Wife: My cousin was talking about blogs the other day. You ever heard of these?Me: Sure have. I got one.
Wife: Really? What's it about?
Me: Pop music of the obscure and tartan kind, from Scottish artists that only myself and roughly a dozen others scattered across the globe deeply care about.
Wife, rendered speechless for probably the first time in her life.
Me: Basically, it means I won’t be writing about "American Idol."
I won't fib: I've been mired in general blog malaise as of late. So, rather than disappear for a few weeks and return with the customary "I'm sorry I haven't been around much, but I promise to update more in the future!" response, I've decided to shake things up. (The scant few of you who were expecting posts on say . . . APB, will be disappointed. Bear with me here.)
This week, I'm dedicating songs to my lovely wife, who's forever been a fan of them ditties of the fluffy and airy, radio friendly, soft AC variety (excluding that two-year NKOTB phase I’ve heard so much about).
And, keeping in mind my wife's affinity for all things "American Idol" . . . . I'll kick things off with a quote from good ol' Simon Cowell.
"If your lifeguard duties were as good as your singing, a lot of people would be drowning."
Simon would have never uttered this about Ricky Ross' smoky voice. Ross was the lead singer for Glasgow's Deacon Blue, who made a big splash (pun intended) with their 1987 debut, Raintown. Chronicling everyday life among grimy urban sprawl, Raintown was a masterpiece, both for its deft blend of melodies and melancholy, and its stunning visuals. (Raintown features some of my favorite album art; the cover shows a view of a dreich Glasgow skyline -- including the famous Finnieston Crane –- while the back features a long-exposure shot of the M8.)
Hear it for yourself. Download: "Chocolate Girl" by Deacon Blue.
