John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

This song reminds me of the time we got married. The Go-Betweens were an Australian band, and Streets of Your Town was, I think, as close as they go to a hit around the world. 

It's a timeless favourite of mine, and I listened to a lot this winter while I was recuperating on the couch, reading books, falling into naps. It sounds like it could have been recorded now or at multiple other periods of town. 

It's a bright song, with — quite like a lot of British songs I like — a dark tone lyrically. It's a great legacy song for Grant McLennan, who died much too early of a heart attack, in 2006. He was only 48. 

A John Prine cover

The late John Prine's Hello In There is one of his classics. This is a performance from 1990 of Michael Stype, Natalie Merchant and Billy Bragg. 

We went for a walk

On Saturday, we walked down to the community mailbox and back. Which was a bit of a deal for yours truly; I have only walked as far as the curb with the garbage can since January. 

I broke my right leg on Jan. 29, when I slipped on black ice while walking through MUN's campus on the way to work. I'm fine, although full recovery is still in the offing: my main work now is improving the ligaments in my foot and around my ankle. Patience! 

Still, it was nice to walk a bit further. I'm looking forward to some more walking challenges in the days ahead. 

 

Inspector Chalmers goes to the land of Pulp Fiction

I can't stop chuckling about this mashup of The Simpsons and Pulp Fiction. 

 

This is still the day

The The's Soul Mining came out in 1983; it's one of those albums that instantly takes me back to university days, my late teens, the works. I still listen to it, and indeed coughed up some coins for a boxed reissue that came out a few years ago. It might have been the Newfoundlander in me, but the fiddle and accordion on This Is The Day (not to mention the oh-so-world-weary lyrics by Matt Johnson, who is not much older than I am!) still make me tap my toes. 

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Fool in the Rain

Led Zeppelin's final single, and a tune they never had the opportunity to perform live. There's a swing to this song about being stood-up; it remains a favourite. 

 Fool in the Rain was inspired by Brazilian rhythms and has a carnival atmosphere in the break, and while a lot of that is due to John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, the video below shows how brilliant a drummer John Bonham was. It's just the drum, isolated from the rest. 

Miracles

"Every day holds the possibility of a miracle."
- Elizabeth David 

Sudsy

"There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them."
- Sylvia Plath 

A blast from the past

Remember The New Music? It was a show from CITY in Toronto that predated the launch of MuchMusic, and which kept running for years afterwards. It showed up on cable in St. John's on (I believe) ASN; it was a weekend watch for yours truly in the early 80s, when it was hosted by Jeanne Beker & J.D. Roberts and later Daniel Richler and Laurie Brown (and later, after I stopped watching regularly, such folks as Denise Donlon, Kim Clarke Champniss and a young George Stroumboulopoulos. 

In the pre-internet era, and in a town that didn't get New Musical Express regularly, it was a great way to learn about new bands and music. 

The theme music pretty recognizable, and was taken from this dance track by a horn-driven band called Pigbag, and the one and only song I know of from them: the James Brown-inspired Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag. 

A thought on expectations

"Instant gratification takes too long." - Carrie Fisher

A thought on compromises

"Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got."
— Janis Joplin 

A thought from a modern Peter Pan

"As you go along, you realize that this whole concept of growing up is ... you're not grown up until the day they put you you six feet under. You're never grown up." 
— Keith Richards 

[As quoted in the documentary Keith Richards: Under the Influence.]