Inner Monologue
When you say you keep falling in and out of love, I’m convinced you don’t know what it means to be in love.
When you say “I don’t know,” and “whatever,” regarding matters of the heart, I’m certain you’re confused about what matters to the heart.
When you say you sabotage your relationships, I’m convinced you’re sabotaging yourself.
When you say you love who you are and you love having me in your life, I’m convinced I love you.
Jam Session No. 2,177
This morning’s jam session is brought to by Alex Chilton, may he rest in peace.
- September Gurls - Big Star
- From Blown Speakers - The New Pornographers
- Stephen, Stephen - Apples in Stereo
- Oh, Lately It’s So Quiet - OK, Go
- Star Sign - Teenage Fanclub
- Victoria - The Kinks
- This Will Be Our Year - The Zombies
- Rock & Roll - The Velvet Underground
- Alone Again Or - Love
- You’re Gonna Miss Me - The 13th Floor Elevators
Love Doesn’t Hurt
Bitterness hurts. Rejection hurts. Jealousy hurts. Love doesn’t know hurt. Love is the best thing we have to stave off bitterness, rejection and jealousy.
The cynics among us like to repeat platitudes like “love hurts” when something goes awry. Those same cynics are the ones too scared to love someone more than they love themselves.
I hear it often on the social mediums and in face-to-face conversations. I hear about how difficult relationships are. Relationships ARE difficult. They’re supposed to be. It’s about building something greater than the individual, greater than the sum of the parts. That’s the idea. Building something great is not in the province of cowards. They gave up years ago. They didn’t have the strength, presence and peace of mind to be a part and that’s fine with me. I don’t want them in my arena.
I hear the other recycled cliche “I don’t want to get hurt” so often it makes my balls hurt. Here’s the deal: in this life, if you’re not getting hurt from time to time, you’re not really living. You’re sitting home on the couch. You’re comfortable. You’re not taking a stand. You’re not making important choices. You’re stagnant and bored and frustrated with yourself but you don’t have the courage to change. This is okay…for a little while. Sometimes we need to lick our wounds. Sometimes we take a serious gamble and take a huge loss for our effort. That doesn’t mean it’s time to quit. If you throw in the towel there is no getting back up.
Go take a risk. Go fall in love. Go dare yourself to venture beyond that area in which you only love yourself and dedicate something to someone. You’ll be better for it and consequently, we’ll all be better for it.
The Love Song Deconstructed
Because deconstructed is different than destroyed, because Valentine’s Day is nearly here, because the love song will never truly die.
Stream online here:
Download for iTunes here: The Love Song Deconstructed.mp3
Whoa there, Valentine’s Day haters. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know, we know… We’ve heard all the complaints about manufactured holidays, but what is not manufactured are these remarkable feelings, these thoughts of love, in love, about love. There’s nothing on these cuts that is any different, ANY different, than the classic love songs from the likes of The Righteous Brothers, the Ronettes and so on, except the delivery.
The subject matter is the same as is the depth of emotion. These cuts are here because they are the same prism viewed from a different point of view. Just as our love and changes and evolves, these songs mean something different each time we hear them. In that regard, they more closely reflect love itself than many other classics. Now go grab someone you love and have a dance.
-Duke Wilbury
If you have any suggestions, bitches, gripes, complaints or praise, email the Duke right here: Dukewilbury@gmail.com
The tracks:
- I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - Wilco
- The Night - Morphine
- Last Kiss - J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers
- My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker
- Needles and Pins - The Searchers
- Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly & The Crickets
- I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need - Method Man & Mary J. Blige
- Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles
- Dark End of the Street - Cat Power
- Jolene - Ray LaMontagne
- Nineteen - Tegan and Sara
- Sign Your Name - Terence Trent D’Arby
- That’s Where It’s At - Sam Cooke
- The Whole Wide World - Wreckless Eric
- Overjoyed - Stevie Wonder
- Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones
- A Man Needs a Maid - Neil Young
- The Ship Song - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
- You’re All I Need to Get By - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
- In My Life - Johnny Cash
- Giving Him Something He Can Feel - En Vogue
- Love Vigilantes - Iron & Wine
- Oh, It Is Love - Hellogoodbye
- I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues - Elton John
- A Song For You - Donny Hathaway
- By Your Side - CocoRosie
- Romeo & Juliet - Dire Straits
- Romeo Had Juliette - Lou Reed
- Closer - Nine Inch Nails
- I Found a Reason - Cat Power
- I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie
- Bonnie and Clyde ‘03 - Beyonce feat. Jay-Z
- I’m On Fire - Bruce Springsteen
- Sexual Healing - Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
- Me & My Bitch - Notorious B.I.G.
"I have built my entire life around loving music, and I surround myself with it. I’m always racing to catch up on my new favorite song. But I never stop playing my mixes. Every fan makes them. The times you lived through, the people you shared those times with - nothing brings it all to life like an old mix tape. It does a better job of storing up memories than actual brain tissue can do. Every mix tape tells a story. Put them together, and they add up to the story of a life."
- Love is a Mix Tape, Rob Sheffield (via the-exchange)
"Me: I didn’t know I was that good.
Her: Yep. You’re like the Sesame Street of fucking. This orgasm brought to you by the letters J and T and the by the color blue."
- Z and Me.
