Ichabod's iPod, Part 3: Huck Finn

Who's more American than Huck Finn? Nobody. What's on Huck's iPod these days? Well, let's take a look.

Watching the River Flow-Bob Dylan: Most played and most loved. "What's the matter with me...?"

Goin' Out West-Tom Waits: The ultimate lightin' out for the territories anthem.

Goin' Fishin'-Bobby Charles: Raison d'etre.

Slipping & Drinking-Tom House: One for Pap.

Up Around the Bend-Creedence Clearwater Revival: A great rave-up for a picaresque, adventurous boy.

Any World (That I'm Welcome To)-Steely Dan: For those bodies disgusted with the whole human race.

Something I Learned Today-Husker Du: Angst howls for the lessons one doesn't want to learn.

Fishin' Blues-Taj Mahal: For when Jim's not around.

Watch Me Fall-Uncle Tupelo: Empathy for the insecure.

Guilty By Association-Vic Chesnutt: For all the boy's tortured, twisted guilt.

Shake Sugaree-Elizabeth Cotten: A great raft-drifting song.

Promised Land-Chuck Berry: One day.

Everybody's Talkin'-Fred Neil: Joe Buck's got nothing on Huck. Here's to Miss Watson, the "tolerable slim old maid."

I'm No Angel-The Gregg Allman Band: The song to sing when one makes up one's mind to consciously go to hell.

The Weight-The Band: Huck might not understand it (who does?) but it sounds just right.

Reach Out (I'll Be There)-The Four Tops: Jim in full throttle, calming Huck.

Old Friend-Lyle Lovett: Jim.

The Boys Are Back In Town-Thin Lizzy: Tom & Huck am-buscading everything in sight.

Little Bit Of Rain

It's raining a bit this morning, a slow chilly rain. Is this the chilliest it's been in the daylight in three months? It feels good, though, and looks better. Autumn good-naturedly punching us in the upper arm. Hello, it's me. A day to get back to reading, over-nap, pick your fantasy football team, shed some tears in empathy. Or just a day to sit on the roof-protected porch and watch and listen.

If I were a true Dylan fanatic I could tell you precisely how many of Bob's songs mention rain in some way. The best I can guesstimate, though, is lots.

I read in the paper yesterday that statistically Sunday is the rainiest day of the week. Could be. We all know Mother Nature can be one ironic shrew. My daily environmental hypotheses go like this: Sunday--the day you're most likely to get your car shat upon by a bird; Monday--the day more leaves fall off trees than any other day; Tuesday--the day most cracks in pavement form; Wednesday--the day more squirrels get hit by cars than any other day; Thursday--skunks are smelliest; Friday--cloud formations look most like ex-lovers; Saturday--the day more people say, "We could use a little rain 'round these parts" than any other day.

Has Tom Waits ever sung "A Little Rain" in New Orleans?

Are umbrellas more trouble than they're worth? How many good downpours does the average umbrella protect you from before it's lost, stolen, broken? My guess is less than a dozen.

Is there a more exuberant weather song than the Meat Puppets' "Look At The Rain"? Has any singer made you feel the rain as acutely as Fred Neil?

Fred Neil-Little Bit of Rain
Meat Puppets-Look At The Rain
The Kennedys-A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall