#737: More writing projects....

"Well I know it sounds funny, but I'm not in it for the money, no...."
Hey there. This is probably going to sound boring and self-serving of me, but I'm still writing my ass off Out Here every chance I get. I would LOVE to be writing fiction, short stories, novels -- but non-fiction and memoirs are the only things that seem to Want to Come Out, so....
* Am currently halfway through proofreading a memoir about growing-up in Idaho with my wild-ass older step-brother -- the book is called BROTHERS. I hit some of the main points of this story in a post here a couple years back called "My Brother From Another Mother" -- look it up if you feel brave. One of my Faithful Readers Out There has been waiting to read The Rest Of This Story for more than 30 years....
You can trust that this tale will feature all the Drama and Angst you probably remember from back when you were a teenager -- no matter how hard you've tried to block it all out. Or was that just me?
Once I've made sure the basic story's all in English, I feel like all I gotta do is call up my step-brother back in Michigan -- who I haven't talked to since 1975 -- and see if he still remembers who the hell I am. Then I'll see if he wants to talk. And if he doesn't ... that won't surprise me too much either.
The eight months covered by this memoir will include the first time I ever got REALLY close to girls(!), the first time I ever smoked pot, the first time I ever committed petty theft ... should be fun. I'll keep you posted as I get closer to getting it finished.
* Am about halfway through LISTEN TO THIS!: TAD'S GUIDE TO STRANGE MUSIC. Have gotten a lot of reviews written -- more than 100 artists included, more than 500 albums mentioned.
But it's disappointing me. So far, it doesn't seem DIFFERENT ENOUGH from some other music guides out there. So I'm re-thinking my approach. By the time I'm done, it might read more like a bunch of blog posts or nostalgia pieces rather than a book of record reviews -- and that's fine with me. Might as well explain HOW I stumbled over Yes and Genesis and Renaissance back-asswardly from everybody else, WHY I have problems with Peter Gabriel's voice, etc. Plus I have some listening gaps I'd like to fill in before the book's done. So that's in the works....
* Also have that Rock Group Novel cooking, but other than some minor additions I made while I bashed it all into the World's Smallest Laptop, I don't think I've added more than 500 NEW words to it in the last month or so. I'm still not sure where it's headed. So that might be a dead end. I'll still be looking at it....
* Also, while unable to sleep a couple nights ago, I finally decided that it's time to pull together a GAS NAZI! book. That will take the most outrageous stuff from my GAS NAZI! blog and add a TON more outrageous Real Life stories that have never been published anywhere before. I sat down on Sunday and bashed-up off the top of my head a couple pages' worth of notes and incidents that should be included in the book, so I don't think I'm gonna have too much trouble pulling that one together.... Besides, I've been on the job for 10 years -- what better way to mark it?
All of these will probably end up as Kindle e-books available through Amazon.com's Kindle Store -- so if you've got a Kindle, or a Kindle app for your iPad or whatever (I'm REALLY low-tech), I hope you'll watch for them and help your local struggling hack writer build up a few extra $$$ toward his retirement.
While you're waiting, my record-store memoir GUARANTEED GREAT MUSIC! is still available at Amazon.com, along with its playlist/companion RECORD STORE DAZE -- which should have been part of GGM, except that I was an idiot. Both those are available for $2.99. I think GGM is worth much more -- and so do those two folks who have reviewed GGM so far at Amazon. And one of those reviews I didn't even PAY for! Hahahahahaha.... Hmmm, tough crowd....
But the BIG news is -- you can get a copy of my newspaper-career memoir, THE CONFESSOR, for FREE through Feb. 21, just by punching-in the title at Amazon's Kindle Store -- just like, my Ghod, 45 people already have as of 7 p.m. Monday. Or you can punch in my Real Name -- which is Tracy Deaton -- and you can call up all the stuff that's out there with my name on it. I don't make any money on the freebies, but I just wanna get the book out there and see what people think....
This is really shameless, and I apologize for that. But there's a reason I'm not blogging so much anymore, and this is it.
Besides, to be a little too honest, ever since my best friend Don Vincent died unexpectedly a couple of years ago, I've felt like The Clock Is Running, and I need to Get Some Work Done. I plan to be around for a long time -- I feel better than I have in years -- but you know what Motivation can be like....
Too bad I couldn't have done this stuff in my 20's or 30's....

#736: Beatles 50/50

So how 'bout those four moptops from Liverpool? You think they'll ever catch on?
Last night while I was working, I was twiddling the radio dial back and forth and happened to stumble over a (I assume) syndicated special marking the Beatles' 50th anniversary of conquering America. The special was called "The Beatles: 50 for 50," and longtime Seattle rock station KJR was running it. I'm sure it must have appeared in your area, too, or will. Hope some of you out there caught it.
The countdown claimed to be playing the 50 "most important" Beatles songs ever, and Good Luck with that. The countdown wasn't based on sales, just on "significance," whatever that means in this context.
Whoever put the list together wasn't the most knowledgeable Beatles fan, since their pick for Most Important Beatles Song Ever was "Yesterday." Ha. Yeah, there's more versions of "Yesterday" out there by more artists than any other song ever, but Most Important Beatles Song? Nah.
My pick, "A Day in the Life," came in fourth. And "In My Life" was right up there in the Top 5 too, kind of a surprise.
But I don't think the placings mean all that much. What got me was the number of songs included on the list that you don't hear much on the radio -- and the number of mistakes the compilers made.
I was delighted to hear some of the Fabs' more off-the-wall stuff -- hearing "Rain" was what made me stop twiddling knobs and listen in 'til I could figure out what was going on. They also played "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "She Said She Said," and I thought maybe whoever put together this list might have had half a brain.
But then they ID'd "Please Please Me" as the Fabs' "debut single" -- before playing "Love Me Do" only a few minutes later....
They also claimed John "wrote the four Beatles' autobiographies" in "Come Together." First time I've ever heard that theory, and I listened closely to see if the lyrics actually support that idea. Clearly one of the verse-portraits there is John ... but it doesn't seem like there's quite enough detail there to solidly ID the others -- unless it's details you and I wouldn't know. I always thought John was just talking about himself, anyway. But whatever.
They played a few old favorites I hadn't heard in awhile -- "Helter Skelter;" "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End;" "I Am the Walrus," which is still just as much fun to sing along with as it ever was. And couldn't David Bowie do a great version of "Walrus"?
I was also impressed with how the songs gain in emotional power and impact when you string a bunch of them together in this kind of format. Even stuff I don't normally like that much -- "Let it Be," "The Long and Winding Road," "Strawberry Fields Forever" -- stuff that wore out for me a long time ago, still sounded better in a countdown format. Even tired old "Hey Jude" sounded pretty good. Even "The Ballad of John and Yoko." Still can't take "Get Back," though.
Was happy to hear the simple, joyful "Eight Days a Week" -- and "Ticket to Ride," "Twist and Shout," "She Loves You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "A Hard Day's Night," "Back in the USSR," "Help!," all the ravers. "Eleanor Rigby" sounded great, too. I think "Yellow Submarine"'s pretty worn-out except for the silliness at the end. But oh man, "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" -- what a production!
But why didn't "Paperback Writer" place higher? Where's "Got to Get You into My Life"? "Everybody's Trying to be My Baby"? "There's a Place"? "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"? "I Saw Her Standing There"? "I'm Down" -- one of the best B-sides ever....
We all could go on for YEARS about what their best songs were. But how 'bout their WORST? Was it "Revolution 9"? Or "Mr. Moonlight"? "Wild Honey Pie"? Your pick?
Of course these are all Timeless Memories. Of course they Changed Our Lives. Goes without saying. This just in.
Great nostalgia, anyway....