TUNES? WE GOT TUNES

What’s with the memes all of a sudden? I got this one handed to me by Cowtown Pattie, who in turn got it from Bunker Mulligan, who sports two of my most overused Golf Nouns. Since I’m in a “what the hell” kind of mood, I’m just gonna dive right in.

1. What is the total volume of musical files on your computer?

Right now, I’m at The Great Corporate Salt Mine, where .mp3 files are verboten. On my home computer, I probably have about a hundred or so song files. On my last ’puter, I had somewhere north of 1,100 files, but I offloaded them all to CD-ROM to free up disk space. Unlike my iPod-toting daughter, the Mistress of Sarcasm, I don’t usually listen to tunes on the computer.

2. What song are you listening to right now?

Nothing right now. Yes, I can play CD’s on my office computer, but since I rarely do, I took my good speakers home to use on our new machine. So most of my listening is in the car. Today’s selection: Linton Kwesi Johnson, Reggae Greats. Linton is not your “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” kind of reggae performer - he is serious.

3. Last CD I bought?

The last music CD I bought was the original Broadway cast album of Monty Python’s Spamalot. Accompanying it in the nice big box from Amazon was a comedy CD/DVD set, Mitch All Together - the late Mitch Hedberg’s swan song.

4. Five songs you listen to a lot and which mean something to you:

Only five, huh? You realize that this is ridiculous.

Onyonghasayo, Skankin’ Pickle - Infectious and fun, but otherwise meaningless - with incomprehensible Korean lyrics.

Inca Roads, Frank Zappa - Picking just one piece out of the Zappa oeuvre is practically impossible, but this one has got everything: demented vocals, a science-fictiony subtext, and a synthesizer solo that’ll curl your hair.

Strawberry Fields Forever, The Beatles - Same comment applies. A Day In The Life, A Little Help From My Friends, In My Life are just a few of the Beatles songs that just never seem to get old.

Thunder Road, Bruce Springsteen - When Born To Run came out, I used to love coming home from work and listening to Thunder Road at earsplitting volume. There’s something about the combined effect of the plaintive intro, the thunderous conclusion, and the lyrics, which speak of breaking away from our mundane, ordinary lives to seek love and adventure, that make this the Quintessential Springsteen Tune.

We Used To Know, Jethro Tull - From Jethro Tull’s superb second album, Stand Up, comes this song that instantly transports me back to the spring of my freshman year in college. “The bad old days, they came and went, giving way to fruitful years.” Yeah, they did.

5. Five people to pass the baton to:

I am not much of a baton-passer in these matters, but I will pass this one on to Karen, Rox, and Jim. Why them? Because they often write about the tunes they listen to. And Jim, in particular, shares some of my demented musical taste. Karen, sorry about two tags in two days - if you set phasers to “ignore,” I’ll understand.

Oh, and Donna, who hates memes. Donna, ignore this one if you think it smells like last week’s fish - but you’re a Musical Mama and...well, I am curious.

You wanted five? Sorry. Five is getting a bit aggressive in the Meme-Propagation Area...four is just gonna have to do, Tex!