I dreamed last night that I had an opportunity to play live with some rock band. I lugged my amp up beside the stage and got ready to go on. For whatever reason, I decided that "Crossroads" by Cream would be a good choice to open with.
(I doubt I'd ever do that one live, btw. It requires too much hot dog soloing).
Anyway, the other guys in the band didn't know it, and kept suggesting all this popular radio fare that I'd never heard, and certainly couldn't play.
I never got to perform.
***
Wolfboy has figured out that he can stretch out bedtime by asking me to play him some songs on the guitar.
I tried out one I've re-learned, "She's Already Made Up Her Mind" by Lyle Lovett. Wolfboy wasn't in the mood. "Delia's Gone" was nixed as well.
I whipped out a quick verse/chorus from "Gimme Three Steps," and although he paid attention, he proclaimed that it wasn't rock 'n' roll.
He's grounded until he's 30.
Anyway, I played some of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" before knocking out an abbreviated "Copperhead Road" (Steve Earle, for those of you keeping score at home) and sending him to bed. He seemed to enjoy it (the song, not the going to bed part).
Everybody wins.
***
Someday I want to post a list of songs I'd do if I were performing.
If any of you are musicians, I'd certainly like to hear your potential set list. Stuff YOU'D want to play.
***
Headed to bed soon. Maybe in tonight's dream I'll actually get to pick a little.
***
My dad has an interesting blog. As I write this, I can't recall if I've linked to it on this page. Surely I have. Anyway, if you don't see a link, look up Gulf Coast Boy. Some really good storytelling from the Briscoe patriarch.
***
Good night.
4 comments:
Wolfboy thought "Gimme Three Steps" wasn't rock & roll??? But he's too young to be burned out on that song.
Hmm...songs I'd want to play in a set if I was onstage...do you mean songs I already know and am comfortable with, or pie-in-the-sky songs I've always dreamed I could play?
I mean right now. Spotlight hits you, mic's in front of you... it's go time.
Oddly, I lean towards ballads these days when I play by myself. So I'd probably play the Swell Season's "Falling Slowly" (though it's a vocal challenge for me), Steve Wynn's "The Deep End" and, if I can memorize the damn thing, Big Star's "Nightime." Likely Townes Van Zandt's "To Live is to Fly" as the closing song.
I'd probably throw in the Porcupine Tree songs I'm most comfortable with: "Lazarus," "Trains," "Even Less," "Drown With Me," "Sentimental." I haven't played 'em in a while, but I suppose I could get "Piano Lessons" and "Buying New Soul" back down (though the lyrics to the latter continue to bedevil me).
I imagine I'd also play "May Ballad" and "The Former Miss Ontario," the two Music Lovers songs I've learned. I'm pretty comfortable with those, even though they're a vocal strain. I'd probably toss in Neil Young's "The Needle and the Damage Done" and the Go-Betweens' "Was There Anything I Could Do," just because I've been playing those songs the longest and can do 'em in my sleep.
I've probably got enough originals to play a set at this point, but I've been so lazy about practicing them there's only two I could just whip out: "Beautiful Dreamer" and "It's Not Too Late" (or "Wasted Years" - still haven't decided what that one's called).
I'd do "Copperhead Road" if you'd come up and do it with me.
My parents never played much rock in the house, lots of oldies and a decent amount of folk, but no real rock music... the upside was that I got to discover all of that music for myself. Heard Sweet Home Alabama for the first time on a road trip to Tennesse when I was 17, loved it so much that I picked up Second Helping on cassette at a truck stop... took a few more years to work back through their back catalog to find Gimme Three Steps...
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