FROGLEGS

Here is an article about Dave Bazan, lead singer of Pedro the Lion. I included one of his songs in the compilation I stuck on here the other day. It is a pretty good interview that details the tensions of being an honest artist and also being a part of this crazy body called the Church.

I’m still reading this Brennan Manning book entitled “Ruthless Trust”. You can buy it from the 24-7prayer.com bookshop if you want. It is really good. Manning is an old catholic monk that sort of runs around the world itinerate preaching at different spiritual retreats and churches.

He had a quote in there that I just loved when I read it today:

“Christianity is not a message which has to be believed, but an experience of faith that becomes a message.”- Edward Schillebeeckx (Dutch Theologian)

Great page with criteria on what makes a product fair trade…
Criterios de Comercio Justo

Unfortunately, it is only in Spanish and the english equivalent is sort of poor: Fair Trade and You

I’ve been working on a little compilation lately. It is a sort of journal of how i have been feeling lately. Each song explains something about the journey that I have been on for the past couple months. Some of it is also a bit of my attempt at seeing where I think God will be taking me this fall and winter. Most of them are melancholy/slow/grey songs. I’m not depressed at all (Don’t be alarmed!!), just not feeling bounce-around-the-room happy! A few of the songs are about drug consumption. I’m not doing that either.

I’ll make each artists’ name a link so that you can go straight to their website. There may be a few that you’ve never heard of. If you want a copy on CD, just put your address in the comments at the end. I’ll try and send you one as soon as I can.

1. Homeward Rolling Soldier- Christian Kjellvander
I am just really into this guy right now. This is the first song off his first solo release and is just too much of an opening song to not be the first song on this compilation. This song is all about going home. So much travelling lately has made this my theme song. It’s also led me to feel more than ever that I am just a fellow journeyman with a lot of others on a pilgrimage home…

2. Newborn- Elbow
Sometimes I look at the task ahead and feel completely useless. Like a newborn baby, a corpse in your bathtub, a stiff post. It’s not just starting a meaningful expression of Christian community here in Sevilla that is daunting, but also the prospect of living a useful life! Being a good husband, a faithful friend and a follower of Jesus are all things that are intimidating if we take them all really seriously.

3. Sympathy for the Devil- Rolling Stones
Don’t jump to any conclusions. No love lost between me and Lucifer. Just a really kick butt song. I really like the remix that N.E.R.D./The Neptunes recently did of this song, but have been unable to find it anywhere. Lemme know if you know how I can get my hands on it. This is the original version. I still think Keith Richards is a hack. “Oh but he is one of the best rhythm guitarists of all time!” Wake up, rhythm guitarists are just hack lead guitarists that were never going to make it as a real musician anyway.

4. Bad Things to Such Good People- Pedro the Lion
Dave Bazan (A.K.A. Pedro the Lion) is an artist. His lyrics are beautiful poetry. And he’s a follower of Jesus. He’s never made it big because he won’t sell out to a record company and he’ll never be on the cover of GQ cause quite frankly he isn’t pretty. He asks really good questions in this song. Where is God during the difficult times of life? Why can’t I feel God with me when I am struggling?

5. Falling at Your Feet- Bono
This song is slight cheese, but the words are priceless. All fall down at the feet of Him who suffered torturuous death for us because he loved us more than his very life. This is what worship is really all about. We should be singing this in churches on Sunday morning instead of some of the meaningless songs that are out there. The only reason we aren’t is because this song was published by Island rather than Vineyard.

6. Jesus- Songs of Soil
Christian Kjellvander and his brother form up a duo and call themselves Songs of Soil. There’s singing saws and the whole lot. Always makes me think of nordic winters, the sun never really rising and a 3 month long dusk. Thanks Marcus & Mia for the CD, it is fantastic. Song of repentance (sort of).

7. Blessed to be a Witness- Ben Harper
I just love this guy. He is playing in Madrid on the 31st, but it would be too expensive to get there. We are blessed to be a witness to the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. This is just a wicked gut wrenching song. “So much sorrow, so much pain… Still I will not live in vain!” He is Catholic as far as I can tell.

8. The Scientist- Coldplay
This song helped get me through a really rough patch this year (Or “God helped me thru a really ruf patch this year by using this song” according to what you believe). When I listen to it, it is Jesus singing to me. You’ve probably all heard the song.

9. Of A Broken Heart- Zwan
Most exciting album of the year for me. We all know the depth of drudge that Billy Corragan sank to with Smashing Pumpkins. This turn around to some sort of meaning and hope is a very exciting indicator of something I think God is doing in my generation. GO BUY THIS ALBUM! It is really rockin’ and uplifiting.

10. Wish You Were Here- Radiohead
My favorite band of the moment. They are just really wonderful artists with a lot to say. This remake of the old Pink Floyd song is just wicked. Sometimes I like to sing this song to Jesus. Not because he isn’t here or because I think he can’t tell “heaven from hell” or because he’s traded his “heroes for ghosts”, but because there are moments when I do feel alone.

11. You Had Time- Ani Difranco
Classic break-up song. I like the sound of it, piano pittering at the beginning, bit of guitar. The song sort of drifts together. I also thought I had better include at least one female artist or Heather is gonna club me over the head repeatedly. I freely recognize that this is a token chick track. (this is tongue in cheek humour ladies if you haven’t recognized it!!!)

12. The Needle and the Damage Done- Neil Young
This is just a great song for rainy days and cold weather. Dunno what it is about it. My explanations of tracks is getting shorter. Who’s idea was it to put 16 songs on this stupid compilation?

13. Miss Misery- Elliot Smith
He just committed suicide this week by stabbing himself in the chest. This is my homage and rememberance of a really good songwriter.

14. And It Stoned Me (Live)- David Gray
Song about the beauty of life getting you stoned. Definitely the way to go. Who needs drugs when you have fantastic friends, a beautiful journey toward eternity and satellite TV.

15. Mr. Jones (Acoustic)- Counting Crows
I just dig Counting Crows.

16. Angel (Live Bootleg)- Jimi Hendrix
I’ve run out of things to say. I might come back and finish later.

Here is a great spanish housewive’s quote:

“I have three pets that do the same thing for me that a husband would do: A dog to growl in the morning, a parrot that cusses all afternoon and a cat that comes home in the middle of the night!”

“Tengo tres animales domésticos que cumplen la misma función que un marido: un perro que gruñe por la mañana, un loro que suelta palabrotas toda la tarde y un gato que llega a casa muy tarde por la noche.”

Heather and I went to go see the new Coen Bros. (Raising Arizona, Fargo, O Brother) flick last night, Intolerable Cruelty starring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones. the film has a killer website worth checking out. The link is in the title above. It IS a romantic comedy guys, but don’t head for the exit quite yet… the Coen Bros. do not disappoint.

Here’s a quick synopsis:

Intolerable Cruelty is a romantic comedy about a man who wins in court and a woman who courts to win.

Not to be outdone, Marylin schemes to get even and as part of her plan, quickly marries oil tycoon Howard Doyle (Billy Bob Thornton). Miles and his unflappable associate, Wrigley (Paul Adelstein), unwittingly dig themselves in deeper and deeper as they go head-to-head with Marylin. Underhanded tactics, deceptions and an undeniable attraction escalate as Marylin and Miles square off in this classic battle of the sexes.

Clooney proved to me once again that he can act, has impeccable comedic timing and is probably the most eligible bachelor in Hollywood today. He plays this high powered but wonderfully bored lawyer who is completely obsessed with the whiteness of his teeth. It is really funny. He pauses by like every mirror to look at his teeth and give them a quick once over. I was laughing out load until I realized that this is a reality for a lot of people.

You know what? Nobody cares about how white your teeth are! Honestly! Let them be yellow, it isn’t that big a deal! Just brush and floss and visit your dentist. If someone cares about the color of your teeth, they are probably the type of people you don’t wanna be pleasing anyway cause then that would say something about the state of who you are which would be slightly scary!

Zeta-Jones was pretty rubbish. She is good at 2 things: showing off cleavage and acting breathy. That is about it. She should stick to making Michael Douglas miniatures.

If your sense of humor is suited to such movies as Fargo and The Royal Tennenbaums, then you are gonna love this movie. It is witty, smart and keeps you chuckling all the way home. It also has a really good message about what makes marriage work: LOVE and TRUST, not GREED and LUST. If you didn’t “get” the aformentioned movies, don’t bother. Go watch a sitcom or something.