Few will disagree when I say that we live in desperate times. About the only good thing that can be said about 2014 is that it is nearly over.
Deperate times call for desperate measures, as the saying goes. When the going gets though the tough get going, another saying goes. Where would the tough go? Australia? Their economy is not what it used to be. New Zealand? Too far south. Britain? It rains all the time. Germany? Nice place, but there are Germans living there. And so I can keep on going. Lets not go there, before I offend somebody.
So what does the tough audiophile do when times are tough? Listen to music, of course! Assuming that the power is on, of course. Or that a generator is available. In a world where the shelf that your amplifier is sitting on or the cable that connects it to the wall can make a difference to the sound quality, one can only wonder what sort of generator the discerning audiophile would use. The folks at the local AV magazines might want to investigate this. For now I would suggest a Yamaha. They make musical instruments, mixing desks, pro gear and all sorts of AV and hi-fi stuff for the home, so their generators would fit right in. Yes, they really do make generators. I checked.
With the energy problem solved, that brings me to the big question that is uppermost in my mind. What sort of program material is appropriate for these desperate times? For this I would appreciate the input of the best and brightest from this fine website. To get the ball rolling, I will throw out a suggestions ideas from my side.
The opera G?tterd?mmerung by Richard Wagner springs to mind, but it is quite long. It fills four CDs to be precise. The generator might run out of petrol while it is playing. I have never listened to all of it and I don't know the opera well enough to make any informed suggestions. Besides, it is in German. I do know a little German. His name is Hans. But Wagnerian operas are an acquired taste.
What is needed are songs with lyrics that speak to us about the times we live in. An obvious choice is "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M. but that may be a little too obvious. Besides, I don't like it that much.
I would suggest the song "Lawyers, Guns and Money" by the late Warren Zevon, from his 1978 album "Excitable Boy." Here is a video of a live solo version for those who do not know it. The album version is much better, by the way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjVbypiUOHA
The song tells the story of a drifter who finds himself down on his luck and stuck between a rock and a hard place. Shacking up with a waitress in Havana was a bad move, as she was working with the Russians. He is now desperate and hiding out in Honduras. He sends a message to his father to get him out of there. All that is needed to sort things out are lawyers, guns and money. But Daddy has to act quickly, for the sh*t has hit the fan!
Music to live by! I can think of other songs, but for now I await your suggestions. :groovy:
Deperate times call for desperate measures, as the saying goes. When the going gets though the tough get going, another saying goes. Where would the tough go? Australia? Their economy is not what it used to be. New Zealand? Too far south. Britain? It rains all the time. Germany? Nice place, but there are Germans living there. And so I can keep on going. Lets not go there, before I offend somebody.
So what does the tough audiophile do when times are tough? Listen to music, of course! Assuming that the power is on, of course. Or that a generator is available. In a world where the shelf that your amplifier is sitting on or the cable that connects it to the wall can make a difference to the sound quality, one can only wonder what sort of generator the discerning audiophile would use. The folks at the local AV magazines might want to investigate this. For now I would suggest a Yamaha. They make musical instruments, mixing desks, pro gear and all sorts of AV and hi-fi stuff for the home, so their generators would fit right in. Yes, they really do make generators. I checked.
With the energy problem solved, that brings me to the big question that is uppermost in my mind. What sort of program material is appropriate for these desperate times? For this I would appreciate the input of the best and brightest from this fine website. To get the ball rolling, I will throw out a suggestions ideas from my side.
The opera G?tterd?mmerung by Richard Wagner springs to mind, but it is quite long. It fills four CDs to be precise. The generator might run out of petrol while it is playing. I have never listened to all of it and I don't know the opera well enough to make any informed suggestions. Besides, it is in German. I do know a little German. His name is Hans. But Wagnerian operas are an acquired taste.
What is needed are songs with lyrics that speak to us about the times we live in. An obvious choice is "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M. but that may be a little too obvious. Besides, I don't like it that much.
I would suggest the song "Lawyers, Guns and Money" by the late Warren Zevon, from his 1978 album "Excitable Boy." Here is a video of a live solo version for those who do not know it. The album version is much better, by the way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjVbypiUOHA
The song tells the story of a drifter who finds himself down on his luck and stuck between a rock and a hard place. Shacking up with a waitress in Havana was a bad move, as she was working with the Russians. He is now desperate and hiding out in Honduras. He sends a message to his father to get him out of there. All that is needed to sort things out are lawyers, guns and money. But Daddy has to act quickly, for the sh*t has hit the fan!
Music to live by! I can think of other songs, but for now I await your suggestions. :groovy:
