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Crazy for Swayze

This may be incredibly corny. But the first time I saw this movie, I was completely smitten. So let's all take this moment to acknowledge the talent Patrick Swayze possessed. Not only is he an incredible dancer, but he's been breaking teen girls' hearts for 25 years and counting.

Desegregation of Music

If you've read my blogs on music, you know I don't like things along the lines of hip hop or rap. I grew up with music of a very different sort, and for a long time didn't even consider it "music", let alone music of quality.

Which is why when I first decided to give the artist Girl Talk a try, I immediately rejected it. All I heard, at first, was rap, or hip hop, or whatever kind of music other people listen to on popular radio. This was a big turn off, and I gave up on it.

Upon arriving at SUNY Albany, we learned that this fall's musical guests are Reel Big Fish (!!!) and Girl Talk. Of course, I had to give them another try. My music tastes have changed quite a bit in the last few months as well, as I've been listening to a lot of electronica (justice!) and even some techno (basshunter).

I made a horrible mistake when casting Girl Talk aside. Girl Talk is not a girl rock band (which would have been badass) but one guy, mixing up different songs he did not create himself. The result is mashing old and new, different styles together, to make unlikely but pleasant combinations. The song, "Set It Off" for example, consists of, among others:

• Rihanna feat. Jay-Z's "Umbrella"
• Radiohead's "Paranoid android"
• Mary J. Blige's "Real Love"
• The Guess Who's "These Eyes"
• Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion"
• DJ Kool's "Let Me Clear My Throat"
• The Spinner's "The Rubberband Man"
• Dexy's Midnight Runner's "Come On Eileen"
• Bubba Sparxxx's "Heat it Up"
• Rare Earth "I just want to Celebrate"

Mixing up things I would normally despise with songs I love (Come on Eileen!) make genres I don't care for much easier to swallow. Girl Talk creates an excitement in listening to his music; you can't wait to hear what comes next, and when it's something you like, it's like getting something you wanted but didn't ask for on Christmas morning.

A few weeks ago I was at a Weezer concert and out of the blue, heard MGMT's "Kids", one of my favorites, go into "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga - a song I normally don't care for. Strangely enough, the two songs fit together so well, you would have thought they were one. Indie rock and mainstream pop came together and it was unexpectedly amazing. Girl Talk stands for an incredible appreciation for music as a whole, not favoring one genre over another. No need to discriminate, because when you're listening to Girl Talk, Metallica, The Carpenters, and Souljaboy are all the same anyway.

Check out Girl Talk over there!! <----

A Sunday Song

The thing about late, eventful Saturday nights is they are always followed by peaceful Sunday mornings. Some might say I'm cursed, but I think I'm lucky to be unable to sleep past 10 a.m. most days. The world, or this campus at least, is dead, as students hide from sunlight and noise their heads are not yet ready for. One of the few brave souls to wake up and walk across campus for food, I was calmed by the serenity of a campus of over 1200 in silence. I had nearly reached my destination when a loud, startling sound pierced through the still air. Bagpipes, playing cadence to arms for a dead, unresponsive audience. I desperately wanted to know where they were coming from, so I walked briskly in that direction. Slightly straying from my path, I didn't quite mind wandering to the fountain, where a young man was standing alone, playing music for his fellow early risers. I stood and watched the water in the fountain a minute, taking in that music I've come to appreciate so much, enjoying the bright morning sun despite my own grogginess and hunger. I left and continued to breakfast, reassured that while my world and life had changed, things from my past would always seek me out at moments I need it most.