By The Landlord
"There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy." – Friedrich Nietzsche
"Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind." – Bruce Lee
"The dancer's body is simply the luminous manifestation of the soul." – Isadora Duncan
“Writing quotes is physiotherapy for the brain.” ― Steven Magee
My body is a shed. This phrase, once proudly coined by an old work colleague at his desk, one to whom exercise is an anathema and cake always priority, is one I often remember when feeling like my own frame is seizing up, shoulders hunched, back sore, sat for too long in front of a screen, stiffening, ageing, aching, staring, and sometimes, as one does, stuffing it with the odd pastry. I also like a bit of exercise, but most of us simply don't have time to maintain or love the body like a temple, let alone have the facility to get it there in the first place.
"Your body is your temple, it's your home, and you must decorate it," says the substantial actress of proportionately huge charisma, Gabourey Sidibe, and so let's do the same, decorating the bar with this theme.
But bodily movement, or lack of, is something we've all surely respectively enjoyed and suffered from in different ways, at different times, and this week, inspired by our guest guru (see below), it's time to loosen up those musical muscles by digging out songs about everything from stiffness to full fluidity of exercise – bending, flexing, twisting, stretching, perhaps pumping muscles shaking wobbling or any other associated actions, and any kind of bodily movement that helps fitness or wellbeing, curing via physiotherapy or exercise. Feeling limber in mind, but not corporeally? Neither? Jack (Daniels) your body, anyone? A stiff drink to get you going? What's the perfect fit?
There will be some overlaps from past topics, stretching across, for example, healing, joints or other parts of the body, and various sports including running, but there's always room for more, and with some of the above mentioned words as lyrical starting points, emphasis on the body itself and its movement, and perhaps also therapeutic activity would all oil this week's machine and add to our body of music.
So where to start? "Pain is weakness leaving the body," proclaimed Chesty Puller, the most ever decorated US marine, awarded a unique five Navy Crosses, but with a name like that, and the countless pain he must have inflicted on himself and others over the years, I might question that philosophy.
Following on from our last topic, songs from or about Italy, the great director Federico Fellini is still hanging out in our bar, a Sicilian in one hand and a Negroni in the other. "My relationship with my body has changed. I used to consider it as a servant who should obey, function, give pleasure. In sickness, you realise that you are not the boss. It is the other way around."
The body is a complex but highly intelligent bag of water carbon and other chemicals with way too much information to immerse into here, and while this could also be a very serious subject let's go another way. Music is filled with movers of great fluidity and we could fill our dancefloor with shining examples, but seeing as this theme includes therapeutic angle, inspiration might come from some artists whose brains and bodies are wired a little differently, who somehow combine stiffness with energy to an interesting effect. The one who springs to find first is Joe Cocker.
Joe Cocker. Like a many playing several instruments all at once
But then who can argue with the extraordinary style of Future Islands frontman Samuel T Herring, as shown in this breakthrough appearance on Letterman in 2014, a grunting, howling, rolling swivel of true wonder:
Or indeed New Zealand’s Wales-based eccentric Aldous Harding. I’ve seen her live, and she walks the oddest, almost puppet-like way on stage and then during songs dances like this. It’s not just for the video. Mesmerising:
Sometimes the music gets in the way when you want to examine bodily movement. Let’s enjoy then some dancers of varied styles concentrating on how they move with an ‘unplugged’ presentation.
Dancing In The Street with Bowie and Jagger. Literally dancing in the street. But far more fun in this version.
Rick Astley’s moves are a strange mix of stiffness and energy. Never gonna give up on enjoying this version:
Prince of course was a brilliant dancer, but looking at Kiss this way, we can more appreciate the sounds the body makes when heaving, swivelling and sweating.
Elvis Presley’s hips made the ladies swoon, but he also had a whole load of other sexually powerful movements.
And then there’s Michael Jackson. As well as his shoes squeaking on this version of Thriller you can literally here those bones and muscles creaking and cracking. Ow!
I think may favourite unconventional dancing in film comes the surprise hit indie movie, Napoleon Dynamite, where Jon Heder brilliantly plays the stiffest, most nerdy awkward, angry school teen, who towards the end suddenly produces the most amazing, off the cuff dance moves. The film is filled with other strange characters who all produce a variety of strange, jerky bodily movement too:
So how to you improve your body when it’s a bit on the stiff side? Training of course. “The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit,” said Morihei Ueshiba (植芝 盛平), who, born in 1883 was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the martial art of aikido. This was a man who understood bodily movement like no other, an inspiration to millions.
The master: Morihei Ueshiba
In parallel, some put their bodies through extremes to make your eyes water. Shoalin monk kung fu training, anyone?
So where does this lead us. Is it all getting a bit silly now?
Monty Python: Back in the day when government departments walked a straighter line
So, feeling a little more loosened up for the topic? There’s only one place to go for to really express yourself:
So then, it’s time to turn you over to full physio and a lot more besides to this week’s guest who knows a thing or two about that, with the very welcome return of the terrific TatankaYotanka! Place your songs in comments below in time for last orders on Monday UK time 11pm, for playlists published on Wednesday. No doubt it’ll all end in a fine body of work.
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