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Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Covers – 72 “The Heart of Rock N’ Roll” by Huey Lewis & The News

So I had another idea for today cover-wise. I was going to do my Jamaican Calypso tune from the music book that I filmed at Jefferson School Friday. Another day for that one.. Paul Ruiz was here recording some tracks for our upcoming Best of Operation 365 album. Afterwards, he stuck around and chimed in on today’s 365.

We had fun, chose this one. It goes out to my wife and all her siblings and her Pop. “The Heart of Rock N’ Roll” is a special song in their family story. It ironically, holds a warm, warm place in their heart. My wife and her Pop danced their first dance at our wedding to it. So here it is today, complete with wrong words and chords form the Internet but only a little bit. Every little something makes it special. I like special a lot.

That’s two Hueys in a few days after none for the first 365. Not for lack of trying. Alas, I was still struggling to master “The Power of Love.”

CORRECTION: My wife and her Pops DID NOT dance their first dance at our wedding to “The Heart of Rock N’ Roll.” That was her sister. Different person. Different wedding. Oops. My wife and her Pops danced their first dance at our wedding to "That's My Daughter" by Loudon Wainwright. I think that's the only time I've ever heard that tune and I'm not even sure that's the right name. Maybe I'm still master the power of love, or at least recollection. Giving myself a "Needs Improvement" for that section of today's sh'bang.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Originals – 72 “Beach” by Jefferson Jay with Paul Ruiz

“Beach” is Song Three of my 12-songs-at-once challenge I gave myself a couple of Tuesdays ago. I plan to share them all here in order over the next week or so. Paul Ruiz, my dear friend and trumpet player does his thing here.

Last Thursday, I tried to write 24 songs in an hour, which would have been quadruple the rate of the first one. I wrote the music for 24 tunes, but I only finished the lyrics for 12 before I went to sleep. I haven’t revisited them yet, but I best soon. This is the nature of momentum. By song three, I was starting to notice I was being pulled toward “B” words. It felt mysterious. I kept writing.

“Beach” is about bonding with nature,

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Words – 72 “The Word for Today Is”

Now, I’m not going to tell you what the word fort the day is, rather I’d like you to think deeply and submit yourself to the universe and determine what it is that way. I know you can do this. Everybody can. We are sentient. I mean really really really sentient.

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Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Originals – 71 “March Forth” by Jefferson Jay

I like this tune and I’ve been saving it for today, March 4^th. This song is play on words. Gosh, I love those. It’s not about March 4^th, but it is about marching forth as a people united in the interests of making our world the best it can be.

I head of a band that I believe is called the March 4^th Brass Band. Wait, I’ll check that, so it’s right. OK, It’s MarchFourth Marching Band. I just read (good ole’ Wikipedia) they’re named that cause they formed on that day in 2003. Good for them. I’ve never heard them, but I know they’re doing well on the festival circuit, and at a glance, they seem very cool.

Well, I offer them up this jam. How cool would it sound with a full-on marching band, much less one from Portland, Oregon? Very. I will do what I can via the Twitter and all to make that connection. I was waiting for today. I’m fairly certain this tune has never been recorded before, so this is my first chance to share it with them. I hope they receive it and then, I hop e they like it. Then, I hope they play it. I guess this is a pretty big day in their world. I salute them.

I recorded this today at school, on a break between classes. My phone ran out of space so the very end got cut off, but I think you get the point. At the end, it goes “March Forth” and stops. Love you.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Covers – 71 "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" by Richard and Robert Sherman

I knew Richard Sherman was talented. Heck, he went to Stanford, has a Super Bowl, but I had no idea he’d written timeless show tunes decades before his birth, with his brother no less. Impressive.

OK, corny cornerback jokes aside, here I get down with some little kids on "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." That may have come out wrong. Then again, not nearly as wrong as the student who told me twice (not once, but TWICE today) that she liked to suck on Twinkies. I told her that I didn’t want to hear it. I said if everyone told me what kind of desert foods they liked I’d be here all day. The anonymous youngsters delivered today. Hail Poppins!

I’ll let Peed’ (that’s my pet name for Wikipedia) get the last word here.

"A well known feghoot plays on the word, by affirming that Mahatma Gandhi was a "super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis".[7]"

What in the feg is a feghoot?

"A story pun (also known as a poetic story joke or Feghoot) is a humorous short story or vignette ending in a pun (typically a play on a well-known phrase) where the story contains sufficient context to recognize the punning humor.[1]"

Thanks ‘Peed.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Words – 71 “This Book Can't Be That Old”

I went to one of time-honored maneuvers today, busting out the old music book in search of a cover for today's funfest. Instead, I ramble and peruse, touching on everything from Jamaican Calypso jams to questioning the wisdom in including R. Kelly songs in a kid's music book. Do these publishers live in caves? Let me glance on the title page and see. What d'ya know? It says it was published in Kabul, Afghanistan. If that's true, odds are it was cave-made. Probably not safe to be publishing kid's music books anywhere else. 

That's a stressful like for those cave-bound folks. Getting bombed all the time, making hash, hiding terrorists. I think I'l have to give them a pass on the R. Kelly inclusion. Hopefully, they'll get that out before the next printing. Bad enough kids today are watching NC-17 presidential debates that teach them how to disrespectful and petty. Can't have them listening to R. Kelly too. Next thing you know they'll be pissing on everyone. Not OK. 

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Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Originals – 70 “Bread” by Jefferson Jay

“Bread” is song two of my 12-song burst from last week called “Welcome.” Paul Ruiz joins me on trumpet. When I wrote these lyrics, I thought they were nonsensical. Then I went back and read them after and changed my mind.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Covers – 70 “Stuck With You" by Huey Lewis

I thought I had my videos all squared away for today. I was just going to get on the old comp and cut em, bounce ‘em, and post ‘em and call it a day. Alas, I did the theme to Mr. Rogers Neighborhood in the first 365 and the version I had of that that I was going to use must be replaced. SHUCKS. So I still have no idea what today’s cover will be.  Gotta head out in 45 minutes so I’d better conjure something quick. I have a version of “Suicide is Painless” I’ve had as a back-up for a day just like today, but man is that song sad.

I just got a Huey Lewis wild hair. Let’s see if this goes somewhere.

I was going to do “The Heart of Rock N’ Roll,” as it was a special tune in my wife’s house growing up. A family classic, she danced with her Dad to it at our wedding for the first dance, but the Internet and it lying chords failed me, so I ventured over to “Stuck With You” town and that was fine. It was fun doing this tune. I enjoyed hearing the sweet backup vocals of my beloved wife.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Words – 70 “We Can Do A Lot Better”

This one’s for everyone, including me. Who wields a nice guitar like that? Not genial. It’s meant to encourage kindness, co-operation, listening to our soul whisper and anything else we as a people can improve on. It’s to Donald Trump, aka Don Drumpf, and any of the xenophobic folks who think his hateful words are OK. We’re all one. We’re all equal and we can all do a better job acting like it. No offense. Only love.

Peace

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Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Originals – 69 “Piece of Shiitake” by Jefferson Jay

We interrupt this posting of the 12 songs I wrote in two hours last Tuesday to bring you an emergency song I wrote last night. What is an emergency exactly? Well like Chris Rock said during his Oscars intro monologue Sunday night, “There are different kinds of racism.” I may have paraphrased that. Well, the same applies to emergencies. There are real emergencies, like when you’re trapped under a truck that’s about to explode and then there are other instances when time of the essence but life or death does not hang in the balance. This was one of those.

When the inspiration for a song, or any other art form  I imagine, arrives, the artist must seize it or risk not finishing said inspiration when creation time finally arrives. So, we sat down for dinner, discussed order options, and the inspiration came. I waited briefly, before finding paper, a pen, and making the magic happen. Like I do.

So, shout-out to Matt and Maggie (mentioned lyrically) and Ranchos, who fixed Matt’s shiitake for inspiring this fine future hymn, “Piece of Shiitake,” which, if you hadn’t gathered already, is based on a true story… like Fargo… and The Big Short.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Words – 69 “Can We Handle the Truth?”

This morning, I went to take my lunch and was greeted by a sky that looked like no sky I saw as a child. I wish to give the government or whoever is scribble-scrabbling fake clouds in the air, the benefit of the doubt, regardless of how little they deserve it. I like to think that id the powers that be are going to spray the sky indiscriminately with chemicals without even acknowledging that they’re doing so, that there is some sort of good reason for it. One can hope and pray, right?

Perhaps this “geo-engineering” as its called on the rare occasion it’s publicly addressed is to actually protect us from global warming as some allege. Others, like the GOP, don’t even agree there is global warming. Still others, like those who made the YouTube hit “What in the World Are They Spraying?,” allege that these are particles of aluminum and other metals theoretically aimed at reflecting some of the sun’s rays back into space… OK…

You see, I watched that movie, and I was swayed slightly, but I acknowledge, I have no idea what’s happening. The main reason for that is the government won’t say. I’m here to say, I wish they would. I can take it. What I can’t take is looking up at a sky that looks doodled on with white puffy lines that escape a plane’s asshole and spread over the sky. So to fight that, I just stopped looking up for the most part. Great, right?  What I’d prefer is the truth. Unless this is some top secret thing, which it shouldn’t be, it’s everyone’s sky, I thought. I ‘d love to know the truth. I’m a big boy and believe, perhaps erroneously, that I can take it. I’d love to live in a world where the authorities trusted the people enough to tell them the truth and loved the people enough to now secretly poison them. That one’s more meant for our food supply and Monsanto, but who knows? We’ve maybe all been breathing poison for years. It’s hard to know when there’s smoke everywhere and all our leaders do is insist that there’s no fire.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Covers – 69 “Summer of 69” by Bryan Adams

Welcome to Day 69 of Operation 365 2, all 1, 6, 75 or 75,000,000 of you. Let’s face it. Nobody knows what’s going to happen so there’s no sense in guessing, I say. I was trying to come up with the best “69” song I could and believe it or not, I landed here.

I remember 7^th grade at Memorial Junior High working up a little dance number for this tune, fake surfboards and everything as our “section, Section 7-9 battled the other 7^th grade sections for some reason I can’t recall. It bonded me with this jam somewhat, as did being a child of the 80s. Bryan Adams was ubiquitous back then, Lots of Canadian folks were: John Candy, Rush, Jim Carrey, “You Can’t Do That on Television,” Rick Moranis, Alanis Morrisette, hockey dudes, Mike J. Fox, Pam Anderson… These guys crushed in Canadian-style into the 90s.

This continued through the first half of Michael Myers career. Then the 2^nd half of Myers career ushered in the not-so-great Canadian superstar. Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Jim Carrey, Anthony Bennett, others I can’t be bothered to look up I think. I guess this dude Drake is trying to push it back in the other direction, Andrew Wiggins and too, but as you probably realized, I stopped paying attention ages ago.

So I just checked my work and apparently many likable stars these days are from Canada, Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, Rachel McAdams (whoever that is), Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, Elisha Cuthbert (I like her). Then again the guy who played Anakin Skywalker is also Canadian, so I guess we’ll have to go back to judging people on their own individual merits and not by their nationality. Sorry, Donald Drumpf.

So here’s some “Summer of 69” for ya, mate, I mean ya hoser, or whatever they say in Canada.

Shout out to my 2 Canadian friends, future wrestling superstar, Nick Price and high-class executive, Hazel Valencia.

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Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Originals – 68 “Find Myself” by Jefferson Jay with Paul Ruiz

I was extremely inspired last week. I came up with a way for everybody alive to write songs easily. Unfortunately, my computer and business skills trail far behind my creativity and music skills, so as the next best things I wrote 12 tunes at once before I went to sleep, one in each key. I have already typed out and recorded them and I ma pretty stoked on the little batch of tunes I am calling “Welcome.”

They taught me a bit about myself, some deep secret stuff, I’m not even comfortable sharing yet. I will share the tunes though, so the particular astute followers in our Internet audience may ascertain this on their own. I’m not counting on it. No offense. I’m just highly skeptical that anyone’s paying that much attention. Maybe someday. No complaints from this guy.

I would share these jams over the next 12 days straight but I’m allowing for a March 4^th diversion, primarily ‘cause I have a song called March Forth, and if I don’t share it that day, what’s the point of any of this? That is some vintage 365 logic. Good luck keeping up if you can.

So yesterday, I grappled with severe technical difficulties and a sick wife. We kept a clear and positive mindset and survived and today, she is back at the ole’ workplace. I tried to video Paul Ruiz, trumpeter extraordinaire and I playing these jams, but we only got through two before batteries banished themselves once more. No matter. Here is the one tune we got down somewhat right. Shout-outs to lemon trees and birds of paradise for their perpetual support and inspiration.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Covers – 68 “The Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog

What a tune! Twas the perfect cap on “The Muppet Movie” of many moons ago. I’ve had many wonderful associations with this jam ever since. I played it often in Arcata with my man, Spencer Katzman, during the brief and highly un-boring Elin Tea era. That is a band we were in for a hot minute. aka two years-ish,

Then, when I started at my current job doing music stuff with special needs adults, one of my favorite Earthly humans requested it on the first day we met and it’s been a staple over there ever since. Last week, it was requested by some guy. Not just any old some guy, but Some Guy, Chris Sulit. It’s a long story. Well, not really, but one I find more interesting without explaining it. So, dig the righteous jam about rainbows, written long before they went in the closet, and even longer before they came out. Maybe we should just ban closets. I guess the government is doing that in a way with all their stealthy spy work. Great work, dudes.

As I stood outside my zone and played this on the street, many people heard, walking or biking by. A couple were moms with young children. Some dudes. A gal. They all had a big smile when they saw and heard me playing “Rainbow Connection.” Perhaps it's the tune or the sight of some dude outside playing guitar at sunset. Probably, both, but it just proves once again who inextricably entwined we all are. My joy enhanced their joy and then their joy enhanced my joy, all in an instant. It was a pretty neat moment. Parrots flew by and saluted me. I felt the universe smiling on my work and to be honest, that is the gratitude I get for my work and that suits me just fine. I am entitled to nothing. Not one subscriber, not one hit, not one interested party. People need to do things for their soul and for the people on the planet they inhabit. If people think things through in this manner, before acting or reacting, they will be a lot happier and like my little session just now, that will have a domino effect on the entire planet. Sure beats the heck out of grabbing as much as you can for yourself whenever you can. It's not too late. It's never too later... until it is. 

Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher wrote this tune, not Kermit the Frog.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Words – 68 “Greed is Gross”

I had some brilliant chunk of wisdom I was eager to share yesterday, but perhaps it elapsed cause I can’t really remember it at all. I had some other mediocre thing before that. I thought about the old expression, “the bee’s knees” yesterday and I thought I’d riff on that for a few. Then I though, “what does that even mean? Something? Is it nonsense? I have no idea.” As a tribute to how that means nothing, which it may or may not, I have no idea. I was going to do a video called “The Bee’s Nipples.” Later, something a bit more insightful and important came to me, but I forgot what it was.

I watched a movie about the profound greed that had infected our society last night. It was Best Picture nominee “The Big Short.” I liked it, but it was outrageous. If you want yet another example of how insanely corrupt our world is, watch it. Shameful. Good movie though and because I couldn’t remember, my initial bright idea and I lost interest in bee nipples, I am going to for this rant here in a second. Wish me the luck of the 1%. By that I mean, the 1% doesn’t even need luck, because they’ve rigged everything so heavily in their own favor with no regard to anyone else on the planet now or in the future. Nice job, 1%. I wish I could be a bee nipple on the wall for your ultimate talk with God, How does one explain that they felt they deserved everything for themselves more than some other people deserved a simple bite to eat. It’s wrong. Take sleeping pills. It’s the only way you’re getting any rest in this life. I don’t know about them, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep, if my own luxurious spoiled ways left folks starving the world over. Hope you enjoy those 175 cars.

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Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Covers – 67 “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson

OK. Business first. “Man in the Mirror” was really written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett, not Mike, but this matters only for accuracy and posterity today.

Last Tuesday night, I had a bolt of inspiration about a way for anybody to write songs easily. Alas, building computer programs and marketing them to a mass audience are not on my list of special skills, so I did the next best thing, which was write 12 tunes at once, one in each key. And I documented the whole two-hour writing ceremony, also for posterity and accuracy, incidentally.

I’ve grown to quite like the 12 tunes. I typed up all the cords and lyrics and I even recorded them all into a cute, little EP called “Welcome.” How is 12 tunes an EP, you ask? When the whole thing adds up to 19.24, I think it’s an EP. See what happens when you take out all the solos and whatnot. Anyway, I am about ready to share these tunes and the revelations that came with their creation. Almost.

So I thought to myself, what cover tune would go well with the message of the first tune on the list, “Find Myself?” I answered myself, “Man in the Mirror.” So I found a good version on line chord version and got down to it. Side note: I’ve got to do a Zappa song some time soon. Dinah-Moe Hum, anyone?

And that’s what happened. Stay tuned to the end for some quality facial expressions and high-pitched chipmunk chanting. Peace. Make that change.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Originals – 67 “Leap Year” by Jefferson Jay

So, as I mentioned, I was already to blast out “Find Myself” today and welcome in the sharing of my 12 tune-EP “Welcome” that I wrote last Tuesday night, but reality intervened as it is so wont to do and I remembered. It’s Leap Day. Now, Leap Day might not seem very special to you, but imagine your birthday was February 29, then how would you feel? You could be 80, but you’d only be 20. As much as you gain with youth, you lose it back getting burnt on birthday bashes. It is not OK.

So, today, “Find Myself” and “Welcome” wait as I salute the special sect of human beings who only get a true birthday as often as they get a Winter Olympics. May your birthdays bring you more you than the Winter Olympics*

*Unless you’re an Olympian.

Maybe I’ll wait a few days more before starting the “Welcome” share, as I have a little something planned for March 4^th.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Words – 67 “Are You a Monkey?”

Who isn’t? This isn’t some Creation/Evolution debate or anything of the sort. It is the simple rhetorical question, answered “Yes.” We all copy each other endlessly. It’s all we know. How do I know what do say or how to make my face look when I say it without looking at you? I can’t. We copy each others clothes, hobbies, habits, everything really. 

So today, we salute each other with this moment of consideration. While that may not see like much of a tribute compared mimicking each other endlessly, at least, in this case, we can say we did it with awareness and intention.

That’s why it matters who presidentially elect. One Donald Trump* is enough.

* No offense, Donald. That’s in case he wins. It seems he’s quite vindictive. He even went after The Pope. To this, I say nope. I love this Pope

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 Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Words – 66 “Puffy Hair”

Decided to start today with some fashion tips for the casual 365er. Focused largely on the hair and its relative puffiness, I offered some cutting insight as to what it takes to really deliver the handsome for 365 straight days. Ultimately though, I felt I had an even stronger and more profound statement to make with today’s “Words” segment, so if you want to watch this video, you will have to stick around to the very end of today’s actual “Words” video, “Buy Everything.” Word.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Originals – 66 “Poop on Your Nose” by Jefferson Jay

Alas, “Poop on Your Nose” is based on a true story. With a nod to sycophants and metaphors, this song is largely literal. A few weeks back we had El Nino for three days. The city stopped, trees fell and everywhere flooded. I was visiting one of my favorite places and one thing led to another. A chicken coop and some cat crap were intimately involved and unfortunately, shot happened. And even more unfortunately, it happened on me. I was inspired by it though. Some say that if a bird craps on you its good luck. I wonder if that applies to cat crap that has fallen out of a tree on to a chicken coop roof. One can only hope.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Covers – 66 “What D’Ya Know?” by Thomas Ratzin

“What D’Ya Know?” is one of the more meaningful covers I’ll be playing during this 365, I imagine. In 1990, “What D’Ya Know?” was the first good theater production I was ever in. I had a small role, but learned a ton about what goes into to performing and working well in a group. I learned a million other things too. For instance, “There are no small parts, only small actors,” “the show comes first,” and that there is no reason to be afraid of gay people. What can I tell you? I was 15 and had a lot to learn, I am grateful someone taught me. That’s what teachers are for.

Mr. Ratzin was far more than a teacher though. He was a visionary and a great director, leading the Masques of Fair Lawn High School for decades. Numerous actors and actresses went on to successful careers as performing artists after emerging from Mr. Ratzin’s watchful tutelage. I wonder how Mr. Ratzin would have managed in the modern politically correct world of today. He was magically old school. He did things the old-fashioned way and it worked. Sometimes, he had to scream at us. We survived.

For “What D’Ya Know?” Mr. Ratzin wrote an original song called “What D’Ya Know?” I never forgot when Mr. Ratzin’s equally legendary set designer, Arnold Hruska told then sophomore/now Sirius Fox News personality Jared Max to “mouth the words” to this tune. I never forgot the tune at all. Here it is, from my memory, from 26 years ago.

“What D’Ya Know?” was an original show about what people know. I still wonder about that. What do we know? I don’t know. I guess that’s the point of the question. Hail Mr. Ratzin. Thank you for everything. It’s all eternal.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Words – 66 “Always Buy Everything”

Folks, I was going to do an exposé on puffy hair but I shifted to something much more monumental. Stay o the very end, if you’re dying to watch the “puffy hair” piece.

Today, we meditate on why it is crucial, for all of us Americans, to come together and buy everything, always. I am glad to offer some suggestions on what to purchase and explanations of why it is so essential that we buy everything anyone is trying to sell us, even if we have no use for it whatsoever. It is our duty as Americans to consume and be materialistic. Why do you think only rich folks run for president? (And Bernie Sanders.)

How else are we to prove are superiority to everybody else? Duh. If you can’t have every single thing whenever you want it always, what’s the point of democracy? Exactly, there is none. Buy things now or move to somewhere where other things are more important than buying stuff. But remember this, unless you’re going to move to Canada or Mexico, you’re going to likely need a plane ticket to move there and if you’re buying expensive fancy things like plane tickets, you’re doing just fine as an American, and you may be best-suited to stay here after all. God Bless America*

*And people from other places too. I guess…