The slender one has always had a fascination with the night sky.
Especially with the Moon. Hence a good subtitle would be the trials of
a kuuuurija, in English Moon investigator. Always intrigued by
the faraway glow this obsession reached its apogee with the first
lunar landing. (Apogee used here in the secondary meaning of highest
point, climax. Not the primary definition of the point in the Moon’s
orbit where it is furthest from the Earth.) Never missing a lunar
eclipse, well, he most likely was unaware of a few in his misbegotten
youth (ah, another Moon reference, the Eugene O’Neill play of course).
And then there is the perigee – when the Moon is closest to the earth.
As it is a monthly event, whoop-dee-doo, right? Not this year. Any
excuse to get outdoors will do. How many of us stared at the night sky
on July 20, 1969, almost 51 years ago? Millions upon millions and for
the conspiracy theorists new fodder. (Just as with today’s
coronavirus). The difference being you better have a reason for
standing outdoors staring at the vast galactic expanse at 2 am.
The internet is useful for arcana, not necessarily truth and facts.
The slimster likes a site that focuses on constellations, comets and,
of course any new, rare Moon news. So it was with pleasure that the
lean, mean, lunar machine read online about the Super Pink Moon. Super
Moons happen often, but this one, to be seen on the night of April 7,
wee hours of April 8 was to be a Super (because of its enlarged state)
Pink Moon. So named for at that time pink phlox is in bloom and the
orb also has a slightly roseate face. Or is that the man in the Moon
after a couple of stiff ones, the prankster is not sure. Phloxed if he
knows.
Then there is the colour factor. Just think of all the vivid imagery
presented by classic songs. First off one should think of late and
much lamented Nick Drake and his beautiful “Pink Moon”. That was the
first earworm that work-up to this cosmic event created. The earworm,
as we know is an insidious beast, will not leave your mind, no matter
how much one tries, silently asserting its psychological dominance.
Then the obvious one - the much-covered (Holiday, Sinatra, Presley,
Dylan to name a few) “Blue Moon”. Gotta love Wilco’s “Black Moon”. It
was only The White Stripes who stuck to the truth with "White Moon"
However, FWIW, the Moon apparently comes in all sorts of colours:
blue, pink, yellow, lavender. But the far-from-fat-one could not think
of any songs calling the Moon Lavender. Nor yellow for that matter?
Does Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” count? Wheat is golden, after all.
Leading up to the awaited night the isolation demanded by Public
Health really got the old grey matter working. Thinking about other
songs honoring or naming our nighttime light. Well, the first Doh!
moment came with an entire album – Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the
Moon”. A classic, but nothing to do with a super Moon. Better to sing
along with Cat Stevens in the “Moonshadow”. CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising”
would not let me outdoors, just like John Tory or Doug Ford in their
menacing ways. Still, it got the earworms going for a while as all of
the above songs, albums are in the gracile one’s not so thin music
collection. Hence listened to.
Came the long-expected evening. ‘Twas not to be! Clouds sheathed our
neighbourhood. The next two nights as well. Made one think – the Moon
is aware of the coronavirus! No masks to be had, so Luna hid behind
clouds! And let’s not forget the very term corona is an astronomy
word. More to do with the Sun, when during a solar eclipse a luminous
envelope surrounds the heavenly body. With a moon the corona should be
seen through cloud or mist even if the orb is not. But no sirree. The
slight one was, though he could not see it, up the “Moon River”. And
now Johnny Mercer’s wonderful voice drummed on the tympani. The otic
ones.
So the disappointed one could not kick up heels to Van Morrison's
“Moondance”. Unwise to do like Ozzy Osbourne and “Bark at the Moon”.
It was a conspiracy, dammit. And that led to another classic album
thought. If you want to know about the cabals and plotters of the
world King Crimson’s “In the Court of the Crimson King” exposes it
all. Listen to the lyrics of the final, title cut. And "Moonchild", of
course, on this revealing album.
But the worst was to come. Why of why did one of the cheesiest songs
of all time as sung by Dean Martin, “That’s Amore” come to mind” You
know the lyrics - “When the moon hits your eye / Like a big pizza
pie.” Man, could not shake that earworm, neither indoors nor out.
Course the nervous spouse loved my reference to it as a check on
coronavirus fears, so she started singing it. Double whammy. Could not
avoid it. In my head and aloud from her.
Nothing left to do but have a double drink, listening to Dennis
Wilson’s “Moonshine” Which led to being like Tom Waits, "Drunk on the
Moon". At least this state brought relief and occurred indoors, in the
basement safe from the dreaded corona outside. Wonder what the next
wave, for there will be one, of the pandemic will bring in musical
prescriptions. But please, no more earworms.
Super pink Moon and earworms
Meelejahutus | 15 Apr 2020 | Otepää SlimEWR
Meelejahutus
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