UNITED TOGETHER (a poem)

i am trying to connect
with the roots
of the Harlem Renaissance

hey Man
i was in church
the other day
staring at the cross
pondering its meaning
reminded me somehow
of Langston Hughes
a Negro who was
neither black nor white
he wrote some poetry
one of them called “cross”
white old man
black old mother
lived and wrote
in Harlem

hey man
have you heard
Bird
on a sax
jazz…oh so truly American
do you remember the weary blues?
i love those lines:
“Coming from a black man’s soul
In a deep song voice
with a melancholy tone.”

i’m talking to you
the Negro Spirit
i’m thinking about Langston Hughes
why?

what is a Negro?
is he the essential American?
out there always finding
solace
his meaning out there
on the streets of Harlem

abstract morality

you bind together
in the village
the bronx

Harlem
you have something
in common
a lot of you believe
in the same things

live and let live

you can be happy
without becoming a millionaire
maybe you feel
like you belong there
its the general feeling

a brotherhood

awakening race
consciousness
a cultural movement
rebirth
New York City
the center of change
accomplishments of the past
created a livelihood now
an interest
in Negro life

and power to the people
it must have been insane
a revolution of thoughts
you are the roots
of possibility
and i am inspired

Christopher Noe
Copyright 2013

Later Lou

Lou Reed died on October 27th 2013. I don’t believe rock and roll bands change people’s lives. But when I was 19, in college, one of my roommates was listening to a song by Lou Reed that really resonated with me. Coney Island Baby is the name of it. We were smoking cigarettes and talking. I asked to play the song again. I went back home during winter break. I bought a compilation record called Different Times: Lou Reed in the 70’s. That song was on there as well as many other of his hits. I bought this compact disc at a strip-mall in Aurora, Illinois. Northgate, the neon sign read. The mall isn’t as pretty as it used to be, kind of a dump actually. But I loved it when my discman leaked a tiny reproduction of Reed’s voice into my head all day, every day for most of 1996. I enjoyed listening to him. His music is out there to be experienced any time you want to hear it. He made lots of records.

When you’re a teenager, rock & roll has a gravity that it can never have again. In the summers of my college days, Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground were sort of my emotional life. I have blogged before about his music and I have been still listening to his stuff. When I heard the news, I listened to Coney Island Baby right away. I tried, but could not recapture the intensity of feeling that song had for me in another time. I wouldn’t want to, however. But the spaces in that song are certainly planted in my DNA now. (paraphrased) Man, I’d swear, I’d give the whole thing up for Lou.

later lou

to be misunderstood
is not so bad
brutal honesty in New York City
crossing his legs
holding a guitar
on his lap
writing a sad song
with sunglasses on
(better artistic impressions)
to care
but not regret or change
to transform
but stay the same
a poet
a story teller
a man who will be missed
enjoy the twilight
as its reeling

-Christopher Noe Copyright 2013

“Rock & Roll” by The Velvet Underground

This is an incredible song! A joyous celebration of the power of rock ‘n’ roll! I name it as my favorite rock and roll song ever written and recorded. No pun intended. It has a real catchy hook to it. The lyrics evoke that sense of being saved by this music. I picture myself cruising through a busy street or by the ocean or on a country road or anywhere for that matter and listening to this rock song.

It tells the story of a girl named Ginny who was “just five years old,” messing with the dials of her radio in her car until she turned “on a New York station and she couldn’t be-lieve what she heard at all.” Lou Reed is a fantastic song writer and guitar player!

Lou Reed praises the glory of “Rock & Roll” with brutal delight in this Velvet Underground song of that simple title, seeing it as the solace of that young girl, previously mentioned when it explodes out of that radio. It is the third track on the band’s 1970 album, Loaded. I think a fresh audience discovered it when this ten-minute version appeared on Lou Reed’s 1974 live album Rock’n’Roll Animal. What a fantastic record that one is! But the song alone,”‘Rock & Roll,'” is about me, you, anyone really whose eyes and ears suddenly are opened. For me, if I did not hear any rock & roll on the radio, including the song, then I would not be the man that I am today.

But why do I love it? It just feels so damn good on my ears!!!

Take a listen:

Therapy in a Song

Songs are Therapy For Me

Everyone has a favorite song, at least I hope so. For what would this world be like without music? I can remember certain times in my life based primarily on a specific tune. These were always in the foreground for me. Whether I was at a dinner party, a grocery store, watching a movie or playing a board game. These songs tend to be in the background for most people but not for me. I hear every word and notice every nuance.

But how do they help shape my life? Did any particular song give you the strength you needed during a tough time? Was there a song playing when you told your girlfriend or boyfriend that you loved them for the first time? (Feel free to share your favorite songs when commenting on my posts). Music is all-encompassing for me.  Occasionally, I will try to start a new series for my blog. I will share what my beloved songs are. They are truly therapeutic.

So tonight’s tune…..Coney Island Baby  by Lou Reed

This is a really great song. It’s a nice simple sentiment about taking comfort from the people who believe in you even when you feel worthless. The guitar riffs are just out of sight. I can envision myself sitting by the ocean and starring at New York at sunset and getting the images of the coach and the princess at the carnival. They are characters in his short story of a six and a half minute song. I hear it and I freeze just to listen to it’s powerful words and the story Lou Reed is telling about passion, tastes, intimidation and most of all…love.

When I first heard “Coney Island Baby,”  I was 19 years old and in my second year of college. Sitting around in a friends’ dorm room smoking, drinking and relaxing. The groove of this melody was feeling comfortable to my ears. After I moved back home with my folks, I found myself hearing it more and more on stereos in cars, bars and at friend’s houses. I eventually bought a disc with this wonderful and magical song on it.  I even threw it in on a couple of mix tapes.

The song itself tells the story of teenage years in Long Island and the confusion that goes with it.  Am I going down the right path?  Do I fit in with my peers or am I following my own path? Which is what I do. I follow the beat of a different drummer, so I can relate to this song. This begins slowly with the mellow guitars and Reed’s soft voice and builds to a nice uplifting ballad. Despite its meaning, it is an awesome piece of work.

Lou Reed did a lot with the music group, The Velvet Underground, but his solo stuff in the mid to late 70’s was spectacular. And this song was truly his masterpiece because he was such an outsider from NYC. What do I mean? He was and always has been a brave story teller talking about the scums of Brooklyn and the wild parties and the horrors of drug use. It is so personal with Lou, and on this song, you hear him in his most emotional state.

I could go on for eternity about this song. But I won’t because I have other ones to talk about down the road. So do yourself a favor. Listen to this one and tell me why you hate it! Because I feel nothing but love for it.

Peace out

C-Note