"Love is a many splendored thing..." song lyrics by Sammy Fain & Paul Francis Webster

Waz up mah bitches (i'm feeling a little "street" today and always wanted to say that anyway!!!!! LOVE...what a strong and powerful word. My muddled,complex and strange mind has been thinking about love allot, but then who doesn't whether or not we want to admit it. It really is the cornerstone of what keeps us and the universe going in my humble opinion. Now as we know, I don't really think in terms that are cohesive, but I had an experience the other morning that really stopped me and made me think about all different kinds of love and even hate for that matter. Do you know they say you can't truly hate someone unless you have loved them. It show's the power of this emotion. So..what happened was...Danny and I often sleep to TV or our IPOD in a docking station. It helps me sleep. Well, the other night my little IPOD shuffle was not charged enough so we used Danny's big fancy schmancy IPOD to listen to. Now my play list is a scary place to be because one moment you might be listening to Duran Duran and next moment here comes Perry Como and Sarah Vaughan. I pick and chose what tracks I want to listen to! Dan's IPOD is a bit more complex. He has complete albums (see how old I am...I call them albums!) Anyway, we both listen to all kinds of things. I have some rap on mine, Dan has more of it than I do. Dan loves song lyrics and the depth and emotion they show as do I. Anyhoo, I woke up about 5:30 am as Danny got out of bed. I found myself waking up to a song by Eminem aka Marshall Mathers. It is called "So Long" and it depicts the violent death of his now ex-wife, Kim at his hands (and ya wonder why they are divorced???). Now Kim actually sued Marshall over this song and I understand why. I found the lyrics so disturbing I was afraid to get out of bed or move let alone even give you a sample of them here.I figure if you want you can google them for those who don't know it. I believe in the eyes of the law the words would be considered "making terroristic threats" which covers many types of things, it doesn't just mean you are going to blow up a building or set a bomb off in a public place. I did look it up and she sued him for defimation of character. This is not a new song it was released in 2000 and I was more than aware of it's existance. I have always chosen not to listen to it. I feel you are the one who has the ultimate censorship control, not the goverment. Belive me, Tipper Gore really pissed me off in the 80's when she tried to get the government to put warning labels on albums. I felt she was stepping on peoples first amendment rights. So did Dee Snider from Twisted Sister and even white bread country boy John Denver, both who testifed before congress on behalf of freedom of speech and expression as did many other artist. In the late 90's I went as far as to defend Marilyn Manson with his violent and misogynistic images and lyrics. I called him "Alice Cooper light" He was still trying on his sister's training bra's when Alice was helping to invent the genre! Now why in my old soul could I not relate this type of expression to Eminem's violent and disturbing lyrics? I don't know, I do just know I felt violated by listening to them. I felt like I needed a shower! Now when my sainted Danny came back to bed we had a discussion about this song. Daniel in no way shape or form supports violence or the abuse of anyone, but I must say, just as I might have done sometime ago defended Marshall's right and motivation for writing this song. It really does relate back to the thin line between love and hate. I understand what he was saying and his point but here I am thinking hmmmm (this is our hmmm moment my dear 6 1/2) why do I suddenly understand Tipper Gore's feelings. It doesn't mean I support her or her actions which I still find confusing as an American. I believe in the First Amendment and the power and freedom it gives us, a freedom that not everyone in this crazy world is allowed to have. Lord know's I listened to every kind of music there was as a child. David Bowie, Kiss, Alice Cooper. They never left me feeling violated. Yes, they said dirty dirty things and had nasty imagaery, but damn it they said it so pretty sometimes. Not that it made it right, it was just sugar coated. Kiss sang songs like Plaster Caster, and Meet Meet ya in the Ladies Room. Now they were not making plaster casts of their hands and they didn't have to pee really bad so they used the ladies room! Alice was busy cutting his head off and Ozzy was biting bat's (which was actually a bird). Yup, twisted, perhaps wrong but their right to depict. I gues what i'm saying is I want my ugly stuff sugar coated!!! I also like my history clean, no one smelled or wore rags! I know that all these things exsists, but I need it put in a context that won't freak me out! I also know because of the First Amendment (and thank God for it) this will not happen. It just show's me the ultimate control I personally have over censorship. You censor yourself in my opinion. You can't take it, turn it off. So Marshall, I hated your song, not that you give a rat's ass and I will never listen to it again. I do listen to your other stuff and enjoy it. This was just such a powerful experience for me that I felt the need to share it, perhaps to much to some peoples dismay, but then again...click off it if you don't like it. Enforce your right to censor. This blog started off in a very different direction. I intended to write about the media and how they depict all types of love. Love of family, of country. Love between a child and parent and a man and a woman but here I ended up talking about Eminem, Alice Cooper, John Denver (who probably never thought he'd be mention in the same sentence as some of these artist) and freedom of speech. I still feel it comes back to love...it's complex and powerful and often takes us to places we never thought or intended to go. We do things for love that are amazing and sometimes scary. I guess that was what I learned from Eminem's song. I can't relate to that kind of anger, but he had to say what he said for himself, and his ex had to do what she did. As the Beatles put it "All you need is love". Yes, you do, but it encompasses so many things. I also heard something that made me laugh but actually is really twisted and it came from all things the program "Hot in Cleveland" the one character said if you love something let it go, but she prefered to lock them up in a basement and feed him through a slot until he saw things her way!!! Now that's some scary shit given through what would be considers a fairly benign medium...and just as bad as Eminem's little ditty!. Let me leave you with this fun little fact did ya know tha Men who kiss their wives in the morning live five years longer than those who don't. So guys take heed, even if you are not in the mood smooch her up!! So, bud's Peace out...keep and open mind and excersice your control. Only you can prevent forest fires (woods of wisdom from Smokey the Bear)! xoxxo Pammy