The Best Medicine #4: The Reactance of Being Earnest

There hasn't been much to laugh about at Top Ten Towers over the past couple of weeks, thanks to various automobile-related shenanigans, but hopefully the end is in sight for all that and I'll be rolling in the aisles again soon. 

Anyway, last time we did one of these, I pondered a question about whether we can still laugh at a song even if the music doesn't naturally fall under our area of acceptability. Mainly because I'm drawn to things lyrics-first, although I know lots of you aren't. Ernie, for example...

While I enjoy a good lyric as much as the next person, they aren't the most important bit for me. For example, I listen to a lot of African music and I can appreciate the quality of the singing and music without understanding a single word.

Many's the time I lament the fact that my lyrical focus stops me properly appreciating other musical stylings. When I read Ernie's African series, for example. Or when I listen to some of the tracks Swiss Adam shares. Or when Ben pesters me to listen to more Mogwai.

Mogwai - Ritchie Sacramento

Notice that they remembered to sing something on that one!

C also responded to my question, in a post which featured lots of songs by Flight of the Conchords...

Interesting question you pose there and I think that yes, I need to enjoy the overall music first in most cases - but not always. If the lyrics or the humour really pull me in then they can override in some instances, so it's interesting how much weight we give to each aspect really quite unintentionally.

Unfortunately I have something of an aversion to the FoC, and it's got nothing to do with their music or their humour, it's simply down to the fact that I had a friend some years ago who was obsessed with them and he overwhelmed me with their material: "listen to this", "listen to this again!", "you must hear this one", "this is SO funny", "listen to this again!" on and on and on and on and as a result I have a strange gut reaction that has turned me right off ever wanting to hear them again; there is something about being force-fed humour which has the opposite effect. Which is a shame, because I do know they are clever, musical and funny.

This is very true. 

James & The Shame - I Think I'm Supposed to Like This 

It reminds me of something we looked at in the old Self-Help For Cynics series (which will return one day!)... 

There’s nothing more guaranteed to make me instantly predisposed to dislike someone than being told that I’ll love them. 

Why does this also apply to humour? How many times has Louise made me watch something on the interweb that she found really funny, only to notice that I'm not reacting in the same way she is... and then come out with the internet equivalent of, "well, I guess you had to be there". And I'm sure the same thing happens when I show her something that has tickled me. Bear in mind that Louise and I have pretty compatible senses of humour - it's one of the main things that stops us killing each other. 

The Beautiful South - You Keep It All In

I guess it's also the same thing I write about a lot when I do my Year End reviews - too great an expectation can stop me enjoying something in a natural, organic way. If the critics all love a movie, I go in there expecting to be blown away... and often come away disappointed. Whereas if I'd seen that same movie without any of the hype... I'd probably have appreciated it a lot more. 

The Bee Gees - I Don't Think It's Funny

Turns out scientists have a name for this phenomenon (of course they do!) - REACTANCE.

According to iffypedia...

In psychology, reactance is an unpleasant motivational reaction to offers, persons, rules, regulations, advice, recommendations, information, and messages that are perceived to threaten or eliminate specific behavioural freedoms. Reactance occurs when an individual feels that an agent is attempting to limit their choice of response or range of alternatives.

So when C's friend keeps telling her to love the Conchords, C's brain goes into reactance overload.

Reactance can occur when someone is heavily pressured into accepting a certain view or attitude. Reactance can encourage an individual to adopt or strengthen a view or attitude which is indeed contrary to that which was intended — which is to say, to a response of noncompliance — and can also increase resistance to persuasion.

And the more he tries to persuade her, the more C's brains digs its heels in, creating and strengthening those neural pathways we talked a lot about in the Self Help series. 

The Smiths - That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore

When I think about the funniest film I ever saw - the film which still makes me laugh every time I see it (and I've seen it a lot) - it's interesting to note that the first time I saw it was at a late night critic's preview when I knew very little about it and had no pre-conceived notions. I'd read no reviews. Nobody had told me "you've got to see it, it's hilarious!" or anything like that. I went in there and made up my mind with complete freedom. 

I'm not going to tell you what that movie was (some of you probably know) because I don't want to trigger your reactance. Of course, that also means that every time I recommend a tune on this blog, I run the risk of reactancing you... so maybe it's time to stop talking about stuff I like in case you think I'm stealing away your freedom to make up your own mind.

Toyah - I Want To Be Free

Blimey, for a series about humour, this post's been a laugh a minute, hasn't it?

Here's a song I thought was very funny when I was a kid. It probably isn't that funny almost fifty years later. I'd not advise you listening to it, for the risk of reactance. In fact... Don't look, Ethel!

Snapshots #316: A Top Ten Werewolf Songs

I always like to indulge in a Halloween themed top ten at this time of year... and this time, it has really big teeth! (Bob Seger gave you an extra clue yesterday, with his Silver Bullet Band.)

I used to be a werewolf, you know. But I'm alright no-ooooooooooow!

I'm here all week.

10. Found in the basic ramp structure.

Found in the basiC ramp structure.

The Cramps - I Was A Teenage Werewolf

9. The main point of this quiz.

All you have to do is Guess Who...

The Guess Who - Clap For The Wolfman

8. Holy circles, cylinders and spheres, Batman!

They're all round, Robin.

Round Robin - I'm The Wolfman

7. Gremlins.

If you've seen Gremlins, you know. If you haven't... do yourself a favour. It's got Hoyt Axton in!

Mogwai - How To Be A Werewolf

6. Fine girl from Cumbria.

Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) from Carlisle...

Brandi Carlile - Mama Werewolf

5. Sparks fly over this male quintet.

Five Man Electrical Band - Werewolf

4. Thankfully Ripoll. 

Shakira means "thankful" in Arabic. Ripoll is her rarely used surnamed.

Shakira - She Wolf

Shakira - She Wolf

3. Sounds like an Australian to me.

He's not an Aussie, but he is...

Ozzy Osbourne - Bark At The Moon

Video of the week.

2. In today's race, Xanadu ran and Gorgonzola Fondu ran, but all the other horses fell at the first hurdle. 

In today's race, Xanadu ran and Gorgonzola Fondu ran,

Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf

Simon Le Bon almost turns into a werewolf in that. Ozzy still has the better video.

1. Zen raver now confused.

Anagram.

There was no other choice for Number One.

Warren Zevon - Werewolves Of London

More Halloween based shenanigans in this week's Namesakes. 

Snapshots should be less scary next Saturday...

Celebrity Jukebox #63: Stanley Kubrick

A lot of film fans rate Stanley Kubrick as the pre-eminent auteur director of the 20th Century. Some of those same cinephiles don't rate The Shining as highly as his other movies. Stephen King famously hated Kubrick's adaptation of his novel. 

I can take or leave most Kubrick movies, especially 2001, which I just never got. Yet despite the fact that Stephen King is my favourite author, I love Kubrick's The Shining. It must have watched it more than just any movie apart from The Big Lebowski, Back To The Future and Die Hard. And following on from Shelley Duvall, Stanley Kubrick was an obvious contender for the Celebrity Jukebox.

Turns out he's an incredibly well-referenced fellow, particularly in the rap world where auteurs and visionaries are clearly admired. Frank Ocean drops his name more than once. Jay Z, Lupe Fiasco, A$AP Rocky... they all dig Stan. And who better to follow those cutting edge sophisticates than... Jimmy Buffet?

Jimmy Buffett - Fruitcakes

The future, captain's log, stardate two thousand and something

We're seven years from the millenium

That's a science fiction fact

Stanley Kubrick and his buddy Hal

Now don't look that abstract

I guess Jimmy wrote that 30 years ago. 1993, in case you need a kick where it hurts this morning.

Here's another fun song from contemporary hit-makers Bastille. (OK, maybe not that contemporary. They've been around since 2010.)

Bastille - Bad Decisions

I'm here feeling lower than the sterling

How'd you look so good?

Groundhog evening, dancing on the ceiling

Kubrick's Hollywood

You've no idea how many songs I found that mentioned Stanley Kubrick. Some of them referencing 2001, others A Clockwork Orange or Full Metal Jacket, a surprising amount his final movie, Eyes Wide Shut. Some even seem to believe that old conspiracy theory that NASA hired Kubrick to fake the 1969 moon landing. Take Mansun, for example...

Mansun - Fall Out

Your philosophy's so cool

With your tranquillizers, valium and gin

You talk of euthanasia

And your breakdown was so cool

Did Stanley Kubrick fake it with the moon?

It was incredible how many of those references were from modern artists, proving how much of an influence his movies still have among the young people. It got to the point where I was just an old man wandering through a virtual record store and every shelf was filled with artists I'd never heard of and couldn't even begin to connect with. Although there were a few discoveries that matched my own oddball sensibilities. Here's a few titular mentions as brief evidence of how I spent my Christmas holiday...

Mogwai - Stanley Kubrick

UNKLE - Kubrick

Say Anything - Kall Me Kubrick

Lemon Demon - Kubrick & The Beast

Urusei Yatsura - Kubrick In Town

Phil France - Kubrick

In the end though, I had to admit defeat. There were literally thousands of musical references to Stanley Kubrick, and like a clockwork orange about to explode, the jukebox was on the verge of overload. 

Then one song came to my rescue. It's by Scatman Crothers, an actor and singer who began his musical career in the 30s... and went on to be immortalised as The Overlook Hotel's head chef, Dick Hallorann. He's the man with "The Shining". And he knew Stanley Kubrick quite well. He even wrote a song about him, from first-hand experience...

There's a man living in London town, makes movies, he's world renown

Yes, he's really got the fame Stanley Kubrick is his name

Yes he does it all, I'm telling you all, Stanley does it all

He might work you days and days, you'll find out it really pays

He's a perfectionist you know, he's got to be right before you go

He does it all, he does it all, Stanley does it all

Guest Post Thursday #3: Top Ten Lockdown Songs

This week, JC, the Vinyl Villain, is back with another timely Top Ten. He wrote this one a few weeks back, but I still think it's relevant. Yes, they may be easing those lockdown restrictions, but most of us still feel like prisoners, maybe enjoying day release from time to time, but with the ever-present threat of going back into solitary confinement very soon. 

Anyway, it's another great list of songs from the Blogfather himself. Take it away, JC...



It really does feel that the lockdown and the various restrictions have been with us forever, but as I read on some wag's social media account the other day, we are still only around half the time that Bryan Adams had a terrible song at #1 back in 1991.

Here's ten songs whose titles kind of sum up my mood in recent weeks.

1. REM - It's The End of The World As We Know It

Surely there's nobody out there who will disagree?  The way we go about earning a living, especially for those who spend their time in offices, has been transformed beyond recognition and an increasing move to more home-working, post COVID-19, does seem likely.  The knock-on effects on the sustainability of town and city centres, which were already under threat from changing ways that we undertake retail therapy, will be significant.

2. Mogwai - Travel Is Dangerous 

Not unless you're a total prick who works in Downing Street for an even bigger prick and the journeys involve round trips of more than 500 miles.

3. The Clash - Clampdown

OK, so some of the initial restrictions are being eased, but if the scientists are right with their predictions, then we will likely have to revert to the draconian state of affairs when the second wave of the pandemic comes swooping across the UK.

4. The Specials - Ghost Town

I wasn't paying too much attention to what was going on outside of my own city of Glasgow, but it was utterly surreal to go online and look at images of totally deserted streets which would normally be thronged with workers, shoppers and folk out socialising and having a good time.  The picture that will long stick in my memory is that of a wild deer strolling care-free outside the entrance of our largest shopping centre.

So much so, that I almost dropped Ghost Town from this list and substituted There, There My Dear by Dexy's Midnight Runners.

5. Queen - I Want To Break Free

No matter how frustrating it is to be stuck indoors for much of the time, especially during such an extended period of dry and hot weather, unable to have any real social interaction with family, friends and loved ones, the advice is there for the benefit of us all and reflects that a collective effort is required to get us through the worst of times.  It does appear, for various, if understandable reasons (see #2 above) that more and more folk are breaking free.  It's probably best that everyone follows the advice in the next song title...

6. Malcolm Middleton - Stay Close, Sit Tight

Malcolm almost got two entries in this list.  'Blue Plastic Bags', written in 2008, has the chorus to end all choruses just now - 'Staying in is the new going out'.

7. David Bowie - Heroes

OK, it's a tad obvious.  Dedicated to the essential workers, and not just in the NHS and Care Homes.  If you're a hedge fund manager or an investment banker, then don't you ever dare tell me again that what you do is important and without which our economy and society would collapse.

8. Iggy Pop - I'm Bored 

I took early retirement from my job on Friday 27 March, an event that had been long in the pipeline.  All sorts of plans were in place to travel and do things I'd long dreamed of.  Everything is on hold and I've found that there are only so many books to be read or re-read, television boxsets to be devoured and old albums dusted down to be listened to before frustration and angst settles in.

9. Green Day - American Idiot

10. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come 

No apologies for finishing off with two songs together.  The President has been an abject failure in his handling of the COVID-19 crisis which is now being exacerbated by his responses to the protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Everyone is entitled to be angry, but it really is worth clinging to the words of hope in this, sadly still highly relevant, civil rights anthem from the 60s.

There've been times that I thought

I couldn't last for long

But now I'm able to carry on

It's been a long time coming

But I know

A change gonna come

Oh, yes it will

And on that day, there will be a collective rendition of Hallelujah.

JC

Thank you, JC. I don't think anyone could argue with any of your choices there. It's an honour to have you guest again...

...but now, the doors are open to everyone else. As it stands, I don't have any more guest posts lined up (not even Lynchie's Jerry Hall story), so the future of Guest Post Thursday is in your hands. 

Do you have a Top Ten, a story to tell, a Grumpy Old Man (or Woman) Song, a Positive Song For Negative Times or even a Mid-Life Crisis tune? Email me if you do. I'll try to remember to leave my email address in the comments section, but if I don't, shout at me really loudly.