Frank has a way of planting earworms in people's brains that stay around forever. I guess most talented songwriters do.
What's an earworm, you ask? Psychologists call it "involuntary musical imagery" and you can read about it here. I call it this song by Frank's old band, this Inner Ally song, and most recently, the commercial jingle for Lena's Supermarket from the 90's which I never even heard until Frank started singing it every time I complain about what my Cricket phone can't do. While my brain is being bludgeoned by these catchy tunes, I can't help but recall how terrorists were tortured at Guantanamo Bay by being forced to listen to loops of Britney Spears. Don't use this as an opportunity to hate on Ms. Spears: Leave Britney alone!
And don't be afraid of earworms. They aren't like other, slimier and dirtier worms with which you've grown familiar. They can be your friends. While the rest of the world is occupying their minds with worries about the stock market, the economy, the coronavirus and social unrest, the subject of my thoughts is a discount grocery store that went out of business years ago. Living in the past is a great way to live in 2020. So dust off that old REM CD (You know you want to) and look forward to planting Frank's earworms in your brain when the Inner Ally full length album comes out in Fall. Share your thoughts in the comments!