“It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them.”
~Kermit the Frog
~Kermit the Frog
I relate to Kermit the Frog.
It was not always so.
I previously related more consistently with the curmudgeonly old bastards in the critic's box.
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| "I've seen better film on dishes. My brother Stuart and I, circa 1992. I had periods of not relating to muppets at all. Dark times.  I sometimes expected Muppets to be something they weren't. |
Blue times.
I discovered magical, new Muppets that can scarcely be imagined.
Green Times.
I even dreamt of Muppet paradise, where we wrote rainbows about songs!
Technicolor times.
“It’s true—there are only, like, two songs about rainbows, including that one. He should be asking why there are so few songs about rainbows.”
― Cheryl Cory
A.J's brilliance as a musician is often his ability to withdraw, which was, in fact, Stonewall Jackson's strength as a general.
A.J. accompanied me in our final, "warm down," performance of the day. I love this song and chose it in order to commemorate having seen Josh Ritter live on New Year's Eve the previous year.
A.J's mother, Ericka Cushing and I have known each other for years. She is a dynamic performer, a marvelous vocalist and a visceral songwriter.
I first met her son a few months ago. He was my new brother from day one.
They came to the woodshed to perform together, this was the last performance of that day.
Mostly, for recordings, A.J. plays light, percussive drums with one hand and the keyboard with the other.
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| Nerf Druids! His tone is subdued to say the least, almost insecure at times, but melodic and hypnotically rhythmic. Like all the best musicians I play with, he is forever wondering if what he is producing "sounds okay."  lol Good music is like good conversation. Just avoid being small, petty, rude, crass or irrelevant. Whenever in doubt, be silent.The fine art of tactical retreat. I have always felt a kinship to Stonewall Jackson. A.J. is kindred too.  |
[Day #91] "Heartbeats" by The Knife/Jose Gonzalez(live cover by Ian Ste Croix)
When the mountain touches the valley, all the clouds are taught to fly
Thus our souls shall leave this land most gracefully
Though our minds be filled with questions, in our hearts we’ll understand
When the river meets the sea
[Day #92] "The Lioness" by Songs:Ohia (cover by iSc, jT, Erika Cushing and AJ on keys)
Jacob Trombley, Ericka Cushing and I are classic musician types flighty and prone to distraction and wandering.
As such, we have each had our share of haters.
To be fair, they correctly see us as fruitcakes.
To be more than fair, they are all assholes.
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“You're going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it's always their actions you should judge them by. It's actions, not words, that matter.”
“It's nice to be important, but it's important to be nice.”
― Kermit the Frog
Hear that?
;)
v
[Day #93] "Devil Outta Me" by Rockspring (live cover by The Old Man Music Collective)
I believe in something that a good friend of mine likes to call synchronicity.
I hate going to bars. Open mics or crippling loneliness are usually the only draws.
Open mics in Manchester, Nh are especially lame.
Except for that one time that I met Mikey D. Morrison and Eddie Mclean.
Their band, So It Goes, blew my barn doors off from the first measure I heard.
Mikey D. is a sensitive and profoundly, beautiful poet. His lyrics resonate very strongly and gain emotional momentum with familiarity.
He has a dynamic and textured vocal style.
In other words, he is multi-leveled.
Perhaps complex is a good word?
And also a talented multi-instrumentalist.
And don't even ask about Eddie Mclean.
^
[Day #94] "Arrow Pointing Up" by Sainte Croix (live acoustic by Yo Ma Ma)
^
If I wasn't already Kermit, Chris Cavanaugh would no doubt be.
^
Perhaps he fits the bill for Fozzie the Bear?
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| Not funny enough? |
Maybe Scooter?
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| Too cool. |
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| To old. |
To square.
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| Not wild enough. |
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| Too wild. |
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| Fraggles are NOT Muppets! Jimmy Fallon? |
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Yes, Jimmy Fallon. Chris is the Jimmy Fallon of Muppets.  |
Or maybe just a bigger Kermit and I'll be his nephew Robin.
;)
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Brian "Dizzy" Roffer and I met through a goofy music website that was overrun by under-budgeted, metrosexual, boy bands and 12 year old, Hungarian girls singing Ed Sheeran covers.
After a brief correspondence and a phone conversation, he agreed to trek to the woodshed to make some music.
He would, of course, have to transport his drum kit all the way here.
2 hours from where he lived.
^
What we produced together is hotter than Jennifer in Jamaica!
Goodwin Street Jazz is a quintuplet.
^
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I met the guitarist, Bruce Boucher, while practicing in a park in Manchester, NH over a decade ago. He is Einstein on a guitar; soft spoken, adventurous, brilliant and shy.
Charlie's trumpet is collected and his note sequencing is precise and astutely structured.
Scoop is a floutest with a warm and truly "muppety," personality.
Jackie is on fire though I feel as if we never got her bass loud enough in the mix to fully compliment its range and pacing.
^
Andy's use of cymbal dynamic was inspiring and his consistency is everything I love about jazz.
^
[Day #97] "Where Am I Now?" by Shelby Lynne (acoustic cover by Ian Ste Croix)
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I hate Elmo and Miss Piggy.
How to say this.............without saying that Elmo is a pussy and Miss Piggy is a bitch?
^
(Not like that apparently.)
Elmo is bland and Miss Piggy is obnoxious.
I won't say which muppet Jacob Trombley is because you would scoff.
I won't say that he isn't Miss Piggy because it's funny to imply that he is.
I will say that he isn't Elmo.
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| He doesn't whore out his image. |
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| He never confuses his mouth for his ass. |
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| He never litters. |
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| He isn't tacky....... |
....................or retarded.
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| He would never treat a child cruely. |
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| Jacob is not ticklish. |
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| Jacob........................................................................................................................what was I saying? |
^
[Day #98] "Riddles" by Jacob Trombley (with Yo Ma Ma)
1.2.3.4.1.2.3.4.1.2.3.4
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When I conceived the idea for this blog and told Nicole that I was Kermit she had one response.
"As long as we are clear that I am not Miss Piggy."
For the record, she is not Miss Piggy.
She is simply another female Muppet.
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| Tina Faye is clearly too busy playing with Tina Faye. ^ How about This chick? |
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| Does Nicole clutch and grab for attention? Would that make people more or less likely to hear her? |
Who the hell is that muppet anyway?
And which Muppet Is Nicole?
Am I a Muppet or am I a man?
Riddles, Riddles, Riddles.
To be continued..........
^
