Dance Party: July

Detail from Ultra Nate's "Free" EP (1997)

Comin' in just under the wire. ;-)

Well, we've got a goofy mix of music this time around, but lots to enjoy, admire, and appreciate for beauty, playfulness, or originality. The nine songs in tonight's post are all certainly evocative of the era in which they came to prominence. Yeah, there's a bit o' cheesiness that can't be denied, but, over the years, popular trends go from cool to kooky, poised to playful. And a whole lot of loneliness. . .

From tear-jerkers to trance, big hair to big butts, disco to emo, tonight we'll play out the month with an eclectic mix.

Cover detail from Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" (1992)

Let's listen to some music!

Seconds in Silence

Empty dance studio

Another thing about Summer, there is something both peaceful and creepy about an empty campus or classroom. Peering through the windows into a room, where one would normally hear the constant chatter of students, the sounds of occupation, finding it abandoned and silent can be disturbing.

Of course, teachers probably see it as wonderful thing. Like Sisyphus and his stone, it is the moment that the task has been completed, if only for a while, before the next academic year starts the whole process over again.

But I'm not a teacher. I look at the emptiness with an eye towards poetry and purpose. Without habitation, we can appreciate the structure and space of the buildings, their functional design. However, classrooms without students are not fulfilling their purpose. And there is something transgressive about that.

Empty classroom


It's as though the space echoes with impressions of what has been, what will be, and what ought to be. It is as if every empty classroom is haunted by the ghosts of potential students.

Dance Party: March

Cover image from Vanessa Williams' "Save the Best for Last" (1992)

It's time for our monthly celebration!

This time around is a whiplash of styles, but I love them all, for different reasons both aesthetically and personally. Whether you want to be "There beneath the blue suburban skies" or "Feel the sun on your face and tell me what you're thinking" or feel that the "Night is young and the music's high. With a bit of rock music, everything is fine", there's something for all types tonight. ;-)

And we love variety!

Image from Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" concert film (2006)

So let's listen to some music!

In a Kingdom by the Sea

Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809.

We can't let the anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's birth date go by without marking the occasion. ;-)

A master of the macabre, Poe could weave dread and despair, madness and mystery, into the very words of his poetry and stories. The cadence of his writings hint of a mental state on the verge of hysteria, building to a frenzy of gothic romanticism as the narrative concludes. His works always give a wild thrill of terror, a haunting glimpse of the bizarre.

Yes, Poe does get a bit overheated and verbose from time to time, but I feel that's part of his charm. His excess is an expression of his authenticity. As a writer, he gets so caught up in the work that he loses control; the dread and sensation that he creates is felt first by him.

Annabel Lee (1910) by John R. Neill

As usual, I have a hard time picking my favorite work by Poe, but "Annabel Lee" is my choice for today.

Friday Flowers: Agapanthus Edition

Agapanthus - Blue Lily

The Plain Sense of Things

(By Wallace Stevens)

After the leaves have fallen, we return

To a plain sense of things. It is as if

We had come to an end of the imagination,

Inanimate in an inert savoir.

It is difficult even to choose the adjective

For this blank cold, this sadness without cause.

The great structure has become a minor house.

No turban walks across the lessened floors.

The greenhouse never so badly needed paint.

The chimney is fifty years old and slants to one side.

A fantastic effort has failed, a repetition

In a repetitiousness of men and flies.

Yet the absence of the imagination had

Itself to be imagined. The great pond,

The plain sense of it, without reflections, leaves,

Mud, water like dirty glass, expressing silence

Of a sort, silence of a rat come out to see,

The great pond and its waste of the lilies, all this

Had to be imagined as an inevitable knowledge,

Required, as a necessity requires.

Today's flower is the agapanthus. I like that name, which comes from the Greek words for "pure love" and "flower". Isn't that nice. :-)

Palmam Qui Meriut Ferat

Palm trees are ancient symbols in Western spirituality. Initially, they represent fertility. Then they become symbols of victory. Finally, in the Christian era, they are representative of the triumph of the Spirit over the Flesh. In the early Islamic tradition, the Call to Prayer was made from the top of a palm tree, later replaced by the minaret.

From Palm Sunday processions to the kabbalistic Tree of Life, I know of these associations and symbols. But as a native Californian, they've always felt foreign. They don't ring true in my internal symbolic language. I have lived most of my life within 500 feet of a palm tree. The various places that I have worked, the places that I hang out, my living areas, they all have palm trees nearby. When a harsh wind blows off the Pacific Ocean, I have to remove palm fronds from the windshield of my car.

Yeah, familiarity has removed all Mystery from these trees, except for the feeling of being Home. I remember attending Palm Sunday services when I lived in New England. When I received my palm, I had a thrill of excitement go through me. It was like holding a bit of California in my hand. Sunlight and comfort entered my soul, and I felt happy to be reminded of home.

I have often wondered what my favorite tree is. Is it the oak, ash, or yew? Those are all fine trees, but my choice has been hiding in plain sight for so many years. The Palm Tree.

Here's a link to the Palm Tree (Arecaceae) Wikipedia page.

Here's a link to Moby's website and his Wikipedia page.

Enjoy!!!