Category: Music

Carole’s Songs

 

I’ve been listening to Carole King

Singing about love and loss

But mostly life

 

Although I know she’s not singing to me

She must be singing about me

 

Since so many of my fears

find breath through her sighs

And all my hopes take wing

with her hoarse cries of possibility

 

 

© Gayle Force Press 2004

 

 

Last Train from Overbrook

 

 

I love this tune from James Moody. It’s bright, bouncy and surprising. This is just three minutes of fun. I don’t know anything about the history of the song or the place called Overbrook (although I think Wilt Chamberlain went to an Overbrook High) or even James Moody himself.  The music has always caused me to envision this track as a celebration of an amazing night out. Moody takes the last train because you’d want to linger as much as possible on a night like this one!

 

The title though brought to mind something entirely different though, likely caused by the demise of Central State Hospital near the West Indianapolis neighborhood my grandparents lived in for decades. I began contemplating what it might mean to be on the last train from a place called Overbrook that had a purpose similar to that of Central State; caring for people battling mentally illness.  

 

This poem is the result.

 

                                                                    

The Last Train from Overbrook

 

 

The last train from Overbrook is leaving today

I suppose it’s about time

But this has come to feel like home to me

 

My tiny windows give me just enough light

To see the stream across the bridge;

This really is a gorgeous view

I know that Dr. Baylor was right, now

Rest and some down time made the difference

Thankfully everything is fine

 

This winter will be wonderful

I already can sense it, now that I’m well

The snowy days will be peaceful

With laughing kids reminding me of my own childhood

Not like last year’s taunting jeers

 

And Christmas, wow,

I can’t wait for Christmas

Even though I won’t buy any presents

It will still be thrilling

Maybe I’ll go out some night

Just looking at the store windows and houses

Decked out so lavishly

 

My apartment will be nice

With so many little things that I like

Some books, my pipe

Maybe a couple pictures too

Not the sad kind that make me feel lonely

But happy laughing photos

Filling frames and space

Some with people I used to know

 

The last train from Overbrook is leaving today

I know it’s just about time

To trade a home for home

 

 

 

© Gayle Force Press 2014

 

 

The Last Train from Overbrook

 

The last train from Overbrook is leaving today

I suppose it’s about time

But this has come to feel like home to me

Here in my special private room

 

My tiny windows give me just enough light

To see the stream across the bridge;

This really is a gorgeous view

I know that Dr. Baylor was right, now

Rest and some down time made the difference

Thankfully everything is fine, now  

 

This winter will be wonderful

I already can sense it,

I’m just doing so well

The snowy days will be peaceful

With laughing kids reminding me of my own childhood

Not like last year’s taunting jeers

Those little cretins were awful

 

And Christmas, wow,

I can’t wait for Christmas

Even though I won’t get any presents

It will still be thrilling

Maybe I’ll go out some night

Just looking at the store windows and houses

Decked out so lavishly

 

My apartment will be nice

With so many little things that I like

Some books, my clocks

Maybe a couple pictures too

Not the sad kind that make me feel lonely

But happy smiling photos

Filling empty frames and spaces

Some with people I used to know

 

The last train from Overbrook is leaving today

I know it’s the right time

Even though this has become home for me

My private room isn’t that special

 

 

 

© Gayle
Force Press 2007

 

 

 

Fumbling Memories

 

For some reason, I recently started thinking about my
stages of listening to Sarah McLachlan. It has been an odd roller coaster ride moving from disdain to love to virtual irrelevance.

 

In the mid 90s, my girlfriend gave me the worst possible introduction to Sarah's music. The GF basically told me that she was
justified in being a selfish ass because of a Sarah M. lyric. What the %*@^? It didn't make sense but it did leave me with a sour impression of Sarah M. (As well as with the soon to be ex-GF!) I had no interest in finding anything more about this music. 

 

Yet, the very first time I listened to Fumbling Towards Ecstasy I was blown away. Discovering the album was actually just a happy accident. My roomie at the time
came home and started playing the album, not noticing that I was napping. I woke up pissed at his thoughtlessness but it only took a couple songs for me to forgive him entirely. (Thanks, EZ.) In fact, it wasn’t long before I came to love Sarah McLachlan!

 

That voice! Those lyrics!
The musicality!

 

In 97, my girlfriend Gwen and I saw Sarah @Lilith Fair in Vancouver and it remains one of the best concert experiences I’ve
ever had. For awhile, listening to Sarah's albums became a kind of default for us. If we couldn't quickly decide on what music to play, we went to the well of McLachlan. In fact, her Surfacing album was the first joint purchase Gwen and I ever
made. 

 

But now it’s been ten
years since her album Afterglow, the last one I bought. Now, I mostly think about Sarah McLachlan in conjunction with the horrifying ASPCA commercials that feature the song "Angel" and prompt everyone in my house to race for the remote control. At this point, Sarah may as well be Frankie Beverley and
Maze for me. It's great music that belongs strictly to my past. There's just no
resonance to my current life.

 

But on those rare occasions when I decide to listen to "Mary", "I Will Not Forget You" or "Fallen", I smile at both the songs and at the past.

 

 

FDO  

 

 

February 8 Paul Robeson

 

This Black History Month I’m Grateful for   Paul Robeson


 

“As an artist I come to sing, but as a citizen, I will
always speak for peace, and no can silence me in this.”


-Paul Robeson

 

 

When Paul Robeson is referenced today, it’s usually as a
victim of politics. Robeson was viciously scapegoated by the US government during the Red
Scare of the 1950s. His political interests were used to destroy his
career and turn him into a social pariah. Robeson deserves to be remembered as a
pioneer and one of the great Renaissance men of the 20th
century. 

 

There was virtually nothing Paul Robeson could not do well. Taken
individually, his academic, athletic and artistic exploits are enough to make
Robeson important. Combined in a single person, Robeson’s life seems superhuman.
By the time he was 25, Robeson had graduated Rutgers as valedictorian, been
named a football All-American, completed law school and played in the NFL.

 

Robeson then embarked on one of the critical artistic
careers in Black American history. He combined unparalleled vocal talent with breathtaking
acting chops to perform in a dizzying array of styles and contexts. Robeson’s
performances as Othello, Emperor Jones and in Show Boat opened doors for Blacks
to entertain audiences without playing demeaning or stereotypical characters. Stars
like Sidney Poitier and Henry Belafonte were able to be viewed as strong, dignified
Black men because Robeson had already created that template.

 

Robeson used his wealth and status to advocate for a slew of
political causes. He supported trade unionists, civil rights groups, progressive
politicians, anti-Fascist and anti-lynching groups among many others. Robeson’s
fight for the end of colonialism eventually led him to embrace communism and spend
time in the USSR after which he became one of the most prominent Americans to
be blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Robeson had
numerous opportunities to salvage his reputation, rescue his career and
continue enriching himself monetarily. Instead, he willingly sacrificed himself
and his fortune, to stay devoted to his friends, comrades and beliefs. It can
be argued that few individuals suffered more from America’s anti-communist
excesses than Paul Robeson.

 

While his controversial politics discolors our collective memory
of him, Paul Robeson should be remembered as a fierce advocate for the freedom,
dignity and equality of all people. He broke the mold of what a Black person
could be and forced the world to acknowledge his gifts.

 

Today I am grateful for Paul Robeson. You should be too.

 

FDO

 

 

 

February 2 Stevie Wonder

 

 

This Black History Month I’m Grateful for Stevie Wonder

 

 

 “Just because a man
lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.”

-Stevie Wonder


 

Stevie Wonder is a living legend in an obvious way. The
owner of 22 Grammy Awards*, legendary songs and albums Wonder has had profound
success as a musical artist. It was largely Wonder’s success in transcending
the racial and musical barriers of the 1970s that paved the way for the
unprecedented crossover stardom of Black 80s singers Michael Jackson, Prince,
Whitney Houston and Lionel Richie. While these accomplishments are amazing,
Wonder’s greatest legacy may well be found in the ways he’s used his celebrity to
bring attention to social concerns. 


With the possible exception of Coretta Scott King#, no
individual deserves more credit than Wonder for the creation of the Martin
Luther King Jr. federal holiday. Wonder’s birthday song for King has even
become the model for birthday songs in Black homes today.


By the early 80s, Wonder had developed an emphasis on
pan-African identity, themes and issues. Wonder wrote about African politics,
Third World life and helped break Bob Marley into the US market. He also participated
in events designed to raise awareness and money to combat hunger, poverty,
drunken driving, AIDS, and drug use.


Stevie Wonder was also deeply committed to the end of the apartheid
system in South Africa. He was one of the most prominent Americans to argue
that our country needed to deliberately disinvest from South Africa. Wonder
helped provide public forums for Nobel Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu who had not
been widely known in this country.

 

The combination of Stevie Wonder’s sunglasses, head shaking
and broad smile have become a cliché as is his perpetual musical optimism. What
is not cliché is the sincerity of Wonder’s dedication to the causes of peace
and justice “all throughout the world”. 

 

Today, I am grateful for Stevie Wonder. You should be too.

 

FDO

 

*- the most for any male solo artist

#- check back later this month for more 

 

 

From Mitch Mitchell to Sting

 

 

In the past few months I’ve spent a little time listening to Foo Fighters. They have a great number of songs I like and several I love. I’d basically missed them until recently, largely because I was never a fan of Nirvana and just presumed FF to be a spin-off band. I am so stupid.

 

Dave Grohl has had a virtually unique career.  He’s the only person I can think of who has gone from being a Mitch Mitchell (well-known but clearly a background member of a popular group) to being a Sting (the frontman and primary songwriter of a popular group) in different groups. Typically, musicians are cast in specific roles early on and are unable to shift positions later. That’s just not part of the pattern.

 

Actors often expect to move from supporting to leading roles but for musicians being a backup guy almost always means you’re going to stay a backup guy. Fans don’t typically accept that change any more than record companies do. Dave Grohl was part of the biggest band in the world but when that ended, he ultimately created a fabulous new entity that reflects his voice. Pretty impressive.

 

Also, are there any suggestions for folks who’ve had parallel career trajectories? Michael McDonald doesn’t count because nobody knew who he was in Steely Dan. Phil Collins stayed in the same band so I don’t think he works either. Maybe Eric Clapton? I dunno how popular the Yardbirds actually were then. They remind me of Buffalo Springfield in that they seem more important in hindsight.  Any thoughts?

 

 

FDO