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Music Monday: “Put it There” by Paul McCartney

June 18, 2012

Paul McCartney with His Daughter Mary Anna McCartney (c. 1970)Since yesterday was Father’s Day in the United States, today’s Music Monday celebrates the special bond between dads and their kids.

There are many songs that capture this unique relationship, but a song that was always powerful and poignant to me was one of Paul McCartney’s lesser known pieces: Put it There.

Released in 1990 as a single to McCartney’s 1989 album, Flowers in the Dirt (affiliate link), the song reached number 32 on the UK singles chart.

McCartney’s eighth solo studio album, Flowers in the Dirt was considered a major return as its release inaugurated his first world tour since his Wings Over the World tour in 1975/1976. The album’s musical quality was widely celebrated, earning McCartney his best reviews in years.

I share the same thoughts as those reviews, having always found the album beautifully written and masterfully performed. Notably, the album has added meaning because I attended the April 1, 1990 show of the Paul McCartney World Tour at UC Berkeley‘s California Memorial Stadium. I even found a setlist from the concert (complete with links to YouTube clips of each song performed)!

Having always found “Put it There” a touching tribute to a unique father/son relationship, the track took on added meaning when I became a dad to my two sons. If you listen to the lyrics (and/or read them — they are included below), you will understand the sweet, yet understated emotion of what the song is communicating: unconditional love.

Sometimes, as the song explains, simply having someone to hold your hand can fix any problem — or at least make you feel better while you confront it. Shamefully, the importance of fathers is often overlooked, but at least in my experience, my father (and, in fairness, my stepmother too) has made all the difference in my life recently.

In my own experience, merely knowing someone is unconditionally in my corner has made all the difference when I find myself in times of trouble.

My own father fills that role for me and I plan to do the same for my sons as they encounter life’s myriad challenges. Surely as they grow older their problems won’t be as easily resolved as they were as they are now as children, but knowing they are loved and supported without question will always be essential to their well being.

Although my connection with my Dad was, unfortunately, interrupted for several years, I am grateful to have a renewed relationship with him. I am also thankful my sons can “put it there” — not just with me, but with my Dad as well.  Likewise, I look forward to continuing this tradition with my son’s children in the future.

And so, if you are thankful for your father, put it there!


Put it There Lyrics

Give Me Your Hand I’d Like To Shake It
I Want To Show You I’m Your Friend.
You’ll Understand If I Can Make It Clear
Its All That Matters In The End.
Put It There If It Weighs A Ton,
That’s What The Father Said To His Younger Son.
I Don’t Care If It Weighs A Ton,
As Long As You And I Are Here, Put It There.
Long As You And I Are Here, Put It There.

If There’s A Fight I’d Like To Fix It,
I Hate To See Things Go So Wrong.
The Darkest Night And All It’s Mixed Emotions,
Is Getting Lighter Sing A Song.

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Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder Compete for “Collective Plural” Championship

June 12, 2012

When you first hear the phrases “Miami Heat” and “Oklahoma City Thunder” do you assume someone is talking about the weather?

2012 NBA FinalsWell, if you do, you would be wrong. As right as that might sound, you would, in fact be wrong: On Tuesday, June 12, 2012 the NBA Finals (the  the championship series of the National Basketball Association) begin with the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly the Seattle SuperSonics) vying for the title.

For full disclosure: I am a Boston Celtics fan so, given that the Heat beat them to advance to the championship game, I am rooting for the Thunder (my enemy’s enemy is my friend). Although, last year I was also rooting against the Heat and for the Dallas Mavericks, so maybe I am just not a fan of “heat” in general? Well, maybe if it is a “dry heat.”

Allegiances aside, the one aspect to this match-up that, as a writer and teacher, I find fascinating, is that the names of both teams are what is called a “collective noun.”  According to Grammar Girl, collective nouns — of which there are approximately 200 that take a singular or a plural verb — are “nouns that describe a group, such as ‘family,’ ‘orchestra,’ and ‘board.’”

Another source further explains “collective nouns, a special class, name groups [things] composed of members [usually people].”

Oklahoma City Thunder LogoOne of the fundamental aspects to collective nouns is that Americans generally treat them as single units (e.g. “the faculty is meeting today”) whereas in England, they are considered plural units (e.g. “Cambridge are winning the boat race.”).

According to another source: “the names of sports teams, on the other hand, are treated as plurals, regardless of the form of that name.” Therefore, you would write “the Boston Red Sox are the best baseball team in the world” and not ”the Boston Red Sox is the best baseball team in the world” (another disclosure: I am a Red Sox fan).

Likewise when you refer to a team by the city in which it is located, you use the singular form of the noun: “Boston has attempted to secure the services of two assistant coaches that New York hopes to keep.”

For reasons beyond my knowledge there seems to be a growing trend towards sports teams using names that are collective nouns.

A list of some teams from U.S. professional sports leagues —  Arena Football League (AFL), Major League Soccer (MLS), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) — and a couple of noteworthy college teams whose names are collective nouns include the following:

  • Atlanta Dream (WNBA)
  • Chicago Fire (MLS)
  • Chicago Rush (AFL)
  • Chicago Sky (WNBA)
  • Colorado Avalanche (NHL)
  • Columbus Crew (MLS)
  • Connecticut Sun (WNBA)
  • D.C. United (MLS)
  • Georgia Force (AFL)
  • Harvard Crimson
  • Houston Dynamo (MLS)
  • Indiana Fever (WNBA)
  • Kansas City Command (AFL)
  • Miami Heat (NBA)
  • Minnesota Wild (NHL)
  • Montreal Impact (MLS)
  • New England Revolution (MLS)
  • New Orleans VooDoo (AFL)
  • New York Liberty (WNBA)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA)
  • Orlando Magic (NBA)
  • Philadelphia Soul (AFL)
  • Phoenix Mercury (WNBA)
  • Pittsburg Power (AFL)
  • Seattle Storm (WNBA)
  • Spokane Shock (AFL)
  • Stanford Cardinal
  • Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)
  • Tampa Bay Storm (AFL)
  • Tulsa Shock (WNBA)
  • Utah Blaze (AFL)
  • Utah Jazz (NBA)

I am by no means a grammar expert, despite my having earned a BA in English (with a creative writing emphasis) from UC Santa Barbara. However, having been writing since as far back as I can remember, I have a general feel for what would be considered “good” grammar. And, while they might be perfectly proper grammatically speaking, collective nouns as team names just sound awkward to me.

From a branding perspective, in my opinion, these types of team names sound odd. I believe a team name simply sounds better as a standard plural noun. Maybe I am “old school” but then again, if you look at the preponderance of team names that are collective nouns they are generally associated with newer organizations.

This appears to be an ever-increasing trend. But why? Perhaps there are a finite number of traditional plural nouns after which you can name a team?

Another common preference in team names is alliteration – when you use words that sound the same (e.g. Boston Bruins — again, for full disclosure, I am a fan), so, given that, perhaps there are a limited number of options to achieve that branding goal?

Maybe I am the only one — or one of very few — who noticed this trend in team names, but it nevertheless strikes me as something about which a discussion is at least relevant. Is it something you previously noticed and about which you wondered?

Speaking of Grammar: if you are not a fan of either team in this year’s NBA Finals, consider watching the 2000 movie Company Man (affiliate link) instead. According to Wikipedia, the plot of the film is as follows:

In the 1960s, Alan Quimp is a school teacher of English grammar and married with the very demanding woman Daisy Quimp. In order to avoid the constant mockery in Daisy’s family, Alan says that he is a secret CIA agent. Daisy tells everybody, the CIA acknowledges the lie, but due to a coincidence, Alan has just helped and hidden the professional Russian dancer Petrov who wanted to leave Russia. The CIA decides to hire Alan as an agent, to get the credits of bringing Petrov to USA, and immediately decides to send him to a very calm place, Cuba.

A humorous, grammar-laden scene from the film follows — enjoy:

So, in regards to (with regard to?) the information above, who (whom?) do you want to win the 2012 NBA Finals?

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Music Monday: “Mister Rogers Remixed: Garden of Your Mind” by Symphony of Science’s John Boswell

June 11, 2012

“Won’t you please, won’t you please, Please won’t you be my neighbor?”

Today’s Music Monday was inspired by a viral video currently making the rounds – from PBS of all places: ”Mister Rogers Remixed: Garden of Your Mind” by Symphony of Science’s John Boswell.

The video is a tribute to the iconic show Mister Roger’s Neighborhood – which was created and hosted by its namesake Fred Rogers. Mister Rogers was always intriguing in his own unique way, but he was never this cool!

The video, which was originally uploaded on Thursday, June 7 to the YouTube account “PBSDigitalStudios,” had already received more than 1.4 million views by the end of Friday, June 8 (and had reached more than 3.4 million by the morning of Monday, June 11) — that’s viral! Someone has even already registered the domain “GardenOfYourMind.com!”

How did this video come to be? Here is a bit of background on it (from the video’s page on the PBSDigitalStudios YouTube Channel):

“When we discovered video mash-up artist John D. Boswell, aka melodysheep, on YouTube, we immediately wanted to work together. Turns out that he is a huge Mister Rogers Neighborhood fan, and was thrilled at the chance to pay tribute to one of our heroes. Both PBS and the Fred Rogers Company hope you like John’s celebration of Fred Rogers’ message. This is the first in a series of PBS icons remixed.”

Mister Roger’s NeighborhoodFor those who remember watching Mister Rogers as children, this video has special significance. The show initially aired in 1968 and rand for 895 episodes, with the final episodes having been filmed in December 2000 and airing the following August. It reached its peak viewership in 1985, when 8% of households in the United States were watching the show.

For those less familiar with the show — and even for those who are, but who might appreciate a walk down memory lane — here are some fun facts about the show and Fred Rogers (courtesy of Wikipedia):

  • Each episode began with Mister Rogers coming home, singing his theme song “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?“and changing into sneakers and a zippered cardigan sweater.
  • In a typical episode, Mister Rogers might have a conversation with his television audience, interact with live guests, take a field trip to such places as a bakery or a music store, or watch a short film. Typically, each week’s episode explored a major theme, such as going to school for the first time. He even break-danced!
  • Each episode included a trip to Rogers’ “Neighborhood of Make-Believe” featuring the ever-famous trolley with its own theme song, a castle, and the kingdom’s citizens, including King Friday XIII.
  • Mister Rogers often fed his fish — originally named Fennel and Frieda – during episodes.
  • Originally, most episodes ended with a song entitled “Tomorrow”, and Friday episodes looked forward to the week ahead with an adapted version of “It’s Such a Good Feeling.” In later seasons, all episodes ended with “Feeling.” Speaking of the song ”It’s Such a Good Feeling,” consider this unique cover of the classic Mister Rogers’ song.

“Would you be mine, Could you be mine…”

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Music Monday: “Hypnotize” by System of a Down

June 4, 2012

Today’s Music Monday selection — “Hypnotize” by System of a Down – marks the date on which the Tiananmen Square protests were violently ended 23 years ago today in 1989 in Beijing, China by the People’s Liberation Army.

"Tank Man" stops the advance of a column of tanks on June 5, 1989, in Beijing. This photograph, taken by Jeff Widener of the Associated Press, became one of the most famous images of the 20th century, and an international symbol at the end of the Cold War era.The demonstrations, which had begun on April 15, were inspired by astrophysics professor Fang Lizhi who, upon his return from teaching at Princeton University, began speaking out about liberty, human rights, and separation of powers.

Notably, Fang — who in a 1988 article in the Atlantic Monthly was dubbed “Chinas’s Andrei Sakharov” for his characteristic flouting of norms and outspoken beliefs about thinking individually — died on April 6, 2012. An obituary about him in the New York Times provides an insightful overview of his life and impact.

Fang’s ideas inspired students who initiated protests in December 1986. The chief issues included demands for economic liberalization, democracy, and rule of law. The Chinese government was greatly concerned by these activities and accused the students of fomenting turmoil.

Unrest finally culminated on June 4, 1989 when the Chinese Army was dispatched to Tiananmen Square with orders to clear the square by 6:00 am.  By 5:40 am — after the Army had wounded and killed several hundred students who had refused to disperse — the Square had been cleared.

One of the more iconic images that emerged from this unfortunate ordeal was a picture (included in this blog post) of an anonymous man dubbed “Tank Man” who stood in front of a Chinese Type 59 tank on June 5, 1989 (the morning after the Chinese military forcibly removed protestors from Tiananmen Square).

“Hypnotize” — which was the lead single for the System of a Down’s album of the same name, was released on November 22, 2005 — was chosen as today’s Music Monday because Tiananmen Square is mentioned in the lyrics (see below).

Additionally, there is also a portion of the lyrics that proclaim “propaganda leaves us blinded.” According to the Wikipedia article about the song, “Another meaning that can be taken from the chorus is that while reality-distorting political propaganda is rampant, everyday life continues as usual.”


Hypnotize Lyrics

Why don’t you ask the kids at Tiananmen square?
Was Fashion the reason why they were there?

They disguise it, Hypnotize it
Television made you buy it

I’m just sitting in my car and waiting for my…

She’s scared that I will take her away from there
Her dreams that her country left with no one there

Mezmerize the simple minded
Propaganda leaves us blinded

I’m just sitting in my car and waiting for my girl
I’m just sitting in my car and waiting for my girl

I’m just sitting in my car and waiting for my girl
I’m just sitting in my car and waiting for my…
Girl

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Comedians Cory and Chad on the Business of Comedy

June 1, 2012

Identical twins Cory and Chad Baumgartner – “The Smash Brothers” — have a unique take on business that they used to fuel their careers as comedians who have a very unique act. They operate their act under the perfectly named company: Identical Entertainment.

Cory and Chad BaumgartnerBorn and raised outside of East Los Angeles, the brothers had a challenging yet character building childhood:  they attended more than 14 schools, so they became the class clowns to help them make friends.

Admirably, they consider themselves each others best friends. And, even though they look alike, Cory and Chad are really quite different.

Cory is the “Good Twin” with a laid back style and calmer demeanor (who  doesn’t drink or party).

Conversely, Chad is the “Evil Twin,”a bad boy type, who, with his wild party stories, always keeps Cory on his toes.

Their lives are intertwined at almost every level:  they have switching classes, broken up with each others girlfriends, showed up to work for each other and have even used each others drivers licenses (allegedly).

You really never know what to expect with these two: although they are identical twins, their act is one of a kind!

I first encountered them after I praised the Hollywood Improv on how effectively they leveraged their Facebook page, noting that I teach marketing and public speaking classes; and that I always discuss the relevance of comedians to both.

Comedians Cory and Chad with Matthew Gilbert at National UniversityShortly thereafter I received a message from Cory and Chad offering to come speak to a class of mine. A public speaking class I teach at National University – COM103, Public Speaking — was a perfect fit.

I accepted and a short time later, they spent nearly 2 hours (with their colleague Mark Gonzalez) discussing their experiences as comedians with my students, while also providing inspiring ideas about pursuing your passions.

It was a sincere and soft-spoken experience (especially considering how wonderfully energetic and adult their act is).

I’ve stayed in touch with the passionate pair and, on Friday, March 30, 2012 attended a show of theirs at the Hollywood Improv (everything had come full circle). This was actually my first time attending their show and it was as wild and whimsical as I imagined!

After the show, they shared their insights into their entrepreneurial experiences and efforts as independent comedians. Notably, they discussed how, in addition to social media, they also continue to use traditional marketing tools (something I stress in my classes).

One of their main pieces of advice was that you need to tirelessly promote yourself and believe in your potential. They also discussed how the marketing tricks they used can translate to small businesses.

Note: This video contains some mild profanity (Cory and Chad speak from their hearts!). I was going to edit it, but appreciated their enthusiasm so I left it in (plus, my video editing software wasn’t working properly with the source file). As a result, you might want to avoid watching this at work or in mixed company (or wear headphones). But, I assure you the insights Cory and Chad share are invaluable.

Smash it!

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Music Monday: “Memorial Day” by Dropkick Murphys

May 28, 2012

Given that it’s Memorial Day in the United States today’s Music Monday post is the appropriately titled song “Memorial Day” from the album “Going Out in Style” (affiliate link) by one of my favorite bands — Quincy, Massachusetts’ own Dropkick Murphys:

Of interest: the album on which this track appears, “Going Out in Style,” is a concept album combining the band member’s experiences and family folklore into the story of a fictional character named Cornelius Larkin.

According to the band’s bassist/vocalist, Ken Casey, “Cornelius has passed on to the other side, and the album becomes a retrospective of his life”.

If you’re not familiar with the band and their unique sound, Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American Celtic Punk band that formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Quincy was also the birthplace of former U.S. Presidents John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams, in addition to statesman John Hancock.

It is also adjacent to Braintree, Dropkick MurphysMassachusetts — which is where I lived for the first three years of my life.

As for the band, you might be familiar with their 2004 single “Tessie” — an EP release (affiliate link) which was their first and one of their biggest charting singles.

The original song on which it was based is the longtime anthem of the Boston Red Sox. The Dropkick Murphy’s EP of the song was used as a fan anthem for the Boston Red Sox historic 2004 and 2007 World Series victories.

If you’re not familiar with “Tessie” you have almost certainly heard the popular track off of “The Warrior’s Code” (affiliate link) and one of the band’s biggest singles: “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.”

Notably, this song was featured in the Academy Award-winning movie “The Departed“(affiliate link). It is also frequently used as an anthem for Boston sports teams.

Wishing you a wicked pissah Music Monday!

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Music Monday: “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler

May 21, 2012

If you believed they put a man on the moon…

Today’s Music Monday is inspired by celestial events that occurred yesterday evening: the “ring of fire” solar eclipse! What was this?

According to an article about this event (which hasn’t happened since 1994), ” the moon will cover up to 94 percent of the sun at the eclipse’s peak, leaving a bright ring of light – called an annulus, which means ring-like — around the moon’s disc, NASA scientists said.”

I experienced the eclipse near my home in Southern California and, while I couldn’t actually see or get detailed pictures, the sun was significantly dimmer and, unsurprisingly, the temperature was much cooler than the near 100 degrees it had felt like prior to the eclipse. One of my photos follows below:

Solar Eclipse Over Suburbia #3

“Skyshine #Eclipse”Interestingly, although I was unable to see the eclipse, I can partially make it out in a refraction in the picture to the right (which I posted via Instagram).

Just as this “ring of fire” eclipse hadn’t happened for 18 years, the next one also won’t occur for quite some time: 11 years from now in 2023. As explained in a Reuters article, the extended time delay between these events is due to a phenomenon that requires a particular set of orbital dynamics.

Some additional information from the Reuters article: “An annular eclipse occurs when the moon’s orbit is at its furthest point from the Earth and closer to the much larger sun. That juxtaposition allows the moon to block more than 90 percent of the sun’s rays when the two orbs slide into alignment in space.”

The eclipse was quite a captivating and compelling event; something unique that brought people together.  Social media was abuzz with information and imagery. Twitter search is a great way to virtually experience the solar eclipse while viewing a variety of photos and videos documenting it.

In celebration of this unique and engaging event (and the memory of something personal that occurred on this date), the classic 1980s power ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart” seemed like an appropriate selection:

Written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her album Faster Than the Speed of Night (affiliate link), the song was first released as a single in 1983.

The song is Tyler’s biggest hit reaching number one in the United States and several other countries, making her the first and sole Welsh singer to reach the top of the Billboard Charts.

Maybe for the next lunar eclipse I will feature “Moonshadow” by Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) — or perhaps “Moon River?” ;-)

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