I've talked a little about the Big Crazy I fell into when I quit smoking. It's more or less beginning to subside now...over a year later. (June 14...one-year anniversary), but some changes are going to be permanent.
I can breathe better, I can sing again, and slightly higher than last time I could do it at all.
And I'm in love with music again. Seriously, love, like when I was a kid.
Every moment in the car I've got the stereo blasting; and at home, too, when I'm doing stuff that doesn't take concentration. I haven't been like that since my late 20's, when I was majoring in Radio & Television (officially: "Broadcast Communication Arts") at San Francisco State University, and was a disc jockey at the college station.
My DJ name was supposed to be Roxy Derringer. But I always opened the show with the song "Roxy Roller", and it didn't take before that's what everyone called me. Ah well... I was a little old for the "bubble gum on her knees..." but what the hell. I went with it.
Anyway...one of my new found musical passions is Zydeco! Man, I'm completely in love with the whole traditional, accordion-fiddle-French thing. I'm even toying with taking Rosetta Stone French just so I can talk Cajun.
My playlist includes these artists. (If you've got suggestions of songs and artists, please let me know in the comments!):
The Mudbugs
Lynn August and the Hot August Knights
Zachary Richard
Zydeco Force
Geno Delafose
Doug Kershaw
This is some seriously good-time, happy-time music. I mean it. You can't feel bad, stay mad, or feel sad listening to this stuff. It is absolutely "Laissez le bon temps rouler" (
"Let the good times roll") music.
See....
French. As the Urban Dictionary says, "
it strongly conveys the joie de vivre (joy of living)..."
Uh-huh.
Here is an amazing tune that the JuJu Man turned me onto
on his blog. (Click through to the video - but not until you finish reading this post, of course!)
It's The Ventures playing Peter Gunn, but—check it out—with only guitars; no sax. When you hear it you'll recognize how different it is than the usual version. And the guitar is great. It is a ROCKIN' tune.
Unfortunately, the album it's on,
New Depth, is no longer available, so you can't get a copy of it. I mean, there is not a copy of this song ANYWHERE! But I did some research, 'cause I had to have it on my ipod, etc. So in a comment on the post, I explain how to extract the mp3 from the YouTube video, so you can have a portable audio version you can play anywhere.
Trust me, you're gonna want one.
You will not be able to sit still while listening to this song.
Don't. Even. Try. You'll get, like, some kind of stress fracture, Dude.
Be sure and turn it WAY UP.
Duane Eddy was a guest on this Ventures' album, which made me go check his old stuff out. And holy shit! That's some badass twangy guitar hero stuff, man: Ramrod, Rebel Rouser, Honky Tonk...et all.
Driving is going to be even more fun now.
The only problem is, this rockin' music makes me drive way fast. It's either gonna be the death of me, or land me in jail...
But what a way to go.
The Gunslinger
