Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
That Song is drivin me crazy
Well, not exactly crazy but this particular version of this song does evince a very powerful reaction from both Herself & Me.
You see, I have it as part of my CD collection on audio, although I have a cunning plan to add the DVD to my collection as well. Let me explain. I have the cd as part of my collection of copied discs that I drag around in my work bag, for occasions when I'm out of reception for what I believe to be an acceptable radio station when I'm working. I haven't listened to this one in a while, but I've been in a country/folk/bluegrassy mood lately, so I gave it a spin Monday. There is a few songs that evoke an emotional reaction for me, most of them are Irish. One other song is the ballad of Pancho & Lefty. Another is City of New Orleans. This particular version of this song came out of left field for me as emotive.
I happened to take herself with me yesterday. I told her to pick a CD to listen to & she surprised me by selecting "The Best Of The Band" After that had finished I dragged out this CD which is, if you were wondering, The Pete Seegar Tapes, by Bruce Springsteen. When this track came on, I surreptitiously wiped some rain that had managed to get into my eye through a closed window. I happened to look across to see herself having a good old blub as well, which really surprised me, as she is usually fairly fire proof to this sort of music.
Out of curiosity, I asked her what the pull of the song was for her. She told me that it conjured up memories of being a small child & spending time with her Grandmother in a small township down the line called Mangaweka. It would seem as though her Grandmother was really the only one of her elders who actually gave a shit about her & really loved her. From this woman , a little girl learned to love gardening, patchwork knitting & hand hooked rag rugs.
I can't say for certain what it does for me. It's a sad & gentle lament of a boy taken rudely from a home that he loved & thrust into the horrors of a civil war. He is pining for his river & his woman. Both unobtainable. I guess thats the commonality of it all. We are all reaching for things that are out of reach & sometimes out of sight. I'm not certain as I said, what it is in my case, but I think I know. I think it has too do with Grandparents that I never met. You know the continuity of the whole thing. Also I think it has to do with children & a grand daughter that live in another Island. The grand daughter I haven't met yet. I feel deprived I suppose of the whole family continuity thing. The only thing my father really passed on to me was a love of the out doors. None of the skills & interests that he really wanted me to have were of particular interest to me. That doesn't mean I didn't try; I just couldn't put my heart & soul into them. The things that consumed me as a teenager, namely reading & music, he just couldn't care less about. Family wise, I feel as though I am in a bit of a social vacuum.
Don't get me wrong here. I have two wonderful grand children in Auckland, but they function on a totally different level. I cant see them being interested in many of the things that I am. I will happily stand to be corrected though
You see, I have it as part of my CD collection on audio, although I have a cunning plan to add the DVD to my collection as well. Let me explain. I have the cd as part of my collection of copied discs that I drag around in my work bag, for occasions when I'm out of reception for what I believe to be an acceptable radio station when I'm working. I haven't listened to this one in a while, but I've been in a country/folk/bluegrassy mood lately, so I gave it a spin Monday. There is a few songs that evoke an emotional reaction for me, most of them are Irish. One other song is the ballad of Pancho & Lefty. Another is City of New Orleans. This particular version of this song came out of left field for me as emotive.
I happened to take herself with me yesterday. I told her to pick a CD to listen to & she surprised me by selecting "The Best Of The Band" After that had finished I dragged out this CD which is, if you were wondering, The Pete Seegar Tapes, by Bruce Springsteen. When this track came on, I surreptitiously wiped some rain that had managed to get into my eye through a closed window. I happened to look across to see herself having a good old blub as well, which really surprised me, as she is usually fairly fire proof to this sort of music.
Out of curiosity, I asked her what the pull of the song was for her. She told me that it conjured up memories of being a small child & spending time with her Grandmother in a small township down the line called Mangaweka. It would seem as though her Grandmother was really the only one of her elders who actually gave a shit about her & really loved her. From this woman , a little girl learned to love gardening, patchwork knitting & hand hooked rag rugs.
I can't say for certain what it does for me. It's a sad & gentle lament of a boy taken rudely from a home that he loved & thrust into the horrors of a civil war. He is pining for his river & his woman. Both unobtainable. I guess thats the commonality of it all. We are all reaching for things that are out of reach & sometimes out of sight. I'm not certain as I said, what it is in my case, but I think I know. I think it has too do with Grandparents that I never met. You know the continuity of the whole thing. Also I think it has to do with children & a grand daughter that live in another Island. The grand daughter I haven't met yet. I feel deprived I suppose of the whole family continuity thing. The only thing my father really passed on to me was a love of the out doors. None of the skills & interests that he really wanted me to have were of particular interest to me. That doesn't mean I didn't try; I just couldn't put my heart & soul into them. The things that consumed me as a teenager, namely reading & music, he just couldn't care less about. Family wise, I feel as though I am in a bit of a social vacuum.
Don't get me wrong here. I have two wonderful grand children in Auckland, but they function on a totally different level. I cant see them being interested in many of the things that I am. I will happily stand to be corrected though
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Happiness is a hot Pipi Sandwich
I haven't had a decent feed of Pipi's for a few years now. Mainly because there has been a ban on collecting them from our particular part of coastline. The reason being that the stocks have had a hell of a hammering over the years & needed the time to build up again. Also nobody seriously heeded the limit of 50 per person per day, but is enforced more rigorously now. The big problem is that collecting pipi's is an addictive pastime.
You spend a frantic hour or so racing the tide, scrabbling round on your knees in the sand unearthing the damn things. Its addictive in the sense that there is always a few more of them in the next handful of sand that you just HAVE to have. So you usually come home with more than you actually need. Not from a sense of greed, but just because the damn things are there.
This makes it hard when you get home. You see I'm the only one that eats 'em, so I have to cook em & shell 'em. Thats the tedious bit. The good bit is when they are in a bowl with some malt vinegar & a little black pepper. You then scoop up a handful & arrange them artfully between two slices of fresh bread spread liberally & eat. I had 4 sandwiches like that for tea & I still have enough for another sammy for supper. Its a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
You spend a frantic hour or so racing the tide, scrabbling round on your knees in the sand unearthing the damn things. Its addictive in the sense that there is always a few more of them in the next handful of sand that you just HAVE to have. So you usually come home with more than you actually need. Not from a sense of greed, but just because the damn things are there.
This makes it hard when you get home. You see I'm the only one that eats 'em, so I have to cook em & shell 'em. Thats the tedious bit. The good bit is when they are in a bowl with some malt vinegar & a little black pepper. You then scoop up a handful & arrange them artfully between two slices of fresh bread spread liberally & eat. I had 4 sandwiches like that for tea & I still have enough for another sammy for supper. Its a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
ON THE HEAVY SIDE....
I see that the Pope has formally apologised to all the victims of sexual abuse by his priests in Australia. Well whoop de fucking doo. Thats really going to help the poor souls that have been used & abused by these hypocrites. I guess though, that you can't really expect normal behaviour from a group of people that are expected to live their life in a celibate state. Its an unnatural way for man to be, so I suppose that you can't really expect much else.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Ok,so we only caught one snapper
But we saw about half a dozen Little Blue Penguins & we got to see how they harvest mussels from the farms, & even saw the mussels we saw being picked on their way up to Auckland for processing. We burnt probably $50.00 worth of gas just mooching around enjoying ourselves. We had a good day.
Did I mention that I have all this week off bar one day & also pretty much all of August as well ? Never mind. I do anyway....
Did I mention that I have all this week off bar one day & also pretty much all of August as well ? Never mind. I do anyway....
Sunday, July 13, 2008
I get high with a little help from my friends
I found this little gem of a clip when I was trolling You Tube last night. It sorta fits with my previous post as two out of the three of them are gone now, although Gerry Garcia did last longer than Joplin. Rick Danko is still doing it. From what I can gather this clip was shot while they were on tour in Canada..
Groovy huh ?
Groovy huh ?
Only the good die young
I had time on my hands after seeing what the final score from the rugby was last night, so i went for a stroll down memory lane on You Tube. I found some absolutely blinding live performances by Led Zeppelin there, & came to the conclusion that they were at their utter best playing live rather than in an impersonal recording studio. To me, the mark of a good artist is being able to successfully jam during the instrumental breaks, & damn.Led Zep could do it with style. I also came across such curiosities as a band featuring Eric Clapton, John Lennon & Keith Richards playing some knockout blues. I'm not going to give you the links for this stuff. If you are sufficiently interested, go find it yourself. It's there. I also found Gary Moore & Eric Bell (lead guitar for Thin Lizzie) doing the most amazing version bar none of Whiskey in the Jar that I think I have ever experienced.
All this got me to thinking about how some people have shaped the course of rock music simply by dying. What I mean , is that their deaths have either radically changed the sound of the band, or affected the other members of it so badly that they have stopped playing altogether. in the latter group, the name John Bonham springs readily to mind. John Bonham , as we know, was the charismatic & agressive drummer for Led Zeppelin. He was only agressive behind his skins though. I have seen an interview of his with Billy Connolly where Billy was hard put to get more than two words at a time from him. The details of his rather pointless death are well documented all over the net for those who don't already know. needless to say, his death affected the other members of the band that much, that it was only this year that they performed in public again, & then with "Bonzo's " son on skins.. A nice touch I thought.
The Who sort of lost their impetus with the death of Keith Moon for a long time & subsequently "The Ox" Although Townsend & Daltry seem to have recovered heart on the wave of popularity follwing the Live8 concert & subsequent use of their music in a TV show.
Lynard Skynard lost Ronnie Van Zant in 77 & never really reformed. although a tribute band featuring Ronnies brother Johnnie is still playing. To my knowledge though, as a tribute to Ronnie for a long time when they played Freebird, nobody would sing the lyrics, leaving it to the Audience.
Throughout his career, Jones showed exceptional musical aptitude, able to play an array of instruments on Stones' recordings. As soon as the Stones earned enough money to record in professional studios like Olympic Studio, the RCA, and Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, and influenced by The Beach Boys 1966 album Pet Sounds and The Beatles experiment with Indian music (notably George Harrison's sitar and tamboura), Jones started experimenting with wind and stringed instruments.
Throughout his years with the band, he played stringed instruments (guitar, sitar, tamboura, Appalachian dulcimer), keyboards (organ, mellotron), wind instruments (recorder, harmonica) and several other instruments such as the xylophone and marimba. In fact, sources say that Jones could pick any instrument and learn to play it in less than half an hour. [14]
Jones' main guitar in the early years was a Gretsch Double Anniversary in two-tone green, but Jones is known for his signature teardrop-shaped prototype Vox Phantom Mark III. From late 1965 until his death, Jones used Gibson models (various Firebirds, ES-330, and a Les Paul model), as well as two Rickenbacker 12-String models.
Jones contributed to the 1960s sound of the Stones, playing slide guitar on "I Wanna Be Your Man", "Little Red Rooster" and "No Expectations", harmonica on "Come On", "Dear Doctor", "Prodigal Son", "2120 South Michigan Avenue", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Look What You've Done" and "Not Fade Away", tambura and sitar on "Street Fighting Man" and "Paint It, Black", organ on "Let's Spend The Night Together", "Complicated" and "2000 Man", marimba on "Under My Thumb" and "Yesterday's Papers", recorder on "Ruby Tuesday", saxophone on "Child of the Moon", appalachian dulcimer on "I Am Waiting" and "Lady Jane", accordion on "Backstreet Girl", harpsichord on "Sittin' on a Fence", harpsichord, saxophone and oboe on "Dandelion", harpsichord on Lady Jane, mellotron on "She's A Rainbow", "Stray Cat Blues", "We Love You" and on "2000 Light Years from Home", tambourine on "Can I Get a Witness" and "Tell Me (You're Coming Back), and autoharp on "You Got the Silver".
There are others that I could talk about, not only band members, but individual artists that have succumbed over the years to the temptations offered by sudden stardom & a free & easy lifestyle. I just can't help but wonder at the music the bands that I have mentioned have produced while at the top of their game & speculate in vain what they would be turning out now IF they had survived, & IF the members of their respective bands had managed to weather the turbulence that their lifestyle engendered. Damn, there is gonna be some big reunion concerts in Heaven.....
All this got me to thinking about how some people have shaped the course of rock music simply by dying. What I mean , is that their deaths have either radically changed the sound of the band, or affected the other members of it so badly that they have stopped playing altogether. in the latter group, the name John Bonham springs readily to mind. John Bonham , as we know, was the charismatic & agressive drummer for Led Zeppelin. He was only agressive behind his skins though. I have seen an interview of his with Billy Connolly where Billy was hard put to get more than two words at a time from him. The details of his rather pointless death are well documented all over the net for those who don't already know. needless to say, his death affected the other members of the band that much, that it was only this year that they performed in public again, & then with "Bonzo's " son on skins.. A nice touch I thought.
The Who sort of lost their impetus with the death of Keith Moon for a long time & subsequently "The Ox" Although Townsend & Daltry seem to have recovered heart on the wave of popularity follwing the Live8 concert & subsequent use of their music in a TV show.
Lynard Skynard lost Ronnie Van Zant in 77 & never really reformed. although a tribute band featuring Ronnies brother Johnnie is still playing. To my knowledge though, as a tribute to Ronnie for a long time when they played Freebird, nobody would sing the lyrics, leaving it to the Audience.
"I used to play my guitar as a kid
wishing that I could be like him
But today I changed my mind
I decided that I don't want to die
But it was a normal day for Brian
Rock and Roll's that way
It was a normal day for Brian
A man who died every day"
wishing that I could be like him
But today I changed my mind
I decided that I don't want to die
But it was a normal day for Brian
Rock and Roll's that way
It was a normal day for Brian
A man who died every day"
Thus wrote Pete Townsend on the death of Brian Jones. His estrangement from The Stones & subsequent death are well documented by better scribes than I. Just let it be said that his musical genius provided a depth & range of instrumental ability that was breathtaking. I'm not knocking Ronnie Woods here, because he is a very capable axeman, but it was said of Brian Jones that he could pick up any instrument & be able to play it well within half an hour. Wikipedia has this to say on the subject....
Throughout his career, Jones showed exceptional musical aptitude, able to play an array of instruments on Stones' recordings. As soon as the Stones earned enough money to record in professional studios like Olympic Studio, the RCA, and Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, and influenced by The Beach Boys 1966 album Pet Sounds and The Beatles experiment with Indian music (notably George Harrison's sitar and tamboura), Jones started experimenting with wind and stringed instruments.
Throughout his years with the band, he played stringed instruments (guitar, sitar, tamboura, Appalachian dulcimer), keyboards (organ, mellotron), wind instruments (recorder, harmonica) and several other instruments such as the xylophone and marimba. In fact, sources say that Jones could pick any instrument and learn to play it in less than half an hour. [14]
Jones' main guitar in the early years was a Gretsch Double Anniversary in two-tone green, but Jones is known for his signature teardrop-shaped prototype Vox Phantom Mark III. From late 1965 until his death, Jones used Gibson models (various Firebirds, ES-330, and a Les Paul model), as well as two Rickenbacker 12-String models.
Jones contributed to the 1960s sound of the Stones, playing slide guitar on "I Wanna Be Your Man", "Little Red Rooster" and "No Expectations", harmonica on "Come On", "Dear Doctor", "Prodigal Son", "2120 South Michigan Avenue", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Look What You've Done" and "Not Fade Away", tambura and sitar on "Street Fighting Man" and "Paint It, Black", organ on "Let's Spend The Night Together", "Complicated" and "2000 Man", marimba on "Under My Thumb" and "Yesterday's Papers", recorder on "Ruby Tuesday", saxophone on "Child of the Moon", appalachian dulcimer on "I Am Waiting" and "Lady Jane", accordion on "Backstreet Girl", harpsichord on "Sittin' on a Fence", harpsichord, saxophone and oboe on "Dandelion", harpsichord on Lady Jane, mellotron on "She's A Rainbow", "Stray Cat Blues", "We Love You" and on "2000 Light Years from Home", tambourine on "Can I Get a Witness" and "Tell Me (You're Coming Back), and autoharp on "You Got the Silver".
There are others that I could talk about, not only band members, but individual artists that have succumbed over the years to the temptations offered by sudden stardom & a free & easy lifestyle. I just can't help but wonder at the music the bands that I have mentioned have produced while at the top of their game & speculate in vain what they would be turning out now IF they had survived, & IF the members of their respective bands had managed to weather the turbulence that their lifestyle engendered. Damn, there is gonna be some big reunion concerts in Heaven.....
Friday, July 11, 2008
Hoots Mon...
I met these two fine wee chappies at a house just out of Paeroa this afternoon. happy little fellows who gave me a most enthusiastic greeting. Don't ya just LOVE the wee jackets the puir wee bairns hae gotta wear.. Shit I laughed...
Now for breaking news... In an attempt to circumvent rising fuel costs. Coromandel Couriers has gone nuclear. Yes folks, a steam turbine powered by a nuclear reactor has been fitted experimentally to one of our trucks.What are we gonna do with the spent fuel rods ? Oh any old convenient water course.. Who really cares if a few locals glow in the dark....... Either that or pack em all up & send em down to Parliament.. Now theres a thought...
Just a better pic
This is Rocky a bit more relaxed & settled. handsome little bugger isn't he? He's definitely master of the art of diplomacy, being very deferential towards Tig's even though he is way bigger. He still has to work on relationships with the dog & also his appetite, although I suppose you don't survive for 5 months on the street by passing up any opportunity for a feed. All in all, I think he will settle in & adapt quite nicely.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Buddy from The Muddy
This is Buddy, from the Muddy River Cafe in a little place on The Waihou River called Turua. Its run by two freinds of mine, Carole & Chris. The food there is excellent, so if you happen to be passing call in. I'm not sure what Buddy's official capacity is there apart from supernumery & official food taster, but as you can see, she is well cared for. She gets more use out of the treadmill than Carole does, & she is well catered for, with a gas heater should it get too cold, a fan heater should it get too hot & a nice selection of cold cuts & warm milk should the exercise regime prove debilitating... Aaaaaaah... Lucky Buddy.
Not sayin that its been cold the last couple of mornings, but yesterday, I couldnt open the side door on my van because it was frozen. This was the world through my windscreen heading out over the Hauraki Plains at about 8.00 AM yesterday morning. A good healthy frost it was.
Finally summink for Morty...
A nice little Chrysler Crossfire Rag Top. Be a bit cool at the moment though...
Monday, July 07, 2008
Introducing Rocky
This is the latest addition to our family. We don't know what his name used to be, but I have decided that his name is now Rocky. I think I got conned more than just a little bit. You see, it was pretty much a done thing when I got home from work. He had moved in care of herself.Seems his original family shifted 5 months ago. The had someone lined up to take him, but it fell through, so he threw himself on the charity of a lady about 5 houses along who has two Burmese. Unfortunately, she travels a lot, so can't afford another cat, but she has been feeding him. The SPCA is full, Animal Rescue is full, so old softy bought him home threw him on my mercy. Of course I said "NO!!!!!!!!!" & threw him out into the cold cold snow... Yeah right...... He purrs, he smooges he dribbles & he eats cat bikkies like there's no tomorrow. In short, he's a cunning old bastard of a neutered Tomcat who can see a couple of soft hearted patsy's when he see's them.
Tigs on the other hand is not so easily convinced. We've had a couple of dustups under the bed in the spare room already, which has prompted me to fix the latch on the door so Rocky can have some peace & quiet. Hopefully, he will integrate fairly easily. now all we have to do is convince Tig's that he is really a nice guy...
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