Catherine

John Fogerty's "Center Field"

Jim, Jimi, Janis, Keith, Elvis, Randy, Kurt...in death they've become known by just their first names. John...well, not so much, because people will ask, "John who?" "Yes, John was from The Who, but wrong John; I was actually referring to Lennon and Bonham." When Jimmy Page and Keith Richards go, it's really gonna screw up dead rock star discussions!

No dead musician has received more post mortem iconization than Jim Morrison (maybe Elvis but for different reasons), and it probably isn't something people even think about. It is a phenomenon that no one tries to figure out...it's just there -- no explanation required. For over 30 years this man's name has been brought up and his life and death discussed like it all happened yesterday. People who weren't even old enough to know about Jim until years later (like me, as I was 2 years old when he died)...it's like they cannot believe he is dead; people still find it freshly tragic; people speak of his death with such a sense of shock! The Doors' music never sounds dated, so people aren't turned off by it, and it is played like it just came out last month. People hear Jim as he was, see him as he looked -- think of him as still here somehow. People go on about Janis and Jimi, but mostly it pertains to their music...not their words, personas, spirituality, sexuality...whatever else it was about Jim that has caused people to keep his legacy alive. It's funny, because he did say people wouldn't forget him, and I quote, "I see myself as a huge fiery comet, a shooting star. Everyone stops, points up and gasps, "Oh look at that!" Then - whoosh, and I'm gone...and they'll never see anything like it ever again...and they won't be able to forget me - ever." How prophetic!

I am very proud of you...just wanted to acknowledge your right choice and good judgment!

People on Jenny Jones and Jerry Springer are the loonies from the trailer parks...the rest of us go on Oprah! :: Determining a soul in another life...oh boy. Jim yes, as he was a briiliant, beautiful and talented person; but his self destructive behaviors and habits?...dear God -- no. :: Like I said, to some degree I do believe in reincarnation, energy transfer, etc., and my own dad very much believes in it; therefore I can't and won't knock it. I just do not believe it applies to me with these particular coinciding events, dates, or ages...it would be insane of me to think it's more. On 6/28 I held my dad's 56th birthday party at my aunt's house, a two family home in which the 1st floor was occupied by my grandfather for 58 years -- until he died on 7/18/2003. During the party a gray dove perched itself on the neighbor's roof and looked down at us for 15 minutes; my husband has it on film. I thought of my grandfather immediately; all of us there did, and it was a beautiful feeling we got. If you knew only knew my grandfather...he was a beautiful, peaceful person - so the dove make sense. Do I think Jim Morrison is dead?: yes I do. Sure he may have wanted to fake his own death and escape the prison his fame put him in (he ultimately wanted to be a film maker), but I don't believe he ever got that far. The man (at such a young age - my God) was very ill with progressively worsening severe asthma problems, an injured lung from a fall off a balcony in Paris; he chain smoked; he had a 5th a day drinking habit, and he had ulcers that likely bled from consumption of so much alcohol. One would think, at 27 years old, that his body would be strong enough to fight back, but his mental state was poor -- he was said to be extremely depressed. On the night Jim died, he is said to have been vomiting alarming amounts of blood, which he had started doing some months before his death, but he never had it looked into medically. (My aunt's fiance - she found him dead in February after he'd been feeling sick for a couple of weeks with what he thought was a flu he couldn't shake. He got up in the mid of night, felt dizzy & sick, vomited, said he was fine and went back to sleep. The next morning she found him dead - blood coming out of his nose. Autopsy revealed an embolism). There is no real proof that Jim is dead, but it seems, as Ray Manzarek pointed out, that Jim would have surfaced when his parents tried to gain control of something financially to do with Jim...not sure - I forget. His estate maybe? Jim hated his parents and wanted them to have nothing! He listed them as dead in a bio...no love lost there. Also, I do not think, to be with Jim, that Pamela Courson faked her death. The woman was a junkie from the word "go". She, just as Jim, did herself in...it just took longer. Can anyone say for sure now, over 30 years later, that Jim is dead? Nope - not for certain how he died, though heart failure is listed (a blood clot may have backed up through the stomach part of his aorta), but I truly believe he is gone. Can anyone prove beyond the same rumors surrounding Elvis that Jim is still alive? Nope - but truth is stranger than fiction. Jim's financial means: less than $300,000 was his worth when he died! By today's standards that amount could be the yearly income in an upper class household.

Oh, and this other coincidence that I forgot to mention: my son's original due date was on the 8th day of the month; Jim was born on the 8th day...just in another month (December). Yikes! :: LMAO! :: My very cool and very spritual dad half jokingly said, "Not everything is merely a coincidence you know." Then he went into this whole soul energy transfer thing (yeah, all the way from Paris). At first I thought my dad was messing with me; either that or he dropped way too much acid at Woodstock and he was having flashbacks! What my dad said was very interesting, and he truly believes in stuff like that. To some degree I believe too, but in this case it is highly unlikely...and even further far fetched!

:: That's it! I'm cashing in! :: Nah...they're just bizarre similarities. I have the presence of mind to know that! But imagine if I was insane and actually believed this stuff was some sign of...I don't know...return of the Lizard King? *Twighlight Zone theme plays* There are crazy people out there who'd be on Jenny Jones, Jerry Springer, and soon enough, an episode of South Park (or should I say an episode of "Trailer Park" - where these loonies usually come from?), and the butt of a Jeff Foxworthy joke!

Everyone has an artist they feel connected to through music, but what about strange coincidences and other connections that are really bizarre. Does anyone have any? I have always been very much intrigued by Jim Morrison but never felt any connection with the man - he is physically long gone, though his spirit lives on through his music. There are some rather strange "Jim" coincidences in my life, and while extremely bizarre (though true), I know that they are just coincidence, and they mean nothing. Jim was 25 years older than me My son was born 25 years after Jim died My son was born the day Jim died Jim died at 27 years old I was 27 years old when my son was born My son's IQ is 131 (at 5 y/o; he's now 8) Jim's IQ was said to be high...149 My son is rebellious - a non conformist, dislikes (yet respects) authority, and he is very "deep" and emotionally charged for a young kid his age. My son is heavily into things having to do with mysticism (wizards, dragons, myth, etc); also, he wants & has things for his room like dream catchers, arrow heads, spears, feathers, and lately he has been talking about "becoming an Indian". (Sound familiar?) :: Like I said, they are just mere coincidences...but creepy nonetheless!

The only song to go, "na - na - na - na - na - na - na" at the end and go over well is The Beatle's "Hey Jude". That is the part of the song I most get into. Jim Morrison...rest his soul, but he could have left that blood curdling, tortured scream out of "Five to One". I hate that part of the song - makes me cringe. One time that part actually startled me...you know, when you actually jump! Damned Lizard Creep! LOL!

You know that song titled "RACECAR"? If you spell it backwards, it spells "RACECAR"! No such song...just makin' a silly! ::

Huh? ::

Wow...brilliant deduction; your firm grasp of the obvious is astounding! :: ::

AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" is immediately recognizable from the first note of the song. This is pretty much the case with anything by AC/DC! I can name that song in 3 notes ::: Light My Fire Black Magic Woman Hotel California Kashmir Free Bird Of course we've heard them so many times; perhaps this is why some songs are so immediately recognizable. Singers with a distinctive singing voice: Brian Johnson Don Henley Sting Bono

No, it's a different song entirely. Pearl Jam: Better Man Music and Lyrics by Ed Vedder; at some concerts, Vedder has dedicated this to "The bastard who married my mother." Waiting, watching the clock It's four o' clock It's got to stop. Tell him Take no more She practices her speech as he opens the door, she rolls over, Pretends to sleep as he looks her over She lies and says she's in love with him Can't find a better man She dreams in color, she dreams in red Can't find a better man Can't find a better man Can't find a better man Talking to herself, "There's no one else who needs to know," she tells herself. Oh memories back when she was bold and stong and waiting for the world to come along Swears she knew him now she swears he's gone. She lies and says she's in love with him. Can't find a better man. She dreams in color, she dreams in red. Can't find a better man. She lies and says she still loves him. Can't find a better man. She dreams in color, she dreams in red. Can't find a better man. Can't find a better man Can't find a better man She loved him, yeah. She don't want to leave this way. She feeds him, yeah. That's why she'll be back again. Can't find a better man Can't find a better man _____________________________________________ Clint Black : A Better Man What do you say when it's over? I don't know if I should say anything at all One day we're rollin' in the clover Next thing you know we take the fall Still, I think about the years since I first met you And the way it might have been without you here And I don't know if words from me can still upset you But I've just gotta make this memory stand clear I know I'm leavin' here a better man For knowin' you this way Things I couldn't do before, now I think I can And I'm leavin here a better man I guess I always knew I couldn't hold you But I'd never be the one to set you free Just like some old nursery rhyme your mama told you You still believe in some old meant-to-be Repeat chorus Still, I'm leavin' here a better man...

A guitar solo is good, and a good one is great; but a guitar solo so overzealous that it evolves into something that doesn't even seem like part of the same song...that's annoying. A great guitar solo can also be destroyed by too many hard slides up & down the fret board, or if it is too "screechy" - like fingernails down a chalkboard. Many 80's bands did this: it kills the whole song. A song in which this method was executed perfectly, however, is "Stairway to Heaven": the transition was seamless - it was consistent with changes to the strength of the song. I do love The Doors: Ray Manzarek is so incredibly talented, but there are a few Doors tunes in which I wish I could reach in and pull the plug on his keyboards...Deep Purple's Jon Lord as well. Female artists, like Whitney Houston for example, who has a beautiful and powerful voice, but she will over-sing a song with, as one article describled it, "a virtuosic singing style given over to swooping, flashy melodic embellishments." Mariah Carey does the same thing...enough already! Male artists who howl, grunt, or make what appear to be animal sounds throughout a song. This is best left to Jim Morrison and Robert Plant, who were sexy enough to pull it off. As for animal sounds, Steven Tyler is probably the only one who can get away with sounding like a makak!

Mike McCready

Better Man is about Ed's mother Karen's reationship with Ed's stepfather Ed Meuller.

ACDC - Hells Bells ACDC - For Those About to Rock Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion Boston ? Foreplay (intro to Long Time) Cars - I'm Not The One Cult - Soldier Blue Def Leppard - Let it Go Derek & The Dominos - Layla Donnie Iris - Ah Leah Doors - LA Woman Guns N Roses - Paradise City Heart - Crazy On You J Geils Band - Sanctuary Journey - Wheel in the Sky Led Zeppelin - Kashmir Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks Lynard Skynard - Free Bird Metallica - No Leaf Clover Ozzy - Crazy Train Pearl Jam - W.M.A Phil Collins - I Wish It Would Rain Down Pink Floyd - Run Like Hell Pink Floyd - Have a Cigar Pink Floyd - Time Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter Rush - Subdivisions The Who - Baba O'Riley The Who - Love Reign O'er Me U2 - Mysterious Ways Van Halen - Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love Van Halen - Runnin' With the Devil ZZ Top - Legs

While I like The Beatles, I prefer The Stones! But...I'd take The Who over The Stones And...I'd take Led Zeppelin over The Who.

NOW THAT'S SICK!

Steve Perry Roger Daltry Al Greene Marvin Gaye Barry White Jeff Lynn Ed Vedder Robert Plant Roger Waters Art Garfunkel Paul Rodgers Cat Stevens Freddie Mercury Brad Delp Chris Cornell Mike Love Donald Fagan Eric Clapton

Good tune from the 70's. You're right, the song is "Just Remember I love You" and the band is Firefall, who had another good tune, "Strange Way" Didn't I hear you cry this morning, didn't I feel you weep? Teardrops flowin? down on me, like rivers in my sleep. And in my dream of laughter, you came creepin' with your fears. Telling me your sorrows, in the tracings of your tears. That?s a strange way to tell me you love me When your sorrow is all I can see If you just want to cry to somebody, don?t cry to me, no Don?t cry to me, no Didn?t I hear your voice this morning, didn?t you call my name? I heard you whisper softly, but the words were never plain. And in your dream of darkness, I came shinin? like the sun. Waiting for the laughter, but the laughter never comes. That's a strange way to tell me you love me When your sorrow is all I can see If you just want to cry to somebody, dont cry to me, no Dont cry to me, no Didn't you feel alone this morning, didn't you need a friend? And in your darkest hour, you came runnin? back again That's a strange way to tell me you love me

"Beginnings" by Chicago Only the beginning of what I want to feel forever Only the beginning Only just the start

"Black" by Pearl Jam: "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life; I know you'll be a star - in somebody else's sky..." (what a soul-crushing line). Shortly after this line - right through the end of the song, Ed does what I can only describe as "wailing" -- you can feel the heartbreak...hits you like a ton of bricks. "Old Fashioned Love Song" by Three Dog Night: The line, "To weave our dreams upon and listen to each evening when the lights are low; to underscore our love affair with tenderness and feeling that we've come to know." "Turn the Beat Around" by Vicki Sue Robinson: The latin beat percussion solo in the middle of the song. "Dragula" by Rob Zombie: That whole drum sequence at the beginning that is played throughout the song. "Mr. Brownstone" by Guns N Roses: That "whipping" sound and drum sequence at the beginning of the song. "Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider: That slide up the fret board at the beginning of the song. "Tom Sawyer" by Rush: Neil Peart's "rolling" drums right before the line, "No, his mind is not for rent, to any God or government." "Turn Me Loose" by Loverboy: "Ticking" drums & bass intro. "Take Me to the Top" by Loverboy: Keyboard intro.

I'm Goin' Down by Bruce Springsteen We sit in the car outside your house Oh I, I can feel the heat coming 'round I go to put my arm around you And you give me a look like I'm way out of bounds Well, you let out one of your bored sighs Well, lately when I look into your eyes I'm goin down, down, down, down We get dressed up and we go out, baby, for the night We come home early burning, burning, burning in some firefight I'm sick and tired of you setting me up yeah Setting me up just to knocka, knocka, knocka me down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I pull you close, now baby, but when we kiss I can feel a doubt I remember back when we started My kisses used to turn you inside out I used to drive you to work in the morning Friday night I'd drive you all around You used to love to drive me wild yeah But lately girl you get your kicks from just drivin' me down, down, down, down I goin' down, down, down, down