Musical Interlude - Whitney Houston

Pop music sensation Whitney Houston passed away earlier today from unknown causes, though the unfortunate speculation is the cause of death is drug related.

As a karaoke host in the 90's, I've heard more of Whitney's songs than I could possibly count - hers was a beautiful voice filled with soul, and it was no surprise that so many wanted to emulate that. Her involvement with Bobby Brown was a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions and even after divorcing him, her career was never the same, though she still had the talent.

Whitney Houston was one of the very few pop/ballad vocalists with a voice that I never grow tired of hearing; she was just that good. However, the song that I picked brings back a great memory. My junior year in high school, I played Varsity football (mostly from the bench, alas), and the team was pretty good. We went 7-3, which was our best record in a long while (til my Senior year when I thought I would become a boxer, so I didn't play football that year, and we ended up going 9-1).

Had some great friends playing football. I was probably the smallest guy on the team (besides the kicker), but the players treated me with respect, and the coaches made me work out as if I wasn't supremely scrawny. (Seriously, I was put at nose guard at one point.) I got tough, I got strong, and developed a great deal of self-respect, while fortifying some amazing friendships. I never had much of a sports career, nor glory days, but I always look back on my athleticism with fondness for what it did for me, the geeky guy.

At the post-season banquet, there was a highlight video reel, and this was the song that served as the soundtrack. Every time I hear it, I think of 3-a-days in a Florida summer, of the first time I got hit so hard I saw stars, and the coach mutilating my name at the top of his lungs while motivating me to play harder. Good times.

No matter the mistakes she made in this lifetime, the power of her voice, and the impact of her inspirational songs, will always be her legacy. The good far outweighed the bad, no matter what the media would have you believe. May she rest in peace.



Lyrics:

Each day I live
I want to be
A day to give
The best of me
I'm only one
But not alone
My finest day
Is yet unknown

I broke my heart
Fought every gain
To taste the sweet
I face the pain
I rise and fall
Yet through it all
This much remains

I want one moment in time
When I'm more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will feel
I will feel eternity

I've lived to be
The very best
I want it all
No time for less
I've laid the plans
Now lay the chance
Here in my hands

Give me one moment in time
When I'm more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will feel
I will feel eternity

You're a winner for a lifetime
If you seize that one moment in time
Make it shine

Give me one moment in time
When I'm more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will be
I will be
I will be free
I will be
I will be free

Musical Interlude - Etta James

Hers was a beautiful, rich, distinct, powerful voice with honest and compelling lyrics. May she rest in peace.

Music: Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin

My father never wanted me to be a writer. It was (and presumably, remains) too impractical. I grew up in the sort of household where it was expected that I would be a doctor, a lawyer, maybe even a teacher.

Even with our ideological differences, I turned out a lot like my father. Some of my strongest personality traits could only have come from him and the patriarchal side of my family. It's often been a great inspiration to me in writing, ironically. I could probably bore you with all sorts of anecdotal evidence.

After all, we are all - one way or the other - our father's children.

Happy Father's Day.

Heard at the Water Cooler: May 25

The "to be continued" implication from yesterday's post (written yesterday, in fact).


We recently mark the 30 year anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. To show my age, I can attest that I do recall seeing it in the theatres, and Star Wars toys were one of my childhood indulgences. You can ask my mother how I impersonated the ... nevermind.

Fun picture!



Harrison Ford spoke about the movie at a fundraising event. He's been historically quiet, so this is mildly newsworthy, moreso if you're a big fan.

* * *

Author stuffs!

Mark Charan Newton commented on his recent signing event at Forbidden Planet.

Moreso, and what caught my attention, was that he dumped on Drum & Bass. Say it ain't so, Mark! More props for "tripleclarke Mieville" for the funky tune that would be his entrance song.

Novelists get entrance songs? They totally should. This has been one of mine,in previous lives.



* * *

Okay, forget about the entrance music for authors at signing appearances. How about, which favorite character would you invite to dinner? Over at Borders Blog, Adrian Tchaikovsky asks just that, with some interesting considerations.

The genuinely good heroes would be insufferable and highlight everyone else’s flaws (c.f. Superman), the dark, brooding heroes would just be waiting for an excuse to kick off (Tisamon). The stiff-backed military types would be stuffy (Temeraire’s Will Laurence), whilst the genius types like Isaac dan der Grimnebulin and Baltazar Casaubon would just get annoyed at how slow everyone else was. Meanwhile the detectives, like George’s Maurice Newbury, would be watching you all the time, and by the end of the meal they’d have a catalogue of absolutely everything you’d ever done wrong.

Brilliant.