BS: Brain Farts

Subject: Brain Farts
From: Charcloth
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 09:45 AM

The other day I was performing in a Nursing home I had just done a medley of "Rally Round the flag/Battle Hymn of the Republic/This Land is your Land" (my "patriotic medley" since 911) Any way I then started to do a song I wrote about my grandmthers next. Not realizing the pick up notes were the same as "rally round the flag" as for Grandmom's Prayers." I was then locked into the "Rally" number & could not divorce myself from the two.
This type of thing has happened a time or two before. But this was the worst. I couldn't even remember the words to my own song. Am I the only one plaged by this?
what other brain farts do some of you often deal with? Just curious I guess. But thinking I ain't the only one sailing this Gally.
Charcloth

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 09:58 AM

Suddenly half-way through a wellknown song, the rest of the song just vanished... happened again last night, and I'd only had about a half a glass of wine, so I can't blame that even!

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Gary T
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 10:21 AM

I too have found that if I try to follow a song with one that sounds too similar, I end up singing the first song's melody. Spacing them apart by several songs seems to avoid the problem.

As far as forgetting lyrics or even whole verses, that happens occasionally apart from the above situation. The "unavailable" words usually come back after giving the brain's back burner a little while to bring them up--or if something triggers the memory. Often just getting the first few words is enough to recall the whole thing.

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Dave Swan
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 10:26 AM

We have six or eight John Barleycorns in the repertory at any given time. Keeping them straight (is this where he's bound to a cart, thrown in a vat, or thrown in a barn???)has cost me a couple inches of hairline.

ES

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: SharonA
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 11:29 AM

Did a web search recently and came across Barry Saddler's "Ballad of the Green Berets". Later that day I was trying to sing "Banks of the Ohio" but for some reason the tune went out of my head and was replaced by the "Green Berets" tune. Actually, it sorta fits!

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Charcloth
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 02:21 PM

Man am I glad I ain't the only one plagued with this. I too try to spred similar tunes out to avoid this. Usualy it happens when I am trying something new but this time it was stuff in my standard material. I once had it happen with "Bury Me Beneath the Willows" & "This Land is Your Land".
For me it is most aggravating when I mix tunes. If it happens with lyrics I remember how the Weavers used to use the same lyrics over & over for laughs like mixing "Irene Goodnight" with "Go Tell Aunt Rhodie."
Often I'll forget a verse or mix two together or switch them around. Most people don't catch it but they do with tunes.

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: grumpy al
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 02:53 PM

If your brain starts farting and makes you forget a few words, just think what would happen if your ear'oles turned to arse'oles and shat all over your shoulders. You would have the worlds worst case of grey dandruff and not a word left inside. Do'nt bear thinin' about does it?

Tee Hee

the Grumps

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: gnu
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 03:03 PM

Moses Ri-tooral-i-ay and Still I Love Him.

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 04:05 PM

British Grenadiers and Rudolph the Red nosed reindeer....

Some talk of Alexander with a very shiny nose.....

AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Mr Red
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 04:13 PM

I think the only person who can forget the words of your song and be truly forgiven IS yourself. But it sure is embarrassing when someone in the audience has to prompt you.

Yea I was running a folk dance workshop to write a dance (posted this week) and I kept calling Chris Beaumont - "Mike". Now I haven't had to liase with a Mike Beaumont for 20+ years when he conducted the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra. Wrong man, wrong decade (century even) wrong genre and I was married then (& cured now). So why was I a flatulance head?
Good dance we wrote though.

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Bill D
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 04:36 PM

it's a rule...the memories that get to your brain first get the good spots to hold onto. Memories that arrive later have to share standing-room only handholds and get knocked loose sometimes.

I can remember stuff I haven't sung in 15 years better than something I practiced hours last week.

And I'd prefer NOT to know that song 'X' is almost like song 'Y', thank you....if I start one, I can 'usually' not head off into another one! (I do NOT know how fiddlers and concertina players do it!)((well, yes, I do...many false starts))

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Morticia
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 07:11 PM

My passion for parodies has proven my undoing when I've come to do a 'straight' version of a song....for example, when I start " She Moves through the Fair", even I don't know which version I'll end up doing 'till it rolls out of my mouth.

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 15 Feb 02 - 08:05 PM

Here's one for you.

We perform "The Sacramento" with great regularity and have for many years. One Friday, after an all day school gig, we went to an obscure winery to do some tasting. Their idea of "tasting" was to get us thouroghly drunk. Then we went into the cave where they age the wine and the winemaker wanted us all to sing "The Sacramento" in there which we did. The trouble was, he used a different tune. After that, it was months before we could get the tune right again and the only way we did it was to listen intently to a recording of us doing it before the fateful trip to the winery.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Charcloth
Date: 16 Feb 02 - 09:21 AM

These are great!

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Charcloth
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 08:45 AM

any more?

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 08:35 AM

I once did a support to the great Archie Fisher. I did an introduction for a Steve Earle song with a bit of a spiel. Now I have a habit of playing a verse on the guitar as an accompaniment. I started to play but realised I was doing the accompaniment of 'Song for the Life' by Rodney Crowell !! After what seemed ages (but probably was only 30 seconds) I finaly got into my head the right tune and started again with the correct tune to.....'Sometimes She Forgets' !!!

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: GUEST,Sulsbury
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 08:57 AM

I was playing a gig with a new friend of mine. He launches in to a new song and looks at me to see if i recognize it. I nod knowingly and when we begin to sing, Im doing the "stray cat strut" and he's singing a simplified version of "hit the road jack". We ended up just swapping verses and making it a medley...But it was a mess for few seconds there....

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: AliUK
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 02:52 PM

Actually the only time I dont mix up songs is when Ive had a few...or maybe thats what I think.

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Mark Clark
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 04:35 PM

The songs: “Waiting for a Train,” “Danville Girl” and “Coon-Can Game” always run together in my mind and it doesn't take much of a cerebral wind to cause me to shift between them in the middle of a song.

In another thread, I posted this brain fart recollection from back around 1974.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: BS: Brain Farts
From: Kim C
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 05:47 PM

I've forgotten the words to my own songs before.