Somewhere towards the end of 1997/the beginning of 1998, David and I saw Kasi Lemmons' outstanding film, Eve's Bayou. It was one of the last movies we saw at the theatre across from our house at Miller Square. At this point, it had become a dollar theatre, really crappy & rundown, with the stickiest floors known to man and yes, bugs flying through the air. Somehow it was incredible that Eve's Bayou, a critically acclaimed but little-known indie film was playing there, considering that they usually showed mostly big movies (albeit months after their initial release). The film is one of my all-time favorites, possibly my favorite American film of the late '90s. Kasi Lemmons wrote poetry and captured it so perfectly. Here's the trailer:
We both adored the film. In fact, when I got my first DVD player in the summer of 1998, Eve's Bayou was the first movie I bought. I especially loved the music: both Terence Blanchard's gorgeous score (which is still up there with Patrick Doyle's score for Great Expectations and Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks music as my all-time favorite movie score) and the songs chosen for the soundtrack. I bought the CD and I'm not lying or exaggerating when I say that this simple act changed me forever.
I was initially taken with Erkyah Badu's contribution, "Child with the blues," having been a fan of her perfect debut album, Baduizm. But what surprised me was how deeply I fell for two of the older tracks. The first being a song recorded by Etta James called "Sunday kind of love." I seem to remember that her iconic recording of "At last" had yet to be played in every single movie or commercial, so when I followed up my love for the song by purchasing the album it was taken from At Last, hearing the title track was a revelation. I didn't have a lot of experience with the blues or classic R&B, but it hooked right into my heart. Soon enough, I became addicted to The Essential Etta James, and from then on I bought as many Etta CDs as I could find. (Nothing will ever top At Last and Tell Mama for me)
The second track that had a giant effect on me was "Trouble in mind." A blues song performed by jazz god Louis Armstrong, with Velma Middleton on vocals, "Trouble in mind" connected with me immediately. I tried to find more recordings by Velma, but without much success. Instead, I picked up The Best of Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald on Verve and had another life changing experience.
an uncharacteristically long post. i recommend hitting play on this video first. (i also recommend pretending there is no backing vocalist)
December 16, 1997
As part of my birthday, my mom, Dave and I went to Lilith Fair when it came to Florida for the first time. There was an amazing line up that included Letters to Cleo, Missy Elliot, Luscious Jackson, Indigo Girls and Sarah McLachlan. The standout moment for me was Chantal Kreviazuk singing this song.
About a month earlier, I had quit Toys R Us after 5 years (and two weeks) and was quite happy to just be spending the Holiday season with my family instead of Geoffrey the Giraffe. This is a review I wrote at the time, parts of which actually made me blush a little.
Subj: Lilith Fair Holiday Show- rundown Date: 97-12-17 02:23:50 EST
Hi everybody- back & barely awake, but since my capacity to remember things is embarrassingly small, thought I'd post this now.
3:35- Village Stage- Mary Karlzen Just Mary & Mark (?) playing acoustic guitars. Don't remember any of the titles, but I loved the songs. Will actually be going out tomorrow to hunt down "SHOUTING AT MARY" I don't think I ever did. Very funny coupla people. (note: cute guy on stage)
4:05- Village Stage- Kacy Crowley Hmmm. Jury's out. I liked the first song, not the second. Liked the third, not the next. Was kind of taken aback when she was about to start & I turned around & swore for half a second that it was Ani Difranco. She's just a wee little thing.
4:25- B Stage- Chantal Kreviazuk Okay, big surprise. I had 2 of her songs on compilations- "Hand" which I didn't like at all, and "God Made Me" which has grown on me. The songs she sang that were NOT "Hand" I fell in love with. Sorta reminded me of a calmer Paula Cole. Nice lady, too. Will look up her album. Under These Rocks and Stones
5:05- B Stage- Letters To Cleo My first big thrill of the day. They're favorites of mine. Set list more or less: Fast Way/Awake/I Got Time (!!!)/Anchor/something i forgot/Big Star (!!!)/Here & Now. It's quite possible there was another song in there, too, but that's mostly it. Kay gave me this whole vibe that for some odd reason made me recall seeing Belinda Carlisle & the Go-Go's back when I was in sixth grade. Rockin' band. First time I got to see 'em live. Very cool.(note: cute guys too)
5:30- Village Stage- Ana Gasteyer Ana (of SNL fame) was playing a character named Kimber. She was basically doing a parody of ultra-serious PC folk singer-type people. Hilarious! She did the "Basted In Blood" song that she performed with Sarah McLachlan on SNL a few weeks ago, as well as an anti-frankfurter song called "Sausage of Pain". She also did a whole monologue routine-rant about the Holidays that made me laugh my ass off & wonder if she's been lurking on the Indigo Girls mailing list lately...
5:50- Main Stage- Luscious Jackson Another group I like a lot. Their setup was a lot like the one Joan Osborne had when I saw her @ Lilith in Atlanta. I love it when there's a band and a DJ- it just makes things feel funky. (that was a little joke for anybody who's actually met me & heard me say "feel funky") Set list- Here/Strongman/Mood Swing/Naked Eye/Deep Shag/Why Do I Lie/Surprise. Kate S. is a kickass drummer!! I liked 'em, but I think I prefer their studio stuff.
6:25- B Stage- K's Choice This is the part when I ate dinner.
7:00- Main Stage- Missy Elliot Ok, I dig Missy. But apparently no one else did. The only time the crowd was even slightly into her was when she did "The Rain"- I really felt for the girl- She was feeling sick & giving it her best, but I don't think many people appreciated what she does. :( I don't think she even did her full set. What she DID do was: Sock it to me (!!)/ Beep Me 911/ some other song.../Supa Dupa Fly (the rain) There were dancers & they actually started the set by dancing to The Prodigy. I love you, Missy!!
7:50- Main Stage- Indigo Girls The best show I've seen. This was the first time I got to see A&E with Jerry on the drums & Sara Lee on bass. Very cool. (No Romeo & Juliet, sorry) They also brought out the others to play with 'em, which I loved. Here you go: Shame on You/Least Complicated/Shed Your Skin (with Missy Elliot hoppin' around & Kate from Luscious Jackson on drums!)/Get Out The Map/Tried to be True (with Sheryl Crow on accordian & backups)/Water is Wide (with Sheryl Crow & Sarah McLachlan)/Keep on Rockin' in the Free World (with K's Choice)/Scooter Boys/Galileo/Closer to Fine (with Sheryl, Sarah, K's Choice, Kacey, and Luscious Jackson) No broken strings, Amy wore the same outfit I saw her in last time, Sara lee played keyboards on Rockin' in the Free World.
9:00- Main Stage- Sheryl Crow Pretty groovy performance. By this point I was tired of standing, but she got me swinging again. But then again, I fall for anyone with a harmonica. Set: A Change/Sweet Rosalyn/If It Makes You Happy/Home/Every Day Is A Winding Road/Hard to Make a Stand/Leaving Las Vegas/All I Wanna Do (that's in no particular order) Hard to Make a Stand was the highlight, imho. ;) Also, Sheryl had a cold :(
10:10- Main Stage- Sarah Mclachlan Uh-huh!! My girl rocked. A much better performance than the Atlanta LF, I felt. Before she even stepped out, we were all on our feet. Amazing energy for a buncha freezing Floridians (tech note: A freezing Floridian is a Floridian in weather under 60 degrees) I may feel that she was better cuz I loved the set: Sweet Surrender/Wait/Hold On/Building A Mystery/Angel/Good Enough Possession/Ice Cream Definitely my Mom's favorite act. (Mom also thought that Kacy was sort of like Bob Dylan -not a compliment from her- Didn't dig Missy (shock), thought that Luscious Jackson were talented but not her style, Loved Mary Karlzen & Chantal, thought LtC were "very energetic"- Loved Ana G's act, Sheryl Crow, and most importantly the Indigo Girls. ;)
Finale- Main Stage- Everyone but Missy E & Ana G- "Big Yellow Taxi". Highlight of the night, for sure! And I laughed my ass off when the girls behind me asked if that was one of Sarah's songs. The answer- "No, not hers, but I think it's one of those chicks" sacrilege.
next time: i'm on a lonely road that leads to nowhere
Lisa's turn to visit! She came to Florida to see an Indigo Girls show with me. By this point, Lisa was probably an even bigger fan of the Girls than me. Living in Atlanta, she was right in the middle of things and ended up introducing me to so much great local music and has gotten to know a ton of fellow IG fans. This time around, we saw them play in West Palm Beach. We met Greta, who had also come down from Atlanta, during this show, actually! Honestly, being a fan of the band has led to so many happy experiences and great people. So it's a good kind of obsession to have.
next time: i was there when you were young and strong and perverted and all the things that make a young man a star
August 1, 1997: While staying with Lisa and her parents, I was introduced by her mom, Gay, to the musical Jekyll & Hyde, which starred Robert Cuccioli and Linda Eder. We actually watched a bit of a bootleg performance, I believe, and I fell in love with Linda Eder's voice and the song "Someone like you."
Soon I was picking up both the Broadway cast album as well as Linda's solo album, It's Time. Linda's voice is often compared to Streisand, and it's true. She's got a lovely, strong... buttery voice. But while Streisand's sense of humor only comes out in live recordings now, Eder retains a sense of fun and not taking herself too seriously. Over the years I've continued to listen to her albums, from her amazing collection of Broadway songs (with her knock-out version of "Man of La Mancha") to her recent collection of movie music.
To this day, "Someone like you" remains one of my favorite songs, and Linda Eder's version is the one I'll always treasure. For someone with a romantic soul who's perennially in unrequited love, the song is perfect.
next time: let's put on some tunes & sing along to Doolittle all day / go down to the riverside, take off our clothes & wash these sins away
August 1, 1997 My mom, Dave and I set off for another visit to my Aunt Charlotte's in Cleveland, Georgia. However, Dave and I made a stop along the way in Atlanta, where we stayed with Lisa for a couple of days to attend the first Lilith Fair. I mean, how could I possibly resist when 80% of my musical love is for girls with guitars? On that day, we saw Fiona Apple, Susanna Hoffs, Joan Osborne (who sang an amazing version of her song "Ladder"), Jewel and Sarah McLachlan. Emmylou Harris was there as well, but at this point I wasn't much of a fan and I think we used that time to visit the food stands. It was the first time I got to see Sarah live and the only time I've ever seen Fiona Apple play.
Whenever a track from Joan's album Relish plays on my ipod, I remember how much I liked it. I also really liked some of the songs from her second disc, Righteous Love even better.
next time: if someone like you found someone like me then suddenly nothing would ever be the same
Until recent years, my favorite time of the year has always been Christmas. It may be due to the fact that December found us celebrating my birthday, then my mom's and then Christmas, so it's always been an exciting month. As a kid, December could never get here fast enough for me. One of my favorite parts of December was also Christmas music. We always listened to tons of it at my house. But even better was singing in the school choir and giving our yearly holiday concert!
At Cypress Elementary we had a music teacher, Miss Paulen, who I adored and is probably a big reason I love music so much. In my memory she looks like Jane Adams. But what's interesting is that for someone who has a very bad memory about my younger days, one of my earliest memories, one that is indelibly written on my brain is being in kindergarten and learning a song from Miss Paulen, perched on a stool and strumming her guitar. "Red and yellow and pink and green / purple and orange and blue / i can sing a rainbow..." I took part in the school choir every year of elementary school. I remember doing a duet at one of the concerts with some girl, who was sick the day we were reprising the show for the younger grades at a school assembly, leaving me to sing "My favorite things" alone. I remember one concert during my 6th grade year was a Cabbage Patch Kid musical. There were two Ricks in choir and one of us was supposed to be the understudy for whoever played the guy who discovered the Cabbage Patch. When we did the show for the school, Miss Paulen asked Rick to take over and I excitedly went backstage, jumping out to act all amazed at the Cabbage Patch Kids growing in the garden (growing in the sun), only to see the other Rick as I walked offstage looking SERIOUSLY pissed. Oh my god, I was a grade school Eve Harrington!
Anyway, the point is that there was one song we used to sing with Miss Paulen every Christmas that I was wild about, because I had never heard it on any of my parents Christmas records and didn't get to sing it any other time... and it goes like this:
I went on a cruise to celebrate the wedding of my friend Rosie. One thing I remember about it was that there was this guy who reminded me a lot of Nick Brendon- this was right around the time Buffy had started- and I kept seeing him and really wanted to talk to him. But didn't. And Savage Garden played like 100x, forcing me to like this song. But what I remember most was how beautiful and peaceful it was, sitting alone in the dark on the deck of the ship, out on the water, getting lost in the stars above. Total bliss. I wish I could feel that way all the time.
------- June 14, 1997: Subj: the cruise and everything after Date: 97-06-14 04:22:39 EDT From: RbSayre
So I went on this cruise to nowhere tonight.
Really cool. My first cruise. The food kinda sucked, but a girl bought me a drink so I danced with her. I lost 10 bucks at the freaking slots. I had 3 rum and cokes. I tried desperately to find the guy who was sort of a Nick Brendon lookalike, to no avail (until after we had departed the ship and I was waiting for everyone, then he sat right next to me and by then I'd lost my nerve.) I spent the last hour or maybe hour and a half so peaceful and content, sitting on the top deck at the back of the boat with the sea breeze and the stars. And at night it's so dark you can't see where the sky ends and the water begins, so it's almost as if you're flying in outer space...
But maybe that's the 3 rum and cokes. Shit, I was gonna say something else. Oh yeah, old people dancing the YMCA are funny.
next time: you're giving me crooked answers • i'm cracking your little code • i'm learning another language • so full it's about to explode
A few years ago, I decided that I would make an autobiographical mixtape of songs. I love music more than just about anything in the world (except for maybe movies), so many of my memories are connected to songs. Now in the age of itunes, I've turned these songs into the mother of all playlists and thought it might be fun to blog about the songs and the memories that go along with them.
