Dreams

Some nights as I lie down to go to sleep I find that my mind is not quite as ready to drop off as the clock would suggest. Everything is taken care of, I have watched adult swim and capped it off with a late night dose of the Simpsons but my normal routine doesn't seem to be enough for my brain to shut down with.
As I lay there thinking, drifting, I go over the day's events trying to determine if I made good choices or not and then likely as not listening to music in my head. I examine songs I love, searching for personal meaning and how things connect from one movement or genere to the next.
Last night I got caught up in the possible connections between Neil Young and the Sex Pistols for a while before drifting on to more etheral concerns. A recent book I read called "The Dark Stuff" by Nick Kent provided some of the glue that connected my mental ramblings. He interviewed and discussed the work of various "Dark Artists" working in the rock genere. All the usual suspects appeared, Iggy, Sid Vicious, Kurdt. The twin jewels of the book were a pair chapters on Brian Wilson and Roy Orbison.

I recently started "getting" the Beach Boys, especially now that I know how dark the story is behind those uplifting melodies and gentle harmonies. Orbison is someone I have always had a fondness for. In the interview he seems plain spoken and unpretentious. He came across as an artist that thought deeply about his work and its context while never making himself out to be any more than just another man. Profoundly refreshing.

Roy Orbison - In Dreams

The Beach Boys - God Only Knows

The Beach Boys - Caroline No

The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice