Desire
May 20, 2007
Being a kid is all about desires. I want that. This is going to be the best ever something. I’m going to get the biggest one.
Being an adult is about managing your desires. I won’t have a boat. I can’t learn to fly unless I sell my car. I’ll save my money and splash out on the last weekend before payday. She wants to be left alone – I’ll call her later.
It’s OK to want stuff, though. Ralph Waldo Emerson asked: “Who can set limits on the remedial force of spirit?” It’s human nature to push on. That’s why we have progress.
But it’s important not be too hung up on your desires. Take what you get, in other words.
On Monday I said this about a song which has been the soundtrack to my excellent week:
I have a favourite new band, called The Hold Steady. It’s a mixture of Counting Crows, Black Crowes, Cheryl Crow and Status Quo, some lyrical Brian Wilson, all wrapped together with some early Bruce Springsteen.
Anyway, Springsteen with all the other Crowses, Quoses and God Only Knowses, it sounds too perfect right? Well, I heard Stuck Between Stations over the weekend and was blown away. First line is “There are nights when I think that Sal Paradise was right ” and they had me at “There are nights”.
There were blistering guitars in short bursts, piano holding it together, backing vocals and lyrics like “She said you’re pretty good with words, but words won’t save your life and they didn’t so he died.”
I put the song on my vox site so you could have a listen. I think it’s great – maybe even a little Bob Seger. Turn it up like it’s Sunday – The Hold Steady with Stuck Between Stations.
6 comments
There were three smallish children (about 8 or 9 years old) talking about an upcoming school disco on the train the other day, and one of them kept shouting “I am the best dancer in the WORLD!”
This is in no way relevant to your post, obv.
Priceless. Trains are great, aren’t they?
Relevance has its time and place, don’t worry about it.
Superlatives! That was it. Children are all about superlatives, whether they’re wanting or being. Whereas adults are more sort of relative.
Which is slightly more relevant to your post.
I knew there was a reason why your post reminded me of those children, but it has taken a while to tease it out of my tangled subconscious.
Err – quite literally a train of thought, there mate. Let’s ROCK.
But you’re dead right and I didn’t even think about the superlative thing at the time.
Every new toy is the best toy ever for my son, for about 6 days. He is, though, the world’s greatest boy, obviously.
Wow, I really like that tune.
Leave a comment. Play nice. I will turn this blog around.