Cultural phenomena

Survivor's gonna be on tonight! This time they're in Guatemala. L'Ailee and I both love, love, love Survivor. We used to want to be on it, but it's getting tougher by the season. I miss watching with my homegirls in Orlando--giggling over which ones we consider the best-looking, playing Liar's Poker during commercials--but watching snuggled up with L'Ailee is good, too.

Y'all know that MuzikMafia is the Nashville collective that spawned Big and Rich, Gretchen Wilson, and Cowboy Troy, right? Well, I discovered an artist whom I think I'll consider a new favorite last night. Jon Nicholson. They play two songs of his in RealAudio on the official MuzikMafia website. I'm looking really forward to the CD based on "Grandma" and "Stereo".

I have to transcribe these lyrics myself, but that's okay. From "Grandma":

Well Grandma's turning 92
And that's a lot of years ahead of you
So listen close to what I say
'Cause Grandma's feeling old today
She said, I can't believe I'm sittin' here
Old as I am
And never been stoned.
I waited too damn long
So bring it on
Grandma's gonna fly.
So I rolled it up
and passed it around...

That's right--a nice country song about a young man who gets his grandma stoned for the first time!

And then there's "Stereo":

...What I have is mine
Just because my name's not on it
Doesn't mean that you can pawn it
Just because you take it
Doesn't make it yours...
Don't have to tell us where you go
Just give me back my stereo!...
I used to listen to Al Green and the Faces
Cheap Trick and the Replacements
Now I sit here in my basement
Singing to myself
Well if you really needed the money
All you had to do was ask me
I'd have given it to you gladly
You dirty, stinking thief!

(My kid brother especially identifies with this one. He used to be too trusting.)

You can also listen to Gretchen Wilson, Big and Rich, Cowboy Troy, and a country rapper named Chance who talks about the cops partying as hard as he does.

L'Ailee heard this selection of music last night, shook her head, and murmured, "I never pictured this kind of music being played in my house." Well, she pictured me in it, didn't she? :-) For some reason, she thinks being Nuyorussian precludes her from properly understanding and enjoying it. I guess I should just be grateful she's liking NASCAR.

After all, I don't like classical. Yet I'm going to go to the season opening of the New York Philharmonic with her next week. A couple months ago, I promised attending the symphony, "in heels and everything", in exchange for the right to display flamingo lights and flamingoes in costumes in our pitiful excuse for a yard. Well, the piper's on his way and expects to be paid, y'all. Next Wednesday evening, as a matter of fact. L'Ailee bitched and complained spectacularly throughout her trip to "Hippie Hell," a/k/a the Jammy Awards--and oh, you should have heard the glee in her voice when she saw that Sinead O'Connor had gained a tiny bit of weight--but I'm gonna be better than that. I hope. Failing that, I'll wear a clear Breathe Right strip so my snoring's not too disruptive. :-)