PAGE 4 - SOUTHWEST MESSENGER - <strong>June</strong> 30, <strong>2019</strong> Opinion Page www.columbusmessenger.com Ever since I was a kid spinning 45 rpm vinyl records on a portable record player that had a felt covered platter, (Yes, I’m ancient) I’ve wondered why some pop and rock songs end by fading out while others have a definitive ending. I’m not a musician or a record producer, so I’m not well versed in the recording process. But someone does make a conscious decision on how to end a song, be it the songwriter or the producer. A few years ago National Public Radio researched this topic and reported that it comes down to a couple of reasons: 1) the fade out made it easier for radio disc jockeys to control the end of a song to allow for commercials, etc.; and 2) some artists feel the lingering fade out enhances the listening experience by repeating the song’s chorus or “hook.” That being said, which is better, the fade out or the definitive ending? I asked an old musician friend of mine, Matt Wyatt - who played guitar for the Great Plains and now performs with The 3 Speeds - which he preferred: the fade out or the definitive ending. “My thoughts about fade outs are, does the band feel stupid repeating a phrase, knowing it is not gonna be completely heard? Wyatt said. “I prefer clipped, sudden endings.” Fade outs can be long or short. They can trick you sometimes by fading out and then coming back before fading out again. I’m looking at you, psychedelic era Beatles. Speaking of The Fab Four, the long fade out on the SUPPORT your Community Paper Through advertising, community newspapers like the <strong>Messenger</strong> have always been FREE papers. In these tough economic times we are asking you the reader to help offset the current decline in advertising revenue by participating in a VOLUNTARY payment program*. To those who have already participated - We Thank You. For those who would like to, below is a form you can mail with your DONATION. *This is not a subscription. .Name: Address: City/State/Zip The long and short goodbyes of songs BIRTHDAY • ENGAGEMENT • WEDDING • ANNIVERSARY • GRADUATION • RETIREMENT IN MEMORIUM • ARMED FORCES Say it with an announcement ad in the <strong>Messenger</strong> and spread the word. You can download the appropriate form from our Web site or stop by our office Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Columbus <strong>Messenger</strong> 3500 Sullivant Ave. 614-272-5422 www.columbusmessenger.com 3500 Sullivant Ave., Columbus, OH 43204 1 year ($9) 2 year ($18) Eastside Westside <strong>Southwest</strong> Southeast Beatles’ “Hey Jude” works because it is a mesmerizing chant. Some short fade outs almost serve as an abrupt ending, like on Bob Dylan’s “Love Minus Zero/No Limit,” which is a song I love. On this song, the fade out is tantalizingly short making me wish it could at least go on for a few more seconds. Some songs that on a recording have a fade out can sometimes cause a band problems when performed live. It seems like the band does not know how to end such a song in a clean way. So during live performances they often strum guitars really fast and end the song with a “chunk” of drums, bass, and guitar all at once. There are too many instances of this to name that fit this mold. Come up with an ending! A song with good definitive ending is like coming to the end of a good book. The sound ties up neatly and satisfyingly, such as with The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Some endings can be almost jarring, but fit the song’s attitude such as The Music Machine’s “Talk, Talk,” which ends with a bam in a sharp, clipped vocal. “No matter what you hear on a record, you’re hearing a structured performance in a studio that is worked on to get a certain Are you, like many, trying to shed some pounds? If so, don’t watch television or drive past any fast food joints because sabotage is waiting around every channel and corner! Try eating responsibly when you are faced with a grocery bag of burgers or pig trough size dinner plate filled to the rim with food. Perhaps I should use the term platter instead of plate because, along with America’s waistline, the size of our china is growing along with our appetites. A new chicken commercial touts the deliciousness of a bowl with layer upon layer of chicken, gravy, potatoes, etc. that looks more like a Jackson Pollack menu mash-up. When I was a little girl, my parents would drive 10 miles to a BBF–Burger Boy Food-O-Rama–at the corner of Dering Road and High Street on the south side of Columbus for a hamburger and fries. It was a rare occasion and one our small family indulged in, at the most, once a month. Back in the 1960s, a normal, adult-size meal consisted of a hamburger, small bag of fries, and a small soda–pretty much the same components of what is now a children’s meal at fast-food restaurants of today. Funny thing about the 1960s, people were satisfied with a lot less food. I do not remember my mother or father feeling like they needed to eat more than what the simple meal contained. They did not “Super Size” their order with more or bigger burgers or slurp down what amounted to a six-pack of soda in one cup. One hamburger. One bag of fries. One soda. One meal. Point of View Rick Palsgrove sound, but at the same time the band wants you to feel the immediacy of the music,” said Wyatt. “When a song is ending, a fade out can snap you out of denial because you’re obviously hearing someone going away who isn’t really going away.” It’s all a musical jumble and anyway and the songs we like are all so subjective. Ultimately it is up to each of us to decide what we like best when listening to our favorite tunes and no matter how a song ends, all we need to do is replay it to relive the experience. I could end this column with a fade out or just stop. Rick Palsgrove is the managing editor of the Columbus <strong>Messenger</strong> Newspapers. Portions can ruin a weight loss plan Places - By Linda Dillman When did we turn the corner to mega burgers, bulging boxes of fries, and pails of soda? Or single plates at a buffet house filled with enough food to feed a family of four? How often have you seen people push themselves away from a table at a buffet, half-eaten plates still piled with food? My grandma would have said, “Look at that, what a waste. Their eyes were bigger than their stomachs.” Who needs a country fried steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans all swimming in the same sea of milk gravy? Why serve a salad with enough greens to feed a whole rabbit hutch on a plate the size of an old vinyl record? Is it really necessary to dine on a hamburger consisting of dual patties, a double dose of cheese, and topped by multiple slices of bacon followed by a chocolate shake chaser? Try going into a restaurant and ordering a normal size portion. My mother went to a corner eatery the other day and asked about a salad accented with chicken. The server admitted the salad size was large enough for two, but my mother was a single diner and since it was impractical to ask for a doggie bag for a salad, half the meal went to waste. My advice to restaurants, open up the children’s menu to people older than 12 or the senior menu to non-seniors (or nearly seniors, like me). Companies downsize. Why can’t restaurants downsize their portions? Instead of hiking up the price, cut costs by cutting portions. Restaurants and diners would both benefit with less waste and less waist. Linda Dillman is a <strong>Messenger</strong> staff writer.
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