' fan like me, tune in and listen to internet radio over your broadband connection. The show airs on Saturday between 3PM and 6PM EST, and it is worth listening to.



 Subscribe in a reader