Monster

I get inspired now and again by odd little things. This time, it was a remark my mother made during a conversation we were having. She mentioned the Bee Girl from the Blind Mellon video for No Rain. The idea behind the comment is that it we are like the girl, and wouldn't it be nice to find a place where there were others like ourselves. It got me thinking about some other songs that, through my life, have meant something to me (good and bad).

November Spawned a Monster by Morrissey. This is one of the not so good ones. I happen to have been born in November. When this song was popular, I heard this song must have been written about me. Not from my peers, mind you, from my father. He fancies himself a funny man, and this little "joke" amused him to no end. Considering some of the things he'd said to me through my childhood (in the spirit of amusing himself), I never did quite see it as funny as he did. He does enjoy jokes at other peoples' expense. Gods forbid someone make a joke about him, though. I do like the song quite a lot, but I still can't quite bring myself to listen to it much these days.

My Way by Frank Sinatra. My grandfather sang and played bass in several bands throughout his life. I always remember him singing and this song in particular became sort of his signature song. In my opinion, he sang it better than Frank. He always said he would sing this at my wedding. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2000. I do have a video of him singing this song, though. His name was Sharkey. He wasn't the best father, and he always seemed distant, but there were a lot of special little moments we shared throughout his life. One Christmas, he bought my grandmother diamond earrings (which is what she wanted), and a diamond necklace (just because she deserved it for putting up with him all those years, he told me). I was the only one who knew he had gotten them for her. For the week leading up to Christmas, he told her he wasn't able to get to the store, but he would make it up to her after Christmas. he put two slips of paper that read 'IOU one gift' on the tree. She grumbled every time she walked past the tree and those IOUs because she figured if he had time to watch television, surely he had time to at least make her a card or something! On Christmas Eve, she had been grousing about it again. He winked at me and we both shared a smile. On Christmas morning, he got up early and placed the two wrapped packages on the tree where the IOUs had been the entire week. When she woke up, she looked at the tree ready to scowl at them again when she saw two small, beautifully wrapped packages. That entire day, she was telling the story to everyone about how he and I had gotten her good and how happy she was. My Way reminds me of Papa, those moments we shared, and the big family Christmases we used to have.

I Believe In Father Christmas by Greg Lake. This song will always make me think of my Mom. I always look forward to seeing her sing this song around the holidays. As I got older, I really started listening to the lyrics and understanding the meaning of the song. The last lines of the song sum it up, and I've taken it to heart: "Be it heaven or hell, the Christmas you, get you deserve". I'm not a Christian by faith, but I grew up culturally Christian. I've always loved the season for many reasons. It's about the peace on earth and good will toward man. Getting caught up in the retail frenzy and commercialism ruins it. Worrying about what kind of "loots" you're going to receive, or whether its going to snow or not is pointless. Mom and I believe in Father Christmas and that's what matters most.

Off the top of my head, that's all I've got for now.