Good Music, Bad Music, and Saving Lives
I’m the 4th party recipient of what I may just have to consider the absolute worse CD of all time. I got it from Matt, who got it from his boss, who got it from a friend, who copies it from somewhere. It was a home-made CD so the marker scribbled across the top of the CD said “Billy Joel”. Apparently, Matt’s boss’ friend recalled that we saw the Billy Joel musical, Movin’ Out, a few months ago.
When Matt handed me the CD, he said it was the soundtrack to the musical. Well, Billy Joel isn’t my favorite musician, but I do enjoy an occasional “Piano Man” (one of the few songs that anybody can sing – no matter how bad their voice. Other examples are “You’ve Got a Friend” and “I Got You, Babe”).
I figured I’d give the CD a shot and put it in my Discman before heading to the train in the morning.
OH….MY….GOD! What the hell was that thing? It wasn’t Billy Joel (as the label implied). It wasn’t the soundtrack to the musical (as Matt implied). It was some sort of lounge-lizard/pirano/Muzak version of Billy Joel songs. It was the strangest thing. And one of the worst things I’d ever heard.
On the other hand, I quickly replaced that CD with one that I’ve been listening to a lot lately….and loving. It’s the most recent Johnny Cash CD. He made it less than a year before he died. What a fascination collection of songs (nearly all covers). And his interpretation of those songs is so interesting: Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”, Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt”, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”, The Eagles’ “Desperado”, and other songs like “Danny Boy” and “(The First Time) Ever I Saw Your Face.”
He has one of those voices (like Janis Joplin’s) where you can actually feel the pain and emotion in his life. Throughout the album, you can hear his voice crack and he even loses his breathe. Fascinating! I’ve been listening to this one fairly regularly for the past year. The last album that got that much play on my Discman was “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” soundtrack.
And then, this morning, stupid little Dusty was eating her usual breakfast of canned mush and smelliness when she walked away from her bowl and started gagging. She wasn’t breathing (that I could tell) and since she wasn’t able to perform the universal sign of “I’m choking”, I took it upon myself to give her the doggie Heimlich Maneuver. And it worked! Seconds later, this clump of dog food came flying out of her mouth. The clump of food was nearly 2 inches long (it came out sausage shaped since it was lodged in her throat). That doesn’t sound very large, until you consider that this puppy is only 4 pounds and 1 foot in length. I swear she snorts her food.
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Thank you for saving the puppy! …perhaps you’re in such a funk because you’ve been listening to that Johnny Cash CD non-stop for so long. Pretty grim stuff. How about a bit of Captain & Tennille?
You are a good Daddy to save Dusty. I would recommend however (I know here he goes again)…instead of canned food feed her Pedigree dry food (with the little peas and carrot shaped nibbles) or if you can swing it, IAMS has a puppy kibble that is excellent. Both have VERY small pieces that she won’t choke on. Geez…maybe I shoulda been a vet!
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