Made it back in one piece...barely!
Well, those gamers among you will understand when I say I've made some awesome 1st-time travel ep!! Translation: For the first time ever I've driven to Edmonton and back--all by myself!! *pats self on back, but carefully--wrists and hands are really sore!* When we have travelled in the past R is the main driver, and by main I mean pretty much the only driver. The longest stretch I've driven previously was between Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota. This is a BIG DEAL!!
So, the only way I made it through 4 days of driving was listening to my collection of cd's almost non-stop. Our (the girls and I) hands-down favourite had to be the mixed Kurt Nilsen cd I made. Who? The Norwegian guy who beat out Kelly Clarkson in 2004 to win the only World Idol competition, despite all the commentary about his looks (or lack of them) and resemblance to a hobbit. Yes he is still very much around, although he only tours in northern europe. Also, yes, I am ashamed to say that I broke down and downloaded some songs that I didn't have--his cd's are so incredibly impossible to find--have to order them as imports! Until I have a stable address, ordering them from Amazon is out of the question, so till then I have to make do... Anyway, you thought this was going to be a post about how the trip to Edmonton went, but you thought wrong! My good intentions have gone awry and instead what I have here is a total spam of Kurt Nilsen videos found on youtube. *rubs hands gleefully*
Ok, this is the video that started it all over again for me--I already had Kurt's album I which I liked very much, but then upon looking for a youtube video of Jason Castro from this year's American Idol bunch singing the Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah I stumbled upon this one of Kurt with 3 other "guitar buddies" harmonizing in an incredibly haunting rendition of the same song.
I've been absolutely fascinated by all the commentary it has been getting, presumably many from people who have found it through the same route I did. That, of course, led me to looking up more of Kurt's other videos, which in turn is 100% responsible for the vid-spam I am now inflicting upon anyone willing
This song is one of the first ones I found as I remembered it as the last song from the album I own. Nothing but a simple piano and Kurt's voice--Love it!
So this is Push Push from his newer cd by the same name. In the official video for it he looks like he's quite heavy (little hobbit indeed), but in recent live concert footage I've seen he's slimmed down considerably. I'm totally in love with this song--you should have seen the girls and I singing it at the top of our lungs on the drive back, complete with their improvised backseat "push push" choreography. (It's funny, this is the first Kurt video my youngest saw, and she thought he was really ugly--"what's wrong with his teeth?"--but now it is one of her favourite songs.) My hands-down favourite bit in this song is at the 1:30-1:35 mark when he sings "cut me loose, I will break the chain". I'm a big puddle of guh at that part! *grins sheepishly*
So anyone who really knows me is aware of my utter powerlessness in the face of musical reality shows, right? So what do you get when you combine World Idol and Canadian Idol? A funny interview with Kurt right after his win with none other than Ryan Malcom, the first Canadian Idol. "You could be the next guy who comes in 6th on World Idol!" Teehee!
This video slays me! What the hell is a kareoke taxi??? OK, don't answer that. From what I can gather this was done sometime around Kurt's stint in either Norwegian Idol or after it, as he performed this song as one of his idol songs. I wish I could understand what the hell they are saying. I'm positive the singing (the kareoke track starts at 3:39) is not lipsynching. I get such a giggle out of Kurt's "hehey" just before he starts to sing. What a voice--the man is driving around in a freaking taxi for pete's sakes and he sounds freaking amazing! Also, I get such a kick out of watching the guy in the backseat that looks like a Musketeer bopping along to the music.
Here is a youtube vid of Kurt singing "When The Stars Go Blue" to what seems to be a rather happy and inebriated crowd--wait till the glasses and beer bottles start waving later! I just love how the crowd is singing in your typically average-sounding mass effort with some real bum notes thrown in for emphasis, and then Kurt's voice just beautifully floats over them all crystal clear whilst still including them all. Love it.
OMG, do any of you remember A-ha from years ago? (I know rj_anderson remembers them very well--we both had much admiration for Hunting High And Low) Well, look what I found...Kurt and Morten singing a duet! God, Morten is a beautiful man--seemingly the exact physical opposite of Kurt, yet Kurt totally holds his own when they're singing.
Ok, I have to end this before I end up embedding the whole bloody lot of them! Here's a video that might seem like a weird choice as it is a few random montage pictures at the start and then a black screen for the rest of it, but I'm putting it in because I think his voice sounds hearbreakingly beautiful in this one. It's the studio version of For You from his album "A Part Of Me". No, I don't own it yet, but I wish I did.
I do fully intend to post what actually did happen during our trip out to Edmonton over spring break...at some later date!
So, the only way I made it through 4 days of driving was listening to my collection of cd's almost non-stop. Our (the girls and I) hands-down favourite had to be the mixed Kurt Nilsen cd I made. Who? The Norwegian guy who beat out Kelly Clarkson in 2004 to win the only World Idol competition, despite all the commentary about his looks (or lack of them) and resemblance to a hobbit. Yes he is still very much around, although he only tours in northern europe. Also, yes, I am ashamed to say that I broke down and downloaded some songs that I didn't have--his cd's are so incredibly impossible to find--have to order them as imports! Until I have a stable address, ordering them from Amazon is out of the question, so till then I have to make do... Anyway, you thought this was going to be a post about how the trip to Edmonton went, but you thought wrong! My good intentions have gone awry and instead what I have here is a total spam of Kurt Nilsen videos found on youtube. *rubs hands gleefully*
Ok, this is the video that started it all over again for me--I already had Kurt's album I which I liked very much, but then upon looking for a youtube video of Jason Castro from this year's American Idol bunch singing the Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah I stumbled upon this one of Kurt with 3 other "guitar buddies" harmonizing in an incredibly haunting rendition of the same song.
Click to viewI've been absolutely fascinated by all the commentary it has been getting, presumably many from people who have found it through the same route I did. That, of course, led me to looking up more of Kurt's other videos, which in turn is 100% responsible for the vid-spam I am now inflicting upon anyone willing
This song is one of the first ones I found as I remembered it as the last song from the album I own. Nothing but a simple piano and Kurt's voice--Love it!
So this is Push Push from his newer cd by the same name. In the official video for it he looks like he's quite heavy (little hobbit indeed), but in recent live concert footage I've seen he's slimmed down considerably. I'm totally in love with this song--you should have seen the girls and I singing it at the top of our lungs on the drive back, complete with their improvised backseat "push push" choreography. (It's funny, this is the first Kurt video my youngest saw, and she thought he was really ugly--"what's wrong with his teeth?"--but now it is one of her favourite songs.) My hands-down favourite bit in this song is at the 1:30-1:35 mark when he sings "cut me loose, I will break the chain". I'm a big puddle of guh at that part! *grins sheepishly*
So anyone who really knows me is aware of my utter powerlessness in the face of musical reality shows, right? So what do you get when you combine World Idol and Canadian Idol? A funny interview with Kurt right after his win with none other than Ryan Malcom, the first Canadian Idol. "You could be the next guy who comes in 6th on World Idol!" Teehee!
This video slays me! What the hell is a kareoke taxi??? OK, don't answer that. From what I can gather this was done sometime around Kurt's stint in either Norwegian Idol or after it, as he performed this song as one of his idol songs. I wish I could understand what the hell they are saying. I'm positive the singing (the kareoke track starts at 3:39) is not lipsynching. I get such a giggle out of Kurt's "hehey" just before he starts to sing. What a voice--the man is driving around in a freaking taxi for pete's sakes and he sounds freaking amazing! Also, I get such a kick out of watching the guy in the backseat that looks like a Musketeer bopping along to the music.
Here is a youtube vid of Kurt singing "When The Stars Go Blue" to what seems to be a rather happy and inebriated crowd--wait till the glasses and beer bottles start waving later! I just love how the crowd is singing in your typically average-sounding mass effort with some real bum notes thrown in for emphasis, and then Kurt's voice just beautifully floats over them all crystal clear whilst still including them all. Love it.
OMG, do any of you remember A-ha from years ago? (I know rj_anderson remembers them very well--we both had much admiration for Hunting High And Low) Well, look what I found...Kurt and Morten singing a duet! God, Morten is a beautiful man--seemingly the exact physical opposite of Kurt, yet Kurt totally holds his own when they're singing.
Ok, I have to end this before I end up embedding the whole bloody lot of them! Here's a video that might seem like a weird choice as it is a few random montage pictures at the start and then a black screen for the rest of it, but I'm putting it in because I think his voice sounds hearbreakingly beautiful in this one. It's the studio version of For You from his album "A Part Of Me". No, I don't own it yet, but I wish I did.
I do fully intend to post what actually did happen during our trip out to Edmonton over spring break...at some later date!