Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning’s End – Motivational Moment

Do you remember the song "Closing Time" by the group Semisonic?   It was the band’s most popular song, reaching #1 on Modern Rock Tracks, and was nominated for the1999 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.  It has one of my most favorite lines in any song:  Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. Actually as I was researching for this posting, I discovered that the line which I love so much is attributed to a quote by Seneca.   The song, written by Dan Wilson and produced by Nick Launay, can be found on the CD  Feeling Strangely Fine.  Although the band did not win the Grammy that year, Dan Wilson went on to take home a Grammy in 2007 for Song Of The Year for "Not Ready To Make Nice" which he co-wrote with the Dixie Chicks and which they released on the CD Taking The Long Way.

When asked what the song "Closing Time" is about  Dan Wilson responded: 

I thought of the first verse of Closing Time pretty much all at once while playing the guitar. The chorus too (it’s only one line). I was trying to write a song for the end of our sets, to say, "Goodnight, get out, we love you but we’re done," to the fans. But it turned into something else, the first verse about times I’ve been in a bar at the end of the night trying to get up the courage to talk to a woman. The next verse I tried a bunch of ideas and then a week or so later I thought of the idea of being "bounced" from the womb and being born.   (http://www.semisonic.com/band/faq.asp)

In the book  So You Wanna be a Rock & Roll Star, Semisonic’s drummer, Jacob Slichter, says that the song was written partly about a precarious pregnancy Dan Wilson’s wife was going through.

Weird Al Yankovic used the chorus of  "Closing Time" as the closing to his parody song entitled "Polka Power"  from his 1999 CD Running with Scissors.  Semisonic is one among many bands/musical artists whose songs are contained in the medley .  Among the other artists whose songs are included on "Polka Power" are: the Spice Girls, Harvey Danger, the Backstreet Boys, Smash Mouth, the Beastie Boys, Chumbawamba, Madonna, Matchbox Twenty, Third Eye Blind, Marilyn Manson, Hanson and Marcy Playground.  

Semisonic, while officially never breaking up, have not performed publicly together since 2008.  All that is about to change on October 8th, 2010, however as the band comes together to perform a benefit concert for live sound and recording engineer Brad Kern, who was the victim of a hit and run accident while biking.  While Brad is expected to make a complete recovery, he did have extensive injuries as a result of the accident and has not been able to return to work.  The proceeds from the concert will help with his medical bills and lost income.  

The lineup for this concert is an impressive tour de force of local Minnesota bands. Headlining with Semisonic are the Hang Ups (led by Brian Tighe of the Owls and Star Folk).  Other featured musical artists and bands scheduled to perform at this concert are:  Mason Jennings, the Twilight Hours and Two Harbors.

Here are details for the show:

A Benefit For Brad Kern

Friday, October 8, 2010
First Avenue Mainroom
701 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55403-1327
USA
Phone 612 332-1775

$22.50 advance/$24.00 doors
18+ show
6:30pm Doors

 Sounds like a great concert! I’d sure love to go to this one …. if you are anywhere near the Minneapolis area and go please let me know how it was! Blessings of love and peace to all involved with this special concert and affirming a very speedy recovery to Brad Kern.

Bookmark It

Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, Chinese Oympic Gold Medalists – Love Story

Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo: A Love Story About Skating and the Pursuit of a Dream

It’s been over two weeks since we were inspired by the wonderful story of Chinese pairs figure skaters, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, who won the Olympic Gold medal. Their incredible dedication to ice-skating and to each other was an emotional success, as Shen and Zhao became the first Chinese Gold Medalists in figure skating at age 31 and 36 respectively. 

What I loved hearing about this wonderful couple was the story behind their success.  

Shen and Zhao began skating 18 years ago, in 1992.  That’s before many of the competitors of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver were even born.  When Korean Ladies Figure Skating Gold medalist, Yu Na Kim, was only one  year old.  When Canadian Ice Skating Gold Medalists, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, were 2 and 4.

Shen and Zhao  retired in 2007 after winning the world championships three times and the bronze in two separate Olympics.  Of course, they wanted the Gold medal, yet somehow it had always seemed to escape them.  Something else also happened in 2007.  Zhao proposed to Shen on the ice following an incredible World Championship performance in Tokyo.  He got down on one knee and proposed and Shen, not understanding what was going on at first, also got down on her knees, and then said "yes". They were married in May 2007.   

As they continued to tour with Stars on Ice in the US, Shen and Zhao’s dreams of capturing the Olympic Gold seemed to be over. After all, they were retired and Zhao previously had an almost career-ending Achilles injury. But Zhao managed to convince Shen to come back for one more try.  They came out of retirement in 2009 and began their comeback by appropriately winning the Cup of China last season and going on to win all of their events, and also setting a new world record at the prestigious Grand Prix Final.  

But the road out of retirement and back to Olympic medal pursuit meant putting a hold on the intimate and more personal part of their  marriage because Chinese Olympians are required to live and train in the Chinese Olympic facilities. That means living in separate dorms with all meals eaten with all of the other athletes.   

Then the moment came to see if it would all pay off.  Zhao and Shen skated an incredibly strong performance; moving and near flawless.  Zhao told the Xinhua news agency that:  "We wanted the program to show all that we have, and we made it," and Shen added:  "It’s the best gift for the Valentine’s Day."

In the long program, their Chinese rivals, Pang Qing and Tong Jian, raised the heat by skating a near-flawless long program. But ultimately Shen and Zhao were successful, capturing their dream, with Pang and Tong capturing the silver medal.  Zhao summed it all up by saying: “We’ve been in competitions for many years, and won other medals … but every time we heard the national anthem and saw our flag being raised, we wished it was the Olympic Games. Today we’ve achieved our goal.”

Yes, Shen and Zhao,  you did indeed achieve your goal.  And  along the way you inspired us with your dedication, determination, and the love you have not only for each other, but also for ice-skating.  Thank you and may your career and life be richly blessed now and always. 

Bookmark It

Kim Yu Na Jumping Video Brian Orser – Olympics 2010 – Ice Skating

Want to learn how to lump like an Olympic Ice Skating Gold Medalist?  Or just want to know more about how skaters do those amazing jumps? Great tips in this video from Yu Na Kim and her trainer, Brian Orser.     

Bookmark It