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Coronavirus fears and stock market troubles got you in the worst of moods lately? Take a much needed break to focus on fun and wellness. #U2 #COVID-19 #stpatrick #selfcare
Back on New Year’s Day, I warned everyone that things were about to get crazy on a level never seen before. This is one of those times I wished I wasn’t right. If you are hearing this, the Coronavirus disease has gripped the world in panic, and the world economy seems on the brink of collapse.
But never fear, children of the revolution. I am someone who has lived through a pandemic and several crippling economic crises. I am also not going to tell you that things will get better, though. Is you think it’s tough now, you haven’t even begun to see just how bad it is going to get.
Instead of being the doom and gloom figure here, I offer a hopeful and welcome respite from all the chaos. But, unlike other programs, which wish to dull you into a sense of lethargy with some of the blandest and most hideously dull music ever produced, an alternative.
Here in the U.S., the Irish holiday known as St. Patrick’s Day has become bastardized beyond recognition. There are also many in Ireland who bemoan the holiday for a variety of reasons. As a countermeasure to all the heavy and just plain stupid, a moment for all of you to stop, do something fun and find solace in a manner that has nothing to do with green beer or half-baked attempts at a Gaelic dialect that make you sound like the goofy leprechaun from the Luck Charms cereal commercials.
“I have had an amazing career for a man who hits things for a living.”
Larry Mullen, Jr.
On this program, we are spotlighting the little band that could, and did. U2, from Dublin, Ireland, released their first album in 1980, and by the end of the decade, were the biggest band in the world. Starting the 1990’s off with a bang with a huge and risky gamble by altering their sound on their Achtung Baby album and touring the world with a first-of-its-kind multi-media extravaganza that could have bankrupted them, The Zoo TV Tour, they went from being arena and stadium rockers to become the biggest thing since sliced bread. Every new U2 album has become an event, not a new collection of music.
Their experimentation, though, alienated some long-time fans, and by the start of the 2000’s, they pretty much returned to the sound that made them superstars. They still can’t seem to get away from their status as the last great classic rock album band, nor do they seem to want to. They do have the good sense, however, to remember a basic tenet of Rock and Roll: the best of it, as it always has been, is dance music. Though many of these tracks, released from 1991 to 2001, appeared on their LP’s as sometimes slower and dour songs, this show proves that they are willing to have a little fun in the midst of the all the serious, which is what I hope for you today.
As an added bonus, a few scientific, fact and research-based revelations about dancing, since there is so much misinformation about all sorts of other maladies currently floating around currently.
- Dancing increases neuroplasticity in the brain, critical for higher brain function.
- Dancing is an aerobic exercise and a natural mood elevator through the release of endorphins.
- Aerobic exercise has a positive impact on your immune system.
- Research suggests that dancing may prevent Alzheimer’s, and for those alive when these tracks were new, Generation X, we are the next generation who will become afflicted after the Baby Boomers en masse.
- You need no special training, equipment or skill to dance.
Take today to focus on your health and wellness. It’s what’s called self care, children of the revolution.
U2 1991-2001 Party Playlist
- Lemon (The Perfecto Mix)
- Salome (Zooromancer Remix)
- Discotheque (Hexidecimal Mix)
- Beautiful Day (The Perfecto Mix)
- Staring At The Sun (Monster Truck Mix)
- Lady With the Spinning Head (Extended Dance Mix)
- Elevation (Influx Remix)
- Even Better Than The Real Thing (Fish Out Of Water Remix)
Love to you all.
Ben “Daddy Ben Bear” Brown Jr.
Host, Producer, Audio Engineer, Researcher, Webmaster and Writer
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