"I HATE MOVING" & A FEW OTHER RANDOM THOUGHTS

I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving I hate moving ..... oh, and one more thing, I HATE MOVING!

As I would say to my halflings at home, we move house in "three more sleeps". I utterly despise having to move. In this case the move is for good reasons, as my brood and I will be relocating to a lovely old house on a lovely old street (that is named after a Shakespearean tragedy).

I am excited about the end result, it is simply a matter that I have difficulty with the transition phase, the days leading up to it where the boxes are piled a mile high. Even worse, I don't have immediate access to my CD collection for the next few days.

Oh, well, I shall live to tell the tale, and in the meantime here are a few other things percolating in my brain;


In terms of reading I am about to dive into Paul Morley's "Joy Division: Piece By Piece- Writing About Joy Division 1977-2007". I am not generally fond of essay collections, but due to the subject matter and Morley's credibility as someone who knew the band, I couldn't resist. This will likely inspire some more blogging on the subject - you have been warned!

I am also thinking about getting more formally connected to some groups involved in environmental activism - two things were sort of the tipping point for me on this recently; the pine beetle infestation I observed in Manning Park last week, as well as recent news about possible logging in some of the ancient watersheds in Clayoquot Sound. I suppose the third reason would be because of my beloved halflings (thanks Freida Bee for your comments that got me thinking).

Finally, I plan to completely ignore a certain corporatist global sporting event that is happening shortly and not give it an ounce my my attention this summer. Instead, in the absence of any other meaningful summer TV programming I will continue to watch the marvelous HBO series "The Wire" on DVD. Any show that uses a Tom Waits song for it's theme is OK in my books. If you want a complex, multi-layered narrative that doesn't always wrap up nicely then I would highly recommend it.



OK, back to the boxes for now.....

ONE SONG

My good friend Dave Dyment recently sent me a sublime mix of great music, mostly based on what we were listening to in our formative years in the suburbs of Toronto. He made the great choice of including some interesting covers of some well adored classics.

One of the standouts is a cover of "Jeane" by the Smiths, performed by Sandie Shaw. This b-side has always been one of my favourite Smith's songs, and Shaw's version is equally sublime.

Apparently Morrissey and Johnny Marr were big fans and wrote her a letter stating "The Sandie Shaw legend cannot be over yet — there is more to be done". This lead to an eventual collaboration with Shaw, and her covering "Hand In Glove" (backed by the Smiths) as well as "Jeane" as the b-side.

In a similar vein to the Rolling Stone's "Angie" the song tells a tale where the promise of happiness between two souls remains unfulfilled due to circumstances that are seemingly thrust upon them. These lyrics provide a snapshot of how the reality around a person and their internal state are inextricably linked;

Jeane
There's ice on the sink where we bathe
So how can you call this a home
When you know it's a grave ?

But you still hold a greedy grace
As you tidy the place
But it'll never be clean
Jeane

It expresses how the search for fleeting beauty and connection manifests itself within the shadow of oppressive fatalism. These could easily be characters in a Thomas Hardy novel. We are thrown into the moment only to imagine what the circumstances were that lead to the union of these two people.

One can picture two young people in some blue collar ghetto trying to escape their fate through their union, only to have circumstances reign them in to the point where Morrissey is compelled to sing "and I don't believe in magic anymore".

My friend mentioned that he would like to one day write a book about the song "Angie", and I would have to say if any song would inspire a story or lengthy exposition it would be this one. In many ways it is the poetry of the ordinary, of the gulf that exist between two people, and the reality that thrusts itself upon us forcing us to reevaluate the promises we once thought to be a sure thing.



What is the one song that has a embedded itself inextricably into your imagination? Is there a story there?

BYPASSING TRADITION WITH PAUL WESTERBERG

Continuing a most welcomed trend that has been occurring with a number of other artists recently (Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails) former Replacements front man Paul Westerberg has bypassed traditional distribution methods and has released his latest album online within days of finishing it.

Here's the lowdown; the album is called 49:00, and Westerberg released it digitally through Amazon for 49 cents. Its concept is a 49-minute album released on June 49 (aka July 19), and it's being sold as one single MP3 file.

In addition to being on one continuous file, the album has no track listings or lyrics and contains a number of short fragmented songs that often end abruptly. In many ways the album functions like a sort of musical stream of consciousness and ends with a flurry of cover versions of songs by The Beatles, Elton John, Steppenwolf and Simon & Garfunkle.

The album art also has that DIY, "something I scribbled while I was drunk" vibe to it;
Of course I couldn't resist downloading it. In many ways I am motivated to support non-traditional distribution means for music. I also appreciate the punk rock aesthetic inherent to Westerberg's approach, saying a sort of "screw you" to the record industry while at the same time giving real music fans access to his art.

I think a number of artists will continue to embrace the freedom that comes from self distribution in the digital age, and of course I will continue to embrace it with open ears!

Related Post: Giving The Speakers A Kick With The Replacements

INTO THE WILD

Here is my little report from the wilds of British Columbia.

I took my tribe for a week of camping in E.C. Manning Park, BC (about 240km east of Vancouver). The area we were in is about 1200m above sea level so you get the wide variety in temperatures typical for a sub-alpine climate (really hot days and freeze your tush off evenings) Of course the scenery was consistently stunning;

As a human visitor you are outnumbered by about 10,000 to 1 by the ubiquitous Colombian Ground Squirrels that appear to have complete control of the park. These roving gangs of little hoodlums are everywhere and only get mildly indignant if you don't feed them;


While wandering half asleep to fetch some water from an outdoor tap early one morning I had the privilege of going about my business within sight of some peacefully grazing deer about 20 feet away. I'll take this over morning commuter traffic anytime;


What really hit me in the park was the devastation resulting from the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation. These destructive little blighters have destroyed huge tracks of mature pine trees throughout BC. Thanks to climate change, they are now surviving the milder winters and are having a grand old time reproducing and taking huge areas of the forest down . Unfortunately, by 2012 about 80% of BC's pine forests will have been impacted by this infestation.

If you look closely in these pictures you will notice a bunch of trees with either a red or grayish tinge to them, which means they are either dead or in the process of dying;




Interestingly, in the areas where there was a high concentration of dead trees there were already a number of young saplings growing in between them, reflecting the incredible adaptability of the natural environment.

In a dramatic and direct fashion it really reinforced to me that the destructive modernist assumptions that had us somehow "separate" from nature can no longer hold water. We are part of this world and cannot deny our impact on it anymore. Spending time in Manning Park made me want to challenge this even more, and has driven me to do what I can as well.

Of course the cutest species we encountered was this wild feral toddler we came across. She was so sweet that we decided to take her back home with us!

It was a wonderful opportunity to step off the hamster wheel of daily life and take the time to relearn how to be "in the moment" and simply enjoy being in the presence of abundant beauty. Also, I had a thermal bodum for making coffee in the mornings, so I was still able to function when the youngins got up with the 5:30 am sunrise!

MY ÜBER GROUP DU JOUR

I am giving a big shout-out today to Anais Nohant for her utterly sublime super group contest. It was a painstaking process for me of course, and with this scenario before me filled with endless possibilities my line-up of choice could conceivably change from moment to moment depending on what is capturing my fancy during that precise millisecond.

Anyways, with little further ado here is my über group du jour;

The line-up features The Edge on Guitar, the late great Klaus Nomi and his soaring falsetto on lead vocal, topped off with a rhythm section featuring Sly and Robbie (aka Lowell Dunbar - drums, and Robert Shakespeare - bass).

Of course it would sound just as you imagine; a consistent and engaging reggae groove supporting Edge's soaring infinite guitar as the wildly varied pitches in Nomi's vocals create a surreal sonic tapestry to weave in and out of the masterful instrumentation.

Recognizing of course that Nomi is not a household name, here is some footage to reel you in;



Of course this was way too much fun, and you have to know I will be creating über groups as a regular feature from now on! Thanks again Anais for the inspiration.

EXERCISING GREY MATTER

A few things are percolating in my tiny little brain, and my scarce grey matter is working overtime to wrap my mind around some bewildering events that occurred this week;

A headline this week from the CBC indicated that, according to the RCMP "2 out of the 5" severed feet found recently on the shores of British Columbia belong to the same man. Frankly, I would have been really impressed if "3 out of the 5" feet belonged to the same person, confirming my suspicion that there is indeed some evil scientist engaged in cloning and organ harvesting in some off shore secret lair.

On the international stage it looks like our imperious leaders at the G8 Summit this past week have once again embraced staggeringly meaningless language in their approach to tackling climate change. This year we get;

"We seek to share with all parties to the UNFCCC the vision of, and together with them to consider and adopt in the UNFCCC negotiations, the goal of achieving at least 50% reduction of global emissions by 2050"

I wonder if my employer would appreciate my willingness to "consider and adopt" the goal of showing up to work on time and on a regular basis. Of course, I dare you to say to your spouse or significant other that you "share a vision" of possible getting around to paying the bills on time or contributing generally to the household.

Finally, it would appear that the emergence of the iPhone this week was a welcome distraction from all the depressing crap that normally passes for news these days. Every "news" show in Vancouver carried the obligatory "man in the street" interviews with those who were camping out over night to buy one first (and yes, "man in the street" is appropriate in this context, as the hardcore iPhone campers were overwhelmingly male).

You'd think it was the second coming by the way it was being talked about. When you really think about it, in addition to being obnoxious and oblivious to others while talking on your cell phone, you can now read and send e-mails, browse online and enhance your capacity to be obnoxious and oblivious to others on your cell pone .

I am far from being a Luddite of course, I just have trouble wrapping my head around someone getting so worked up over a phone. Thankfully I NEVER geek out over anything myself!

OK, my brain is staring to hurt. Time to cut out and let my grey matter replenish.

TAKING A TRIP WITH ZIGGY STARDUST

Another chapter in my ongoing musical time traveling fantasy series. This one is David Bowie (aka Ziggy Stardust) live in Santa Monica at the Civic Auditorium on October 20th, 1972;

An omnipresent cloud of smoke mingles with the stage lights above to form a surreal and colourful mist that hovers over everything. The vague shadows and indecipherable murmurings emanating from the seats below reflect an intense anticipation of something that is other worldly and does not have an immediate point of reference.

The lights suddenly dim for a moment and the outline of Ziggy Stardust emerges from the shadows. Full of swagger he pauses briefly to stare vacantly at the crowd. As the band rips into the opening chords of "Hang on to Yourself" he reanimates like a painted marionette that has suddenly had it's strings tugged dramatically upright.

Those who are not too stoned to process what is happening are awe struck by Bowie's theatrics, half believing that Ziggy Stardust is a real entity to behold. As he sings the confessional "Ziggy Stardust" it's as if he is telling his own tale in some bizarre third person narrative, daring you to participate in his sordid tale.

It would seem at any moment that his persona could self destruct, providing the alluring promise of something that is ultimately fleeting, glorious and meant to go out in a blinding flash. He does however manage to hold it together, providing enough of a human element to bring it momentarily back to earth, such as his playful Andy Warhol impression as he segues into the song of the same name.

In many ways when he sings "Life on Mars?" there is almost a wry smile behind the question mark and a vague promise that he might actually show us a glimpse another world in that same auditorium. Later, "Moonage Daydream" is shouted at points, his voice crackling slightly from strain though still able to resonate with a confident vibrancy.

When the sets ends with "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" it slowly builds up to a climax, with Bowie declaring "Oh no love your not alone" to the enraptured crowd as the instruments come to a grinding halt. The lyrics evoke a promise of sorts to everyone present.

In many ways the whole evening is a sacred promise, like words or sounds uttered in ancient rituals by shaman who inspire both a sense of dread and ecstasy. When it all ends there is a millisecond of silence, followed by thunderous applause. Everyone present is thankful for being part of a journey that has no maps or sense of rational place. The world outside the auditorium is forever transformed.



(Note: the inspiration behind this is the recently re-released "bootleg" of this concert - the sound quality is sublime and it captures the entire concert magnificently - highly recommended. Also - I am always insatiably curious about other people's musical fantasies, so please do share!)

Related Post: Hovering Over The Abyss With Iggy Pop

IT'S THE SIMPLE THINGS, REALLY.....

Yesterday I embarked on the tried and true ritual of stopping by my favourite Italian barbershop, "Guido's" on Lonsdale Avenue, for a much needed taming of my unruly hair. Guido's is an institution of sorts in North Vancouver. The original owner Guido sold it a few years ago, though the place retains the name due to it's local notoriety. I started going there when I moved to BC in 1997, and I have been going there ever since.

It is your basic no frills old school type barber shop where you can sit by the window and watch people walk up and down the main street while getting a trim. It makes me feel like I am in some surreal 21st century version of a Norman Rockwell painting, where it is more multicultural and everyone has either a cell phone or an iPod plugged into their head - the future is now!

I thought that it was endearing that my Kurdish barber decided tried to make small talk about hockey, and to his instant relief I brought up the recent Euro soccer tournament. In many ways it is liberating to be away from the world of suburban shopping malls (something I grew up with) and have that authentic main street experience where you walk around, buy a book or some good magazines and sit down at any one of a gazillion coffee shops and watch the world go by.

It makes me feel more human to have this visceral community experience - fire trucks occasionally buzzing by, overly caffeinated & chain smoking groups of labourers taking a break on a patio, hoodie draped teens zipping past on skateboards, people talking too loudly on their cell phones, - it is all a wonderful din of noise and bustling life that invigorates my senses and every now and then I like to breath it all in.

GRAVE ROBBING A LEGEND

Like a tale out of some bizarre shadowplay, a vile hooligan who is likely lacking serious insight has wandered off into the wilderness with legendary Joy Division singer Ian Curtis' gravestone. As the new dawn fades we are left to wonder what would motivate such an atrocity exhibition of this magnitude in the first place?

Perhaps it was a desperate person doing this as some means to an end, or some misguided fan who came out of isolation to engage in this heinous act and make it into some brazen transmission of his own personal disorder. The gravestone has now been missing for more than twenty four hours, though even if it is gone for decades the eternal appeal of Curtis' brilliant music will last well beyond the next ice age.

Perhaps fans wills create a new ceremony to honour Curtis' memory, for missing gravestone or not music like this cannot be broken like glass or hidden away in some thief's private colony. Inevitably love will tear us apart at times, though the powerful music made during Ian Curtis' short life is like an unyielding heart and soul that beats and lives forever in the atmosphere above us.



(NOTE: If you can accurately identify all the Joy Division song titles referenced within this posting you will not only gain my respect and admiration, you will also gain a few top songs that I will send your way)