Wishes and Stars by Harper Simon

As we watched the first episode of HBO's Girls when the credits rolled this song was playing. It was one of those situations that those of us who love and follow music find ourselves in often. I asked my wife what that song was. Neither of us knew. I asked her if it was Paul Simon. It was not a song I knew but it sure sounded like him.

Being the technological wizard that I am I pulled out my cell phone, brought up Shazam and, was advised that this was not Paul but Harper Simon.

I remember when Julian Lennon released Valotte and in our twenties we were all shocked at how much he sounded like John. I guess we should not be. The apple in these cases does not fall from the tree. Athletes beget athletes, singers beget singers, and teachers beget teachers.

We should not be surprised.

What is remarkable is how rarely these songs of legends in music have careers that last a long time. Harper Simon has been making music for a long time. He is not a kid. His voice is strong, his lyrics work, and yet I had never heard his music before this appearance over the credits of this show.

I consider myself open to new music, I actively search it out. Truly how some folks become stars and talent such as this stays under the radar shows just how much luck is involved with success in the music business.

For those who want to hear something new that sounds like something you enjoyed before, take a listen to Harper Simon. He is very talented.

Girls

HBO has also launched another sitcom recently called Girls. Created and written by the young actress Lena Dunham the show introduces us to four young twenty something women living in New York City.

The show sometimes seems preposterous. These young women spend and inordinate amount of time talking about sex and drugs. I do not know if this should be taken as realistic or not. The main character is Hannah Horvath played by Dunham herself. An aspiring writer she, in the first episode, is told by her parents that they are going to stop financially supporting her. She interviews for a job and is doing well, but gets too chatty, says something inappropriate and the interview is blown.

She has a relationship with a young man that amounts to just sex. We also have Shoshanna a Jewish girl who is horrified that she has to admit that she is a virgin, Jessa her Russian cousin who finds she is pregnant and has to deal with that, and Marnie played by Brian Williams daughter Allison.

The characters are pretty clearly drawn. Shoshanna is sweet and timid, Jessa is Cosmopolitan, and Marnie may be the most interesting character on the show. She mothers Hanna and has a boyfriend who worships the ground she walks on. She on the other hand is tired or being put a pedestal and finds herself thinking of him in a non sexual way.

Hannah is the main character but one could not call her deep. She is actually pretty unlikable.

This show like VEEP seems to in an attempt to be modern and gain attention has lots of vulgarity. Sex scenes abound. It at least makes a little more sense in this show.

I am not of the target audience for this show. It might be that if too many middle aged men liked it that it was doing something wrong. We are watching it and will continue to but if this is any kind of a reflection on what young twenty something girls are doing I am afraid watching it is like slowing down for a car wreck. We want to see it but we feel bad after we do.