Eddie Vedder covers it, Michael Moore ended SICKO with it: “Don’t Be Shy” – Yusef Islam/Cat Stevens – Empathy and the speed of Ritual

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Meanspeed-Carlton Summary
title=”Don’t Be Shy”
composer=Yusef Islam a/k/a/Cat Stevens
Performer=Yusef Islam a/k/a/Cat Stevens
mean speed/average tempo/media velocity=67.2 beats per minute
average beat=0.672 seconds
emotion concept predicted by the meanspeed conjecture=ceremony. Emotions and speeds and their relationship are found on the Newman Standard Tempo Scale


emotional concept as I heard it=ceremonial in the ritual of the treating the physically and mentally ill with quiet yet intense respect

I was struck by the subject matter and presentation of Michael Moore’s movie SICKO, an exposure to the disgusting, greedy insurance company driven health “industry” (it once was a profession).

In Ricky Gervais’ EXTRA, the song Tea for The Tillerman by [Cat Stevens] was used to end the show every episode. I think ending the film with this song was Moore’s tribute to Ricky – Ricky is a modern Charles Dickens, and Michael Moore is finding a voice as the contemporary Upton Sinclair.

The song’s beatific ceremonial nature is such a stark contrast to the embarrassing and gauche “health care system” that is just – *works* – interesting movie, fascinating song choice for the ending.


Many have covered this song – there are at least 3 Eddie Vedder versions on “The Tube” – it’s a very soothing piece. Complex in its simplicity, as a typical Cat Stevens song as Neil Young, Pat Metheny or Peter Gabriel.

John Newman, Esq.
Meanspeed® Music Company
May 22, 2009

post originally published on February 19, 2009, thoroughly revised and extended after trusting the wrong people with my passwords. If I were half as envious of myself as the know-it-all but create-nothing-because-you -are-boring self described Genius Hackers, no if I were 1/4 as jealous of myself as at least one his name would not be published, because, as so few of you know: sociopaths are (1) invisible, and (b) will work themselves to death to save face. Yup, an exposure of the GENIUS hacker who forced me to “get the hell away from music” (his/their suggestion.  came off a little – how do ya say, jealous as hell?)  or me recreate this page as Meanspeed Music [Online 7.0].  Yup.  Do the archiving!  If I do get killed – the letter about my exposing that stairway to heaven was just a really fantastically amazing SONG and not some [message from ‘satan,’ message through Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Jones Paul Jones or the late GREAT John Bonham, collectively as “Led Zeppelin,” or individually as Plant, Page, Jones or the Bonham Estate.  If John Lennon was killed for “ruining the Beatles” – well, once someone tells you are are a dead man walking, as I have been told, and it doe not happen, you go with it.  My security is no White House level – but it is pretty good, so if you hit me or not know that you’l be spending your life in a bare jail cell.  BARE.  No clothes, no contact, no mattress.  But I am wildly anti-death penalty.  So fire away.

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