Pre-Board - Reynolds Rap

Okay, one more before leaving.  (I'm at LAX at the moment, having gotten here a couple hours early -- and it only took 25 minutes from the curb through TSA check-in to the gate.  The point being that I have a LOT of time...)

I mentioned earlier this morning how pleased I was that, during their 25th anniversary reunion concert, The Seekers went out of their way to talk about Malvina Reynolds and how they loved her songs.  So, I thought it only proper to post a few videos that show why I liked that.  And it'll help fill in the time until I get a chance to post again.

Malvina Reynolds was a folksinger and songwriter, though she's probably much better known for her songs.  She didn't have a strong voice, but its uniqueness and her quality of interpretation made her a treasure.  Happily, I had a chance to see her perform live at the Ravinia Summer Music Festival when I was a little kid.  )I think it was a children's concert.)

This first video (though just an audio recording) is probably her best-known song that has been recorded by a great many singers.  But there's something so tender about her own version that's joyous.  It's the song, "Turn Around."  I suspect most of you will know it.

This other (also just audio) is likely her second best-known song, though except for an oddity it might be more forgotten today.  However, thanks to someone remembering it and fortuitously being responsible for music on a TV show, it may even be better known today than "Turn Around."  It's the song, "Little Boxes," which became the theme song for the Showtime series, Weeds (in a variety of different-artist incarnations).  By the way, the background of the song is that Reynolds, who was from San Francisco, was inspired by rows of housing developments in nearby Daly City, California.

And as long as there's a lot of time before I get a chance to post again, I thought it would nice to have some video of Malvina Reynolds performing.  This comes from an old TV series, Rainbow Quest, that Pete Seeger hosted.  Here she sings her song, "The New Restaurant," which seems like a somewhat-companion piece to "Little Boxes."