summer solstice
"It's a blessing to wash your face in the summer solstice rain..."
From a song that came out with Paul Simon's new album (yes, he has yet another new album).
According to weather.com, the sunset was at 8:51pm EDT. It is now 9:02, and I can't say it's really dark, but just kind of "blue," like it was before the sunrise at 5:51. So, yes, apparently we've been through a good 15 hours of sunshine. No summer solstice rain today, though I think heavy storms are coming tonight.
I woke up this morning to our good friend NPR, telling of forthcoming missle launches by Kim Jung Il. "We'll have a report later this morning about whether or not the United States could protect itself if North Korea launched a missle today." Yes, good morning to you too, NPR. And I think, is there something symbolic about the summer solstice, such that it portends nuclear annihilation? I think, I should try to be grateful for all the life and living of the first summer day, and not take for granted that North Korea hasn't nuked us.
This is the cheesy carpe diem thing I cannot do. Sometimes, when it is so beautiful, when it is cool and all I can hear (if I ignore background traffic noise) is the wind blowing through the trees-- then I think, if I could just stand here for a moment and appreciate it enough, it would never go away. 'Ridiculous the waste sad time stretching before and after' as Eliot wrote.....It is perhaps a typical Western notion of control-- a Western pathological illusion of control -- that I feel I can force time and nature to lie down in submission, rather than pulling me along into things that aren't as pretty, aren't as peaceful...Nothing I can do. But write a sentimental blog.
Comments
Re: "Nothing I can do. But write a sentimental blog."
And I, for one, am glad you did.
Posted by: John | Junio 21, 2006 09:03 PM
You are quoting "Outrageous" from the album "Surprise." How much of it have you heard? Do you like it? How does it compare to other Paul Simon works?
Posted by: Jane | Junio 22, 2006 01:23 AM
Wow, I was really surprised at how quickly I got a response to this. I thought you all would've given up on me :-)
There are some sample audio files from the "Surprise" album on www.paulsimon.com. That's where I heard it. For lack of knowing the proper terminology, I would say that it has a very electronic, highy-produced feel to it, in comparison to the more acoustic tendencies in some of his other albums. I guess.
Posted by: Karin | Junio 23, 2006 04:03 PM
It's (highly) produced by Brian Eno, hence the electronics (comparable more with his stint in Roxy Music and pioneering solo work but also indicative of Eno's past writing/production duties with David Bowie, U2, and Talking Heads, just to name a few).
An unusual match made in musical heaven, wouldn't you say?
Posted by: John | Junio 23, 2006 05:26 PM
I thought I had heard of Brian Eno from somewhere.
From what I've heard of the album, I think the result of their collaboration was generally good. It had the potential to go wrong: I think Paul Simon's somewhat soft delivery of the lyrics would have come out as rather awkward if those synthesized beats had gotten too edgy. But for the most part there's a good balance between his voice and the background.
Posted by: Karin | Junio 24, 2006 10:14 AM
Give up on you---never!
Paul Simon sang "How Can You Live in the Northeast" on Leno not long after the CD made its debut. I felt that during that performance the background overwhelmed his singing. Thought that maybe it was just a problem of that particular performance; but, you say his delivery is soft on the website too?
Golly, Simon himself seemed very down-hearted that night--no expression, jeans and sloppy t-shirt, and old--golly he looked old. Do I look that old? I think we are the same age. Of course I haven't lost my hair.
Anyway the lyrics were great as usual.
Posted by: Jane | Junio 24, 2006 10:16 PM
Paul Simon was born in 1941. So, older than you are.
I don't know what's with the melancholy look. But I know what you're talking about. See this link to a USA today article: http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2006-06-18-paul-simon_x.htm
It's the same picture that they took of him for Time magazine.
In terms of the aging process, it seems to have been harder on him than it has been on some of his rock/pop/folk contemporaries of a similar age. But then, maybe he's just less likely to get whatever kind of cosmetic treatment done. I don't know.
Posted by: Karin | Junio 26, 2006 06:29 AM
I might be wrong, but I've always taken that "down-hearted" sense of vacancy and "melancholy" to be Paul Simon's status quo. After all, this is the man who put existentialism on the pop charts with "I Am A Rock" and who even parodied himself with the music video for "You Can Call Me Al" with Chevy Chase as his fun loving, smiling alter ego and Simon himself as a maudlin, self-effacing sidekick. I always took the post-Graceland "happy" Simon as something of a pose.
Perhaps, in getting older, going grey and bald and wrinkled around the eyes, Simon demonstrates that melancholy moreso than he did in his black-turtlenecked youth.
Posted by: John | Junio 26, 2006 08:31 AM
Ahhh, the black turtlenecks.
The pre-Graceland Simon, I think, had his share of seriousness for sure. But the more serious songs in the Simon & Garfunkle repetoire were alternated with lighter tunes that he probably wrote when he was high on something (or at least, he wanted them to come off like that, I bet).
But, true, the melancholy is not entirely new.
Posted by: Karin | Junio 26, 2006 10:02 PM