Content: Free Bird
Introduction: Not the greatest guitar solo (hello Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah), not the best stadium rock song (hello Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer), not the most iconic southern rock song (hello Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Southern Rock), but the best combination of all three, Free Bird is number one with a bullet on the list of “Top Five Songs John is Most Likely to Yell Out at Any Live Concert Regardless of Venue, Genre or Audience.” I’m such a fan that Alicia questioned my “Johnhood” (her word, not mine) for not writing about it yet.
Dream’s Age at Introduction: 2
Reason for That Age: I want Dream to be old enough to really dig the rhythms, guitars and drums of the epic instrumental portion at the end. Babies bounce around to music at all ages (and Dream already responds very favorably to sea chanties, as evidence by his/her reaction to the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival we attended a few weeks ago), but I picture Dream fully walking, holding some sort of plastic guitar, and thrashing around with me to the guitar duet and drum work during the last 5-45 minutes of the song.
What I Want Dream to Get Out of It: I hope this begins a respectful relationship between Dream and southern rock, frequently the form of rock music with the most pathos and ethos. I suppose I also want Dream to gain further exposure to my “Johnhood,” but the poor kid is going to get that in spades already.
Be content,
John
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Poetry and Whimsical Loss
Content: Casey at the Bat
Introduction: For anyone who loves baseball and the spoken word, Casey at the Bat is required reading. Originally written in 1885 by a former Harvard Lampoon author for a Hearst paper, its spirit is adequately summed up by Albert Spalding (a late 19th century pitcher, who started with the original Boston Red Stockings club that is better known today as the Atlanta Braves): “Love has its sonnets galore. War has its epics in heroic verse. Tragedy its sombre story in measured lines. Baseball has Casey at the Bat.”
Dream’s Age at Introduction: 4 or 5
Reason for That Age: Dream has no idea what he or she is in for as a sports fan. God help this child if it does not have a deep and abiding love for the Boston Red Sox. I’m a fan of baseball the game, and my favorite baseball team is the Boston Red Sox. This distinguishing me from my wife in a subtle way: She is a fan of the Boston Red Sox, and because they play baseball, she suffers baseball. If the Red Sox played curling, she would watch curling. If they baked, she would watch baking. But because the Sox play baseball, she likes to have baseball on in the background almost every night during the season. So everyone’s life will be a little bit easier if Dream likes baseball and the Red Sox. So Casey at the Bat needs to come into his or her life at the junction of baseball awareness and the ability to listen to a poem for 10 minutes. I think 4 or 5 is a good age for that.
What I Want Dream to Get Out of It: Two things: A greater love of spoken word poetry and an appreciation that you must always try. No matter how good you are at anything, if you don’t try you lose.
Be content,
John
Introduction: For anyone who loves baseball and the spoken word, Casey at the Bat is required reading. Originally written in 1885 by a former Harvard Lampoon author for a Hearst paper, its spirit is adequately summed up by Albert Spalding (a late 19th century pitcher, who started with the original Boston Red Stockings club that is better known today as the Atlanta Braves): “Love has its sonnets galore. War has its epics in heroic verse. Tragedy its sombre story in measured lines. Baseball has Casey at the Bat.”
Dream’s Age at Introduction: 4 or 5
Reason for That Age: Dream has no idea what he or she is in for as a sports fan. God help this child if it does not have a deep and abiding love for the Boston Red Sox. I’m a fan of baseball the game, and my favorite baseball team is the Boston Red Sox. This distinguishing me from my wife in a subtle way: She is a fan of the Boston Red Sox, and because they play baseball, she suffers baseball. If the Red Sox played curling, she would watch curling. If they baked, she would watch baking. But because the Sox play baseball, she likes to have baseball on in the background almost every night during the season. So everyone’s life will be a little bit easier if Dream likes baseball and the Red Sox. So Casey at the Bat needs to come into his or her life at the junction of baseball awareness and the ability to listen to a poem for 10 minutes. I think 4 or 5 is a good age for that.
What I Want Dream to Get Out of It: Two things: A greater love of spoken word poetry and an appreciation that you must always try. No matter how good you are at anything, if you don’t try you lose.
Be content,
John
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Content: Rudy
Introduction: A friend of mine from DC, Ken, went to Notre Dame. He loves Notre Dame. He cries every time he watches Rudy, and he’s not the only Notre Dame alum who does. Rudy is a love letter to Notre Dame. Its music, plot, and dialogue are all crafted to give substance to the mythic image of Notre Dame. Not the actual Notre Dame of today – a fairly well-regarded, conservative Catholic college with a middling Division I football program – but the Notre Dame that the school aspires to be, how it sees itself in a Mirror Erised. (Hey, how about that? A Harry Potter reference in the middle of Rudy!) Every school would love to have a movie like Rudy. It sells Notre Dame better than Notre Dame could ever sell itself.
Dream’s Age at Introduction: 8 or 9
Reason for That Age: To really get something out of Rudy, Dream needs to be old enough to understand a little bit of sports. He or she doesn’t have to like sports, but understanding sports is important. He or she also needs to be old enough to know the flavor of success that comes when you overcome disappointment in achieving it. I don’t mean like getting over Asperberger’s Syndrome to become a world champion ballroom dancer, but feeling frustrated with multiplying 7 and 8 for a while before tasting the sweet victory of 56 is sufficient. And at 8 or 9, Dream will be full of the wizardry and magic that starts to elude us as we get older, but will also be newly capable of feeling inspired in a way that is this movie’s bread and butter.
What I Want Dream to Get Out of It: Ideally, Dream will file this away and use it (consciously or not) when he or she runs into a big problem. I want Rudy to infiltrate Dream’s understanding of the hard work that is necessary to achieve your goals and dreams. I also hope Dream realizes that if your goals don’t require work and dedication, you need to find better dreams.
Be content,
John
Introduction: A friend of mine from DC, Ken, went to Notre Dame. He loves Notre Dame. He cries every time he watches Rudy, and he’s not the only Notre Dame alum who does. Rudy is a love letter to Notre Dame. Its music, plot, and dialogue are all crafted to give substance to the mythic image of Notre Dame. Not the actual Notre Dame of today – a fairly well-regarded, conservative Catholic college with a middling Division I football program – but the Notre Dame that the school aspires to be, how it sees itself in a Mirror Erised. (Hey, how about that? A Harry Potter reference in the middle of Rudy!) Every school would love to have a movie like Rudy. It sells Notre Dame better than Notre Dame could ever sell itself.
Dream’s Age at Introduction: 8 or 9
Reason for That Age: To really get something out of Rudy, Dream needs to be old enough to understand a little bit of sports. He or she doesn’t have to like sports, but understanding sports is important. He or she also needs to be old enough to know the flavor of success that comes when you overcome disappointment in achieving it. I don’t mean like getting over Asperberger’s Syndrome to become a world champion ballroom dancer, but feeling frustrated with multiplying 7 and 8 for a while before tasting the sweet victory of 56 is sufficient. And at 8 or 9, Dream will be full of the wizardry and magic that starts to elude us as we get older, but will also be newly capable of feeling inspired in a way that is this movie’s bread and butter.
What I Want Dream to Get Out of It: Ideally, Dream will file this away and use it (consciously or not) when he or she runs into a big problem. I want Rudy to infiltrate Dream’s understanding of the hard work that is necessary to achieve your goals and dreams. I also hope Dream realizes that if your goals don’t require work and dedication, you need to find better dreams.
Be content,
John
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