There’s this meme called Rock ‘n Roll Fridays. “…our little ‘twist’ is that each week we will pick a singer, band, era, or category and pick thirteen of their lyrics. Each of our questions will be based on the lyrics.”
Back in August, they did one for Green Day.
1. 21 GUNS:
“Do you know what’s worth fighting for?
When it’s not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away and you feel yourself suffocating?”
What was the last cause/reason that you signed a petition or joined in a protest?
Actually, I sign a fair number of petitions. In the past couple months, I’ve signed them for political candidates and for a variety of peace, justice and ecological causes. I’m not keeping track. Possibly the last protest was when the evil Fred Phelps came to Albany, but it could have more recently than that; probably was, actually. Oh, it was a gay marriage rally this spring.
2. AMERICAN IDIOT:
“Don’t want to be an American idiot
One nation controlled by the media.
Information age of hysteria
It’s going out to idiot America”
Where is the best place for trusted information about world events?
It’d be cliched to say Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, but I do tend to appreciate it when he puts politicians’ and FOX News’ feet to the fire. That said, I get lots of news from lots of sources, from differing points of view, and winnow it out.
3. GOOD RIDDANCE:
“Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test and don’t ask why.
It’s not a question but a lesson learned in time”…
What was the last lesson or message about life you learned?
I’m not sure I’m having “aha” big life lessons lately, as much as mini-lessons regularly, too numerous, or subtle, to mention or even notice until much later. OK, here’s one: if I eat after 7 p.m., it interferes with my sleep. Not the LAST lesson, but that is something.
4. WELCOME TO PARADISE:
“Dear Mother, Can you hear me whining?
It’s been 3 weeks since that I left your home.
This sudden fear has left me trembling
Cause now it seems that I am out here on my own
And I’m feeling so alone”…
Where was the place you went to live when you first moved out of your parents/guardians home?
My college town of New Paltz, NY. During my tenure there, my parents moved to Charlotte, NC.
5. MINORITY:
“I want to be the minority
I don’t need your authority
Down with the moral majority
Cause I want to be the minority”…
When have you ever felt like an outsider?
I feel like an outsider surprisingly often, actually, even in the midst of a party or other event.
6. WHEN I COME AROUND:
“Oh I heard it all before
So don’t knock down my door
I’m a loser the user
So I don’t need no accuser
To try and slag me down because I know you’re right”…
What was the last bad thing you discovered about yourself?
I don’t know that I’ve learned any NEW bad things, just the same old bad things, notably impatience.
7. MISERY:
“Mr. Whirly had a catastrophic incident
He fell into the city by the bay
He liquidated his estate
Now he sleeps upon the Haight
Panhandling misery”…
If you have ever been poor, what lesson, skill-set, or experience came from it?
Mostly it’s patience for those who are currently poor. To the point of the lyric, I don’t always give money to panhandlers, but I usually don’t act as though I didn’t hear them, as though they weren’t there.
8. 80:
“Sometimes I wonder if I should be left alone
And lock myself up in a padded room
I’d sit and spew my guts out in the open air
Cuz no one wants to hear a drunken fool”…
How do you relax after a stressful day?
Really depends. Sometimes, I go to bed early, or read, or blog, or watch TV, or have a glass of wine.
9. REDUNDANT:
“We’re livin in a repetition
Content in the same old stick again
Now the routine’s turnin to a contention
Like a production line goin over and over and over roller coaster”…
Do you do something over and over the same way, even though you know there is a better/simpler way to do it?
Well, no and yes. I’m sure there are better ways to use certain technologies – cellphone, digital camera for two – that would probably make my life easier in investing the time learning how. Don’t know if it’s simpler in the short term, getting past the learning curve, but it’d definitely be better.
10. ANDROID:
“It makes me wonder when I grow to be that age
Will I be walking down the street begging for your spare change
Or will I grow that old? Will I still be around?
The way I carry on, I’ll end up 6 feet underground and waste away”…
What age do you believe is OLD and why?
85, mostly because it’s 20 years past 65, the traditional retirement age.
11. WAITING:
“I’ve been waiting a lifetime for this moment to come
I’m destined for anything at all”…
What is your biggest dream in life (so far)?
I was reading some LOC, and the letter writer was complaining about the word “tolerance”, used in the context that we should be more tolerant of gays, Muslims, et al. His point is that we should do more than tolerate our differences, but that we should embrace them. While I don’t disagree, the cultural milieu seems to be sometimes SO intolerant and even vile, mere tolerance these days would be perfectly acceptable.
Wait a minute: was I supposed to say “end hunger” or “world peace”, and I’m reducing my dream to a Rodney King quote? Certainly, it cannot be something that’s already happened, for what would be the point of the pursuit of life otherwise? OK, that my daughter grows up to be smart and well and happy, not necessarily in that order.
12. POPROCKS AND COKE:
“I don’t care is you don’t mind
I’ll be there, not far behind
I will dare, keep in mind, I’ll be there for you”…
What is the biggest favor you ever did for family or for a friend?
Lent money that I really couldn’t afford to lend.
13. BASKET CASE:
“Yea, I went to a shrink to analyze my dreams,
She says it’s lack of sex that’s bringin’ me down…”
What would you like more of in your life?
Free time, by myself. And massage – a lot more massage.
