Saturday Reflections

I DREAD these public transport days on occasional weekends, especially train trips. I have never enjoyed train rides, probably connected to some hostile experiences at night on trains when I was younger. Sometimes it can be quite interesting though. Recently I had with me a National Geographic that contained an article about Amelia Earhart that was fascinating, and completely absorbed me until the train trundled slowly into Flinders St Station. I found out that she once travelled in her plane during a storm in which visibility was almost non-existent. It must have taken incredible bravery. They say she wasn’t the best pilot, male or female, of her time. But maybe she was the most ambitious and most courageous.


Last weekend the trip was in mid-afternoon from Preston to the city. I read the opening chapters of Alex Miller’s novel ‘Journey To The Stone Country.’ It didn’t grab me all that much but at least the time went quickly enough, so I must have been reasonably absorbed. I have read quite a bit of Alex Miller. I once wrote to him when he lived in Carlton about ‘Conditions of Faith’, his 2000 novel which is one of the best books I have ever read. I don’t like his other books nearly as much, although several are still very good. I am partly seduced by the Chartres Cathedral sections, where some of the significant action takes place. It is my favourite cathedral in the world. I love how you can see it on your approach for miles- how it totally dominates the town. How many lives have been directly influenced by it, whether involved in building it, maintaining it, working in it, or merely visiting it? There must be people who live in Chartres or its environs who visit it every day, and know all its intricacies. I find it fascinating that writers visit places (like film people looking for film locations) obsessively so they get to know the place intimately, in order to cover it faithfully in their stories. Much like Colm Toibin visited Henry James’ Lamb house many times for the relevant sections in The Master.’ Miller knew Chartres Cathedral well to write his novel.

The purpose of my trip to the city on Saturday was to meet Alex Miller, for the first time (oh, and to get him to sign some of my books). But first there was another train journey, this time to Glenferrie Station, to take me to a book launch at Hawthorn Readings, on Glenferrie Road. I didn’t feel like reading as much, so I observed this time. Sitting diagonally opposite me was a young couple, probably both about 18. They weren’t interesting per se, just really into each other and looking out the window, and pointing a lot as if it was the first time they had caught a train ride through the inner suburbs. He had pale skin and blonde hair, good looking in a classical Rupert Brooke private school style, a bit like the boy who is the object of interest in the film version of ‘Death In Venice.’ She was also blonde and tall and thin like Twiggy. Sitting opposite them was a middle aged man, probably mid-40’s, and he found them- her in particular- fascinating, to the point of rudeness. Even though he was sitting on the adjacent seat and in close proximity, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the young couple. I couldn’t stop looking at him for his brazenness and yet they didn’t appear to even notice him.

The book launch of the new novel, Autumn Laing, was very late. I used my time though. Alex Miller was alone more or less (I was a half hour early), and he looked just like he does on book dust jackets. He wore a yellowish/ green suit jacket and looked preoccupied, maybe a bit overwhelmed. He might be one of those writers who don’t really like being the centre of attention. I walked over, very nervous myself, thinking of that beautiful, beautiful writing. Hand extended, I said ‘I have been wanting to meet you for a long time.’ I received a blank expression. I then went on to tell him I have taught ‘Conditions Of Faith’ before, and explained a couple of the passages that students have written closely on, like Emily returning to the ‘boat hire lady’ for the first time since she was a child. Again, a blank expression, when a smile was what I was expecting. Worse, I then nervously said ‘Conditions Of Faith’ was my favourite book of his. As I said earlier, it was written in 2000. So if you think about it, I am more or less saying that his eight or nine subsequent novels aren’t as good. Whoops. I didn’t get far with Alex Miller, but to his credit I was bumbling along not making a lot of sense, and he was understandably preoccupied.

There was a good hour after that before his publisher from Allen & Unwin had something to say. I was surrounded by strangers but I went up and introduced myself to some people. There were people who live in Miller’s home town of Castlemaine who were friendly. One man didn’t seem to know his novels terribly well, but he has a coffee with him every Saturday morning so I guess that’s pretty good. Another man I soon discovered is the Head of Art at La Trobe, Bendigo. He has written several books- ‘coffee table books’ he described them- and he talked about the writing process, and that writers don’t make much from their books- it’s the prize money that makes money for you, if you are good enough. Finally, and it was interesting, drifting from person to person- a man who is head of www.materialthinking.com , a website I have looked at since and can’t make a lot of sense of. I was curious to meet him because he and his partner had earlier given Alex Miller a huge hug.

But the highlight was Stephanie Miller. I introduced myself and told her how lucky she is to have a book like Conditions of Faith dedicated to her. He showed her bits and pieces as he was writing it. The beautiful Sophie, from the convent in Chantilly, evidently is based on his mother. Stephanie Miller was kind enough to write down their address in Castlemaine on a piece of paper.

I felt light headed as I caught a train back to the city around tea time. Some of the Caulfield Cup crowd was on the train. I watched a group of about five people, all around sixteen, seventeen, all dressed immaculately in suits with expensive looking jewellery. What caught my eye was a Japanese boy, with flashy, flamboyant dyed blonde hair, very sculptured, wearing black boots, black suit, very sophisticated for his age, he could have been in the new film ‘Norwegian Wood.’ His friends or associates were a bit like him as well, and the whole atmosphere of the train was a bit Caulfield Cup like, if you know what I mean.

I was walking around the city for a good hour, killing time until an engagement, walking past an amusement game shop, one of those dirty, tacky ones in Bourke Street, when lo and behold! There inside I discovered the Japanese group from on the train. And what’s more, they were really into some stupid, simulated game, stamping their feet and carrying on, and suddenly these sophisticates looked like a bunch of kids. Very amusing. I really read them wrong.

This was a great day for great conversations. I wandered into a nondescript DVD shop. There on display were all the best foreign language titles you could ever wish for. Lots of Bergman, Bertolucci, whoever it was that made ‘A Short Film About Killing’, etc and lots of Russian titles. I bought ‘Moloch’, directed by Sokurov. I got into conversation with the owner, and discovered that he too has seen almost every Bergman film. We agreed that ‘Scenes From A Marriage’ was close to our favourite.

So the night more or less finished with meeting a special friend I haven’t seen for ages. We drank outside The Elephant & Wheelbarrow. We go back quite a long way, but we only talked about current things, not much about the past. It was a lovely way to finish off a highly stimulating day.

The train ride home was dull, but safe. I continued reading Alex Miller, with fresh eyes because at last I have met him.

Following is a letter I wrote to Alex Miller back in 2005, which he kindly replied to.




December 31 2005

Dear Alex,



I felt inspired to write you a quick letter after spending the afternoon yesterday totally ignoring the cricket and reading ‘Prochownik’s Dream’ instead. I received the book as a present and took it with me to my sister-in-law’s house. We are minding their home whilst they are on holidays- she has air-conditioning. The house is around the corner from Bridge Road- this unforeseen connection with your novel enhanced my enjoyment of it.

I teach Literature at a school near Melbourne. During the past three years I have taught Conditions of Faith as one of the texts- a hugely enjoyable experience for me and my students. I am especially drawn towards it because Chartres Cathedral is one of my favourite places in the world- I love making connections between novels and places I have seen. Another example of its type is Lincoln Cathedral and its importance in The Rainbow. We have had a lovely time with Conditions of Faith as I have said, my students amused by my attraction towards Sophie. I think that some of the best passages are those involving Sophie and Emily.

Now that my wife J is pregnant, this time the novel held more meaning for me, and I am pleased to say that J is far more sensible than Emily in these matters. And as far as I know there wasn’t any clandestine meeting with strangers in her case- perhaps I will learn otherwise when the baby is born in three weeks time!



Getting back to your newest novel, this held resonance for me as well. I mentioned that I read it here in Richmond, which is where I spend a lot of time because of family connections. There were a lot of references to Mount Macedon. This is where a close friend lived until they sold their house near Waterfalls Rd in 1998, and it is where the two of us first met in 1993, at The Mountain Inn. I also enjoyed the reference to Beverley Farmer. Do you know her? She is someone that I exchange emails with- we are both members of the D H Lawrence Society, and we share an interest in lots of writers and artists.

The two novels I have read of yours are both full of ideas, and both have left me asking lots of questions about life and of myself. I found it interesting that you have created two people who are so alike in lots of ways- I am referring here to Emily and Toni. They are both so driven by what interests them- research and painting- and their intensity means that there is a huge impact on their personal lives. Both Emily and Toni find it virtually impossible to chase their dream and be able to include and sustain their partner and their daughter. In both cases it seems their work and their dream are ultimately too important for them to compromise, even at the expense of their own family. It makes me think of all those writers and musicians and artists out there who don’t forsake their relationships, thereby compromising, and becoming mediocre as a result. Living alone and apart, like Vincent Van Gogh, means you can thrive in your work because your work has priority, and yet you miss out on other good things so much, too, as he acknowledges so much.

A great contrast in your two novels lies in the characters of Georges and Teresa. Both these people are frustrated and are scared to death that their respective marriage is going to collapse. They make little concessions of their own to try and ride out the time during their partner’s obsession. The way in which they deal with the ultimate collapse is so different. I am glad that you didn’t make Teresa passive, like Georges. It gave me an opportunity to see what you are like when you are writing about someone with anger and violence in them, and it was so melodramatic compared to Georges’ quiet acceptance of discovering that Emily is leaving him around the time of the jazz concert.

Well I am sweltering in the backyard in my little study/ bungalow surrounded by all my books and pictures and posters. I will finish now and say that I hope this letter has somehow reached you. Prochownik’s Dream will stay with me for a long time like Conditions of Faith has. I can see that Toni, like Emily, has great ambition and hope for his work, and that it goes beyond what his friend, Andy wants, and that is making lots of money.



I will finish with a couple of little questions-



a) Where can I get a book or a poster of Chartres Cathedral for my study?

b) Does The Red Hat really exist?

c) Have you spent time yourself in Mt Macedon and is ‘Plovers’ there?

If you get time to respond I would love to hear from you.



Yours, Darren Harrison

norwegian wood (not the song, or the book, but the film)

NORWEGIAN WOOD (dir: Tran Anh Hung), was long and good to look at but I didn't find it particularly engaging. The settings were beautiful- lots of wintry landscapes of snow and rain, beautifully lit interiors- and the actors were nice to look at- the male lead handsome and young with a soft face, a nice freckle on his nose- the young women beautiful as well with young faces and nice hair and lovely expressions. The dialogue was simple and easy to follow. The music was nice to listen to. I especially loved hearing the beautiful Doors song 'Indian Summer', even though it was suddenly cut off. One of the women sang 'Norwegian Wood' on a little guitar, and it was beautiful and simple, and of course 'The Beatles' did it as well at the end.



One of the women gets sick when her boyfriend kills himself. She moves to a retreat in the middle of a beautiful Japanese landscape. She ends up killing herself too, but not until about two hours into the film. The male lead kind of has to choose between this woman with all the psychological problems, and another beautiful young woman who is sort of is and sort of isn't available, so it's very difficult for him.

I kept thinking that Bergman would have done something much better with the script which meandered around and around and didn't go very far- possibly handicapped by the fact that it is based on a novel- and he would have had better dialogue (it was very vacuous at times), and he wouldn't have worried about the beautiful settings, because his script and actors would have been able to sustain something great without it. Maybe I'm getting old, but all the young people talking about erections and periods and so on didn't particularly interest me.

So I was glad when the film finally ended, even though everything about it was easy on the eye.

                                                                

On A Whim, A Letter To Pauline

Dear Pauline,


I hope all is well with you and Simon. It’s been almost ten years that I finished at Maidstone Girls’ Grammar School, and J finished at Maidstone Hospital. I’ve been thinking about England a lot, but no more than usual. I still miss it terribly and what a beautiful year J and I spent in Maidstone in 2001.

I still remember arriving at Bearsted Station in the pouring rain, then to be met by Simon. I felt a tingling excitement to be in England at last. It was getting late if I recall correctly, and in the morning I will never forget sitting in your conservatory, cradling the thick ‘villages of Britain’ book on my lap, searching hungrily for information about little Kent villages, noticing Leeds (which was close by),  and Edenbridge in particular.

I have such a fondness for little details about our stay that I will never forget. Playing games with your two beautiful cats on the stairs. Walking with gum boots in the expansive back yard  with grey skies overhead. Seeing Simon in his workshop and going to see films at the cinema in Maidstone. We were even going to the gym regularly then. And those great day visits to places like Chartwell and Sissinghurst, and Marden to see Caroline and the kids.

                                                        

And of course teaching at MGGS which has been the best year I have ever had as a teacher because the students were wonderful and the school was run in such a supportive, civilised fashion which you do not often experience.

It is early as I write and I woke this morning with the urge to get something down, because my dreams were filled with England last night. A lot of the time I was standing by a harbour or a beach in some undisclosed place that could have been Cornwall. I was alone and watching the dark waves crash violently, as in ‘Break, Break, Break’ by Alfred Tennyson. The sky was pale and my emotions were surging. I felt like the figure in ‘Monk By The Sea’ in the picture by Caspar David Friedrich.

                             


I hope we will all see each other again soon. Well before it becomes twenty years, at any rate.

Much love, DH XXX

Notes:

- Leeds, Kent is where Leeds Castle is. Van Morrison played a gig there about two months before we left.
- Edenbridge, Kent is where D H Lawrence used to visit not long after his marriage to Frieda. He stayed in a house called The Cearne, owned by his mentor Edward Garnett who played a big role in Lawrence's earliest publications and became an early editor.
- Chartwell, as in the principal home of Churchill and his wife from 1922.
- Sissinghurst, as in the fabulous garden and property owned by Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson from 1930.
- 'Monk By The Sea', Caspar David Friedrich, 1809 (German Romanticism) - all about, it seems to me, how small we are in the vast Universe- just one tiny grain of sand.

Restaurants, in general.

ON Father's Day we all went to Chinatown for yum cha. I've been wanting to have it for ages. When I was a teenager I went to a Chinese restaurant with mother, and it was a wonderful experience. All I remember is special flavoured dim sims and spring rolls and other curiosities. Not the best restaurant experience I've ever had- that would be in 1979 when, after seeing King Kong with a friend from school and his parents, I had spaghetti bolognaise for the first time in St Kilda. But a lovely memory nonetheless.

These days I take my children to 'The Spaghetti Tree' once a year. Hopefully they will grow up remembering our sweet times. I like the idea of a yearly ritual. We sit by the window and watch people and order the same thing, at the same table. The idea of everything being the same pleases me. The first time, as soon as we finished the meal- the second we put the fork down- my eldest daughter, who is still young, said nonchalantly 'can we go home now?!'



When I left school I went to a lot of restaurants. Our group either went to see a band, a film, or we went to a restaurant. It felt like a very adult, fun thing to do. I had meal after meal after meal of disappointing dishes. In fact, I garnered a reputation amongst my friends for ordering nasty dishes. Instead of saying ‘what’s your soup like, or what’s your meal like?’, they would say ‘how crap is your spaghetti?’, or ‘how crap is your steak?’ I remember at Mt Macedon once ordering pea soup. And that’s what I got. A bowl of watery liquid filled with thousands of little soft scungy green peas. It was disgusting, and of course everybody laughed.

In the late 70’s I discovered whole snapper or whole trout, and these dishes were often wonderful, but unless I ordered fish, it would usually be a disaster. It got to the stage where I would occasionally send a meal back. Or if the owner of waiter said ‘how was your meal sir?’, I would start being honest and say that it was disappointing, usually with a reason why. Maybe there wasn’t enough vegetables, or the sauce didn’t taste homemade- when I think of it, I’ve become pretty fussy. As bad as my meals have become over the years, I haven’t quite had the experience that customers in Basil Fawlty’s restaurants have had. Two old ladies have an awful piece of steak and decide they want to cut their losses and get out of there. So one asks Sybil if they can skip dessert. It’s too late she tells them, ‘chef’s just opened the tin!’

So going back to the yum cha restaurant that I was referring to at the start. Yes, another disastrous experience. The restaurant is called ‘Westlake Chinese Restaurant’ and it is in Little Bourke Street. It was packed and the four of had to wait a little while to be seated. The first thing I noticed was a few huge fish tanks on the right with large docile looking fish swimming around and around. There were two large nets at the end of wooden poles leaning against one of the tanks. It was one of those situations that have always made me feel sick in which the customer can point to the fish he/ she would like, and the poor thing is whisked upstairs to be boiled alive. Yes, the web site refers ominously to ‘Choose from a variety of live seafood from the Aquariums.’



Those little yum cha trolleys starting coming around, but there wasn’t any echo of childhood yum cha with mother. I didn’t recognize any of the dishes, except for one called ‘chicken’s feet’ (gross). After passing on a number of choices, it began to look a bit silly so I said yes to a couple. The food was edible, but only just, and very expensive. A little plate of a few slices of strange looking pieces of beef cost $11. We left early, but not before we tasted four dishes, for about forty bucks. And that was without drinks. We then moseyed on down to somewhere safer in the Queen Victoria precinct, had better food, and spent about half the money.

So not a great Father’s Day dining experience- yum cha never again- but not the worst dining experience I have ever had. This title belongs to a dreadful place called ‘Don’t Tell Tom Bar and Cafe’ in Sydney Road Brunswick. I won’t even bother writing about the experience- I’ll just add the letter I wrote instead, which, I think, says it all. I will never be able to listen to my favourite album, ‘Astral Weeks’ the same way again!




Don’t Tell Tom Bar and Café

420 Sydney Rd Brunswick 3056



Sunday, April 13



To Whom It May Concern,



My wife and I came into your eating house during the song ‘Ballerina’ by Van Morrison, and left after the whole of Astral Weeks had been played again, and some more.



We waited some considerable time for what one would loosely describe as a bowl of soup and some chips and some watery orange juice.



None of the waiting staff came over at any stage to tell us why things were taking so long. This, despite the fact that there were a large number of them, sitting around and eating, and looking extremely lazy.



My wife eventually walked to the bar to enquire as to the whereabouts of the food- miraculously it was just coming. When it arrived, the chips were ok but the soup was inedible (pumpkin & coriander, recommended by the waitress!) and two pieces of cold, dry and hard toast.



We weren’t asked what we thought of the food, but duly paid the bill of $18.00 for crap food that took an eternity to arrive.



On the way home my wife found a spinach and cheese pie that took one minute to make, cost $2.00 and was infinitely more tasty.



My recommendation- have a stern word with your waiting staff, an even sterner word with the chef and oh, by the way, vacuum your carpet.



One * out of 5, and that’s for the Van Morrison music.



Darren,



rananim@hotmail.com

How Has Keith Richards Managed To Stay Alive For So Long?

JUST finished Keith Richards' autobiography- 'LIFE'- aptly named because it is a fascinating one. I've never had a lot of interest in Keith Richards. I like The Rolling Stones, but nowhere as near an attraction for them as ,say, The Beatles or The Doors. I would have looked at the photos in the book if I saw it on a table in Readings, but would never have bought it. So it was with marginal interest that I agreed to take it home when a music teacher friend of mine lent it to me last month.


                                                                       

I'm glad I did take it home because it's been a fun read, especially good for that period between 9:00 and 10:00 at night when the television is junk as usual. Richards is a good writer, and he captures your attention from the start by avoiding the usual 'crap' David Copperfield opening that Holden Caulfield despised. Instead he takes us to Fordyce, early seventies, deep in the south of the United States, 'hillbilly country' a'la Easy Rider. An amusing account of trouble with the law and trouble with the locals. Fordyce and a drug laden Keith Richards and Co make an interesting combination. Apparently there were even drugs hidden inside the panels of their car.

Richards doesn't hold back with sections of his book involving tense periods with Mick Jagger, the expected encounters with female fans, a monotonous multitude of drug-related stories, and relationships with Anita Pallenberg, the making of songs and records, and the regard he has for many mostly black musicians.

He desribes the emergence of the Stones in an interesting passage, in which in 1963 he realised they had something when their crowds were getting bigger and riots were occuring at their concerts. Fans weren't listening to songs. Ordinary singing and guitar playing went unnoticed. The entry and in particular the exit strategy became the most complex and troublesome event of each gig.

I always thought for some reason The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were major adversaries and had little involvement with each other, but apparently I am wrong. There is a lovely passage in which Paul McCartney makes a series of visits to Keith Richards' home in the early 90's. They discuss amongst other things the old days and I am sure there would have been a lot of respect for each other. The Rolling Stones admired The Beatles for their harmonies and sheer songwriting abilities. The Beatles in turn admired the Stones for their refusal to compromise and their anti-authority atttude. It disgusted Keith Richards that The Rolling Stones became more and more mainstream, especially the greatest insult of all when Mick Jagger became 'Sir Mick.'

Brian Jones also features prominently until his death, and Richards continually pays out on him for his arrogance and insecurities. Mick Jagger cops it a lot for his insecurities as well. Richards felt that Mick didn't like it when Keith formed strong bonds with male friends like Gram Parsons. And he is scathing of Mick's solo ventures as well.

All up it is a riveting read. But I come away from it, not with a lot of admiration for somebody who has had a huge number of drugs and a fair share of sex as well. But I guess for his bold as brass telling of an interesting story, and his unconventional and enigmatic approach to life. Much the same probably as someone like Jim Morrison. However he died at 27. So how has Keith Richards managed to stay alive for so long?

A 20 day music challenge

An old friend of mine has taken on this challenge whereas you nominate a song a day for 30 days running based on a different category each day. Not surprisingly it’s called the 30 Day Song Challenge. Now I haven’t got the time or the inclination to do this for 30 days running. There are also a number of categories that I couldn’t possibly fulfil- I mean, ‘a song that you often hear on the radio’? I don’t listen to music on the radio. ‘A song that you can dance to’??! I don’t know any song that I cannot dance to. Some of these categories are decidedly dull, so I will add a few of my own. Because I love music so much, I can’t resist the challenge, but I will complete them all over one day instead, and settle for 20 songs.




day 01 – your favorite song- I guess it is probably ‘Amelia’, Joni Mitchell, but because I have already mentioned this for an earlier blog, I will nominate Van Morrison ‘Astral Weeks’ instead, because it has the rawness of an early song (it is in fact the first song on Van’s first solo album), and it takes you into a completely different stratosphere, just like Holst’s ‘Planets’, if you close your eyes and allow it. Listen to the section near the end of the song where the singer repeats ‘I’ve got a home on high..’ as his voice soars and astral planes, if you like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ech6pZoBJ4




day 02 – your least favorite song- I have tried to think of the worse song from a band or singer that I love (to legitimise this silly category a bit), and I have come up with ‘What Goes On?’ from The Beatles ‘Rubber Soul’ album, one which they mercilessly threw Ringo Starr’s way, to make it even worse. Yes this song is probably worse than ‘Revolution No.9’ (White Album) which at least has novelty value. I don’t like ‘Octopus’ Garden’ much either, for that matter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgAa9Y8SIIY  




day 03 – a song that makes you happy- The Beatles again. This time ‘Rain’. I love the bass, the drums, the carefree words. And the fact that it is slightly obscure because it was only a ‘B side’ and didn’t appear on any albums. ‘Street Fighting Man’ by The Rolling Stones is also great fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPjDMZiuhbQ      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wKEzHXVPE4

                     


day 04 – a song that makes you sad- I’m not sure if I have heard anything much sadder than Johnny Cash singing ‘The Evening Train’, especially if I link it fancifully with his beloved June Carter Cash who died sometime around the time the song was released? …..include lyrics…It’s not just the lyrics- the arrangement and his voice is so sad, sad, old and sad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s83x9OU5Zk





day 05 – a song that reminds you of someone- the first time I ever heard ‘Sexual Healing’, and possibly Marvin Gaye himself, was a revelation. It was outside my parents’ house in Reservoir nearing dusk on a warm summer night. I was in love with the beautiful dark-haired Irish/ Indian girl next to me. She had this new wonderful contraption called a ‘Walkman.’ It actually enabled you to listen to music in a completely portable fashion as you walked along the street. The novelty of the contraption, the beautiful melody in the song itself, and having C standing next to me, was an experience that was just about too much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVpzSaNpErY

              



day 06 – a favourite song about an apocalypse- this is hands down ‘The End’ from The Doors first album- that rawness of something new and fresh again. This is a song that was worked out properly during live sessions in 1966, and one night in LA apparently, Jim Morrison threw in the Oedipal section for the first time that mesmerized the rest of the band, and probably the club’s patrons. It’s the words, the percussion, the eerie guitar, and the beautiful clear vocals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDN9y2vTdUs






day 07 – a song that you enjoy singing to the children as you hope they will fall asleep- for some reason Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ always tumbles out of my mouth on this regular occasion. The lyric beginning ‘Sail on Silvergirl, sail on by, your time has come to shine, all your dreams are on their way, see how they shine…’ is a wonderfully optimistic thing to sing to a child. And it is such a great song to sing anyway. Simon & Garfunkel must have a funny effect on me- if the kids falling asleep becomes a slow, painful experience, then ‘The Boxer’ tumbles out as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_a46WJ1viA           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdKjEHfHINQ

               


day 08 – a favourite song that is about the death of the singer’s father- ‘New Horizons’ by Justin Hayward is the second song on ‘The Moody Blues’ ‘Seventh Sojourn’ album. The singer’s father isn’t mentioned by name, but it makes sense when you discover who it is about: ‘Well I’ve got dreams enough for one/ And I’ve got love enough for three/ I’ve got my hopes to comfort me/ I have my new horizons out to sea/But I’m never gonna lose your precious gift/ It will always be this way/ and I know I’m gonna find my own peace of mind/ Someday, some way…’ it is a lovely tribute throughout.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF2__-K8qFo





day 09 – a song that is about the birth of a new child- Tragically, not long before he was murdered, John Lennon wrote ‘Beautiful Boy’ about his son, Sean Lennon, which contained the ill-fated lyric ‘I can hardly wait/ To see you come of age/ But I guess we’ll just both have to be patient.’ It is not a song that Lennon could have written in his time in The Beatles. The maturity of the ideas demands an older, wiser man, in this case about forty. He whispers to his son at the end of the song, ‘see you in the morning’…. Oh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5BBEOjUKrI





day 10 – a song about travel, balloon riding in particular- It isn’t Jimmy Webb’s best song (try ‘Galveston’ or ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix’), but it is great fun, especially the version by The Fifth Dimension.’ The song is ‘Up, Up and Away.’ Wonderfully life-affirming, great melodies, fun lyrics: ‘We can sing the song and sail along the silver skies..’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC9yD8YqXYI





day 11 – a song in which a new version is better than the original- For me, this doesn’t occur very often. The new version of someone else’s song has to be quite different and original in its own way for me to like it. Two examples immediately jump out. The first is ‘Fire And Rain’, a very sad song about loss, that James Taylor wrote and sang well. But the version by Marcia Hines is much better. Much more passion and soul- even though she didn’t know the tragic ‘Susanne’ in the song. The second example is probably a better one. Once again it is Ringo Starr, and that tuneless, bland version of ‘With A Little Help From My Friends.’ Joe Cocker made it more dramatic and mesmerising several years later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbQMMapTB40               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijsogLJvBB4&feature=fvsr

         



day 12 – a song that is a guilty pleasure- There are many guilty pleasures- guilty probably because people I know would squirm or turn their nose up, in a snobby sort of way. I love ‘Tunnel Of Love’ by Dire Straits- it names some innocuous towns along the Northumberland coast in the UK, and charts the great time Mark Knopfler had visiting them in his youth. I have no idea what ‘Jet’ by Paul McCartney and Wings is about, but I love singing it. ‘You Make Loving Fun’ by Fleetwood Mac is great to run to- is that a guilty pleasure? Perhaps the best example I can think of is the one hit wonder by Benny Mardones? called ‘Into The Night’ for its passionate vocals. It came out during that terrible time for popular music in the 1980’s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bpOBAwrFVw

  

day 13 – a song that no one would expect you to love- maybe people would be surprised that I like ‘Release Me’ by Ingelbert Humperdinck and ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home’ by Tom Jones? I don’t know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCZO9xeYA8g   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5IABqwVO2U

      


day 14 – a favourite song that is sung and written by someone that is in the twilight of their career- ‘Not Dark Yet’ on Bob Dylan’s album ‘Time Out Of Mind’ is wonderful and moving. His voice is cracking and worn, but much like Johnny Cash near the end, it suits the song perfectly and adds to the pathos of the lyrics…… Surely one of the best songs of recent memory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZgBhyU4IvQ&ob=av2e




day 15 – a song that you wish you heard on the radio- It would be lovely to hear some Melanie (Safka) on the radio. I know it’s unlikely, except for perhaps one of her worst songs, ‘Brand New Key’. If I could I would choose ‘Little Bit Of Me’, ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright’ or ‘Stop! I Don’t Want To Hear It Anymore’, which I sometimes watch on youtube.com to give me courage before the students walk into the room. Such beautiful singing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwlbHhq-5lQ  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJbXDX5z80g&feature=related          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqSqWHOtIew

                             



day 16 – a song that you want to play at your wedding- Well, I am already married, and I didn’t have a song, I had a book reading. But if, alas, it happened all over again I couldn’t go past ‘Unchained Melody’ (clichéd choice) or ‘Hymns To The Silence’ by Van Morrison (bit less obvious).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGbVzqnbZIw    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-idDbIfGvw

            


day 17 – a song that you want to play at your funeral- ‘Hejira’, by Joni Mitchell, with its theme of mortality would be a suitable choice, and it has the best lyrics that I know of any song. Somehow I think Neil Young’s ‘After The Goldrush’ or ‘Helpless’ might be good too. …………………
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnLLQmRehYo  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e3m_T-NMOs&feature=related                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BREYCGWOouw

        



day 18 – a song from your childhood- As a child I seemed to be hooked on Abba, and I still remember ‘Fernando’ when it was No 1 for such a long time, and ‘SOS’ and ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Dancing Queen’, and it’s amazing how these songs have never gone out of fashion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ohr4P8E_io





day 19- favourite songs written by someone for other artists to perform- Jimmy Webb is good for this, but I love many Burt Bacharach songs sung by people like Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick, and The Carpenters- ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’, ‘The Look Of Love’, ‘Close To You’, ‘This Guy’s In Love (With You)’, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhHfcLwEzp0   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyWeWNAr-4Q



Day 20- a song about an important social issue- almost anything from Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ album, but in particular ‘The Ecology’ ….and ‘Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler’).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KC7uhMY9s  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tOpwgrqshU