A while back, Rob was bitten; not by a radioactive spider but by an idea to post a weekly article about a few songs that he really likes. There are so many possibilities that the series could go on forever, and so Saturday Jams was born.

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So here we are, another Saturday, another week that’s not quite over yet for me. Of course I’m referring to work, but stay with me! All conventional wisdom tells me to keep my posts positive even though the artist in me has already died and is silently decomposing next to a tree with a wake of vultures lightening the load for the worms. . . or at least, that’s what he would have me believe. He’s been kicking up the melodrama lately by making my Daily Post prompts sound like a mediocre third grader’s daily writing practice, trying to convince me that he’s gone – but I know the truth. He just needs more opportunity to express himself.

Don’t we all have those times? Times when things begin to pile up to the point where you start to wish that you could run your brain through a car wash? What do we do about that?

Conventional wisdom says that music has charms to soothe the savage breast. I’d like to think my hands are good for that, and some Al Greene would be a nice accompaniment; but if we tone down the ‘literal’ just a tad – music is how we deal with adversity, right? Take something that burns your cheeks and make it sound like a party. . . or don’t.

Our first song today comes from Todd Rundgren‘s appropriately named album The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect. Just let that one sink in. This freedom chant sounds like everyone’s having a good time!

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Here’s one of my favorites: it definitely does not sound like a party, but it’s not something to mope to, either – I first heard this song as the intro to the movie Joe Vs. The Volcano, where Tom Hanks‘ tortured daily grind leads him to a terminal diagnosis, and he is subsequently hired to jump into a volcano to appease the Island Gods of Waponiwu.

Actually, that was a really good movie that I haven’t seen in at least 20 years, and I would kill to watch that again. It had a great cast – not just Tom Hanks but Meg Ryan (as twins!), Abe Vigoda, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, and Dan Hedaya (anyone who doesn’t like him hasn’t heard the most awesome line in Clueless: “I have a shotgun and a shovel, and I’m not afraid to use them.”) If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. It can be a little tough to get your hands on, but it’s totally worth it. I’m going to order it on DVD from Amazon.

Here’s that intro; this is what I’m talking about. Pay attention to the imagery: the cracks in the sidewalk, the company’s posters, the lone flower that keeps getting stepped on. This movie had a lot more under the hood than most people ever gave it credit for.

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Okay, kiddos, that’s all you get for now; I have to run, and then I have to work!

Again.

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