While John Mayer has played so many amazing guitar solos, this is probably one of my all-time favorites (solo is at 2:48 mark):
I've always had an affinity towards hip-hop. I can't personally say I can relate, having never been affiliated with any gang. My parents even steered me towards the high school I graduated from because they wanted to keep me away from the "gangsta" life. But even so I still enjoyed hip-hop. Tupac was the guy for me growing up, also I also enjoyed Ma$e, Puff Daddy (pre P. Diddy), Jay-Z, a little Notorious BIG, and Eminem. Lately I've been exploring some old school stuff, like Bone Thugz N Harmony, going through Jay-Z's discography in chronological order, some Warren G. Like JM, I got into D'Angelo, and while I do enjoy the likes of Boyz II Men and Babyface, among others, D'Angelo combines the sweet tones of R&B with the grit of hip-hop and mixes some funk in there, and his latest album, "Black Messiah" has more of a rock flair to it. There's always been sort of an earthiness to hip-hop, especially the stuff that came out when I was growing up. A lot of hip-hop now, sad to say, is mostly borne in the studio; my generation's hip-hop was borne out of the streets, and the studio was just a medium, a canvas onto which hip-hop artists could express themselves on. Hip-hop is modern day blues in the sense that it's the outcry of (mostly) oppressed people set to music. Guys like Tupac, Nas, Notorious BIG, Eminem, Rakim, and Jay-Z have the same spirit of BB King, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Muddy Waters. They're all storytellers, all geniuses in their own way, wordsmiths, and all earthy. They were beloved within their own communities but misunderstood outside of them. But as the bluesmen have become more revered through the years, hopefully emcees will also garner the same appreciation as time goes on. I guess my mission, at least for the time being, is to not just find a way to fuse blues and hip-hop, but really mine the riches of these two seemingly disparate yet similar genres of music and strike gold, discover something that may have been brushed on but never really experimented with.
Hold on to whatever you find, baby Hold on to whatever will get you through Hold on to whatever you find, baby I don't trust myself with loving you - "I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)", Continuum Studio version:
Live version with crazy intro and solo:
As if I didn't brag about my girl enough in my earlier post, but more than anything the reason why I love her so much is she had the courage to risk her heart with me. This song has struck a chord with me (as has a lot of other JM songs) because since my parents' marriage was so rocky, I never really got to witness on a day-to-day basis how to love a woman. I heard a lot of second-hand stuff from other good men, but still. And from the get-go there's always been this doubt, not just from a physical standpoint (although apparently I'm not doing that badly, LOL), but emotionally if I would be able to respect and care for my girl the way she deserves. But like I said, she makes it easy. I've dealt with so much BS from people in my life that anytime someone comes along who is unabashedly honest and open, it's refreshing. It's like eating a real mango after eating nothing but mango candy your whole life. It's been good so far, but when times get rough, as they inevitably will (from my cynical perspective), will I be strong enough to walk with her through them? And even though I'm crazy about her, I still enjoy flirting, and I wonder if, when faced with an incredible amount of temptation, especially when another girl wants to turn things up a notch, will I be strong enough to resist? But part of me feels like I will be, and that's because if there's anything I DON'T want to do, it's break her heart. She's been through enough crap in her life, and the last thing I want is to add even more. I also want our relationship to be as drama-free as possible, since my parents' was so bad.
You love, who you love Who you love You love, who you love Who you love My girl, she ain't the one that I saw coming And sometimes I don't know which way to go And I tried to run before But I'm not running anymore Cause I've fought against it hard enough to know That you love, who you love Who you love You love, who you love Who you love You love, who you love Who you love Oh, you can't make yourself stop dreaming Who you're dreaming of If it's who you love Then it's who you love -"Who You Love", Paradise Valley One of my all time favorite movies is "The Last Kiss". Zach Braff plays a guy who just turned 30 and is about to settle down with his pregnant girlfriend (played by the lovely Jacinda Barrett). At their friends' wedding, he meets a girl (played by little cutie pie Rachel Bilson) and ends up sleeping with her. Spoiler alert: even though his girlfriend is pissed off about what he did, she gives him a second chance. But he slept with the other girl out of fear of settling down because there won't be any surprises in his life.
I'm madly in love with my girl, but when we "broke up" for a day in an attempt to placate her husband (it didn't), I tried to convince myself and her, but especially myself, that I didn't want this relationship as badly as I did, that part of me still wants to be a bachelor. And it's not completely false; I still enjoy being flirty with the ladies, especially at my new job, where I meet beautiful women from all over the world, and some of my co-workers are lookers. But on Friday when we spoke on the phone, I realized right then and there how much I really loved this girl, and maybe she could be the one I settle down with. It's not the situation I pictured myself in; I thought I'd end up with someone single, maybe a little younger (don't hurt me! LOL), and with less baggage. But in a way this is actually much better than I could have imagined. She's so wonderful, and it's so effortless being around her; it's kind of scary how easy it is. There will probably be conflict, as in every relationship, but I can't imagine those being very long-lasting or frequent; we're so in sync like that. It's the honeymoon phase, and I wonder at times if things will ever get stale. But neither of us are really thrill-seekers, and as much as we like to do exciting things once in a while, I think we're just as content curling up on the couch watching TV or playing with our dogs or cats. It's like the poem that says,"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." She's honest, intelligent, strong, compassionate; she's everything I've ever wanted in a woman, and I can't imagine anyone better to come home to the rest of my life. I'm tearing up as I type this! I'm such a softy. Even though I see plenty of bumps (and some huge ones) in the road ahead, I'm willing to navigate them because I know once she and I get through these next few months to a year of dealing various issues surrounding our relationship, we'll be able to declare to the world our love for each other, and that's what I want as much as anything else in life. And I can finally change my Facebook status! LOL
