The Oppenheimer Report - 9/19/16

One of the many things I love about doing a radio show dealing with songwriters is that it puts me back in touch with some people with whom I have not spoken in decades. Several of my high school classmates listen to the show on the internet occasionally, and each one of them has distinctive tastes in music. From time to time they give me suggestions for what to play on my show. One classmate, who now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico just sent me a list of his 400 favorite songs. When I consult that list it brings back a lot of fond memories. Many of the songs on his hit list were tunes I listened to a long time ago and have not heard since. I’m sure some of those songs will end up in my show. Everyone knows someone who wrote an original song, and whether or not it’s a strong song, there is a story behind it. I have had many conversations with relative strangers about their song writing experiences. There is no better way to learn more about the craft than to examine the tastes of many different people. I’ve met some very interesting songwriters and learned something about the craft from my interviews. The show has always been about my quest to learn more about songwriting, and I love hearing the stories about the who, what, where, and when of a song. Last week, I played an old Yardbirds tune that I’d always assumed was written by the members of the band. One of their biggest hits, “For Your Love” and it has been covered by countless other bands, but was in fact written by another songwriter, Graham Gouldman. A founding member of the band 10CC,  Gouldman wrote or co-wrote a lot of hits from the 60's and 70's, including the famous Hollies hit “Bus Stop”. When I read these stories, I realize that a lot of people are probably like me, and don’t know who actually wrote these songs. Some of my fellow musicians are now telling me that there are not a lot of radio shows that focus on the actual songwriters. Perhaps I have found my niche.

 

Speaking of songwriting, last Thursday I received a shipment containing 300 CDs of my first album Imposters Game. I am apprehensive about releasing it to the public, but the die is cast. While recognition is the brass ring, now that I am actually putting my songs out there for anyone to hear, I am apprehensive. I suppose it’s silly to even worry about this, as the number of people interested in my work can probably be counted on two hands. Still, I have written in a vacuum for 35 years and am just now releasing my first set of songs to the general public. I feels strange. A week Wednesday, I will go on air at Hunters Bay Radio, with my producer Juan Barbosa, and talk a little bit about the process of making Imposters Game. There will be no official CD release, just this radio show. After the show, the album will be available at the radio station, all proceeds from its sale going to the station, and I can move on to my next project. I never thought I’d release a CD of my songs that merits attention, but I am proud to have made this album. I hope a lot of people find the time to listen to it. Arrogant to imagine, but I dream that the release of this album could somehow bring some much deserved recognition to Hunters Bay Radio, which has helped so many artists like me blossom. Dare to dream.

The fifteenth anniversary of 9-11 snuck up on me. It wasn’t until the six o’clock news came on that I realized what day it was. Later that night, we watched that famous documentary released after 9-11, intended to be about the newbie at a lower Manhattan FDNY fire hall, which included all that remarkable footage from the day. I’d forgotten that the cameraman had filmed the falling of the second tower from Ground Zero! I still bristle when I see those towers fall. That was the Pearl Harbor of my generation, but it was a different kind of enemy. And finally, there was a story on the news the other night about the growing pet health industry. Last year, North Americans spent $60 billion on pet health, up 75% from the year 2000. There are pet spas springing up in larger North American cities and people are paying big bucks to enlist their pets in elaborate fitness programs. There is pet yoga, pet hydrotherapy, and designer pet clothing, but the silliest thing I watched was some gourmet pet food caterer offering beautifully presented plates of dog food, that look like something you might see in a five star restaurant. Everyone knows that the dogs don’t care about presentation and that they are just going to hoover down the food in three gulps. Clearly this is for the owner’s benefit. Nouvelle cuisine for pooches; have we all gone mad?

                          - Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2016 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED