Monday, July 8, 2013

dylanesque, A new music genre?

The Urban dictionary defines "dylanesque" as having the qualities of Bob Dylan. Well, to that I could add to that two other Dylans: the poet Dylan Thomas and me. There is an album out called Dylanesque, but it occurred to me that it was a perfect name for my music genre.

All these years I have had to check the box "folk rock", but there is no "folk" in my songs and as to "rock" what does that mean anymore? Kurt Cobain and the other Seattle groups were not "punk" and the term "alternative" is just a general term for "who knows what you are" so suddenly, and no one knows for sure how, they started to call themselves "grunge" and the rest is history.

As to being Dylan Stephens, I used to be in the top 10 on a search, but no more. There is a body builder, androgyne, and probably even a female, and a person in a sheepskin coat from the 60's - oh that is me! Anyway, I am a Dylan and being named after Dylan Thomas the poet, not Bob Dylan because I am too old, I have a legal right to have a music genre: "dylanesque". I am hoping that it will stick and defeat the mainstream as "grunge" once did. Wish me luck.

My channel is "oldiesbutdillies". These YouTube creations represent my best songs, which were so unique and good that the mainstream ignored them, and you could say that they are 'oldies' from this Dylan and thus 'dillies' - get-it! These illustrated songs are also a new art form in themselves. Thanks for listening and watching.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Thanks from Snowdon to Edward Snowden

Yeah, I once had a Secret Clearance. It was strange though as my greatest claim to fame, beyond being a classmate of Clinton, was attending the "March on the Pentagon" October 24, 1967. As I stood outside the entrance with tear gas all around, someone gave me a wet cloth for my face. The dilemma: to go in and get arrested or to just return back to the mob where communist trucks drove by to try to claim it was their rally.

Well, years later I had a Secret Clearance, so not on the watch list yet! As I entered into the secure location of the "Reagan's Star Wars Project" as a Boeing Computer Services guru, astronomy/physics major, astrologer, and Columbia Records signed band: the Grey Company (named after Aragorn's friends in the Lord of the Rings), all I saw were people wasting taxpayer money.

It is strange that all this NSA stuff should shock people. We gave away all our privacy to Dick Cheney ages ago and very few cared then! (Interesting that two of the most famous Presidential crooks are "Dicks".) I always take refuge in the fact that too much data overwhelms the system. Just look at the Internet. You can't find information anymore, just commercials. I do not know why people are so complacent about being controlled by the modern Gestapo.

I agree with Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, that we are facing a crisis greater than the days of Nixon. For the President and the key Senators, who have been briefed on what is going on, to shrug their shoulders is unforgivable. The reason that those 'techies' like Snowden earn fabulous salaries has to do with the fact that few people know anything about this field of intelligence gathering technology. It scares them and they think that by paying a high salary that they are protected.

In my system programming days in the 70's all I had to do was to convince the prospective employer that I could handle anything. Well, I was good, but not that good and computers did sometimes defeat me. We are looking at the reality of all those future movies of machines taking over. It is not that easy to just pull the plug on "2001 Space Odyssey" "HAL" (the word created from IBM shifted one letter to the right.) "HAL" or shall we say "MRZ" (sounds a bit like "MRSA" the incurable physical infection) is everywhere and no one is in control!!!

Has the NSA tracked the Skype calls to my wife in the U.S. from my house overlooking Harlech Castle and Snowdon Mountain where the Welsh "traitors" to King Edward once hid out. They will now!!!! Will the British Government shield me from the NSA cops? Not likely as they are in it, too.

My YouTube song: Modern Times seems fitting here.

Many thanks from Snowdon Mountain to you, Edward Snowden. Integrity comes with a cost.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Star Hopping out of generic commercial pop music

Zach Sobiech, farewell, and Sammy Brown, what a beautiful goodbye.

Thank our stars that YouTube allows a small window for real music to bleed through the cracks. What better way than the power of song to say goodbye to the world with "Star Hopping" and "Clouds"!

And yet that freedom is rapidly losing ground in the under the weight of Google ad-words where money is again determining what gets played. Money continues to perpetuate the quick buck marketing of generic commercial pop music records where clones of Britney Spears, boybands, 50 Cent rap and X-Factor are released in an endless loop.

Once upon a time there was folk music that was exactly as its name: music of us folks. From that we had the pop music of Buddy Holly, the Beatles, and the Stones, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen. (You can guess my ancient age from these choices.) These were songs of real people, some were light like Star Hopping, others serious, but most of all they were real. Country Music held on to that concept, but its styles of singing were too confining. Blues, of course, has had a great influence. Perhaps, real songs are still out there.

Zach, may the wave of real songs continue as your legacy and be of comfort to your friends and family and help the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund.

I offer my song: Venus and Mars
as a companion to "Star Hopping" and "Clouds".