Fantasy Draft

When I awoke from a deep restful sleep, yesterday morning, I did so calling out "Love Is All Around".  Seems strange when taken out of context, but clarity will come later in this blog.  I promise. 

It seems I'd been dreaming about the All Fantasy Everything podcast where the podcasters do a weekly draft of anything and everything.  I've posted stuff about them before and it's always a blast to listen to and play along by drafting your own list.  An even bigger challenge is choosing a draft that doesn't match any of their picks, too.

Yesterday morning, I must've been dreaming about a draft, as when I shouted those words as I was emerging from my deep REM state, I was relieved to have my fifth pick.  The category of the Draft was: Songs You Like Because of a Specific Word or Phrase.  To my knowledge, this has never been a subject of an AFE draft.  Then again, I'm WAY behind on the library of the popular podcast.

All Fantasy Everything is a comedic podcast, hosted by Ian Karmel who is a working comedian and the co-head writer for the Late Late Show with James Corden.  He is a very funny man who I quickly became a fan of when he'd do guest appearances on Chelsea Lately.  A mainstay cast of All Fantasy Everything, are Ian's pals, comedians Sean Jordan and David Gborie (the G is silent). Collectively, they're known as the "Good Vibes Gang".  As always, accompanying them from the shadows is their Super Producer Marissa, Marissa Melnyk.

The show is very informal and unscripted, which adds to its charm.  When listening to the show, I often feel like I'm one of the gang, laughing in unison at all the jokes, both inside jokes (sample platter) and outer. 😂

As with every pick, the cast gives their reasons as to why they chose this or that pick.  As a listener, when I make my draft lists, I lack the space to give reasons, but like sharing my picks all the same.  Some of those I've drafted in the past, include: Best TV Show Themes, People We'd Like On Our Side In A Fight, One Word Movie Titles, and Mikes, just to name a few, the last being a draft for our favourite Mikes.  Mine were Michael J. Fox, Mike Holmes, Mick Foley, Michael J. Pollard and Mike the Dog from "Down & Out in Beverly Hills".

This blog is going to be a Draft of Songs I Like Because of a Specific Word or Phrase.  A bit wordy, but I think you get the general idea.  So here it goes:

Number 1: "Blow At High Dough" by the Tragically Hip. The run time of the song is 4:43, but at 1:49, lead singer, Gordon Downie (RIP), let's out an audible 'wooo' indicating the excitement of singing the song.  I live to hear this single expression of excitement in the song and will shush everyone in the car, to do so.

Number 2: "Take It Easy" by The Eagles.  It's the whole second verse, more so than a single word or phrase.  At the 1:10 to 1:23 portion of the song, Take It Easy, singer Glen Frey sings the words, "Well, I'm standin' on a corner, in Winslow, Arizona, Such a fine sight to see, There's a girl, my Lord, in a flat-bed Ford, Slowin' down to take a look at me."  I'm not sure why I'm so infatuated with those lines, but maybe it's a subconscious thing where I hope that one day an attractive young woman may do the same, by swinging her head around to get a better look at me. 🤔

In doing the research for this blog, I admit, I'd never laid eyes upon Warren Zevons likeness before, for this, my third draft pick.

Number 3: "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon, brought to fame by the movie "The Color of Money" starring Tom Cruise and Paul Newman.  There's a scene in the movie where pool shark Vincent Lauria, played by Cruise, is singing the song and doing the motions for the line, "His hair was perfect."  The whole line is "I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada from Trader Vic's, His hair was perfect."  The song is only 3:25 in length and you have to listen to almost the entire song to hear this line (at 2:55), but it's totally worth it.

Number 4: "Paradise By The Dashboard Lights".  The song is a lengthy 8:23 and the line I love is near the end, at the 5:10 mark.  I could write an entire blog about this one song in particular and may do so at some point down the road, but today, I'm concentrating on the line, "So now I'm praying for the end of time." 😂  After being relentlessly nagged by his partner to declare his intentions to her, he blows up and swears that he'll love her until the 'end of time'.  Then realizing what he'd just agreed to, he now prays to the God above to bring about the end of time, so he doesn't have to live another minute with this nagging b-i-t-c-h, is essentially the message there.  Nearly every time I hear this song, I burst out laughing at this sentiment.  Meatloaf was such a good actor, even in the video, captured above, the Oh Shit! look on his face, is priceless.

Now we come to Draft Pick Number 5:  The song that woke me from a sound sleep so I could complete my draft; The song was nominated for an Academy Award and it's from the movie "Four Weddings and a Funeral".  The song is called "Love Is All Around". The song is by the British pop group, Wet Wet Wet and besides residing as my number 5 draft pick, it also holds a special place in my heart.  

Years ago, my sister was about to get married to her first husband and they were struggling to find a song for their first dance as husband and wife.  My sister wanted that Celine Dion song from Titanic, but was quickly talked out of it as it would indicate that her love would go on after the demise of her partner.  Although my sisters marriage would eventually come to a tumultuous demise, that love ended right there and then.  I can't remember what song they eventually settled on.  Probably some piece of shit country song.  I really don't remember, however I took it upon myself, at that time, to find a "first dance" song of my own, just in case I was ever so fortunate to get married and the song I settled on, was and is, "Love Is All Around" by Wet Wet Wet.  It's truly a beautiful song and like the Tragically Hip song mentioned before, there's an expression of excitement in the singers voice.  It comes at the 3:04 mark of the 4:15 song.  Between verses, the singer lets out a "YEAH!"  I love it and I love the song.

This concludes my draft pick of "Songs I Like Because of a Specific Word or Phrase".  I'd like to extend a hearty thank you out to Ian Karmel and the rest of the "Good Vibes Gang" at the All Fantasy Everything Podcast.  Thank you for always making me laugh, smile and make draft lists of my own.  I truly feel like one of the gang, even though I will likely never have the privilege of meeting any of you in person.  I appreciate you all the same.

Here are the YouTube links to the videos of the songs I listed.  I hope this works.  I f**king suck at this technical shit.  If they don't work, then copy and paste them.  That ought to work... Maybe? 😕

1. Blow At High Dough - Tragically Hip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGRNEJiD3PY

2. Take It Easy - The Eagles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrWUlc46dQ0

3. Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qae25976UgA

4. Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meatloaf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C11MzbEcHlw

5. Love Is All Around - Wet Wet Wet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3gEkwhdXUE