Smiling and Waving

It's a wonderful carefree life we live and I have the pictures to prove it. And so do you - just take a look through all those good old family photo albums of yours. There we are - always younger, always happy... smiling and waving.

According to my research through various family albums, what we do the most in this wonderful life is go on trips, visit each other, sit around in groups and eat. We sit together at tables, on decks and patios, on beaches and on lawns, we wave and smile. We don't have to work apparently - no evidence of that; besides, we are too busy filling in all that leisure time together. And when we do find a rare picture of us at work, what are we doing? We are sitting at tables or standing around in groups - smiling and waving.

And even when our children go off to school - do they work hard at their studies? Not according to the old family album - there they are at school concerts, all dressed up looking happy, proud and nervous - but still smiling and waving.

We always look so healthy and happy to be alive, and why shouldn't we? We don't have to cook or clean or take out the garbage; at least there is no photographic evidence of such mundane chores here. Hardly anyone ever looks stressed, or sad or worried - we just enjoy ourselves and celebrate all the time. Life is just an endless parade of birthday parties, Christmas and barbecues. We don't argue with each other or scold our children - we just share our food, give each other presents and photograph our happiness. Apparently we have a lot of babies - the photographic evidence of this fact is overwhelming. The record shows that the first thing we teach them is how to smile and wave. It also shows how they grow up quickly and then just seem to disappear... but fear not, before you know it there they are again, sometimes with more babies and here we go again.

So dig out those old family photo albums and see if I am not right - it's a wonderful carefree life full of happy people, gathered together sharing good times - smiling and waving.

Part 3 in a Series

BLUE VALENTINE

I can remember the exact moment I first heard this album - it was in Calgary and the year was 1978. I was in bed late on a Sunday night, almost asleep when I thought I heard either Louis Armstrong singing on the radio or someone gargling in the bathroom. It was neither - it was Tom Waits singing Sweet Little Bullet from a Pretty Blue Gun and I was hooked. I soon discovered that the album was called Blue Valentine and I literally ran out and bought it the next day. I was not sorry - because it was the beginning of a weird and wonderful musical ride that has lasted until the present day.

The album starts out with a beautifully orchestrated version of a Leonard Bernstein song called Somewhere - from the Broadway musical West Side Story..... and then Tom starts to sing. At first I wondered why he would choose such a song but it blends in well with the album's running theme which is about losers down on their luck and dreamers on the wrong side of town. All the songs on Blue Valentine are about losers, street people and hustlers but Tom tells their story with a touch of sadness and understanding. Lyrically speaking he is a story teller and a poet - maybe even more so than Bob Dylan. And that is saying a lot...

Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis reveals that even these so-called lowlifes have feelings and will resort to anything in an attempt to cope with their desperate lives - even the truth. Romeo is Bleeding tells a story of life in the 'hood that is purely cinematic - like a screen play for your ears. Kentucky Ave will just plain break your heart - it has broken mine a few times. I could go on but all his songs on this album share a common thread - that there is a sucker born every minute but there is always hope, even for the hopeless.

Musically speaking Blue Valentine is pretty standard blues for someone like Tom Waits except for the odd yet appropriate string arrangement on Somewhere. Waits' later recordings can only be described as unique and quirky - as he employs piano, honking horns, banjo, bullhorn, cowbells and pump organs to set the tone for his story songs. All these instruments merely act as a backdrop of course for Tom's most potent weapon - his voice.

This album has a nice narrative flow and feel to it - a "concept album" in that all the songs deal with the same subject - good things gone bad, bad things gone worse. Fortunately for us, Tom Waits' musical career can be described as a good thing gone great as he continues to entertain and amuse himself as well as his fans.

I rate this album 9 out of 10

Part 2 in a Series

JOHNNY CASH AT SAN QUENTIN

I am not a country music fan but I am a big fan of Johnny Cash, both the artist and the man. I think everyone is a Johnny Cash fan and those who say they aren't are not being 100% truthful.

I bought this album when I was 17 years old and at the height of my interest in rock and roll. In the golden age of the Beatles, Woodstock and the Rolling Stones - Johnny stood out in the crowd and sang songs for the common working man.

How do I know this? Because my father was a common working man and this is the only album that we ever agreed upon. I was in my bedroom playing records late one Saturday night and Dad was in the kitchen talking to Mom. He hollered through the door "What are you playing in there?" and I replied Johnny Cash and reached over to turn it down, when Dad said "Open the door and turn it up." I moved the needle back to the first cut on the record which was Carl Perkin's Blue Suede Shoes and we all listened to the whole record from start to finish.

The album was recorded live with lots of background noise, catcalls and whistles when June Carter sang along. Johnny covered several of his current hits of the time such as Folsom Prison Blues and Jackson. The record also featured the Statler Brother's big hit Flowers on the Wall and the Carter family singing one of the seminal tunes in country music - Wildwood Flower. Top it off with a cover of the Lovin' Spoonful's Darlin' Companion and you can see why this record is on my list.

No need to run out and buy this one unless you want to - this album is on my list for reasons more personal than musical. In fact I don't even own a copy myself but I am proud to say that my son Cameron recently brought home a copy of Johnny Cash's Greatest Hits. We might not agree on all types of music but it looks like Johnny Cash has bridged the generation gap again. Can't ask for a better recommendation than that.

I rate this album 7 out of 10

Part 1 in a Series

GRACELAND

"It was a slow day and the sun was beating on the soldiers by the side of the road. There was a bright light, a shattering of shop windows, the bomb in the baby carriage was wired to the radio."

These are the opening lyrics to Graceland by Paul Simon - one of the finest albums ever recorded in my honest and humble opinion, and it just happens to be the first CD I ever purchased. I bought it in 1986 and I still have the original which has been played consistently over those 25 years - testimony to its longevity in more ways than one.

If you don't know the story then I will tell you. Paul Simon recorded this album in South Africa, when it was not considered politically correct to do so due to the prevailing attitudes towards apartheid at the time. He featured many South African artists who were given full credit for their contribution but that is only a part of the album's appeal. He also dealt with the larger issues that affect us all, such as freedom, personal relationships, global terrorism and American/world culture in general. A pretty broad landscape - but he managed to make it all listenable, danceable and thoroughly enjoyable.

If you don't own this album I highly recommend you go out and buy it, download it or have someone burn you a copy. Put it on the stereo, play it in the car or on your Ipod - listen to the lyrics and enjoy the music - dance if you want to.

I have been listening to this CD for 25 years and God willing I will be listening to it for another 25 years. The well crafted lyrics and good music are both timeless and timely - but don't take my word for it. Take a little trip to Graceland - you will be glad you did. I look forward to hearing some feedback on this blog as I plan to post similar topics in the future.

I rate this album 9 out of 10.

The Feast of the Leftovers.

Mother's Day again. Seems like it was just a short year ago that I wished I could go up to the house for a Mother's Day dinner. Mom was not the kind of mother that you took out to The Blue Door or The Crowne Plaza for a Mother's Day brunch - she was a dedicated homebody and would have been truly mortified. Mother's Day meant just another day at home, but with company and more mouths to feed. She always appreciated a small gift like a plant for the house or a watering can for the garden. But after we had all left home and had families of our own I think the real gift was just being there.

Mom was not a great cook - so why do I miss her cooking? I guess I just developed a hankering over the years for her simple fare - followed by Jello. Mom put more skill and effort into the preparation of food than in the food itself. Salad had to be cut up in little pieces with scissors, and date squares were made from real bulk dates (cheaper) that were cut up with scissors. Apparently Mom found scissors to be indispensable in the kitchen. I don't think she ever bought a bag of what passes for salad these days. And anyone can stick a chicken in the oven but not everyone can prepare Mom's specialty - "the feast of the leftovers".

Merriam Websters dictionary defines the word feast as "an elaborate and unusually abundant meal often accompanied by a ceremony or entertainment." Bingo!
The Feast of the Leftovers was just what it sounds like - whatever was in the fridge, cut up, picked over, re-fried or boiled and served in great abundance with ceremony and pride. And Jello. The entertainment was usually provided by my father who loved to tell stories and bad jokes at the table. After Dad passed away Mom had more of a chance to provide her own entertainment - usually with stories about when she was a girl in Scotland. Nice stories.

I used to stop into the house on some of my business trips and grew to look forward to those unassuming but tasty little meals she would prepare no matter what the time of day. Like most families - it was always mealtime at my parents house. You could always count on a bowl of soup, maybe a pork chop and some boiled potatoes, a slice of bread or two and a cup of tea. And Jello. Not bad for 3:15 in the afternoon!

We will all enjoy celebrating Mother's Day this Sunday and all you fine women in my life have certainly earned it. I hope you all enjoy being pampered a little and treated to dinner out or a fine meal prepared in your honor. But as for me - what I am really looking forward to is Monday - and another "feast of the leftovers". I think I will pass on the Jello.

Victor - We Hardly Knew Ye.

I think you all remember Victor who came to us late last fall and stayed around for most of the winter. Victor was always helpful and willing to lend a hand - he really came through for us when our Christmas light display was in jeopardy and made a mediocre effort into something unique and newsworthy. He held on until spring and tried to make himself useful around the place but it was an easy winter and there wasn't much for him to do. A man like Victor needs to feel useful....

He tried his hand at snow removal but he just didn't have the strength or coordination to operate heavy machinery and there wasn't much snow anyway. This is when things started to go downhill for Victor and it was all he could do to hold on until spring. Once the Christmas season was over he more or less just loitered around the back yard but he seemed to be looking forward to the barbecue season.

He took an interest in all things mechanical and in retrospect I think we could have found more for him to do around the place but that is hindsight now. Without something to keep him occupied, Victor just continued to go downhill as the season wore on...

It was inevitable I suppose that he would come to such an end - he was always hanging around so much and was so quiet that he just became part of the scenery. And our carport is so small and cluttered and I wasn't paying attention - I was momentarily distracted and then there was this bump - and a sickening thud....

I honestly don't know if it was intentional or if it was just an accident. Victor had not been himself for weeks - he mostly just lurked around the woodpile. He no longer had a purpose in life and for that I blame myself. But what's done is done and can't be undone.

Victor would not want anyone to make a fuss over him so I did what I thought was best and made sure his departure was quick and dignified. Don't worry about Victor - he is in a better place. He was a very private person and didn't show his emotions much but I think the picture below just about says it all. So long Victor - we hardly knew ye!

The Patient

The patient was due for his regular checkup and just like every year there was a nagging concern that this might be the year that something nasty turns up. All the necessary paperwork was filled out and an appointment was made - nothing to do but show up. The patient was escorted into the waiting area where all the others sat in morbid contemplation their mutual fate. After all, no one likes to be inspected and prodded and poked - it is so degrading. Besides, the patient had no real complaints and was considered to be in pretty good shape - why be subjected to such indignities? Oh well - might as well submit....

The specialist begins his usual routine - first as always, he checks the pressure which seems acceptable considering the age and the amount of wear. No noticeable lumps or bulges at this time. Shine a light over here on the right - now the left side. Blink. And again....? That's fine. Now lets check those balls and joints. Hmm - nothing out of the ordinary there although a little care should be taken as they can tend to seize up over time. Regular use is really the best form of prevention in these cases.

Now raise up a little so we can take a look at the bottom - hand me that flashlight.... a little higher. Just checking for any excess movement or slackness - nope... everything down there seems good and tight. The knob and socket seems fine too, no slippage or signs of abrasion. Good. Good. That's about it except for the paperwork - see the cashier on the way out. Now who's next?

And just like that it was over - the "patient" is declared fit and roadworthy for another year. I always dread this time of year when my utility trailer has to go in for the annual vehicle inspection. But I am happy to say it passed with flying colors and is good to go - with a shiny new sticker and a clean bill of health for another year! Life is good.