Black Sheep Z

I’m trying to find some music that I can bear to listen to.  It seems odd that I haven’t been able to do so yet, because I know it would be good for me.  Nothing has hit the spot yet and too much is impossible to cope with.

Back when I was very low, recovering from my mother’s long decline and eventual death here, I listened over and over to the same music, nearly always Bix Beiderbecke and Prokofiev – in particular the Lieutenant Kijé suite, don’t ask me why.  But I can’t listen to cymbals, nor to jolly 20s jazz.  At the moment, I’m trying Tom Waits’ Alice, but I don’t think that’ll be it.

No, it isn’t.  Now I’m trying Black Sheep Boy, the Okkervil River version, and it seems to be okay so far.  I’m supposed to be working really, I’ve had various friends call in, so have not done those things I ought to have done.

It didn’t help that I spent some time reading Articles of Association looking for some information I needed about an AGM, becoming increasingly puzzled because it wasn’t as I remembered it.  Finally, I looked again at the front page and found it was the Articles of another company.  Honestly, darlings, the sooner I retire the better.

Anyway, at least I’ve got music now.  I’m thinking of trying some Mozart next.

7 comments on “Black Sheep Z

  1. Mike Horner

    I think Mozart is very listenable-to and relaxing. This might sound a daft suggestion; but the music of Gilbert and Sullivan is light and catchy, and the words seem to run, very easily, in the head. I also find Scott Joplin soothing played at the right speed – he left an instruction ‘NOT FAST !’.

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  2. Blue Witch

    Psychological research shows that it is a very normal reaction to any type of stressor event not to be able to cope with any more incoming ‘information’ (even in previously-liked modalities) than is absolutely necessary.

    When I can’t cope with music, but don’t want silence, I find R4 is a useful background. That said, there are an increasing number of R4 programmes that frustrate me to the point of needing to turn them off.

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  3. Z Post author

    Thank you for suggestions, I’ll have a go.

    BW, I have certainly found that to be the case and use the music I listen to as a way to monitor my mental state – if I feel quite calm and even cheerful, but can’t bear certain music, I can’t be as settled as i think I am. I love music and it does me good, so finding the right stuff will help me.

    I mostly do listen to the spoken word – I never can listen to music I dislike without irritation so rarely have music channels on the radio unless it’s R3 by choice, so it’s usually R4 during the day, but in fact I prefer to use iPlayer so that I can choose – R4 Extra is very good because I like book readings and dramatisations – especially during the night as they sometimes send me to sleep.

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  4. janerowena

    Try Vivaldi’s Gloria. I have a niece who has been doing her very best to die on us over the past couple of years, and I find it does cheer me up. He was the music teacher at a school for orphaned girls, he must have been a lovely man to write them something so happy.

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  5. chairwoman ros

    Willy Nelson or James Taylor. There’s something about Willy’s voice and phrasing that does it for me, and James Taylor’s songs too.

    These days I enjoy Glen Campbell, especially singing Jimmy Webb songs. I can’t think of anybody else who writes “blue collar” lyrics.

    Classically I love Mussorsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”. Chorally, anything by the Tallis Scholars or Harry Christopher’s Sixteen.

    Finally, for fond memories, the Eagles.

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