A Friendly Musical Visit Every Day

I fell down quite a rabbit hole to get us here today. It all started in bed. I woke up with this song in my head. Except just the "so groovy now...finally getting together" part, because I'm not sure I've ever heard/paid attention to the rest of the song. I didn't even know what it was called. Apparently "Reach Out in the Darkness" was a one-hit-wonder from a duo called Friend and Lover. There is a music video for this song set at a renfair. But when I came across THIS little production, I knew it was the one I needed to feature. Where to begin? Well, first of all, until today I never really knew who the Doodletown Pipers were. My only knowledge of them came from the pop culture reference cited above. Which, of course, comes from the episode of The Simpsons where Homer is trying to figure out whether Marge is really his soul mate. (I don't have to tell you the next line is: "Now look at her records... They stink!") I also had

I met up with my former girlfriend for the first time since April. It was good to see her. She didn't seem as sad as she'd been the last time. In fact, it felt like catching up with an old friend. The heavy emotions were gone. Getting dumped is rough, but I think we underestimate the melancholy that goes along with being the one who ends the relationship--especially when we still care about the person we're breaking up with. We broke up last year, on Halloween of all days--Gay Christmas! How traumatic. The next day, I walked around the city for, gosh, five hours at least. Seeing as it was November 1st, I popped into every grocery store and pharmacy I walked by to check if they had any really good clearance prices on their Halloween candy (not really, but I ended up buying a huge box of mini bags of Cheetos anyway). I found myself under a bridge--a heavily-trafficked underpass, so loud with traffic noise that you hardly feel human when you're down there. I starte

I mentioned Tanya Tagaq a couple days ago, so here we are with a track from her Retribution album . I don't know how many times I've seen Tagaq live (I've lost count), but every time I'm like: Is this really happening? How are these sounds coming out of a human? Tagaq is the fiercest performer I have ever seen with my eyeballs. Her reclamation of Nanook of the North is beyond powerful. When you see her live, she is earthy, unworldly, otherworldly. She is everything. She's amazing. Plus, she and Shad go great together. Vinyl is available! If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! But you don't H

The piano in yesterday's track made me want to listen to Chilly Gonzales. It also reminded me of the time I had some money to spend on music, so I asked Twitter "Which Chilly Gonzales album should I buy?" and he tweeted me back within moments to say: Chambers . Instead, I bought Solo Piano II . I'm pretty sure this is the first track on that album. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! But you don't HAVE to do any of that. I'm very happy to get a daily visit from you, so just keep coming back. Oh, and I also recommend hitting the "Subscribe" button at the top of the page so you wo

I heard, the other day, that Tanya Tagaq's upcoming album is being produced by Saul Williams . All I can say is I can't wait to dive into the art they create together. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! But you don't HAVE to do any of that. I'm very happy to get a daily visit from you, so just keep coming back. Oh, and I also recommend hitting the "Subscribe" button at the top of the page so you won't miss a song! See you tomorrow! Giselle

Yesterday I told you about watching The Dick Van Dyke Show in its entirety. I also mentioned that I appreciated Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam's style of comedy. Now, I knew that Rose Marie had been a child star (because I heard it in the DVD commentary--I wasn't around in the 1930s!), but I never imagined there would be lasting evidence of her performances. YouTube really is a treasure trove, isn't it? Because here's a recording of Baby Rose Marie in 1933! If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! But you don't HAVE to do any of that. I'm very happy to get a daily visit from you, so just keep com

Last summer I watched The Mary Tyler Moore Show its entirety. That wasn't enough for me. I wanted more Moore. So I went back in time and watched The Dick Van Dyke Show (also in its entirety). I was a little wary of watching a sitcom from the 60s.  Before I delved into it, I hadn't seen a single episode. I was afraid it would be too outdated to stomach. But you know what? This is a show that really holds up. Plus, I happen to love vaudeville humour, so Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam's style of comedy really appeal to me. But, like, try to get away with a name like Dick Van Dyke these days, am I right? You'd be banned by every social media outlet on the internet! If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out

This song will forever remind me of my mother, because I remember her often telling me she was in the chorus of her high school's production of South Pacific. Then she'd sing a few bars from this song. Which is kind of funny, because she never managed to wash that man out of her hair. My father's been dead for well over a decade. My parents divorced more than a quarter of a century ago. And still my mother carries a torch for my dad. Which probably sounds sweet, except that my father was horribly abusive--physically, emotionally, and I suspect in other ways. A few years ago, my mother told me she still holds out hope that some man will come along on his white horse and sweep her off her feet. I couldn't believe it when I pulled up this clip of South Pacific (a film I'm not sure I've ever seen) and there's a dude on a white horse! Maybe that's where she swiped the image from. This probably sounds awful, but a big part of me is glad White Horse Man

This song is from the new album LOVE AND AFFECTION FOR STUPID LITTLE BITCHES, which you should definitely buy right this second , or at least listen to it a bunch of time and then buy it . I mean, if you like your music loud and scream-y. Which I do, in case I haven't made that abundantly clear. And, possibly, I haven't. The other day I was complaining to my partner about how my mother has been calling me "loud" all my life--chastising me for it, even now that I'm like 40. My partner said, "That's so strange. I don't think of you as loud." Suggestively (or so I thought), I replied, "Well, I can be loud sometimes..." He clearly did not catch the suggestiveness of that statement, because he immediately said, "That's true--when you're angry." I meant in bed, but yeah, loud when angry, can't argue with that. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the e

I hear the 90s are back in style. Does that mean we're going to start seeing more music videos like this Toronto classic? This song takes me by surprise every time I hear it, because I always forget it exists. But that means every time is like the first time, and that ain't bad. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! But you don't HAVE to do any of that. I'm very happy to get a daily visit from you, so just keep coming back. Oh, and I also recommend hitting the "Subscribe" button at the top of the page so you won't miss a song! See you tomorrow! Giselle

Yes, it's September. No, you're not tripping. Or maybe you are--I don't know your life. Anyway, this music video is something else, all right... If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! But you don't HAVE to do any of that. I'm very happy to get a daily visit from you, so just keep coming back. Oh, and I also recommend hitting the "Subscribe" button at the top of the page so you won't miss a song! See you tomorrow! Giselle

This song reminds me of high school, though I'm not sure why. Possibly because I was big into New Age stuff back then. I've mentioned before that I had a palmistry poster hanging on my bedroom wall. Just yesterday I was cleaning out my closet and I found the journal where I wrote down all my tarot readings, as a teen. Many of the questions were like "How am I going to do on my math test?" Was I a nerd or what? Everything New Age appealed to me back then, and this song appealed to me as well. The funny thing about middle age, or midlife crisis, or whatever phase of existence I find myself in, is that the things that spoke to me as a teen have come back to the fore. I've started doing tarot readings again. I listen to astrological forecasts more often than weather forecasts. And I do quite like this song. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the si

If you've read my Depression Handbook for Writers, you've heard me mention this song. I talk about it in the section called "Dance," because there was a time when this song was played on my local indie radio station a couple times per day. Every time I heard it, I got up and danced. I made up a routine and everything. Yesterday I challenged to you sing along to Dan Mangan's "Robots." Today I'm going to challenge you to dance along to "My Type." Okay, you can watch the video first, because it's very funny, but let the music move you! After you've had your fill (if that's even possible), get your hands on a copy of T he Depression Handbook for Writers . The ebook is available for free at many online retailers. There's also a print version out there, a workbook, and an audiobook narrated by me (although the sound quality isn't spectacular--my apologies). By the way, if you're into audiobooks but the price is a l

You know, I've always thought of "Robots" as a comedic song ("Robots need love too--they want to be loved by you"), but listening to this live performance, I'm not so sure. Plus, there's a Leonard Cohen reference in there. When it comes time to sing along, please do. Robots need love too. They want to be loved by you. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! But you don't HAVE to do any of that. I'm very happy to get a daily visit from you, so just keep coming back. Oh, and I also recommend hitting the "Subscribe" button at the top of the page so you won't miss a

We've been listening to some pretty heavy songs the past few days. We need a break. This is a song my father used to sing to me, as a child. Inspired by it, I stuck a piece of bright blue bubble gum to my bedpost (I wanted to find out for myself the answer to the question this song poses), but I got in trouble when my mother, who apparently was not familiar with the song, spotted my bedpost gum. So I still don't know the answer. A question for the ages... If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! But you don't HAVE to do any of that. I'm very happy to get a daily visit from you, so just keep coming back.

I try not to post songs by the same artists over and over, but I've been listening to July Talk constantly. In particular, I've been listening to their album TOUCH . I love albums that stick pretty coherently to a theme, and this one definitely does that. Would you believe the theme is TOUCH ? Imagine that! Just like it says on the can! Not just touch, but the unsettled feeling we get without touch in our lives. I experienced this when I was between relationships. I realized very quickly that, without Sweet, I didn't have anyone in my life who touched me. I'm not even talking sexually, here. I'm not a very huggy person outside of romantic relationships, and, anyway, all my friends live in different cities. I get to see them, physically, on very rare occasions. And, even when I do, the slightest hug is the most I can hope for. My partner had it even worse, if you ask me: he's coming off a touchless relationship. Again, we're not just talking sexual touc

I'm on Season 5 of "You're the Worst" (having non-stop sex dreams about Kether Donohue's stellar ass). This song plays over the end credits of the episode I just watched. The lyrics "I think bad things / I host bad thoughts" are the ones that really hooked me. I've been working hard at getting my bad thoughts under control, but it's not easy when you've been catastrophizing for nearly 40 years. I want a happy life. I hope I don't destroy this opportunity to build something lasting with my partner. There's a very good chance I will. But I'm trying to be hopeful. Maybe this is the one thing I won't destroy. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local

I think I've mentioned that, in an effort to feel more connected to lunar cycles, I do a simple 1-card tarot reader for the New Moon and the Full Moon. This past New Moon, I pulled the Nine of Cups, which is a beautifully encouraging card. It's a wish card. All my dreams are about to come true! All I have to do is open myself to the abundance I'm right on the brink of receiving. So right away I'm like: how can I fuck this up? I'll do whatever it takes. I'll go to any lengths to screw up my one chance at happiness. I know what I'm wishing for, but the future I want seems too good for me. I've never had a happily ever after before. Why should I get one now?  What have I ever done to deserve this? Why can't I just shut up and let the good thing happen? Why do I try so hard to ruin everything? If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the

This song comes into my brain every year when my balcony garden dies out, which it's doing as we speak. Earlier this year than last. Last year, we were still having extreme heat alerts in September. I remember because I visited my grandmother one such day and found her curled up in fetal position under a pile of fleece blankets. Facing the wall. No TV, no radio. She told me her TV hadn't worked in weeks, which was a shocker. Usually, the second she couldn't get something working, she called my brother and told him to get his butt over there to fix it. That summer, I'd been listening to an online radio station that was all storytelling all the time. It got me thinking about how essential stories are in our lives. That doesn't necessarily mean books. For most people, it doesn't mean books at all. It could be movies or songs or TV shows or stories other people tell you about their day, or stories you tell other people about your day, your life, your dreams, y

Now THIS is the kind of country song I remember my grandparents listening to. And yet, until last month, I'd never heard of Charley Pride. I was compiling a playlist of country music for someone who'd requested a list of specific artists. Charley Pride was on that list. When I first saw the name, my thought was: "Hey, PRIDE!" When I pulled up his albums, I was like: "OMG a Black country music singer from the 1960s! Does the world know about this?" Like, considering the level of racism that exists today when a Black dude breaks out on the country music scene, I couldn't believe Charley Pride was chart-topping in the 60s. Weren't people MORE racist back then? I assume so, but I wasn't actually alive in the 60s, so I asked my partner, "Hey, have you heard of this guy Charley Pride?" He lit up as he told me stories about this singer's popularity. I never know who's heard of whom, but this song got planted in my brain for the

This song has been so much in the news lately, but I'd never actually heard it until today. I figured, if I'm devoting this week to country music, I ought to feature the country song everybody's talking about. I don't know what I was expecting, but not this. I guess I thought I wouldn't like it, because I really don't listen to new country music, but it's hypnotic as hell. I figured I'd listen to it once and give you my impression. Instead I've listened to a bunch of different versions (this remix is my favourite) and I CAN'T STOP. Will I be unpopular if I say it doesn't sound like country music, to me? Or is that what everybody is saying? I don't know. Anyway, if you haven't heard it, here it be. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music.

We're on a country music roll! I couldn't say I don't like country music and then NOT feature it day after day, now, could I? I'd never heard of Mary Ford until last year, when I saw footage of this pair in a documentary about American music (and I only knew the name Les Paul because guitars). The thing that really stood out was... well, Mary Ford's luminous smile, for starters. How could you not fall in love with that face? But, more than that, the fact that she and Les Paul were looping tracks in the 50s, and even earlier than that. Ten or twelve years ago, I remember watching a young musician looping live and thinking: "The future is here!" It seemed so technological and new-fangled. Yeah, Les Paul and Mary Ford were looping live 70 years ago. I couldn't find a live video of Tennessee Waltz for you to watch, but if you want to fall in love with Mary Ford's sweet smile, give this video a go . If you're wondering how you can support

Yesterday I said I don't like country music. That's bullshit. Yes I do. I'm just more inclined toward certain realms of the genre and less inclined toward others. I tend to like the old songs, because they remind me of my paternal grandparents. Here we have a song I hadn't heard in years, until I watched an old episode of King of the Hill--the dog dancing episode, if you recall. Hank and Ladybird danced to this track in competition, which was sweet as hell. That show was so underrated, I swear. Also, as someone who frequently goes on night walks for mental health reasons, this song appeals on a number of levels. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  e

I saw Riley perform this song at a talent competition last week. When she walked on stage, I thought, "Oh no... country music ." Country music isn't my top pick musical genre--in fact, I think this is the first country song I've ever posted on this blog. So, why this one? Because when Riley started singing, I was fighting back tears. Seems like I'm constantly talking about aging even though I'm not actually THAT old, despite what my mother says.  This song is just so evocative of youth, and Riley so effectively communicates that feeling of being swept up inside one's own youth, that I could barely keep it together when I first heard it performed. Okay, I wasn't thinking solely about myself. My partner is older than I am (aren't they all...) and he loves cars and driving and socializing and all that. This song made me more sad for him. He thinks about death a lot. We both do, but, statistically, he's probably closer to it. The fact that th

Another funny story. This one's about my about my mother, of all people, calling me old. Last week, I finally got to see A Tribe Called Red LIVE. It was a phenomenal experience. I've been a fan of their sound for years, but it's only a SOUND until you get to a live show. Live, you get the vibe--I mean the actual vibration. You get the music inside you. I felt it in my heart, especially. Physically. Like, it grabs you in the heart and holds on. I brought my mom to this show. While I danced and screamed, she looked around at the crowd. Eventually she tapped me on the shoulder and shouted into my ear, "I thought this group appealed to people your age, but it's actually a lot of YOUNG PEOPLE here." I laughed so hard. I was like, "I thought I was a young person." My mom said, "No, these people are WAY younger than you." She had a point. I've got a decade or two on most of that crowd. You know you've reached "a certain

I brought a huge stack of CDs along to the cottage, for those stretches of highway where no radio stations come in too well. On the way home, I asked my brother what he wanted to listen to. He was like, "Huey Lewis And The News!" Perfect, because I'd had "I Want A New Drug" in my head for days. When I said so, my mom was like, " I Want To Do Drugs ? What kind of music do you listen to?" My mom is so cute. Anyway, I'm having a really bad depression+anxiety day and I DO want to do drugs, but instead I'm telling you this story and listening to music from the 80s. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  w

Okay, well, I quoted this song yesterday, so might as well give it to you now. I chose a softer version, a cover, to lull you into or out of the depths of despair--the choice is yours. There's a YouTube comment that suggests listening at 1.25 speed. I don't usually read comments, but I'm glad my eyes landed on that one, because it sounds so cool. (Click the settings wheel & you'll see "Playback Speed"--adjust that real quick.) If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! But you don't HAVE to do any of that. I'm very happy to get a daily visit from you, so just keep coming back. Oh, an

I was just watching an old episode of Heartbeat and this song came on in the background. In my building, there's a little alcove where people place books that are up for grabs. One time, someone left a CD there--a Heartbeat soundtrack containing all those covers they used to incorporate into the show. Why oh why did I walk on by? I really wish I'd taken that CD. Anyway, I'd never listened to the lyrics of Conquistador before, and I'm feeling them so hard right now. It's been a hopeless, hormonal depression day. This, to me, feels like a lush orchestral version of "I tried so hard / And got so far / But in the end / It doesn't even matter." Know what I mean? If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or ch

As I mentioned a few days ago, my partner and I took a trip to his hometown last week. Even though we've known each other for 20+ years, we've only been romantically involved for about 6 months. We've never gone away together. This was a first. Our plan is to move forward with our relationship pretty speedily, since we know each other well and... a midlife crisis inspires action, I'll tell you that much. At one point, we were in our hotel room. I was trying to proofread a book that (fingers crossed) should be coming out later this month. I also had my cottage radio station playing on my computer (this song is one they play every so often). My partner said, "I don't think I could listen to music all day long." Shock and horror! I DO listen to music all day long. Unless I'm watching TV, the radio is on, or I'm listening to an album or I'm working on this blog--which involves a lot of listening to music. The next day we wanted to go fo

Last winter, I listened to this Death Cab for Cutie album ( Thank You for Today ) on repeat. I'd probably heard it 20 or 30 times before I clued in to the fact that it was a break-up album, and maybe I was listening to it so much because, last fall, I went through a break-up and never really dealt with it. If you've known me for a while, you've heard me talk about my girlfriend, Sweet. What you don't know is that she isn't my girlfriend anymore. We broke up while my grandmother was dying, which is a stupid time to break up with someone, but the relationship had run its course, we were in very different places emotionally, and it was time to say goodbye. Actually, I lost a 10-year relationship and my beloved grandmother in the space of 4 days. I mourned the loss of my grandmother, and I let that take over. I pushed the relationship loss to the side. I didn't want to think about it. I haven't even told the internet until now. So when I talk about my p