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12-23-02 // 9.41 am propping mountains up on matchsticks NP: David Gray - "White Ladder" There's something very magical about albums like this, ones that feel like they were birthed whole, you know? The song Say Hello Wave Goodbye is one of the very few where I can't decide whether I like the original (Soft Cell) or the cover (Mr. Gray) better. Usually, I have a clear cut preference with these sorts of things. I'm usually of the opinion that covers don't bring significantly enough new to the song to make it non-redundant. There are exceptions, but for the most part... But with this one, man it's good. I mean, let's take the original first. It's Marc Almond sounding all androgynous and sleazy, sounding like a user and a deadbeat, more manipulative than sincere. It's romantic, but in a trashy, early '80s synth pop sort of way. Now, David Gray gets a hold of it and suddenly it becomes a 10 minute acoustic epic -- like some lost Dylan thing from the mid '70s. Gray gives the song soul, somehow. It's romantic and almost regretful The lyrics are exactly the same (save for a few lines of Van Morrisson thrown in near the end for good measure), but the intent sounds completely different. It's as beautiful as the original, but in its own unique way. So I'm sitting here at my desk at work on a Monday morning. The drive over was painless -- to be honest, I sort of made it on autopilot. Do you ever have mornings like that, where you just go because your brain has been programmed to go? Anyway, my stomach is feeling kind of funky, and the slight caffeine buzz from earlier is wearing off. I don't want to be here today, I'd rather be at home. I feel like I'm just counting out time today. Someone called our apartment at like midnight last night, waking me up. I asked Erin who it was and she said to just go back to sleep. Must've been a wrong number or something. But still. Being woken up by the phone is a weird experience. First you have that strange, subconcious feeling that something external is happening. By the time you figure out it's the phone, it's either stopped ringing, or it's on the last ring. If you somehow manage to summon up the manual dexterity needed to pick the thing up and turn it on, you're invariably left babbling like a caveman to whomever is on the other end. "Mrmwwkdfhello?". It's not pretty. Tonight Erin's aunt is taking everyone out to dinner, which is really nice of her. Tuesday is Christmas Eve, which I have off. I figure we'll sleep in, then finish up any leftover present wrapping, then it's off to my grandparents' (mom's side) at dinnertime. That's always my absolute favorite part of Christmas, that Eve night with that family. It'll be sort of strange being in a new house (my grandparents moved this summer from the house they'd lived in for about fifty years), but the people will be the same. Which is what's really important. Christmas day Erin and I are going to wake up and have our own Christmas. Then it's off to my other grandparents' house for a little while, before we head back over to spend the rest of the day with Erin's family. It'll be busy and a lot of rushing around, but it's always worth it. Oh, and I almost forgot -- Ryan S and I are both off on Thursday, so we're going to meet up for lunch and then go see "The Two Towers". Rock on. There's basically nothing better in the world than when Erin smiles at me. Seriously, she'll just be sitting there next to me, and I'll glance over, and *bam*. So incredible. Mmm...wish I was back home with her right now. Got the news this morning that Joe Strummer died this morning. Completely out of the blue. Apparently it was a heart attack. Damn. It's really sad when someone so brilliant dies so (relatively) young. In any case, at some point tonight I'm going to have to listen to "The Clash" and "London Calling". And of course, (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais (a live version, preferrably). It's tough to get motivated today. It's like that last day before winter or summer vacation when you were in grade school. Oh man, I've only been here for like an hour and a half so far. This day is never going to end.
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