House Rent Blues

So I still don't have all of my hearing back from being sick. It gets better hour by hour, but it's really not the sort of situation I'd prefer. I feel like that my hearing could return right now an I still wouldn't know it since it's been wonky for so long now. Or on the other side of things, I could retain permanent damage because I can't tell it everything came back alright. Man, ears suck.
One time I woke up with blood all over my pillow and a sensation not unlike having had several lower demons taking turns raping my eardrums. Anyways, I did the only thing I knew how and got on the bus for the hospital. It should be no surprise then that by the time I got there I was in excruciating pain.
I knew it was gonna be awhile yet before I saw a doctor. It always is. and it was understandable, considering how a guy who'd just lost a leg showed up not long after me. But still, the waiting wasn't fun. I tried to distract mysel from the pain, nothing was really working. An hour went by. Nothing. I'd go up to the desk, making sure they knew I was sill there, and that I could only bleed on my own clothes for so long until the carpet started taking a hit.
Somewhere around an hour and a half I started to make it interesting. There were all sorts of medical personnel going in and out of there, and I'd noticed a blue cooler with "University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: Marrow Retrieval Unit" printed across the side of it. I told myself that if I waited more than three hours total, I was going to steal the cooler. This wasn't the first time I'd rationalized stealing something in retribution for making me wait and/or pay too much. Already in my posession were a handbell and from the courthouse, two cones from the DMV, and a gross ogf pens from the registrar's office. Listen, I never said I wasn't petty.
So yeah, three and a half hours after I'd gotten there, I ran out of the hospital with the cooler in my hands. I didn't even open it until I got home. Its contents were less exciting than one would think. There were various chemicals (that my roommates and I decided immediately to throw out of our 8th story window) a few pairs of scissors and giant tweezers, and a giant bone chisel. I still have the last item, and it remains the deadliest thing I've ever owned, depending on how you feel about foothold traps.
Anyway, it was a stupid and grossly irresponsible act. I stole (probably) needed medical supplies so I could have a cool beer receptacle. Which I believe has sat on my back porch moving over a year ago. The point of this story, though, is not that stealing is wrong. We all know that, and my saying it isn't gonna sway you or anyone else I know from doing it if you weren't already. The point is that I'm terrible at waiting for things. Not really much payoff, is it?
So, here's some rather well known blues tracks. I had this post and writeups for other songs ready for last night, but I can't seem to access my hard drive from the box.net site. I have no idea what that even means, other than the fact that my music posts are gonna be more erratic than ever.
Anyways, I don't know if anyone else has been watching the ego trip white rapper show, but for some reason I have. There was this little white girl who was actually a pretty terrible rapper, but her hero was Vanilla Ice. No shit. Her hero was Vanilla Ice, and she carried around a picture of him, and she stuck to her guns through it. Now say what you will about her choice of hero, but I actually admired that*. I guess at some point he really helped her out of something, and she stood up for him because of that. Anyway, she got kicked off the other night. and deservedly so. But I was thinking about her refusal to budge on her love for Mr. Van Winkle. and it sorta dawned on me that white the Blues Brothers were essentially playing with one of the greatest R&B that ever existed, they were still two white men in suits aping black culture. I've discussed this before and I don't really want to get into it today, but it was a bit humbling, and I feel bad for mocking those kids, but seriously. I can get it if those idiots actually met with these kids and helped them sort something out, as Ice purportedly did, but to maintain an allegience to these guys because they do...whatever they do is just wrong.

John Lee Hooker was a bad old man, and he'd probably be the first one to tell you so. Even when he was young. That gutteral singing, and the way his guitar not so much accompanied but augmented his voice just made him so unique. It should be pointed out that the Blues Brothers movie first showed me the man, and It was something that fundamentally changed my opinion of music in general. To make things worse, this song (mixed with another one of Hooker's songs) was later covered -and charted- by George Thorogood as the first half of "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer". This version is a lot slower and drones a bit. I like if infinitely better, if only for Hooker saying "'everybody funny'. I said 'you funny, too'". Greatest suspicion ever.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Buddy Guy is fucking crazy. Just listen to the way his frustration comes out through his playing it's incredible. I want to talk a lot more about both of these artists, but not with these songs and not with this post, so I'll get back to them later. Lazy post, I know.

"House Rent Boogie" - John Lee Hooker
Buy House Rent Boogie here
"Stone Crazy" - Buddy Guy
Buy Buddy's Blues here for cheap as shit.

I'm working on another mix for y'all, but it's gonna be awhile, since I have to find the software I used for the last few somewhere.


*This is likely to be complete shit, since as recently as yesterday, I broke out laughing at two Insane Clown Posse fans. I'm not gonna speculate on whether or not they are worse than Vanilla Ice (probably), but the point is my admiration for this poor kid is fleeting at best.