One man guy

[vaneramos]

Sylvie raved to me one day about Rufus Wainwright, not realizing I was already a fan. She put his second album, Poses, in her CD player. When I read the lyrics for "One Man Guy", I knew I had to have it.

No other song expresses so precisely how I feel about being an introvert. In fact I've never heard anyone else talk about "being your own one and only", as I have. It's neither sort of sick nor a dirty selfish trick. Patience, forgiveness and kindness start with self. If you learn to enjoy your own company, you'll inevitably like people better. This must become my theme song.

But my favourite song on the album is "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk", about bad habits.

This week keeps dragging on. Rehearsal last night temporarily lifted me. So did a walk this afternoon with John and Mina, and grocery shopping with Sylvie. But I keep lapsing back into low-grade depression. I can't seem to get anything done, in fact I've hardly accomplished anything creatively since setting up the new website a few weeks ago. The apartment slowly erodes around me. In fact, solitude is functioning poorly now, and that's where everything begins.








Excerpts from the lyrics:


People depend on family and friends
And other folks to pull them through.
I don't know why I'm a one man guy
Or why I'm a one man show
But these three cubic feet
Of bone and blood and meat
Are all I love and know
'Cause I'm a one man guy in the morning
Same in the afternoon
One man guy when the sun goes down
I whistle me a one man tune.

~

If I should buy jellybeans
Have to eat them all in just one sitting.
Everything it seems I like's a little bit sweeter,
A little bit fatter, a little bit harmful for me.
And then there's those other things
Which for several reasons we won't mention.
Everything about ‘em is a little bit stranger,
A little bit harder, a little bit deadly

Comments

[bill-kiowa.livejournal.com]

Try not to worry about how you are feeling right now. This weekend will be your chance to revitalize yourself and get a fresh start next week. Keep that foremost in your mind and let everything else fall away for now. Think fun, relaxation, and solitude. :-)

[missprune.livejournal.com]

I posted a photo for you, Van!

[shawnsyms.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine noted that Rufus's voice is in some ways quite reminiscent of that of Mama Cass.

Want I was not so much my speed and I haven't heard the most recent one yet, but I'm quite fond of Poses.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

For now I still have rubble to contend with, but I know that will fall away as soon as I'm on the road with nothing but the destination ahead of me.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Many thank!

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Want Two probably has the least commercial appeal. It's more serious, the rhythms are less upbeat, and a couple of tracks are really odd. But it has great artistry.

"Agnus Dei" blows my mind every time I hear it, but that may be because I relate to the sacred music it's drawn from.

"Gay Messiah" is brilliant.

I'm going to have to listen to Mama Cass. The best part about Wainwright's music is the lyrics, and half the time you can't understand him.

[eloquentwthrage.livejournal.com]

I knew you would like Poses. My personal favorite is "Shadows," I just love all those over-produced vocals. But "One May Guy" is my "cult" favorite on that album. It does make me sad, unfortunately, because I see so much of myself in it. Rather than embrace my solitary nature, I've merged it with my social persona. I guess it's not a bad trade-off. But I still relish my alone time, and get frustrated when I don't get it. You can take the one-man guy out of solitude, but you can't take the solitude out of the one-man guy...

[eloquentwthrage.livejournal.com]

I have found his material since Poses so over-the-top theatrical. He's a brilliant artist and has a wonderful voice, but it seems like "too many notes."

[tim-e-bear.livejournal.com]

There is a song by Kirsty MacColl on her album ELECTRIC LANDLADY, entitled "The One And ONly", which, though I don't know the Rufus song, has a similar theme (with a tag line "Maybe I'll always be the one and only girl for me").

[thewindrose.livejournal.com]

I feel the same with the low grade depression. It's odd - the weather is beautiful and a lot of wonderful things are happening in my life, but some how I keep slipping back into this... "funk" as my mother liked to call it. All I want to do it sit still and be left alone.