October 3, 2022

Luckiest Music Generation: Prince - Controversy

Before 1999 or Purple Rain, there was this guy named Prince who mostly only the cool kids knew about. Because he was still circling the periphery of fame in the fall of 1981, this didn't get far on the Top 40, but it was huge on the R&B charts--and at the record store where I was working at the time (ah, memories!).

"Controversy" is one of Prince's most personal sociopolitical songs, bashing the media for their idiotic obsessions in asking him about things like what race he is, and who he sleeps with. The song's lyrical theme gets summed up with the poignant line, "Some people want to die, so they can be free." As in, you're asking me this stupid crap, when there are serious things going on in this world? Really?

I don't think he ever wrote a harder-hitting line than that in his work before or after. And yet he made such a serious song into a super-fun dance-floor banger. Like all things Prince, it was a classic dichotomy that he exploited to the fullest.

Special note: Prince always had the most smashing taste in boots.

RIP, my good man.

October 2, 2022

Luckiest Music Generation: HMBN - The Love I Lost

"If You Don't Know Me By Now" is the more famous Harold and the Blue Notes tune, but I always liked this one more. Somebody told Teddy Pendergrass, "Go to church for this one."

And he did.

Special Bonus version--the Tom Moulton remix!

October 1, 2022

Luckiest Music Generation: Steely Dan - Peg

A song I was hooked on from the first second I heard note 1, even though it's not my favorite from their smash album, Aja (that would be the title track). The lucky part is that this was Top 40 for my generation. Not the deep album tracks, but what any ordinary schmuck could pick up on an AM station. Or even yokel teens like me in the boonies, with little else connecting me to a bigger music world.

This being Top 40 is what made us lucky to be around for it.

Love the Michael McDonald backing vocals, too.

September 30, 2022

Luckiest Music Generation: Joni Mitchell, Help Me

My son and I like to play a game we call "Music of Your Life." The idea is to pick a kind of song that was popular when you were a certain age. "Best Instrumental Hit Song When Age 8." That sort of thing. One of the challenges we had was, "Popular Song You Liked More When You were Older." I didn't even have to think about which one would qualify. I knew, right away.

Joni Mitchell released "Help Me" when I was 11 or 12, and, while I sort of liked it at the time, it was a bit beyond my ability to "get" at that age, lyrically and musically. I got both when I hit my 20s, and it's been a favorite ever since:

She's one of my son's favorite "oldie" musicians. Something about "crazy awesome" guitar tunings that he's been hunting down to try. I have no idea what that's about, but I'm glad he likes her music as much as I do.

He's also the inspiration for the thread title, after he declared my generation the luckiest for the sheer quality and diversity of music that we had at our fingertips, simply by turning on the radio. He even declared us "spoiled" for having access to so much great music that we had the luxury of hating "Torn Between Two Lovers" as the "Worst #1 Song When I Was 15."

Which I stand by, to this day.

September 27, 2022

Trying to decide on a NF book to read

I am absolutely horrible at deciding what to read in my massive Non-Fiction TBR pile. I have so many to choose from that I get bouts of decision paralysis, and end up retreating back to fiction, where I'm more comfortable (and decisive).

I've made myself narrow my list down to five that seem like good contenders. If I could do a poll I would, but I'm not a star member. Instead I'll list my finalists here, and anyone can recommend what they like. If you want to include your reasoning for it, that's cool, too.

Here they are:

*Kate Dawson - American Sherlock

*Patrick Keefe - Rogues

*Rebecca Skloot - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

*Jack Weatherford - Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

*White, April - The Divorce Colony

Whatever book gets the most recs, I'll read it.

September 27, 2022

I didn't know where else to put this

DU doesn't have a beauty group, and this isn't a general health question really. More related to my diabetes, so here goes:

I was having bad problems with my fingernails breaking off at the quick, sometimes so far down the nail it caused bleeding. My MD was getting concerned at how often the nails were breaking, and how far down the nail bed. I was risking infections that could go out of control. With diabetes, that's always a danger.

Her first recommendation was that I wear gloves when doing housework, but I was already doing that. So she next recommended that I keep my nails polished, to strengthen them more. That did help with the breakage issue. I hardly ever get broken nails now, and when they do break, it's usually higher up the nail.

But now I'm having problems with hangnails, some of them quite painful. One source said to make sure to use an oval shape with my nails, so that the skin isn't coming into contact with the sharp edges of wider nail shapes. I did that, and it cut back on some of the problem.

Others recommended cuticle oils and using liberal amounts of lotion, every time after I washed my hands, and that's helped, too.

But still, the problem persists. I'm thinking it's the nail polish remover. I've tried acetone, non-acetone--doesn't matter. I still have bouts of super-dry skin and rough skin, all around my fingernails.

I realize this seems like a small, silly thing, but does anyone have any experience with cuticles or skin in general? Is this something that I just need to do what I can with it, and sweat out the hangnails that do come? I've never had dry skin before, so I'm at a complete loss about what to do.

My doctor can't think of anything else to do, and the internet has been no help, either. Nail pro sites only tell me to do what I'm already doing.

Help!