C106

Do What’s Right, Not What’s Easy

Don’t take the easy way out.

A True House of Cards

Each card is perfectly balanced on another; just the right amount of support.

In a house of cards, each card supports another and receives support in return. If the support isn’t completely even, the house will fall.

There you have it: a bona fide support system.

Support can come in many different ways, but the most important way is being there for someone. There is no feeling worse than ending an event special to you, with no one there to congratulate you.

In a community, there are people who will bring you up, push you down, and support you throughout everything. Your job is to simply surround yourself with people who are right for you — who actually care about you and make you happy.

It’s not always easy to pinpoint these people, and sometimes you feel desperate for a friend. There are times when you just need to let go; others where you should depend. Rely. Let people help you.

If you don’t have a support system in your society there is no way progress will be made. If you aren’t comfortable, you can’t do anything.

Just lean on another card.

Madonna… You Wanna?

Adult men fighting for an odd-shaped ball, dressed in heavy padding and running back and forth along a wide, painted field doesn’t excite me as it does the rest of this country.

On Super Bowl Sunday you can usually find me watching part of the game and a few commercials — because of peer pressure — but busying myself with anything else for the rest of the night. Usually.

The first time I heard Madonna’s name linked with the biggest football game of the year, my interest sparked and this time the Super Bowl stayed on at my house. Honestly, I was expecting a provocatively-dressed woman singing and dancing with dozens of half-naked men twirling around her; a slightly off-key Madge trying to cover up her weaknesses with loud music and awkward back up singers. Boy, was I surprised. But not in the usual way.

“7 minutes ’til Madonna!” The announcer made me rethink my intention of a bathroom break — I was not missing the Material Girl, even though she decided not to sing that trademark song. As the first half of the Super Bowl was being analyzed and predictions were being made for the next half, my eyes were glued to the background where Madonna’s team was visible setting up the performance. The stage lit up in different sections with bright, vibrant colors. The reporters wrapped up the football info and the cameras swerved to capture Madonna’s “most nerve-wracking” performance.

I was looking forward to her classic songs: “Open Your Heart”, “Vogue”, “Material Girl”, “Holiday”, “Borderline”, “Like A Prayer”, “Express Yourself”… not “Gimme All Your Love”, the new, annoying, 21st century pop try-hard song.

Hundreds of strong men marched into the field, bringing about a feeling of intimidation, like a Queen was about to make a grand entrance. Not to fail, as a Queen is exactly how Madonna presented herself. More specifically as Cleopatra, dazzled in a gold gown with a horned crown adorned upon her head. She revealed herself behind a ripple of huge leaf-like flags, demanding everyone to “strike a pose” as she fantasized about being Queen.

She cleverly moved from “Vogue” to “Music” by transforming the sound and blending the end of the former to the beginning of the latter. However, I couldn’t help but quizzically stare at her when she broke into “Music.” Mainly because I watched one of her interviews where she was asked what a worse world would be: a world without sex, or a world without music. She said sex. Maybe “Music” was originally called “Sex” but her producers made her change it… “Sex makes the people come together…” It fits!

Anyone would be nervous for the Super Bowl: lights beating down on you, thousands of cameras constantly clicking, millions of viewers at home… So much pressure to perfect the performance. But Madonna is a legend, a pop icon of her time, and still rallying popularity today. Her impact on the music industry is ever present, even if she’s reaching age 54 this year and her musical era is slowly slipping away. Her nerves shouldn’t have taken over and convinced her that she isn’t good or famous enough to put on a spectacular show by herself; that she needed to bring in new, immature artists to gain fame again.

The first spotted guest in her show: LMFAO. Really, I think the name says it all. This group is childish and is always seen taking clothes off, and singing about sex. Ah, now I see why Madonna chose them. Speaking of taking clothes off, as one of the LMFAO members went to rip part of Madonna’s skirt off — as planned — the camera caught her looking down in shock and saying “What?!” when it didn’t immediately come off all the way. Wardrobe malfunction? Come on, don’t pull a Janet.

After Madonna twisted around and reminded everyone that she knew that she is sexy, cheerleaders invaded the stadium and began chanting the words “L-U-V Madonna! Y-O-U you wanna!” The song was naïve and — forgive me, Madge — a little bit stupid. Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. were featured here, and Minaj creepily bugged her eyes out and smiled way too hard, making the performance uncomfortable. Not that it wasn’t uncomfortable anyways: cheesy lyrics, fumbled dancing (ha — fumbled!), pom poms, and M.I.A. showing us the middle finger. She claims she didn’t mean to, of course! Hmm…

The song ended — thank God — and Madonna belted “Open your heart, I’ll make you love me” over a marching drum beat. Cee Lo dropped in (surprise!) and eased the transition from the schoolgirl peppiness into a “real” Madonna song. I was delighted that she was finally singing what I wanted to hear, but not for long. “Open Your Heart” quickly morphed into “Express Yourself” (now only somewhat excited) which took on the role of “Like A Prayer”. Happy, but disappointed. The Queen entered her final piece as the stage ate the entire football field in one bite and a church choir surrounded Cee Lo and herself. Her dress was half embellished with black glitter and was slit down the middle. Not your typical church dress, but hey, how often does the Sex Goddess go to church?

“Like A Prayer” was ending, as was Madonna’s show. She stepped up onto a square platform that was just perfect for her size and it was obvious what was happening next. Nonetheless, I watched with interest as blue smoke shot out from underneath her and the stage ate her as well. “WORLD PEACE” glittered as the cameras started zooming out, and again I doubted the truth behind the message. Sure, it’s a great idea and one day someone may witness it, but does Madonna believe that?

Contrary to most of this post, I did find parts of the show impressive. Her set in the beginning as Cleopatra was stunning, and her transition from one song to the next was flawless. For her age she was the Dancing Queen of the night, she was constantly strutting her style and moving like she was 19. I felt offended that Madonna was lip syncing — cheating the audience out of an authentic performance. But I do understand that it was hard to focus on song lyrics with so many other things swirling in her head.

Unfortunately for Madonna, Twitter users created #madonnalipsync and several other negative Madonna-related hashtags. Lady Gaga’s name appeared in several Tweets — some saying “Gaga, that is how it’s done!” others saying “It should have been Gaga!” Despite all the mistakes and synthetic-ness, Madonna put on a good show that will be remembered for her royal presence and wild dance moves — and we still all L-U-V Madonna… Right?

 

Gay.

That one word can ruin, disappoint, humiliate, and degrade a life.

Gay. It’s powerful. Uneducated people throw it around like it’s a baseball trying to reach homebase. But many gays do not have a “homebase” where they are safe from the scary hell they might be stuck in. Some parents can’t grasp that they are holding their child back from who they want — and need — to be. They want them to conform to what society has laid out, and stick to what is usual. In parents’ eyes, its more dangerous for a gay child to express themselves than to let their feelings build up inside. It’s selfish to think in that way; a parent should want what is in the best interest of their kid if they truly loved them. You can’t say, “I love you!” as you lock their closet’s door.

If parent’s are out of the question, what about siblings? Or friends? The two go hand in hand. Many people — whether they admit it, or not — find their best friends in their siblings. Brothers and sisters understand each other more than anyone else. Growing up together, playing Barbie’s, or Lego’s, or falling off of the monkey bars — siblings do everything together, and are always there for each other. They support you when the monkey bars won’t. They catch you, bring you back up, and swing with you to the other side. They’ll teach you that you aren’t doing anything wrong. It’s not a crime to be gay; is it my fault whether I love a man or a woman?

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “love” as: “a strong affection for another” and “affection and tenderness felt by lovers.” Nowhere in this definition does it say love is strictly between a man and a woman. The definition of “lover” from Dictionary.com doesn’t specify gender either.

However, “marriage” shows varied results:
1.

a.

the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.

b.

a similar institution involving partners of the same gender: gay marriage.

You know that society is evolving when the dictionary is split. Is it saying that heterosexual and homosexual marriages are both okay? I don’t see why a reliable source would provide information if it didn’t reflect real views.

This is proof that there are books in the world that are pro-gay. No one deserves to live life as a secret. Or feel ashamed walking down the street. Or afraid for the school dance because they will be judged for escorting a person of the same sex, or arriving without anyone at all.

Schools are awful places to try to be yourself. You’re surrounded by strangers who don’t understand you, and don’t accept your beliefs. You think you can hide with your friends, but they’re not always going to support you, and when they back down, you’re all alone. It’s up to you to take on the world with your head held high. It’s up to you to stand up to the bullies and the closed-minded judgers. It’s up to you to make a change in this difficult world.

You may be alone from all the people you once trusted, but you stand side-by-side with all the people who are helping the gays get to a better place. ItGetsBetter.org, and TheTrevorProject.org, are two of the many organizations constantly working to improve lives for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgendered) youth. Lady Gaga is actively running rallies, marches, speeches, and meetings to gain rights for gays in America and around the world. On the title song of her latest album, Born This Way, she sings, “No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgendered life, I’m on the right track, baby, I was born to survive.” It’s okay to be gay. Be proud of who you are. Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t good enough, that you aren’t normal, that God hates you, that who you are is wrong, that you will go to Hell, that you’ll never make it anywhere, that you’re ruining your life, that you’ll die alone, that you’re sick, that you’re a fag, or that you shouldn’t be gay. Stand up to them; show them that you are proud of who you are, and you can do anything. You are amazing. It Gets Better. You will always find help if you seek it.

The word “gay” doesn’t only cause life to go downhill. When I think of “gay” words that come to mind are: proud, brave, courageous, independent, deserving, loving, devoted, passionate, real. You are whoever is inside of you. Don’t change yourself — change the world around you.

Love Me Do

So far, it seems John, Paul, Ringo, and George just wanted their girlfriends to love them.

Or were they trying to cry loud enough for their fans to hear?

Did they, predicting the purpose of twenty-first century music, long for sex from their female counterparts?

Swinging drums and a blaring harmonica introduce the voices. Paul McCartney had to sing the lead vocal part; John Lennon was buzzing on the harmonica. “Love Me Do” was recorded three different times, with three different drummers: first with Pete Best, then with Ringo, then with Andy White. I listened to each version, and I have to say that Pete was not the best. Ringo’s sound resonates clearly, draws attention, and locks it in. Andy’s take is missing something. The YouTube title for White’s version says “The Beatles: Love Me Do ***NO TAMBOURINE***”, but I feel that it is short of more than just a tambourine. The voices aren’t engaging; I don’t feel the desire to listen to this song when I know there is a better recording available. On Pete’s version, the harmonica is unpleasantly loud, and it doesn’t seem that the singers want to sing. In the lyric, “So, please… Love me do,” one of The Beatles shouts the word “so” — almost yelling at the girl he wants love from. It makes me cringe every time. During the instrumental break Pete bangs his drums on the offbeat: a sharp and short tap that doesn’t fit the mood of the song.

Ringo may be special to me because he is one of the main Beatles, while Pete Best and Andy White were only temporary. When Ringo plays the drums, the echoes off of the walls are smiling. The happiness of the band is apparent with the way they sing and play, and in their synchronized outcome. The harmonica is bouncing through the melodies and John adds some twists and turns that make the song so catchy. Paul sings the word “do” with extra flair, directing the tune to be more interesting and causing fans to scream even louder. Comfortable (and typical-Beatle) harmonies are created: the melody is low and sexy, while a higher background voice gives the song its light feel.

By far, Ringo’s drumming is the most memorable. Deep notes vibrate through your mind: bing, bong, bing, bong. Since the song has so much going on, the strong downbeats he creates are much-needed. The Beatles may not have realized, but the other two versions don’t reflect a capable and lasting band. The sound is weak and it is obvious that the group wasn’t pleased with the recording. That’s ironic, because it debuted on Please Please Me.

Maybe its about sex. Maybe its about girls. Maybe its about fans. No one will know for sure. But, I say “Love Me Do” is about Ringo Starr. He should thank Best and White; without them, the other three Beatles may not have trusted Ringo to stay and be the right choice. He earned his respect through this song, and will forever hold it accountable for his fame. Even though Ringo’s drumming was only released as the single, Beatlemania sprouted because of his work, his sound, his drums.

Thank you, Ringo, for changing rock history forever with the classic Beatles song: “Love Me Do.”

Ranking: 1 out of 2

Two Centuries Later, We’re in the Same War

Mitt Romney calls Gingrich “zany” and “unreliable.” Newt Gingrich calls Romney “a liar.”

Lo and behold, the War of 2012.

That’s right; precisely 200 years ago, America was fighting the War of 1812 in replica of what the two most popular Republican candidates are facing.

Newt Gingrich is Britain: the Mother country had been around longer and looked down upon America as a weak, inferior land. Sealing a spot as Representative of Georgia for twenty years and Speaker of the House during President Clinton’s term, Gingrich has an overwhelmingly large advantage experience-wise over Romney.

Mitt Romney plays the role of America; he’s both strong and vulnerable, and his salary is giving him a disadvantage. America couldn’t pay for troops’ supplies — Britain practically laughed at their money problems. Inversely, Romney has too much money. When the country discovered his 15% tax rate, the media exploded! Mitt has used Bain Capital to receive more money but pay less tax. It’s legal, but seems unfair. You can’t help but ask: if Romney’s tax returns are legal, why won’t he release them?

Is Mittens Romney a fraud?

His Super PAC friends keep Romney equipped with all the money he needs, in case Bain Capital backs out. Newt, not daring to take off his crown, laughs at Romney’s secretiveness while publicly pressuring him to release his tax returns.

Let’s take another look at Newt’s position. At the CNN Debate this past Thursday, John King started the night inquiring about the open-marriage Gingrich asked his ex-wife for. Gingrich was extremely offended, red in the face, and yelled at King — on air. He blocked his personal life from his political, and wouldn’t accept any more questions about it. I viewed his outrage uncalled for, but the United States saw it as strong defense from a Republican candidate. Britain created the Navigation Acts about a century before the war which didn’t allow America to trade with any country other than Britain. Romney’s huge lead over the other candidates seemed untouchable — that is, until Gingrich got his head in the game. He basically told Romney, “I won’t let you gain any more supporters, but you can lose some by sending them to me.”

Sound familiar?

The Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812, but didn’t declare a winner. Politics is just slightly different; the victor of this will take on the Red and Blue War against President Obama later this year. America would have been defeated in 1812 if it wasn’t for their alliance with France, which is a coincidence because — don’t forget — Mitt Romney speaks French.

Please Please Me

The Beatles’ first album and first number one single both have the same name. These three words catapulted the songwriters to fame not only in Europe, but created a worldwide infestation. “Please Please Me” let the group hit the ground running and remains a legend.

An enticing lead is presented by the blend of the harmonica, drums, and guitar. The Beatles enter the song with vocal harmony that stays strong throughout the number. Right before the chorus John breaks into a series of sexy “come on”s with the other three backing him up—a style that the Jackson 5 would later adapt.

I read through online reviews of “Please Please Me” and found that most people viewed the song as a sexual plea. The lyric “Please, please me, woah yeah, Like I please you” suggests this desire, but I interpret it instead as a beg for attention. An aunt raised John Lennon, and just as he created a relationship with his mother she was torn away from him in a car accident. Without a doubt he felt abandoned throughout his life—somewhat related to many middle children feeling left out. It’s no surprise that John would have wanted popularity and spotlights. Eventually he received his wish in one hundred-fold, but maybe not in the authentic way at first.

All of The Beatles went through many relationships with women in their lives: some of the most famous being John and Cynthia Lennon; John and Yoko Ono; Paul and Linda McCartney; and most recently, Paul and Nancy Shevell. Of course the Fab Four had thousands of girls in love with them, but they were all searching for people whom they could love back. Women were interested in the group because of their immense fame—in love with only their fame—and that can be deteriorating. The relationships of John and Paul with other women are the most memorable, which fits because “Please Please Me” is credited to Lennon-McCartney.

The song is very upbeat, but as you break it apart you can’t help but feel heartbroken as it becomes clear the length that The Beatles went to get real attention for their personalities and love. I am not denying that the song wasn’t written in a sexual way, but I feel that the lyrics represent an expression of appreciating (and pleasing) what you have that is worthy of being loved.

The Greatest Hit

The Beatles debut their American performances on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 with 73 million people watching.

1964 — Martin Luther King, Jr. took home a Nobel Peace Prize; China exploded an atomic bomb for the first time; and “Funny Girl” opened on Broadway. Tremendous feats were reached in ’64, but none quite compare to the enormous footprint The Beatles laid on America. Their music touched millions world-wide, and continues to steal a spot on the Billboard Top 100 Albums Chart in this 21st century.

306 songs, 19 albums, and 27 number one hits. But what is The Beatles’ greatest song ever recorded?

The Potpourri Story will take apart each petal of the flower, dig into the roots, and replant every seed to uncover the most notable Beatles song in history. In each entry will dissect a song and give it a ranking based on the number of songs I have previously evaluated. My challenge is extensive, so bring your mop top’s and Yellow Submarines, for this is going to be A Hard Day’s Night.

Inside the Fragrance

Pot-pour-ri (noun) 1. a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar for scent. 2. a miscellaneous collection: medley. (Definition from Merriam-Webster).

The Potpourri Story will evaluate everything from kitchen dishes to China’s latest technological discovery. By providing diversified ideas, every one can find some dessert to taste, and every story will leave you scrambling for the last crumb. Whether you’re from Timbuktu or Chefchaouen, the scent of Potpourri captivates and keeps you returning for more. So, enjoy my “miscellaneous collection,” and remember the smell.