Given the recent spate of calls I've received that show up on caller ID as "SPAM RISK," I'm tempted to install an answering machine and use the chorus of Zebra's "Tell Me What You Want" as the outgoing announcement. These spammers deserve to hear, "Tell me what you waaaaaaant! Tell me what you want!" blaring in their ears, at a minimum.
Sidebar: Does any radio station still play this Zebra tune? I've almost never heard it since 1983.
I've had these three CDs in my library for years but had never thought to segue these three tunes. iTunes shuffle mode did, however, resulting in an elegant late night jazz set:
Five of the better tunes I've heard today:
WSIE 88.7 FM
KCFV 89.5 FM
KWUR 90.3 FM
Usually, when I hear my favorite hymn, "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today," a large choir is singing it, an organist is playing it, or an instrumental ensemble is performing it, often with prominent trumpet fanfares.
On Easter Sunday, however, I heard an unusually modest version of it on KFUO AM. Bob Singleton & New Covenant Collective played a tasteful, subtle acoustic guitar rendition with shades of John Fahey's style. As I listened, I thought, "News intended to elicit rejoicing doesn't always have to be sung or played with wild embellishments, as our national anthem sometimes is."
Sometimes, less is more, and an understated approach is as valid as any flourish of trumpets.
Monday morning standouts:
In The Middle Of The Night
Early Morning Mix
Sometimes, when people break into song in a sitcom, drama, or stage production, I'm inclined to follow comedian Neal Brennan's lead and say, "Just tell me."
While watching the Good Friday Mass on Catholic TV Network, I thought, "These extended portions of the Mass don't need to be sung, but why not sing them anyway?" While watching the Easter Sunday Mass, I thought, "The gospel is usually read instead of sung, but again, why not sing it? After all, these Masses are centered around the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which are central to this faith, so why shouldn't the celebrants sing about them? After all, if ever there are times when it's appropriate to ask the congregation to lean in and pay close attention, it's when recounting these momentous events."
That said, if you're relying on closed captioning, it might be wise to have a hymnal and missal handy when the captioning descends into linguistic and grammatical garble. During the Easter Sunday opening hymn, "The Strife Is O'er, The Battle Done," closed captioning turned the verse, "The powers of death have done their worst," into "Dust mite your spouse have done their work."
I'm not sure the accomplishments of dust mite spouses warrant breaking into song, but if you're so moved, that's your prerogative.
Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it.
During a 1984 Kansas City Royals baseball game, I heard a radio announcer say, "The problem for the catcher and the knuckleball--Look at the size of the glove that (one player) is using...You don't know where the knuckleball's gonna go, and if the runner breaks, as (another player) did that time and you get the ball in the glove...the catcher has to go fishing around in that big glove to find the ball, ...get a grip on it, and get it down to second base. That all takes time."
According to the proverb, "A poor workman blames his tools." I don't know if any player affected by that scenario has ever blamed it on a large glove, but nothing says a baseball announcer can't point it out.
To date, that's the only time I've heard a play-by-play broadcaster call such attention to the connection between a particular pitch and the size of a player's glove.