uTopianTurtleTop

ZEITGEIST

Back in the ‘80s and early ‘90s I lathered myself in self-pity as I watched tribute albums to the music of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly, Disney films, and Cole Porter come out, after I had been covering Guthrie, Leadbelly, Disney, and Porter songs already, in some cases better -- really!! So now I’m working on this November 2004 album project (tentative title-in-progress: “The November 2004 Album Project: The Most Important Album of Our Lifetime”), and the rules allow one cover song. I’d been thinking of covering Bacharach & David’s “Alfie,” when I turn on the TV last night and see the Tonight Show’s Kevin Eubanks making his public debut as a singer singing “Alfie”! He sang it nice and pretty, sweet soul style. I hadn’t decided for sure whether to cover it, and still haven’t, and I’ll try not to let my helpless trendiness be a factor one way or the other.

Last night I posted quick thoughts on nonsense syllables in Anglophonic song and titled it “Doo Dah.” Today, out of nowhere, the coming-on-2-year-old started shouting “Doo dah!” I sang him “Camptown Racers,” taught him to join in on the “Doo dah”s, and we both liked it very much, singing it over and over.

AS FOR THE ALBUM PROJECT, I have another song 2/3rds finished and another possibly started, bringing the total to 8 or 9 songs in various stages of completion (though I may drop one or more), and from 2 to 5 instrumentals. We’ll see if I make it.