I had a dream the other night that I was on an exceptionally large, sprawling deck attached to what was, I believe, a dormitory. With me was the entire staff of the M*A*S*H 4077th (in character, not as the actors themselves). Suddenly, there was a violin crescendo and I was in a Broadway duet with Colonel Sherman T. Potter (again, the actual Col. Potter, not Harry Morgan).
After a few days of wandering the house humming the song that we performed together -- of all the good songs in my dreams that I couldn't remember to translate to guitar the next morning, this I remember? -- I started thinking: what are some of the other "missed opportunity" songs or collaborations? Here's my tentative list (which will soon be updated with the songs mentioned):

Gnarls Barkley recording John Mayall's "Little Girl" -- Personally, I think this song would be amazing if recorded by Gnarls Barkley, plus I'd enjoy being one of the only people who know that it's a 30+ year-old tune by one of the greatest blues lineups in history (this being from the "Beano" album by the Bluesbreakers w/ Eric Clapton).

Otis Redding recording "To Love Somebody" -- This was actually supposed to happen, as the Bee Gees were commissioned to write this song specifically for Redding before his untimely death. The Bee Gees recorded at least the second-best version of the tune, a step above Michael Bolton's and below Nina Simone's (whose rendition will be included as a download soon).

Steve Winwood joining the Jimi Hendrix Experience -- Winwood played organ on "Voodoo Chile" and was apparently being courted by Hendrix to become a full-time collaborater in the most non-aggressive courting seen since the days of "look but don't touch" chivalric love. The notoriously shy Hendrix never worked up the nerve to ask Winwood, and one can only imagine what a Traffic/Hendrix combo may have been like. Personally, I think both band's work has not aged well and a partnership probably wouldn't have held up any better, but at least Winwood would have had a badass guitarist and Hendrix would have had access to one of the best blue-eyed soul voices of the 60s.

Thoughts? Concerns?

Do you think the first guy who stood on a street corner with one of those "The End is Near" signs is living in total embarassment and shame today? (As opposed to his prior life of culture and academia that was clearly expressed by the "Sharpie on cardboard" medium of said message.) Seriously, that must have happened for the first time in the 60s. I guess speaking in terms of cosmic length -- eons and what not, which are roughly double the age of Ians -- it could generally be near the end...but still.

I wish I was like my grandfather and believed anything I saw written and everything spoken on television. I suppose I could just adapt Dan's "every film is a documentary which occured in actual time with full cinematic coverage" and assume that anyone who would go through the difficulty of finding a sizable piece of cardboard and writing on it is speaking the truth.

So here's something cool I found by watching -- you guessed it -- daytime television. But not the trashy kind: I was watching "Reading Rainbow."

Recycled Vinyl Album Wallets: (This is a link, kids).

These recycled vinyl wallets let you put your money where your music is. Each unisex wallet is made from an actual album cover and vinyl record mounted against super-durable wood board. The original vinyl record is cut to fit the wallet's square shape but manages to show the center hole, the track listing, and plenty of groovy vinyl texture. Open the wallet and you'll find a slew of features, like a carbon checkbook divider, plenty of space for cards and cash, and even a clear window to hold a picture or ID.

Your choice of the following albums:
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles
- Sticky Fingers by the Rolling Stones
- Double Dynamite by Elvis.

These are pretty amazing. I'd like to pretend that I'm above buying one, but the only thing that really stopped me was the price ($189?!). Numerous misuses of household melting appliances -- microwave, oven, hair dryer -- are the only things stopping me from trying to make my own.

I've been wrestling with how much this blog should include anything outside of music and music-related things. I realize it's a difficult thing to keep on track, because you have to avoid making it all about your life, but you need to include your own personality and experiences in your posts. Anyway, I promise this will turn into a full-blown MP3 blog soon. I need to work on getting permissions from various musicians and (hopefully) have someone make a fancier layout/explain how to use the internet. Maybe in the next week I'll start posting some of our "High Noon Friday" shows to start.

Soon...very soon...this blog will be full of all sorts of musical knowledge and downloadable samples for your listening pleasure. In theory, I'll also include some colorful commentary about all sorts of boat-floating things, since I still consider myself an academic despite my last 6 weeks putting an actual honest-to-God noticeable dent in this couch.
Keep in mind, as an MP3 blog, I can only post so many songs per week/month. So check back regularly, but not too regularly...

For now...enjoy this riddle: