And thus ends the decades-long Gilmour-Waters dispute. Take a knee, Roger, and bow your head.
David Gilmour: 17.5
Lee
Denise
Mike (0.5)
Elsie
Alex
Vidya
FAE
Cathy
John
Michele
Elliptical Man
Roland
Birgit
Hank
Jeffrey
Robin
Donna
Madilyn
Roger Waters: 3.5
Mike (0.5)
Yolanda
Dixie
Susan
I almost feel sorry for Roger. Almost. Because I'm in the majority here... As much as I admire the eerie quality of his voice, the way emotion translates unedited into it, and his talent on the bass, it's Gilmour who wins this for me. Sorry, Roger.
For your further enjoyment, the Pulse version of Wish You Were Here (Division Bell tour, 1994)
Thank you so much, everyone, for being a part of this story, of this epic battle, and of the roaring success that was the Lost & Found hop. Special thanks to mastermind Arlee Bird and co-hosts Denise Covey, Yolanda Renee, Elizabeth Seckman, and the Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh, without whose dedication and effort and enthusiasm—and, in Alex's case, extraordinary tech support—this hop might not have been half as successful, and certainly not nearly as much fun. It was an honor to be your co-host.
Note to BoTB-ers: To skip the preamble and go straight to the Battle, scroll down to where the long Lost & Found banner is :)
When people of my generation think of love songs, they might think of Bryan Adams or Bangles or Peter Cetera or Air Supply or Richard Marx (if they're mainstream). The "pseudo-rocker" crowd might list Journey, Bon Jovi, Bonnie Tyler, Meatloaf, or Heart, while the "real" rockers might go for Def Leppard, INXS, U2, The Cure, Scorpions, Cheap Trick, REM. The really alternative ones might go for The Smiths or Billy Idol or Leonard Cohen or Fiction Factory or Cutting Crew or David Bowie or Echo & The Bunnyman or ... let's face it, we wouldn't have known them anyway.
Even if this battle wasn't too popular (only 13 votes), it was still very close.
Karen Souza: 6
Dixie
Mary
Stephen
John
Janie
Jeffrey
Aslan: 7
Michele
Mike
Birgit
Elliptical Man
Susan
Lee
Robin
Which brings us to my vote. I'm tempted to make this a tie... I really do like Karen's version and listen to it often, while Aslan's I'd never heard of until I found it for this Battle. And yet... Aslan really did blow me away. I think it was Robin who said their version was somehow sadder and more hopeful all at the same time — yes. Yes. There's something about that version that hits the spot for me in a way that Karen's, as interesting at it is musically, does not.
So. I vote for Aslan.
Huge gratitude to everyone that took time off from a busy start-of-the-year schedule to come by and vote (or just say hi) — loved seeing you here. I'm painfully behind on returning blog visits and in blogging generally, but I'll catch up in the next few days. Promise :)
You know that bit from the opening of The Miracle of Small Things,
"There's no stillness like the stillness of Curaçao on New Year's Day. Pointless tropical sun on deserted asphalt, every business shuttered, everything forlorn. Not even trash stirs: the wind is on furlough too. There's also no New Year's Eve like Curaçao's, which explains the stillness."
These are some of the reasons why.
Yes, January 1st is a quiet, quiet day.
Speaking of 1sts, the sign-up for the Lost & Found hop on Feb 1st is going on FIFTY participants since the linky went up on Monday. Which is great — yay! But I've also noticed a few people who disqualify themselves from participating because they feel they've been unlucky in love, and that is not good.
So let's get something clear: this is a hop as much about being in love as out of it. As much about the presence as about the absence. And — this is important, so I need your undivided attention — it's about love in general, so not only of the romantic kind.
Listen, it's okay if you don't want to participate. But don't think you can't participate because love hasn't treated you right recently (or, you know, ever). This is your chance to get back at it. Let your creativity loose and tell us just how dimwitted the lovelorn look to the innocent bystander. Tell us about that awkward sense of relief when a bad relationship is, finally, over. Or go wild and tell us about that weirdo who's in love with his car. (No, don't look at me like that. Stephen King built a career on that one; why not you?)
Seriously. This is a hop meant to gather, prism-like, all the different aspects of that "crazy little thing", and all the weird stuff we'll do for it (or to avoid it). Your contribution, in whatever form it comes, will be unique — and, because of that, will add something important.
Love... Even the word sounds like a sigh. But is it a sigh of contentment—or of regret? If you've found it, the world shines in colors vivid. If you've lost it, life fades into grays and shadows. There's nothing quite as intense as falling in love. Or as the feeling of loss when it ends.
This is a blog hop to celebrate love: lost, or found, or—both? Whether in short fiction, or a brief essay, or poetry, or even (especially for us Battle of the Bands participants) via a song, tell us a love story. Whether it's of loss or a happily-ever-after is up to you—as is the genre. Sci-fi, thriller, comedy, memoir—it's all good. "Love" is, after all, so much more than just "romance". On Monday February 1st, it's all about love, in all its forms. The only limit is your creativity.
