Good morning friends.
It is Saturday and the birds are singing. I am trying to keep my eyes open and slugging coffee. However, I am *slowly* learning to appreciate waking up early (or earlier) and reading, writing, and blogging.
I promised you the results from the Battle of the Bands match-up on the song Sea of Love. The Honeydrippers, a band that Robert Plant put together in order to record more songs like this one, duked it out with Tom Waits.
I like both versions of this song. I think that I like Waits version best after watching that suspenseful version of the movie, Sea of Love. It was a bit dark and so is the Tom Waits interpretation. In other words, so much music has a time and place. However, I really enjoy The Honeydrippers all of the time. It is like opening a memory box. It even has the feel of a "different time." A better time. So, like so many of you, I cast my vote for The Honeydrippers (not that it changes anything).
The final tally...
The Honeydrippers - 20
Tom Waits - 5
Before we leave this behind, I MUST share what some of you said about the Tom Waits version of this song. You guys are hilarious.
Empty Nest Insider was kindest with her use of the word "gruff." Gary, or klahanie, said "he sounds like he is in a lot of pain." Carol Kilgore said he sounded like "a dirty old man." Robyn said he "sounds like a dying frog." And Jay Noel said he "sounds like he needs more fiber." hahahaha. You all crack me up regularly. Don't ever, ever stop.
A whole bunch of you participated in the A to Z Theme Reveal yesterday. I had no intentions of blogging yesterday, so I didn't sign up for that blog hop. However, I will be A to Zing with a theme.
Are you ready for the reveal????
This is the bit that I have written for every post - placed right at the top - explaining my theme.
My theme for A to Z this year is a wildly different, but very exciting, HERE'S TO YOU all month long. 26 posts to be precise. The most difficult part was narrowing down the 26. All of you deserve your own post. What you will find here is a post by the featured blogger, with traveling music chosen by me that complements said post, and two links. One will link back to the original post and the other to the main page. This year's A to Z is all about making new friends!
Since I have already chosen the blogs, the specific posts, and the music, the only thing to do is create each individual post with everything linked in. So far, I have drafted the posts up to "I." That took a couple of hours. I expect to have everything locked and loaded by April 1. The only difficulty I see thus far is that some of my favorite posts by you guys exceed the suggested word count. I hope that the writing is compelling enough that it won't be an issue. Well, the other difficulty is that some of my favorite blogs just wouldn't work with the letters, and then I ran out of letters, but not blogs. Yikes. So, if you don't find yourself here it doesn't mean that you aren't beloved by me. YOU ARE.
That's a great theme. I've done a blogger buddy feature every year and it's fun and rewarding. Glad you're rocking along with the preparations.
ReplyDelete"a dying frog" Hahaha! Good one! I think your A-Z theme is so thoughtful. We don't celebrate others enough and it's great you're devoting the month to it. Have a great weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteTom Waits is an acquired taste I think. ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd cool theme! Good way to highlight folks around the blogosphere. I'll be tuning in!
This is my belief as well... I love Tom Waits, but I can see where others may not 'get' him...
DeleteI've never heard his version of this song... I will have to go find it!
Alex ~ Writing all of those posts last year darn near killed me. I HAD to do something different this year. And I will really miss my weekly HERE'S TO YOU dedications in April, so this seemed like good middle ground.
ReplyDeleteLexa ~ Yes, it will be fun!
L.G. ~ I think you might be right about that (Tom Waits). Just glad you're back!!!
Hi, Robin,
ReplyDeleteThis will be a good way to meet new bloggers. I'm sure you'll be featuring people I don't know yet. I really hope to get some of my post scheduled before April 1. Sigh.
Interesting idea, and I'll be back to see your picks. Yes, Tom Waits may be all those things, but he does have a distinct style, something we writers need too. I'm sure we have that Honeydrippers music, btw, and the Waits.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great theme and a wonderful way to meet new bloggers!
ReplyDeleteWriter In Transit
I love what you are doing!! I can't wait to see how this develops!!
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, I've been trying to process the death of my friend, Scooter... this one event has me re-thinking SO many things...
I need to go back and read what I have missed during my absence...
I hope all is well with you!
~shoes~
Great theme. Looking forward to checking out all the bloggers you highlight.
ReplyDeletePerfect! I'm so glad you are going to use your talents in tying together bloggers and clips for A-Z. This is going to be fun to watch. Read? Both!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a pretty challenging theme... good luck!
ReplyDeleteThat is an excellent theme. I think it's the best one I've heard yet. You should be in the A to Z hall of fame or something.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd have voted for Honeydrippers. I love that version.
JL ~ I learned - for myself - last year how important it was to write the posts before it starts. April was really hard when I was writing posts and trying to visit.
ReplyDeleteDG ~ Not everyone was anti-Tom Waits. He did get 5 solid votes and others who like many of his songs, but simply favored The Honeydrippers on that one. He also got some people who didn't care for his distinctive sound. As always, many differing opinions!
Michelle ~ I hope people find wonderful new reads,
Shoes ~ The death of a friend can be even worse than a family member. Remember... we choose our friends. It may take a while to wrap your head around this one. Hugs to you, my friend.
Tim ~ I hope people like it!
Liza ~ I think this will be fun. I am enjoying putting the posts together:)
CW ~ Actually, this theme is MUCH easier than last year!
Briane P ~ This is only my second year of A to Zing. Some people have participated since the start. I am just a cog in the wheel, my friend. A cog in the wheel.
Ha, those are funny comments! Since I voted for Tom Waits, I guess I must like the sound of a dying frog, lol! Fun A-Z theme, looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteLove the comments about Tom Waits - especially the one about him needing more fiber. Too funny! Your A-Z posts should be awesome!
ReplyDeleteRobin: I love the Battle of the Bands, but I missed this one. We were away (practicing for our canoe journey), but now that I am back, I'll make it a point not to miss another.
ReplyDeleteNo surprise in your BOTH outcome.
ReplyDeleteI've been away so I missed all of this. However, I am not a Tom Waites fan or Honeydippers fan. ha! I rememeber when Sea of Love came out and how excited I was because I am a HUGE Al Pacino fan. I remember that song and I just don't care for it. Me being weird I guess.
ReplyDeleteThanks for thinking of me, but I liked all of the other descriptions of Tom Wait's version better! You chose an amazing theme for A to Z. I really admire you for always going all out with everything you do, Robin.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Great idea for your theme. You always make me feel loved.
ReplyDeleteI just giggled because the sentence "needs more fiber" was used right before you said "crack you up regularly." Well, at least we all keep you regular...
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome idea for a theme. That's really going above and beyond. We, meanwhile, are just gonna keep posting once a week like lazy jerks.
My theme is so blah in comparison. Great idea.
ReplyDeleteYour A-Z theme sounds fantastic, and judging by your "Here's to You" posts, I'm sure you'll totally rock the challenge. I plan to take the month off from blogging, but I may have to drop in from time to time to see how it's going. Good luck with it!
ReplyDeleteThat's a clever theme. I bet choosing and sorting was the hardest part.
ReplyDeleteLeandra ~ You and four other people...
ReplyDeleteSherry ~ Lots of funny people read this blog:)
JJ ~ No BOTB next month... but in May, we will start again.
FAE ~ Yeah, I could see how it was playing out as the voting continued.
Yvonne ~ Not weird at all. Sea of Love is a great movie, but not everyone is going to like the Waits version of the song. Or the song period.
Julie ~ This A to Z has been fun so far. The narrowing of the features was the toughest part.
Susan ~ That might be one of the nicest things said to me on this blog. <3
ABFTS ~ I didn't even notice that bit about being kept regular after the fiber bit. Egads. And the ONLY thing I don't like about your blog is that you guys only post once a week!
Joylene ~ Everyone doing different things is what keeps it interesting!
Susan ~ Oh, I hope you do. A whole month off of blogging... what will you do????
Diane ~ Choosing was the hardest part!!!
What a great idea! I'm going to be on blog break in April, but I'm making a short list of blogs to read in lurk mode because they sound absolutely too cool to miss. I just added yours.
ReplyDeleteWhew, good luck to you. I try from time to time w/the themes, but I never make it to the end (kicking myself in the rumpus). :)
ReplyDeleteHurrah for The Honeydrippers win!
Carol ~ Wow. I feel... flattered. And then I smiled because I found you during the last A to Z, so that seems appropriate somehow.
ReplyDeleteRosey ~ Had I chosen a theme in which *I* wrote all of the posts, I would have needed to start writing them in January. I am slow slow slow. And I learned last year that it is best to have them all done before the challenge begins.