I am an easy listener

Over the weekend, I bought a CD by Neil Diamond. A greatest hits collection, rather. Of Neil Diamond songs, I mean. It's just that he didn't have much to do with the comp, aside from making all of the music long before he would have even thought of making a comp. Okay, this is getting confusing. At least for me. I will start over.

I am an easy listener
On Saturday, I bought a Neil Diamond Greatest Hits CD. I listened to part of one, completely at random, at Borders, and I liked what I heard. Did you know that Neil Diamond covered Red, Red Wine long before UB40 did? And did you know that I'm a Believer is a Neil Diamond song before a Monkee's song? Well, I sure didn't until I listened to the CD at Borders.

But anyway, I got to Best Buy because CD's are cheaper there. So I bought the CD. And it's quite good. He's got a good voice. I can't wait until next summer to play it on my deck as the sun goes down, drinking some beer or whatever, and just relaxing... ahhh...

Sadly, it being November, and getting close to cold as hell, that is a ways off. So in the meantime, my enjoyment of Neil Diamond will be relegated to my portable CD player.

My point is, though, is that this CD was found in the easy listening section. And not just at Best Buy. I did some research, and at most other CD stores, Neil Diamond can be found in the Easy Listening section. So, does that make me an easy listener? I don't know how I feel about that. I mean, it's about the music, not labels, and if I like the music, then fuck the labels. And I do already own a James Taylor CD... But, 'ole JT is in the Rock section, generally; aka *not* the Easy Listening section. Also, Dusty Springfield is in the Rock section, and she's just as easy as Neil Diamond. I don't get that cataloguing decision.

I wonder, too, who makes up what 'genre' a given artist or song is in... Like on www.allmusic.com, who gets to decide who goes where? What men and women have this power? Is it based on what charts a given song shows up on? I guess, in that respect, Neil Diamond's charting prowess has been on the Adult Contemporary charts rather reliably, hence his inclusion in the Easy Listening section.

Ultimately, though, I don't give a shit. I just wanted something to fill in here, so as to keep up with the updating. I think, though, that I will soon be including emails that Mike and I have been sending one another about the role of men in society today. What social constructions are open to us, and why? What is a metrosexual, and is Mike one? Is Dan one? These are the questions that we ask, and so here is where such questions and answers will be displayed. If I get around to posting them, which, as with all of my goals, might not happen.

Speaking of goals, too, Armand, Kyle, and I - as well as anyone else in the area looking for some turkey next Thursday - are having a Thanksgiving dinner together. I have searched foodtv.com and came up with some recipes. Because I like to cook, after all. Now, as Kyle put it, this menu is ambitious, and I fear that it may get the best of me. And so, should my ambition over-run my good sense, and we end up with nothing, the best I'll have to offer is to go to Boston Markey on Thursday, and eat there. Not even take-out. But dine-in. I wondered if Boston Markey would be BYOB on Thanksgiving. Only one way to find out, really, but I doubt we will.

Our (propsed) Thanksgiving menu:
Maple and Sage Roasted Turkey, with Savory Mashed Root Vegetables, Chestnut Stuffing, Baked Sweet Potatoes with Marshamallow Streusel, Apple Salad with Bleu Cheese Croutons and Apple Cider Vinegarette, Cranberry Relish, and an Almond Peach Pie for dessert. We may even spring for some bubbly to drink with. Or at least that german wine that goes well with turkey (and whose name I couldn't begin to remember). So if that menu looks good to you, and you look good to us, send me an email and I can provide further details...


-dan

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