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Lefsetz on Gray by Bob Lefsetz I just watched the Super Bowl. I was sitting on my friend's couch. Eating junk food. Staring at the screen. An American experience. I've never felt so empty. There's this weird American religion. It's not Christianity. It's some weird blend of consumerism and nationalism. Laced with money. It's like we're all in one giant chicken coop, devoid of culture, fighting for our survival. And I ask WHAT FOR?!! I used to believe. When I was a little kid. When everything is still new. When you experience things for the first time. But then I heard these records. Jimi Hendrix. Cream. My life diverted from the main path. I was no longer one of the automatons, I thought for myself. I knew there was a better life out there. More rewarding, more exciting. And for a while there, a great percentage of Americans also woke up. What with Woodstock. Even up to Live Aid. But then Reaganism took hold. The baby boomers chucked their "love everybody" philosophy and started believing in the death penalty and how much money they could make and the totems it would buy - 5,000-square-foot houses and Lexuses. Meaning? That became irrelevant. Image and accoutrements. That's all that was important. What you had and what you looked like. And if you didn't look too good and didn't have much, by society's standards you were F*CKED!! Last spring I started getting inundated with David Gray CDs. From the label. From indie promo men. From John Sykes, the head of VH1. I played White Ladder once, and just didn't get it. They put me on the list at the El Rey, I didn't bother to go. But after another round of hype, out hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains on a Friday evening, I decided to hightail it down to the Palace to catch the dude. Everybody there looked like me. They weren't wearing leather pants. The girls didn't have bleached blond hair, they weren't covered in makeup. David Gray looked like me too. With a jean jacket. There was no elaborate stage set. No tapes. Just Mr. Gray on an acoustic guitar and a three-piece band. And when they played, it went straight to my heart. It was as if I walked in from the Vermont cold to be embraced by my ex-wife. When it was happening. I felt rooted. Centered. Warmed. And although there was a bit of an extra buzz in the air when he played "Babylon," essentially every tune was treated equally. With respect. No runs to the bathroom. No talking. The audience was on a journey TOGETHER! One of meaning. One of pure essence. One of FEELING! I'd like to tell you White Ladder is the best album of the year. That every tune is memorable. That the lyrics approach those of Dylan. But that would be untrue. You see White Ladder isn't truly great. Just solid. With a number of highlights. Albums like this were de rigueur 25 years ago. But now they seem to have vanished. CDs today are overlong, eclectic messes. Doing their best to appeal to as many people as possible. They're MARKETING vehicles, not artistic statements. Most people love the aforementioned "Babylon." But to me, it's too reminiscent of Joe Jackson's Night and Day album. But that's how it is today. The media latch onto one track and they play it ad infinitum, trying to reach EVERY potential listener, meanwhile burning out the fans. But if you are a true fan, you've got the CD. Wherein lies the heart of the matter. "My Oh My." My second-favorite track on the CD is "White Ladder." It's the breezy lament of someone who's seen the downside, but is trekking on nonetheless. It's perfect when I'm driving alone in my car. Cruising the streets in my capsule. But when I'm at loose ends. When I need to connect. I play "My Oh My." "What on earth is going on in my heart Has it turned as cold as stone Seems these days I don't feel anything Less it cuts me right down to the bone What on earth is going on in my heart" I felt like those dudes in Fight Club tonight. Needing to feel physical contact, pain, to validate my life, to know that I'm alive. "My oh my you know it just don't stop It's in my mind I wanna tear it up I've tried to fight it tried to turn it off But it's not enough" I live alone. Sometimes, like this weekend, I lose my perspective. I know it's all going to be all right eventually. But when it's 5 a.m., and I can't fall asleep, I'm TORTURED! "What on earth is going on in my head You know I used to be so sure You know I used to be so definite Thought I knew what love was for I look around these days and I'm not so sure" I used to have all the answers. When I was just a wee pup. When I was a teenager. But the older I get, the more questions appear. Things that were black or white, are now gray. "My oh my you know it just don't stop It's in my mind I wanna tear it up I've tried to fight it tried to turn it off But it's not enough It takes a lotta love It takes a lotta love my friend To keep your heart from freezing To push on till the end My oh my you know I just can't win I burn it down it comes right back again What kinda world is this we're living in Where you never win It takes a lotta love It takes a lotta love these days To keep your heart from freezing To keep your spirit free" If I only had a girlfriend who understood me. Who'd hold me. Understand me. Support me. But I've got someone pursuing me who's all wrong. Who makes me uptight. But do I play anyway? Or pine for the women I connect with but have boyfriends? I don't get any answers from 'N Sync. All those other acts on TV. So count me in with the troops. The true David Gray believers. Sure, for the man and his work, but even more for what he REPRESENTS!! Someone without artifice speaking from the heart. This is what got me hooked on music. This is what I'm looking for more of. |
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