Watch Movies, Do Math, I'm Busier Than You Think...

I was watching a movie on streaming services the other day. It was one of those things where an older leading man past his due date in my humble opinion was paired with a younger women, in this case two women who due to the age discrepancy would not give him a second look in real life. It was a complicated relationship explained by past events, suspended animation and one human manipulating others to their ends. The action was non stop. After each critical moment was resolved the characters were soon beset by another increasingly dangerous and intense situation that soon had me saying, "enough, enough!" 

I know some find movies they like and watch them again and again. This won't be one of those for me.  

Actually my generation must have been the target audience or maybe the older men of my generation because of a couple of old songs used in the movie. One was by Led Zeppelin. I doubt those guys noticed because they probably have so much money already the payday of your song in a movie was spare change to them. 

The other song was "A Whiter Shade of Pale"  released in 1967 by Procol Harum. A movie payday was probably more significant to them. 

I note that total Led Zepplin sales are estimated at 200-300 million and apparently still selling. I could not find Procol Harum total sales but they sold 10 million copies of White Shade of Pale, a hit that came out of nowhere and spawned 1000 cover versions. Both bands are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Procol Harum members that benefited from that kind of money are probably not working on their own riding lawnmowers or installing their own door knobs (my own morning home project) but like the sports teammates, one who makes 30 million a year and one who makes 5 million a year any surviving members of the band do not live in the same neighborhood as Led Zeppelin but baring any lifestyle mistakes they do live in a good neighborhood and I'm happy for them. 

I can recall playing an arrangement of a Procol Harum tune in high school marching band. It was done by my director but I never bought one of their records because it was pretty accessible on the radio. Same with Led Zeppelin except me and Cathy are big fans of their Houses of the Holy record. We were listening to it in different places at the same time all those years ago. 

I have occasionally bought recent releases by Robert Plant, singer for Led Zeppelin because I think he is still a creative musician progressing his craft instead of relying on mailbox money for something he sang barely out of his teens. 

 ,     My finance adviser told me if I keep installing my own doorknobs and working on the old riding mower I'll have enough money to make it to 90 years old. If we both went to the nursing home right now we might be able to foot our own bill for 5 to 10 years before we cash the medicade card which is certainly something to consider if you don't want to work on your own mower. Kids, there won't be anything left if any of these scenarios play out. 

Of course Led Zeppelin and Procol Harum members probably did not see things playing out quite like they have for the remaining members. Albums still selling, people laid back on their living room couches listening to your music embedded in bad movies and the checks coming in the mail. I mean why not me? 

So when you visit my BandCamp site and download one of my tunes do the math. 25+65 = 90 years old and my money is gone. Whiter Shade of Pale was recorded in 1967 and was in a movie 55 years later in 2022. If one of my tunes gets in a movie in 2077 maybe my grandkids don't have to fix their own riding lawnmowers. 

If there are riding lawnmowers which is something Led Zeppelin or Procol Harum probably don't think about.