Changing the Lyrics of a well known song

For our weekly Uni module we were asked to change the lyrics of a well known song.

I chose The Presidents of the USA's "Peaches".

Now I've got that damn song in my head.

Original Lyrics are in bold.

Rewritten lyrics are in italics.

Movin' to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches
I'm movin' to the country I'm gonna eat me a lot of peaches
I'm movin' to the country I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches
Peaches come from a can they were put there by a man
In a factory downtown
If I had my little way I'd eat peaches everyday
Sun soakin bulges in the shade

Lookin for some lovin’, gonna  find me some romance

I’m Lookin for some lovin’ gonna find me some romance

I’m Lookin’ for some lovin’ gonna find me some romance

Lookin’ for some lovin’ gonna find me some romance

Love comes from the heart, it was put there by someone

In a dream or in real life

If I had a choice I’d be loved everyday

Valentine’s Day Everyday

Movin' to the country I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches
I'm movin to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches

Lookin for some lovin’, gonna  find me some romance

Lookin for some lovin’, gonna  find me some romance

I’m Lookin’ for some lovin’, gonna  find me some romance

Lookin for some lovin’, gonna  find me some romance

I took a little nap where the roots all twist
Squished a rotten peach in my fist
And dreamed about you woman
I poked my finger down inside makin' a little room for a ant to hide
Nature's candy in my hand or can or a pie

Found someone for a tryst

I didn’t think I’d have the tricks

And dreamed about your lovin’

There’s space in my heart, made some room for your love

Sweet love in the air, in my mind and in my heart

Millions of peaches peaches for me
Millions of peaches peaches for free
Millions of peaches peaches for me
Millions of peaches peaches for free

Plenty of lovin’, lovin’ for you

Plenty of lovin’, lovin for me

Plenty of lovin’, lovin’ for you

Plenty of lovin’, lovin’ for  me

Look out

Love Life

Millions of peaches peaches for me
Millions of peaches peaches for free
Millions of peaches peaches for me
Millions of peaches peaches for free

Look out

Plenty of lovin’, lovin’ for you

Plenty of lovin’, lovin for me

Plenty of lovin’, lovin’ for you

Plenty of lovin’, lovin’ for  me

Love Life

A short - short story about placing myself in someone else's shoes

I looked at my new tattoo.

‘WHITE AND PROUD’ was now written across my abdomen. 

It had been unbelievably painful, but seeing it in the mirror did make me proud and strong.  It made me feel complete.  I had to show the superiors that I was ready to take the next step and be a true Brother.  

A permanent reminder of what I believed in was a requirement. It was my first tattoo but I thought that was the easy part.  What came next made my skin turn cold.

Growing up, I got good grades, stayed out of trouble and had a succession of male and female nannies.  The one constant in my life was my Auntie Ellie.  

Auntie Ellie didn’t like anyone that wasn’t white and American.  She voiced her suspicions on any neighbours that were Black, Asian or Arabic.   

She hated them all. 

So while my mother worked, my Auntie educated me on what was wrong with this country and who to blame for the mess we were in. 

I knew of the Brotherhood from the stories Auntie Ellie had told me. 

I decided to join. 

They said I would be accepted, as long as I passed a test. I arrived at the location with three Molotov cocktails.  It was an everyday corner store, a place I would have gone into any other day.  But it was owned and run by Asians.

I lit the first of the cocktails and took my first step in making the world right again.

A short-short story from my Masters Degree in Writing

1.      Imagine I say the word ‘red’. Write down the first three words that come to mind.

Wine, hair, blood.

 Now incorporate the three words in a ‘short short-story’ (250 words) prompted by the cue:

You are sitting at your writing station with your back to an open window. You suddenly feel a chill.

I stared at what I had written.

It was equal parts a suicide note and a confession.  I had tried to wipe off as much of her blood as I could, but red stains covered the page I was writing on.  Perhaps it was poetic. She always did find a way to mess things up. I read through what I wrote again, before shoving it aside.

Standing up, I felt dizzy and tottered towards the kitchen.

We had been in the middle of dinner, when the argument started.  As per usual, it was about money.  I had brought home an expensive bottle of red wine because I was in the mood to celebrate, Irene had taken one look at the bottle and her expression darkened.  I knew trouble was going to be happen but I didn’t care.  Work had been especially brutal and it was Friday, I wanted to have fun, she on the other hand, wanted to fight.

I had tried to keep control, but when she started talking about my mother, I finally snapped. 

I grabbed a frying pan and my wife ended up on the kitchen floor.

Looking down at her, Irene’s red hair made it hard to see where the blood was seeping from.  

I was now a widower by my own hand.

Voices started, unbidden. 

Escape!

Get rid of the evidence!

Turn yourself in! 

But in the end, there was only one solution.

I turned towards the open window.

My life's Playlist

While on tour in Europe, to alleviate the boredom on the bus, our tour leader suggested people pick songs for moments in their life i.e. their funeral song, the song they listen to before they go out to party, the song/s they listened to growing up etc.

I was at the back of the bus in a fevered stupor and couldn't be bothered going to the front of the bus.

So here are my picks.


- My funeral song (and funnily enough, it's the first song I listen to before I head off to work)

Florence and the Machine and my favourite version of Never Let Me Go

 

- After listening to this song, I get pumped up and ready to take on the world.

And yes, it's Florence and the Machine again - my favourite version of Shake it Out (funnily enough, also the first song I listen to before heading home, usually after the gym)

Songs I grew up with and that would be the 90's and hip hop was damn good back in those days.

Here's a selection

Naughty by Nature

Will Smith before he was a "blockbuster" actor

Run DMC vs Jason Nevins

A bit of TLC never hurt anyone

From teenage years to a song we had to select for "baby making music" 

All yours Michael.

Song that I'd listen to when I did go out, which is not much these days, getting too old for this shit

Take it away Stevie but you've got to check out the dance moves!

A couple of songs I'd listen to "chill out" 

Who better to chill with than Bob?

To quote Bones "Do you know Massive Attack?" 

And finally an Australian song.  I could have gone with AC/DC, Men At Work, Barnsey but I thought this was pretty damn good. 

That's my list. What's yours?

My Love for Florence and the Machine

I was hesistant to say how I feel about Florence and the Machine as "Love", but I can't deny it.


I love Flo and I love her song writing and I love her voice.

Of course I had seen her music vids, heard of her by name, but never actually heard her songs.

When I'm at the gym I listen to my ipod and watch the music vids.

I only heard of Flo and her sound from an episode of How I Met Your Mother.

I thought this song sounds good and powerful.

The song of course was Shake it Out.  And then I read and heard all the praise, sought out
some advice from a former DJ mate (who advised she wrote angry lyrics) and I bought her two albums with no hesitation.

I say Shake it Out is my fave song, but then I hear her other songs and then I say THAT'S my fave song.

So, let's just knock this on the head.

THIS is my favourite version of Shake It Out

THIS is my favourite version of Never Let Me Go, which is also the first song I listen to in the morning. Guess that means this song is my favorite Flo song!

I regret the fact I discovered Florence so late, because she is touring Australia in May, 2012 and her concert in Melbourne is sold out!!

I'll just have to wait till next time.

As with all songs and artists I like, I appreciate the fact that I can undrstand what Flo is singing about and that her songs actually tell a story and is not mindless lyrically.

As always when she hits those high notes, I have a big goofy grin on my face.

Movie Review - Headhunters

When: March 10, 2012
Where Hoyts Chadstone SC

Movies, like songs, are categorized, action, comedy, thriller, even a combination of genres, however sometimes a movie comes along and it just cannot be defined.  In the music industry, these are easily placed into the "Alternative" category.  But for movies, especially if it's a foreign language film (i.e. NOT english speaking) it is usually tossed into the "arthouse" section by the majority of the viewing public. 

As Joey from Friends would say "How many times do I have to say, I don't want to watch a movie where I have to read!"

I heard about this Norwegian movie Headhunters from a few trusted film critics whose opinion I listen to. 

First off the bat, I would say Headhunters is a cross between Catch Me If You Can and a bizzaro She's out of my League plot line.  The script is great (and from what I've read, it is based on a book) and keeps you guessing as to what is actually going on.

I heard on radio that the guy who plays the main character is the Norway version of Steve Buscemi....and that's the first thing I thought of when I saw his face.  The main character is an Art Thief.  And as the movie unfolds, it is explained that he really isn't doing it for profit.  And as a short guy myself (standing at 165.5cm) I can see why he'd want to compensate his lack of height by lavishing gifts on a tall blonde viking goddess that is his wife. 

Moving right along, his job allows him to do recon on "prospects" which fits the profile for his side job.

Unfortunately, it seems one of his prospects doesn't take kindly to something being stolen from him.  And for poor Roger Brown, his world just went up the creek without a paddle.

There's a side commentary about the hypocrisy and stupidity of men when it comes to relationships with women.  As Eddie Murphy once said "Watch the guys faces when you ask them to think their girlfriend is cheating on them with another man".

The film moves at a decent pace, with many jaw dropping moments, even a weird game of "chicken" where if Roger Brown blinked, he wouldn't blink again.

And I could throw in Die Hard as a point of reference for this movie....Roger Brown just found a way to stay alive in the most unbelievable, disgusting and crazy ways imaginable. 

The movie starts as an art theft gone wrong and ended up as a "What you see is not what you think is happening" movie. 

I will most definately buy the DVD because I was too busy catching my breath after the whirlwind last few scenes to actually comprehend what really happened. 

I hope word of mouth will enhance this movie's reputation, because in the end that's all you need. 

Rating: 9/10

PS. 

As I was making my routine inspections of movie posters after viewing Headhunters, I thought it was an indication of film society when there were SO many promo posters for 21 Jump Street and I could not find one poster promoting Headhunters. 

However to my relief, it seems there's already a Hollywood verson.  I just hope their version will be as good as the Hollywood treatment for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

The big question is, who will play Roger Brown?  It is very juicy role.  Unfortunately Steve Buscemi is a bit old, otherwise he would be perfect!