For the Birds and Such
Tink’s Corner July 20
•I realized I’m not listening to enough music. I don’t know why. Ronda is constantly playing music: Elvis, The Statler Brothers, Loretta Lynn, Jason Aldean, Jamey Johnson. And while I enjoy much of her music, it’s not my music. (Who’d’ve guessed we’d have terrifically divergent tastes in music?) So, I played Brooks & Dunn’s Red Dirt Road. Don’t know why that particular song, beloved by Ronda, was the first I chose but I did. In part, the lyrics are, “It’s where I drank my first beer/It’s where I found Jesus/Where I wrecked my first car/I tore it all to pieces/I learned the path to heaven/Is full of sinners and believers.” And then, later, and what’s most important here, I suppose, “I’ve come to know there’s life at both ends/Of that red dirt road.” I’ll post a YouTube link, below, to Brooks and Dunn performing Red Dirt Road.
•I then threw on The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (50 Anniversary Remastered) and listened to five instrumental versions from that album. Brian Wilson was just 23 at the time and so wildly talented. Each song he wrote (while the other “Boys” were out, on the road) is deeply layered and rich. I believe most, if not all, of the album was recorded live, in-studio — everyone in one, large room with microphones and cables strung all over the place*, just where Brian knew they needed to be to achieve the remarkable sounds. After this, of course, I got interrupted and that was that. At least, I’ve taken notice of my musical malnutrition.
*I recently had an interesting conversation with Ben Isaacs about the importance of using and positioning the correct microphone. Who knew?
•The Birds get a bad rap in Hitchcock’s movie of the same name but recently I took a cue from Marc Jolley (Director of Mercer University Press and Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Mercer) about bird watching. And not just for their music. No sooner had I done that than Ronda, trimming a magnolia, found a nest at the top. She immediately stopped working, of course, and spied on the babies inside and the mother who soon returned. I’ve been observing the mom’s diligence in finding food and staying close. Anyway, whether you put on music or simply listen to the birds (or other sounds) around you, you’ll know whether you’re listening enough.