Captain's "Anna" LOG...Stardate 01/16/26
- Thomas Tittmann
- Jan 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 18
Mike, seeing as today is the release date of your new song, your words and imagery are fitting, as the recent holidays offered opportunities to “go home…”come home”…to remember and reflect...
As your returning person goes through the attic in her childhood home ...
"She pulls down the attic stairs to photograph what lives up there",
memories flood her awareness…
While she’s sad that she’s forgotten her phone, this omission will actually enable her to be more fully aware of each passing moment…of each item she beholds and her stored memories about it....as she won't be preoccupied with snapping photos of them.
This is an example of my recent comforting awareness that everything I’ve ever experienced is still up “there”…and all that’s needed to access them is the right stimulus.
Mike, you sang, “A picture’s worth a thousand songs”... Well, I like video with my music…reaches more parts of who I am. Thanks for posting this on Facebook with video!!! And road scenes always get my “wheels” in motion.
Your Facebook Post
“There’s a Grateful Dead song for every occasion”
I often use this wisdom from a friend I know almost 60 years. In the late 60's, Steve and I and other friends began traveling around the country enjoying surfing and the rest of life.
Here’s today’s example of Steve's savvy for Mike's new song. It's offered from my favorite kids choir in Austin, TX. It's a Grateful Dead song about the attics of our lives...
BUT, before we listen to the choir, some backstory...See, I want Mike the English teacher to give me a "Grate" grade on my "paper" (post).
Not surprisingly, note the comments below in RED from my first reference article (link below):
FYI - Robert Hunter co-wrote the song with Jerry Garcia. AND,
David Dodd's site - "Greatest Stories Every Told" - is my Holy Grail for all things DEAD.
[more at the next link] Subject: R. Hunter on "Attics..."
This post is mainly in response to those who helped me out on the interpretation of "Attics of my Life" for my English paper. The paper is going great thanks to a lot of you.
"Weir here and then we're gone..."
With Bob Weir's recent passing, I'm including this section to honor his memory,
[from the David Dodd article - David writes about his personal experience with Bob]
A couple of years ago, I lucked into a musical opportunity that will probably never come my way again: I got to sing back-up harmonies for Bob Weir. OK, it was for Bob Weir and the Marin Philharmonic, and I was one of ten or so singers, but still. Very fun. And the highlight of that highlight of my life was singing the final encore, just Bob and us on the stage proscenium, a capella — “Attics of My Life.”
Views from another seat in the house
[from the link that follows] Saturday at the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium hosted a gathering of two tribes who seldom – if ever – find themselves at the same event. But the pairing of the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and the Marin Symphony provided just such an occasion, as Weir and Stanford composer Giancarlo Aquilanti collaborated to frame the music of the Dead in an orchestral setting, with stunning results. Although those in jeans and tie-dyed T-shirts appeared to vastly outnumber those in sport jackets, the music offered much to appreciate to both camps.
Extra Credit
Mike's returning woman finds a cassette mixtape and then looks for something on which to play it. So, in light of his song's title ("Anna Log"), in case you're interested...
Next, in the song we hear reference to one of her finds: "a mixtape from a friend"...
[from the next link] Mixtapes have been a significant part of musical culture for decades, encompassing various genres and serving different purposes. From courtship tapes to break-up compilations, mixtapes have evolved over time to include a wide range of themes.
Tim Walker from The Independent once highlighted their diversity, even mentioning the “tape you thought was a courtship tape until she mentioned her boyfriend” type. These collections of carefully selected tracks have taken on many forms, such as walking tapes, summer tapes, dance party mixes, and the classic “showing off your collection to a new mate” tape.
Rotary Phone
Also in his lyrics is a reference to another attic find: a "rotary phone"...
...there are MANY more like this...
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