Friday, September 24, 2010

GBGC #58: Almost Heaven, West Virginia: Grahamophone Travel Guide

Part of being an artist (pronounced "ar-TEEST") is convincing your audience that you are enjoying what you are doing, even if you aren't. Case in point, I had to sing in a wedding last week, and of course the lovely couple picked "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera . I don't like that song one bit! So the trick is to figure out what other people like about it, and try to go from there. I sang so convincingly, that I practically teared up myself during the blessed event.  
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" is another song I don't particularly like to sing nor play, but my stint in a country band forced me to. And, as I promised the winner(s) of my first GBGC Quiz to play their request(s), I again had no choice but to play a song I probably wouldn't otherwise choose for myself.
It was indeed a challenge, which I believe to have successfully portrayed in the deceptive minor chord phrase beginnings and melodic alterations. Still, I think John Denver would've liked it. I took this opportunity to give my other fans another virtual tour of a place I know well - whether I like it or not is besides the point.

So, Tim, the runner-up winner of the quiz, I hereby present to you your request: "Take Me Home, Country Roads"  Thanks for playing! Enjoy!

6 comments:

  1. bruderphone also has a master's degree. Very nice version!

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  2. Yes, as do both of your Schwesterphones. But your Master's is from Vanderbilt, isn't it? And your Bachelor's from WVU?

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  3. True. Perhaps that is a commentary on WV in that in spite of all of us having been born and/or lived in WV, none of our five graduate degrees are from a WV school.

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  4. Doch! (that's a German word that is sorely missing an accurate English translation). Didn't Mom get hers at Marshall? But otherwise a very interesting observation.

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  5. Mom got her master's at Ohio U. Undergrad was Marshall.

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  6. Mamaphone, Papaphone, Bruderphone . . . it reminds me of Peter Schickele's parody Mozart opera, in which the wife of Papageno is named Mamageno.

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