Operation 365... Blog 97

I feel comfortable saying I think this is one of the more interesting days of the 365 in quite awhile and I don't even know what the archive will be yet. It almost wasn't quite as good, but I made an adjustment, that I'm happy about. Here it goes.

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Archives - 104 Amy Garcia - 12-9-2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhTy2wJI_bM

This was filmed at my Open Mic on December 9, 2008, my brother and sister's birthday. Here we have Amy Garcia, a very talented singer/songwriter, with whom I go back a number of years. I have no idea where she is right now. Last I heard she moved to Denver, long ago. Amy has an awesome voice and always exhibited a very pleasant disposition in the many times our paths crossed. I hope she is doing well in 2011 and keeping up the funky, soulful work. Peace to Amy Garcia.

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Covers - 104 "Singapore" by Tom Waits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cssnYdWIJH0

So I don't always watch my videos too too carefully, before I post them. I mean I am not striving for perfection as much as competency and consistency. So today, I recorded a Blondie tune, I always liked that's pretty easy, "The Tide Is High." I was watching my version of "The Tide Is High," preparing to post it, when I realized, I thought it was pretty terrible. Well, maybe not terrible, but not good. My voice sounded shaky. Not to mention I'm singing about what kind of girl, I'm not, for half the tune. I decided it needed the Kevorkian, a mercy killing, even though, it was all dialed up ready to go, without any major mistakes. I couldn't have it.

Well I was left thinking, I need something interesting and preferable something with a lower voice. I thought about Tom Waits, an artist I admire and adore, whom I haven't yet covered here in the 365. I found this cool webpage that has like a million Tom Waits songs written out. http://homepage.mac.com/ramonrempel/tomwaits/songs.html

I dabbled with a few of them, before settling on one I've always loved off the epic album, "Raindogs," "Singapore." I decided there was no need to do a Tom Waits imitation on top of a Tom Waits tune, so I made it my own and had fun using a deeper, crooniery voice for my unique rendition of great Tom Waits song, "Singapore."

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Originals - 104 "My Knee Grows"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pix2wMot6Y

So, in all likelihood, if anybody's following, this will be one of the "controversial" moments of Operation 365. I, obviously, think this song is funny. And I also realize, not everyone will agree. Some of my friends even went so far as to suggest this song may be racist. Hogwash, I say. It is a play on the old Woody Guthrie-style talkin' blues, with some silly lyrics, featuring a play on a word, from long ago.

There is nothing racial or racist about this song at all. If this makes you uncomfortable, my apologies for your discomfort, but not for my innocuous song. I was on the can and and got this idea the other day and busted it out. I think it's funny and that's why I wrote it and recorded it. It is not the kind of song, I would play live, I don't think. So Operation 365 strikes again, bringing the world a song of mine, it otherwise never would have heard.

I like absurd. Treating silly subjects in a serous manner. Sometimes even tangentially touching on serious topics in the crossfire. This is one of those times. I hope you like it. If not, it should be pretty darn easy for you to never hear it again. If you do like it, but pretend you don't, because you think it is politically incorrect, don't blame me if your knee grows. I told you so.

NOTE: youtube refused to let me post my whole explanation of "My Knee Grows" for some reason. It didn't object to the title of the tune, so as I used process of elimination and I narrowed it down to the first paragraph. Something in the first paragraph, youtube found objectionable, so I had to post this at the end of my video spiel.

"youtube refused to let me post my whole explanation of this tune, so if you want to read the first part, please visit www.jeffersonjay.blogspot.com"

I don't get it, I can't even guess what youtube has a problem with, so I won't. Who knows maybe this song about knees is where Operation 365 gets legs. It will be interesting... or it won't. Either way, 261 days to go.