It's sad that we've lost George Michael, six years my junior, a great talent but I couldn't listen to a Wham album start to finish and of his solo stuff only "Listen Without Prejudice" and "Faith" go on for the full duration. The thing is George Michael spread a lot of light and positivity in peoples lives like a lot of artists.
And he didn't limit himself, I remember he set up his own label (Aegean) and released a single collaboration with Toby Bourke and remarkably ignored artist in his own right. Toby Bourke's work will cost you a lot of money now, but you should try and listen, and of course track down a copy of "Waltz Away Dreaming"
It is a wonderful song and should be remembered as part of his legacy. As I said, I don't like all George Michael's work, some of it is very bland and formulaic , but with things like this he and his collaborator nails it.
And again George Michael's life in episodes such as this, are moral pointers as to how we should be living our lives. Do your best, have fun, share what you can and if you can be there for others who can't hit your highs, try and give a helping hand.
Well that's Boxing Day over, both Newcastle and Preston lost but it's been a nice quiet day. Sleep well my friends and be a positive light for all around you.
It's Christmas night and another one has gone. It's pointless me naming names, you know who I am talking about.
As we get older we are going to experience more people leaving this mortal coil, but 2016 seems to have been non stop. There isn't much we can do about it , every one still comes as a shock. Some of these people are relatively young too. OK there may have done drugs, alcohol and tobacco but usually they have a fitness regime that counteracts it.
People will leave us in 2017 but I hope it is not the reaping that 2016 has been. When Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper died they were all under 22 and Eddie Cochran released a song called "Three Stars" not realising that Cochran himself would be soon joining them. I know this is a short post but I will leave the Eddie Cochran song as a tribute.
I really wasn't expecting to post today but so far I've had a brilliant relaxing Christmas. I've managed to talk to some friends and family, got some lovely presents, and am listening to one of them , The Rolling Stones "Blue & Lonesome" , Mick Jagger sounding bluesier than ever almost like Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters or, dare I say it Captain Beefheart, and that is just one of the wonderful albums I received today , which I am now transferring to my music server.
There's no snow so it's not going to be a White Christmas I don't think although there's parts of the sky that are black while others are blue and sunny. So really who knows what the weather is going to decide to do.
I am sort of wondering what song to play on this one , and though I haven't posted in the #LikeNoOther sequence for ages, which makes me think of Wild Man Fischer but I don't think that's one for today. I remember Frank Zappa telling a story about Larry Fischer meeting his brother one day:
"Larry had the axe, his brother had the bad luck" , which made me chuckle, though I hope his brother was not too traumatized
Just looking out the window and it looks like one of my neighbours has got a new drill for Christmas, I so detest getting or buying anything practical for Christmas and Birthdays, this should be a time of getting something pleasurable and out of the ordinary. I know that is not an option for a lot of people but if you need something you should get it immediately as soon as you can afford it, not wait for Christmas or a Birthday.
I was wondering what to play and it was staring me in the face, Marcel King's"Reach For Love" , it's Shaun Ryder's favourite Factory single, and a truly wonderful uplifting record, from the sadly missed singer , love Marcel's voice. I found this New York Mix which stretches it out to five and a half minutes, and if there's one thing better than a good thing, it's more of a good thing, and this certainly is a wonderfully good thing.
Anyway I hope your day is going brilliantly , I hope that you are going to rest and then kickstart another year of fun, good deeds , enjoyment.
It's Christmas Eve, well it's nearly Christmas Day and I have used today to relax, sort of barring walking a couple of miles for some shopping and buying stuff that wasn't immediately needed but not able to get mince pies (which I have eaten lots of already, so the house ins a mince pie free zone).
Anyway I'm going to wish you a brilliant Christmas and leave you with a message from Al Green and Annie Lennox . "Put A Little Love in Your Heart" ... and make the world a better place for you , your friends, your loved ones and everyone.
Time for bed... I think I can hear sleighbells ......
This is year is the first I can remember when I have zero social Christmas contact. Tonight I was feeling wrecked so I did miss the opportunity to go and see The Star Spangled Chestwigs but the wind was cold and biting, and I know Shev, Adas, Bill and Paul will have a monster crowd and a great night. The thing is, with a bit of effort on my part, I did have the option to see people and it was lovely meeting very briefly with Krista and Jessica and Asher over the last two lunchtimes. So really I did a bit of solo socialising, and did have a lovely meal with my daughters last week, and in laws at the weekend. The thing is that some people don't actually have a choice. They either can't afford , or have no one to even talk to.
With Christmas Day falling on a Sunday I now have four days to relax, and not do too much.
I hope all my friends have received their cards and presents and are looking forward to a wonderful time to enjoy themselves.
2016 has left me shell shocked, but I am just seeing 2017 as a time to actually challenge idiots and make a small contribution to making the world a better place.
The wind is blowing outside and there has been some serious rain, but I am going to enjoy this break, enjoy next week and enjoy next year.
So what song should I choose? I reckon "Shake Some Action" , I remember the first time I heard that almost sinister riff transforming in to some gorgeous guitar runs and I still love it today. I always loved the Flamin' Groovies. So enjoy your Friday my friends, look out for others , be compassionte and make the world a better place.
This morning I woke up, looked out of the window, across the street and saw Darth Vader looking back in my direction. I blinked, looked again and realised that it was a wheelie bin , not Darth Vader. I quite often look and see things that aren't there, usually caused by failing light, seeing something at an unusual angle , or something looking like something else.
I got thinking, is this how ghosts, miraculous visions, angels and religious icons find there way into real life? I know people who refuse to admit they are wrong even when they have made a huge mistake, and it only takes one of these to convince themselves and the gullible that a ghost or god has manifest themselves. It's just a little thought for a very short post.
I know I said I was going to write about Christmas but we have another few days before that hits us and I must have written a lot of Christmas posts before. I just wanted to say how sometimes we thing we see things that aren't what we think.
So I will include my optical illusion slideshow with the Temptations"Just My Imagination" for you to enjoy before you go to bed. Sleep well my friends.
Just looked at my view stats for this week and I have been hit twice as much by Russia than the UK., which is nearly three times the hit rate of the USA. The page is in English so it's not that it's a very Russian oriented page or blog. In fact it's not really anywhere leaning, just that it's in English and I write about anything that takes my fancy and feel that may interest others.
My posts tend to get about fifty views on first post but there are pages with almost two thousand views, though they may have been there for many years.
I've just realised that with the graphic this is in fact a very columnar post. Obviously I would love to be popular but that will never happen, though I know I have my hard core of followers who I value very highly.
I think I was going to write something about Christmas and an observation about Darth Vader and a dustbin but I will save that for a later post. It's always good to have a subject lined up that you can drop into your writing.
So the obvious musical piece is by the wonderful Finnish beat combo , The Leningrad Cowboys , backed by the Red Army Choir singing ZZ Top's"Gimme All Your Lovin'" , seriously what's not to like. My friend Krista is Finnish , she is a wonderful designer and has a place KOTA in the Grainger Market. Go and see her and her beautiful place.
