An Ides Of March Vehicle

Even though it's been the background commercial for countless car ads, I still love it.

Even though I now consider myself a feminist I can forgive lyrics like these:

   I'm a friendly stranger in a black sedan 
   Won't you hop inside my car 
   I got pictures, got candy
   I'm a lovable man 
   And I can take you to the nearest star

even if I would tell my kids (if I'd had any) not to go near any man who said anything like that--if for no other reason than their sheer cheesiness.

Then again, I never actually heard the lyrics until long after I first heard the song on the radio, when I was about 11 years old.  I mean, why would I, when they're accompanied by some of the best horn riffs in a popular song on this side of "Hold On, I'm Coming."

I'm talking about a song called "Vehicle", which made it all the way to #2 on the Billboard charts in May 1970.  



So why am I mentioning it today?  Well, the group who recorded it was known as The Ides of March.  One of its members, Jim Peterik, would later write "Eye of the Tiger" for the Rocky movies.

And his songs are published by Bicycle Music.  Pretty ironic, isn't it, for a song about a guy trying to use his car to pick up girls?
   

Bespoken: The Sound Of Gears Turning And Spokes Spinning

Yesterday I wrote about a piece of bicycle art.  I've also written posts about drawings, paintings and other objets inspired by bicycles and bicycling.


We don't read as much about bicycle music.  And, it seems that whatever is written about it discusses songs that mention bikes or riding, even if only in passing.


What we never seem to hear about (or simply hear) is music made from the bicycle itself.  Steven Baber, who designs music from all sorts of objects you won't find on the stages of the world's concert halls, has created a unique series of sounds from the movements of bicycle parts.





He says he's wanted to do such a thing since he heard the sound coming from his bicycle spokes when he was a kid.  "Oh, I wish I could play that like I could play these other instruments," he mused.


You can find a selection of his "Bespoken" series here.