I Hate This Blog

Mission Statement
- or -
WTF does his playlist have to do with his dead kid?

What doesn't have to do with my dead kid?

Okay, okay, here's the big secret - when I record "What's On David's iPod" it is a message to myself that I just had a kick-ass run. Whatever it was I was listening to that made me fly that day.

And I have been in training, for what I will not say, but I have been working up to something big (little over 26 miles big) and I need to get that out.

What does this have to do with Calvin? Calvin makes me take care of myself, Calvin reminds me not to waste anything, to be healthy, to strive not to be a jerk, not to gorge myself, not to drink too much, to be patient, to be tolerant, to be smart, to be kind, to vote Democrat, to calm down, to notice the change in the weather, to be here.

Calvin reminds me to run.

The father of one of Zelda's friends got me to sign up for the Subway Challenge - basically, it's a way to get me on a list for races, and to get me into them. There was one in Akron two weeks ago, it was the last day it snowed like hell in Cleveland but it had only been raining in Akron. It was just a 5K, and I had never run a race in all-weather gear, but I beat 22 minutes and that was pretty good.

Jumping Around, Purple Wagon

However, last Tuesday I was doing a photo shoot for Great Lakes (oh my God, do not ask) and I almost broke my heel. Or maybe I did, who knows, a podiatrist checked it out on Wednesday and wasn't too concerned and it has been getting better - incrementally - for the past five days. But I haven't been running, cannot run, not yet.

It leaves me a little depressed, don't you know.

Stupid Covers

There are a lot of stupid covers. We were at Mayfield High for baby swim a few weeks ago, and it took me a moment to realize that the version of Walkin' On Sunshine they were playing was not the one by whoever that was, but recorded by someone else. It was followed by a covering of something else by someone different.

Dumb songs that need no cover, recorded by faceless acts who are doing their best to sound like the original.

I remember when THE END first went on the air (remember that? oh, forget it) and the programmers, who were all obviously Baby Boomers, were trying to figure out what young adults like me wanted to hear on the radio. They knew who the acts were, but obviously didn't like the songs. So all during the summer of 1992 they would play The Cure doing Hello, I Love You, The Lemonheads doing Mrs. Robinson, and Siouxsie and the Banshees playing Dear Prudence.

Then there are all those movies that use modern acts playing classic rock tunes because they are contractually obligated to provide something that might be a chart hit, but can't risk offering something unfamiliar.

The Presidents of the United States of America did covers of Video Killed the Radio Star for "The Wedding Singer" and Cleveland Rocks for "The Drew Carey Show." Boy. Do I hate those covers a lot.

What's On David's iPod?
(even though I cannot go running today. wah.)
"Hounds of Love"
The Futureheads
The Futureheads

Having said all this, I do dig a cover of an obscure tune by a band that obvious just really wanted to record that song and does it with both an obvious appreciation of the original artist and their own interpretation.

I am currently soaking my foot. Otherwise I would not be wasting your or my own precious time with this.

Who Critiques the Critics?

Last week PD theater reviewer Tony B. evaluated Christopher J.'s piece on Cleveland in American Theatre.

I just wrote something on Dobama leaving Coventry for the June issue of Cleveland Magazine. I am looking forward to finding out what I got wrong.