Two Line Tuesday: David Bowie

"Ground Control to Major Tom"     Photo: Thomas Hawk

I don't know where I'm going from here, 

but I promise it won't be boring.

                    – David Bowie

Bronte: Poetry in Action from Gotye

Since Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong challenged us to come up with a Poem Movie or Poem Picture this month, I've been thinking a lot about music videos.  Some of my favorites are from the Belgian-born, Australian-raised singer-songwriter Gotye (pronounced GAW-tee-ay).

Perhaps this is because I have a special bond with Wally.  Not everyone even knows that Gotye's real name is Wouter (Walter) Andre De Backer... but I do.  I fell in love with his music about eight years ago while living in Australia.  Like many other Australians at the time, I was captivated by "Heart's a Mess"-- his first major hit.  He's had a few more hit songs since then, including "Somebody That I Used to Know"-- the one that was his ticket into the American market and led to three grammy awards.  Okay, so maybe that fact doesn't give me the right to call him Wally, but it does make me proud to share his music with the rest of the world.

Just about every Gotye video I've seen is a feast for the eyes, including the two linked above.  One of the things I like best is that each encompasses a fresh artistic style and unique vision. Today I've chosen to share "Bronte."  One of his more straightforward videos, the sweet child-centered storyline will not leave you guessing like some of his other videos, but it will certainly tug at your heartstrings.

Can't get enough?  I also recommend "State of the Art" and "Giving Me a Chance"-- two more of my favorites, though, as I said, you really can't go wrong with any of his videos.

And speaking of videos, I hope you've been working on your own Poem Movie or Poem Picture.  So far I've only received Margaret Simon's, and my own, and the month is already halfway over.  I would love to see (and share) more... including yours!

Please send your video or picture file to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or host it yourself and just send me the link.  One lucky participant will win a complimentary copy of THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY FOR SCIENCE in a random giveaway at the end of the month.

Remembering Pete Seeger

-Pete Seeger

Renée LaTulippe visited Limerick Alley earlier this week with a lively ditty about an indignant Mr. Potato Head.  It was tons of fun, so thought I might follow up today with a poem of my own that features a favorite children's toy.  Well... that didn't happen.

My excuse is that I've been focused on completing my January manuscript for 12x12.  Have you heard about Julie Hedlund's challenge to write 12 picture book drafts in 12 months?  This is only my first year, but already I'm discovering it to be a fabulous source of support and motivation; and with three different membership levels, it really does provide something for everyone.  Click on the banner for membership and registration information. 

So no, I did not write a poem for today's post.  Instead I am featuring legendary folk singer and songwriter, Pete Seeger (1919-2014).

Pete Seeger Appreciation Page

Regarding the power of music to change the world:

"Words are good, and words help us become the leading species on earth to the point where we are now ready to wipe ourselves off the earth. But I think that all the arts are needed, and sports too, and cooking, food, and all these different ways of communication. Smiles, looking into eyes directly, all these different means of communication are needed to save this world. But certainly a great melody . . ."

 -Pete Seeger (from a 2006 Beliefnet interview)

When I heard that Pete Seeger died this past Monday, my feelings of loss were quickly overcome by feelings of gratitude-- that he was able to enjoy so many years and impact so many lives in a positive way is a gift beyond measure.

"I feel that my whole life is a contribution" 

                              -Pete Seeger

I thought about my own memories of seeing him at The Great Hudson River Revival in the mid-1980s.  The festival was founded in 1966 by Toshi Seeger and her husband, Pete, to clean up the polluted river and raise funds to build the sloop Clearwater, now recognized as America's Environmental Flagship.  A floating classroom that conducts science-based environmental education, Clearwater is also a world-renowned example of grassroots achievement.

"The world will be solved by millions of small things." 

                               -Pete Seeger 

The festival was not far from where I lived and, back then, not nearly the 15,000+ fan event it has become-- now the country's largest annual environmental celebration and the longest-running festival of its kind.  I remember it as a far more intimate gathering on a beautiful sunny day, in the shade of happy trees that longed to be hugged-- let's call it a post-hippy lovefest.  I also remember Pete.  I remember his soft eyes (a father and grandfather figure to so many), his unbridled optimism, and his rugged determination... and his banjo.  I remember his beloved banjo.

-Pete Seeger

Most people can probably sing along to Pete Seeger's most popular hits, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)" and "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)."  Here is one of my favorites, followed by a recording of Pete singing it.

Oh, Had I A Golden Thread

Oh, had I a golden thread
And needle so fine
I’ve weave a magic strand
Of rainbow design
Of rainbow design.

In it I’d weave the bravery
Of women giving birth,
In it I would weave the innocence
Of children over all the earth,
Children of all earth.

Far over the waters
I’d reach my magic band
Through foreign cities,
To every single land,
To every land.

Show my brothers and sisters
My rainbow design,
Bind up this sorry world
With hand and heart and mind,
Hand and heart and mind.

Far over the waters
I’d reach my magic band
To every human being
So they would understand,
So they’d understand.

Words and music by Pete Seeger (1958)
(c) 1959 by Stormking Music Inc.

This is how I remember Pete Seeger...

And this is how Arlo Guthrie (on his Facebook Page) remembers Pete Seeger...

Pete Seeger: 

I usually do a little meditation and prayer every night before I go to sleep - Just part of the routine. Last night, I decided to go visit Pete Seeger for a while, just to spend a little time together, it was around 9 PM. So I was sitting in my home in Florida, having a lovely chat with Pete, who was in a hospital in New York City. That's the great thing about thoughts and prayers- You can go or be anywhere.

I simply wanted him to know that I loved him dearly, like a father in some ways, a mentor in others and just as a dear friend a lot of the time. I'd grown up that way - loving the Seegers - Pete & Toshi and all their family.

I let him know I was having trouble writing his obituary (as I'd been asked) but it seemed just so silly and I couldn't think of anything that didn't sound trite or plain stupid. "They'll say something appropriate in the news," we agreed. We laughed, we talked, and I took my leave about 9:30 last night.

"Arlo" he said, sounding just like the man I've known all of my life, "I guess I'll see ya later." I've always loved the rising and falling inflections in his voice. "Pete," I said. "I guess we will."

I turned off the light and closed my eyes and fell asleep until very early this morning, about 3 AM when the texts and phone calls started coming in from friends telling me Pete had passed away.

"Well, of course he passed away!" I'm telling everyone this morning. "But that doesn't mean he's gone."

Today's Poetry Friday roundup is being hosted by Tricia, at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

"Sweet Bird" Joni Mitchell

"I have always thought of myself as a painter derailed by circumstance."
          -Joni Mitchell, June 2000

At the Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Canada, 6.30.2000 (CP PHOTO/Glen Berger)

Yesterday was the 70th birthday of a special friend.  

 THEN:

Joni Mitchell, 1970.  Photograph: Henry Diltz/Corbis

                                                        AND NOW:

Joni Mitchell, 2013.  Rene Macura / AP Images for CP Images

Sure, our relationship has been somewhat lopsided: I've never had her over for dinner or bought her a present, but I don't think she minds.  Unbeknownst to her, Joni Mitchell has held a special place in my heart for many years-- she's celebrated my friendships and first love, eased my pain, inspired my songwriting years ago, and has indelibly painted my life's canvas with the rich colors of her music and poetry.

I first discovered Joni in a clearance bin at Sam Goody's in the White Plains mall.  I knew her by name, but that was all-- I didn't yet connect her with her more famous albums, Blue (1971) or Court and Spark (1974), nor her popular hits "Big Yellow Taxi," "Woodstock," "Help Me," or "Free Man in Paris." Mostly I was attracted to the album title, The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975), intrigued by the cover artwork, and lured by the price.  (It was my own money after all, and as I recall, my very first album purchase.)

Once I gave it a listen, I was hooked.  Over the years I gradually increased my collection and found that for every mood and occasion, Joni was right there echoing my innermost thoughts and feelings.  For today's little ditty, I am sharing "Sweet Bird"-- track 9 off this amazing album: 


SWEET BIRD

Out on some borderline
Some mark of inbetween
I lay down golden--in time
And woke up vanishing

Sweet bird you are
Briefer than a falling star
All these vain promises on beauty jars
Somewhere with your wings on time
You must be laughing
Behind our eyes
Calendars of our lives
Circled with compromise
Sweet bird of time and change
You must be laughing
Up on your feathers laughing

Golden in time
Cities under the sand
Power, ideals and beauty
Fading in everyone's hands

Give me some time
I feel like I'm losing mine
Out here on this horizon line
With the earth spinning
And the sky forever rushing
No one knows
They can never get that close
Guesses at most
Guesses based on what each set
     of time and change is touching
Guesses based on what each set
     of time and change is touching
Guesses based on what each set
     of time and change is touching.

(c) 1975 Joni Mitchell.  All rights reserved.

While she no longer has the voice of a songbird (likely due to a half-century of smoking), in my eyes Joni remains just as sweet.  And in her own words, "I learned a woman is never an old woman."  So there.

Gathered Light: The Poetry of Joni Mitchell's Songs, written and edited by Lisa and John Sornberger, is a collection that was published earlier this year.  It highlights forty years of Joni Mitchell's thought-provoking lyrics as well as original contributions by acclaimed writers, long-time friends, and creative collaborators, celebrating her poetic prowess and the powerful impact her words have had on their lives.  I guess I'm not the only one.

Speaking of powerful words, today's Poetry Friday host is Diane at Random Noodling.  There's a whole lot more inspiration just around the bend.

Two Line Tuesday: Lou Reed

 

ForestWander Nature Photography

I always believed that I have something important to say

and I said it.

                                                                 -Lou Reed

  

Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed's widow, wrote in a letter to their neighbours, "He died on Sunday morning looking at the trees..."

Two Line Tuesday: Bob Marley

 

Some people feel the rain.

Others just get wet.

-Bob Marley 

Maybe: Poetry in Action from Ingrid Michaelson

When I was ten, you could find me laying on my bed, listening to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 on the radio, scribbling down the lyrics to popular songs as fast as my little fingers could fly.  Back then, of course, the Internet wasn't available to download lyrics.  If your favorite LP didn't include lyrics in the liner notes, you had to rely on a good ear for listening and, in some cases, a good guess to fill in any gaps.

As a child, I wasn't known for my extensive record collection.  Liner notes were virtually non-existent in my budding musical life.  At that point my vinyl included Marlo Thomas' Free to Be You and Me, the Broadway cast recording of Godspell, and my golden ticket, Ronco Presents I Love Music, a 1970-something, top hits compilation album.  So I did the best I could with deciphering lyrics like Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" from my tinny AM station.

And when I confessed to my mother that my favorite female musical artists were Dolly Parton and Barbra Streisand?  Her reply (after pausing, possibly to ponder big boobs and noses) was "What about Olivia Newton John?  Why can't you like Olivia Newton John?"  Clearly a more appropriate role model for a ten year old.  It wasn't for another few years yet, that my life would dramatically change with the discovery of Joni Mitchell's Hissing of Summer Lawns.

My daughter, on the other hand, has had a jump start in her musical tastes, peppered with the influence of popular female singer-songwriters (not including Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, or Olivia Newton John).  At eight, she bopped to Katy Perry, at nine she was belting 'em out with Adele, and at ten, she has a significant waiting list of songs she wants me to upload to her MP3 player.  The singer-songwriter who has been a constant throughout her growing love of music, however, is Ingrid Michaelson.  I believe Ingrid is to Miranda, what Joni was for me.  I only wish I had Ingrid's songs to swoon over when I was ten too.

So today's little ditty is brought to you by Ingrid Michaelson.  This song, titled "Maybe," is from her 2009 album Everybody.  I chose it as an example of poetry in action, not so much for the profundity of her lyrics (though some of her other songs might fall into that category), but because I love the theatrical combination of Noh-style puppeteers, marionettes, and shadow puppetry, set in a Mary Poppin-esque world of anything can happen. 

And, I bet, your mother would approve.

For more poetry, both on and off the page, visit Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference with today's Poetry Friday roundup.

Valentino: Poetry in Action from Diane Birch

                                  

Growing up, I was obsessed with the performing arts—theater, dance, music—and how they could be used to tell stories and communicate a shared human experience on many levels.  These days my primary focus has been on writing, but I would not be true to myself if I didn't find a place in my blog for those other interests as well.  To that end, I introduce you to Poetry in Action—a recurring feature on Today's Little Ditty that highlights a variety of expressive means, all living and breathing in tandem with the written word.

Today's little ditty is brought to you by singer-songwriter Diane Birch.  The following is taken from the bio on her website:

Birch was born in Michigan, but at a very young age she moved to Zimbabwe with her South African-born parents. Her dad was a conservative pastor who moved his family from continent to continent. So the young Birch migrated with her folks from Zimbabwe to South Africa to Australia, following her father’s mission. Throughout her journeys, Birch longed to be back in America, and finally got her wish when her family relocated to Portland, Oregon, when she was 10.

Compared to the average American teenager, Birch was truly exotic, both in terms of where she had resided and in how she had lived – within the confines of a strict religious community that had little interaction with its secular neighbors. She had to be resilient and adaptable, which at times meant seeking refuge in a rich fantasy life, imagining herself as someone living in say, the eighteenth century, conjuring up imaginary friends/muses like Valentino, the subject of one of her songs, an Amadeus like-figure, somewhat more dashing in proportion than the real Mozart.

Unfamiliar with Diane Birch until earlier this month, I instantly fell in love with the creativity and fun of this video and I think you will too.  Perhaps she'd consider loaning me her muse from time to time...?