Music Friday: "Before We Disappear" & "Rowing"

Chris Cornell died yesterday. 

He is one of my favorite singers and frontmen. Such a distinctive voice. 

A loss to music. 

Music Friday: "Lilac Breeze," "What's a Fella Gotta Do?," "A Line in the Dirt," "Little Bird," "Spectacular Girl," "The Man," "I Like The Way This Is Going"

Last night as I was driving home from Wisconsin, I listened to three thematic albums that the Eels put out in 2009 and 2010. 

The first, El Hombre Lobo, has songs about the theme of desire. The second, End Times, is about loss. And the third, Tomorrow Morning, offers songs about redemption. 

Here's a number of my favorites from that fine trio of albums. 

Elegy to Naugas

Hannah has her gymnastics class on every Monday from 4-6 pm. To keep my sanity and get away from having to make small talk with moms at Mattoon Academy of Dance & Gymnastics, Quinn and I usually go out shopping or run errands for part of that two hour block of time.

Today we shopped at Big Lots. As I was pushing Quinn along in the store,  I glanced at a "Durahide" sofa set. 

I was intrigued. 

What happened to Naugahyde? 

After much research on the Internet, I tracked down an noted ecologist who got his Ph.D. from the University of Okoboji. Based on information from his academic website, it appears Naugahyde is no more. 

Sadly, the animals that supplied those hides, the Naugas, are extinct. A beautiful, portly creature whose natural habitat was southern parts of South America, the Nauga roamed freely amidst cold and warm water alike. With its distinctive leather-like hide, the Nauga played and frolicked with freedom. The mating call of Naugas, I'm told, was reminiscent to the laughter of Dom Deluise. 

Those large water mammals lived in harmony with their environment for a long time, for millenia. 

Then the cheap discount stores came along. First it was Sears, then K-Mart. The death knell for the Nauga came when Wal-Mart came into being. 

All of them harvested Naugas to extinction. Those bastards. 

Music Friday: "Tones of Home"

Whenever I listen to Blind Melon's first album, it always reminds me of college. The album also reminds me of a specific place in Kirksville.

The Gin Mill.

That album got played a lot at parties there, from what I recall. 

In addition, the song reminds me of Roy McDonald. He always liked talking about music, and for whatever reason I remember him telling me his favorite Blind Melon song was "Tones of Home." 

For your own wave of nostalgia, click HERE.

Roy, rest in peace.

Uh-Oh

The article linked HERE indicates that talks between A-B and InBev have apparently become "friendly."

And the article also relates that St. Louis would still remain the North American headquarters (but for how long?), but they're going to oust some board members.

As much as I usually don't drink A-B products that often (if I'm going to drink an industrial brew, I'm more likely to quaff Old Style, PBR, Schlitz, or Miller High Life), I hope the takeover, if it happens, doesn't hurt St. Louis economically.

But I'm sure St. Louis no longer being the international home of A-B will take its psychological toll. 

Lists about St. Louis

We moved from South City in June to humble Charleston, Illinois, and I enjoyed my five years in St. Louis. So I thought I'd offer a list of what I miss and don't miss about St. Louis.

What I miss:
Soulard Market
Lindenwood Park and Francis Park (the latter Hannah always described as "the mermaid park")
K&W Sausage Company (aka "the German butcher")
Extensive beer selections at supermarkets
Good Italian restaurants
The new doughnut shop--Eddie's--on Kingshighway, south of Chippewa
Fraternity cronies
Our little home on Plainview Avenue

What I don't miss:
Traffic
The "Where'd you go to high school at?" mentality
The self-appointed best baseball fans in America
The idea that pork "steak" is good
St. Louis style pizza
St. Louisians' unnecessary use of prepositions (see high school question)

Limbo:
The Dialect ("highway farty" etc.)