2020’s – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Paul Kelly – To Her Door… and more

This extended from my last chat with CB… we had Graham Parker last week and Paul Kelly was brought up. I ran out of time last week to write this one up. I really like great storytellers…and Paul Kelly is one of them. His music touches on many styles. Country, rock, folk, reggae, bluegrass, and touches of many more styles. He has been described as the poet laureate of Australian music. He writes about everyday life that many people can relate to. I’ve seen this stated about him… Paul Kelly’s songs dig deep into Australia: how it feels, looks, tastes, sounds.

Today I’m going to give you a small sample platter of this great artist.

Here is a very short bio of Paul Kelly.

Paul Kelly was born in 1955 is from Adelaide, Australia. Debuted in Hobart, Australia, 1974; moved to Melbourne and performed in pubs, 1976; formed band the Dots, released albums Talk, 1981, and Manila, 1982; moved to Sydney, 1984; released Post with Steve Connolly and Ian Rilen, 1985; formed as Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, released Gossip, 1986; regrouped as Paul Kelly and the Messengers, released Gossip in the U.S., followed by Under the Sun, 1987; published collected writings volume Lyrics, 1993; formed new lineup with Shane O’Mara, Bruce Haymes, Peter Luscombe, Stephen Hadley, and Spencer Jones. Kelly is still releasing albums. His last album was Paul Kelly’s Christmas Train released in 2021. Altogether he had 28 studio albums, 6 live albums, 8 compilation albums, and an incredible 64 singles.

He also comments on important social and historical events and their significance to Australian identity and life. Several of his songs highlight the plight of Australia’s Indigenous people including ‘Maralinga (Rainy Land)’, a song about atomic testing by the British in Australia’s outback and its effects on the Indigenous people of that area. He and Midnight Oil were some of the artists who contributed to the album Building Bridges – Australia Has A Black History. All sales proceeds were donated to the National Coalition of Aboriginal Organisations.

The first song I listened to by Paul Kelly was “To Her Door.” It reminded me of Steve Earle or Springsteen. Not because of his voice but because of the songwriting. The story…the way lyrics flow and ebb and fit together like a puzzle. All the while this is going on the music has great dynamics that rise up to meet the lyrics head-on and punctuates it. The song was released in 1987 and was on the album Under The Sun that peaked at #14 in Australia.

That album also produced the single Dumb Things. This song has a shuffle that jumps. It starts off with a cool harmonica blasting and invites you in. This character-driven song stuck with me for days. This one peaked at #36 in Australia and #17 on the Billboard Alternative Charts in 1987.

Now it’s time for a pure rock song by Kelly called Darling It Hurts. This song was off of the album Gossip released in 1986. The song peaked at #25 in Australia and #19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts.

This one is called Bradman and it’s off of Gossip as well. It has a sports connection. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know much about Cricket but the song is great. It’s about Sir Donald Bradman, arguably…. the greatest ever cricketer (and definitely the greatest ever Australian cricketer). This one peaked at #51 in Australia and was part of a double A-sided single along with the song Leaps and Bounds.

I’m going to close this on this song or I could go on for pages. This song is called Careless. It was released in 1989 on the album So Much Water So Close to Home. It’s an incredibly catchy song but a song that means something. Like a mixture in a bottle, like a frozen over lake, Like a long-time, painted smile I got so hard I had to crack, You were there, you held the line, you’re the one that brought me back

If you liked what you have heard…do some homework and look this artist up…you won’t be sorry. He will now remain on my playlist. I’ve given you a few samples but it’s so much more to explore.

Rock Critic David Fricke: “I have had the pleasure and privilege of seeing Paul Kelly in performance more times than I can count – although it’s still not enough. I’ve seen him in performance in the Northeast and Southwest Hemispheres, unplug and plugged in, solo, with his band and, on one memorable evening in New York, on stage exchanging songs, quips and composing tips with Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Michelle Shocked and Allen Toussaint. If memory serves me right, Paul actually sang a few bars of Fats Domino’s‘Blueberry Hill’ one thanksgivings back in the mid 80s at my apartment in Manhattan as he pored over a road atlas- his forefinger on the city of New Orleans – and excitedly pointed out the route he was taking on a car trip through the southern United States”

Now here is one for the road…this song’s title appealed me right away… “How to Make Gravy.”

How To Make Gravy

Hello Dan, it’s Joe here
I hope you’re keeping well
It’s the 21st of December
And now they’re ringing the last bells
If I get good behaviour
I’ll be out of here by July
Won’t you kiss my kids on Christmas Day?
Please don’t let ’em cry for me

I guess the brothers are driving down from Queensland
And Stella’s flying in from the coast
They say it’s gonna be a hundred degrees, even more maybe
But that won’t stop the roast
Who’s gonna make the gravy now?
I bet it won’t taste the same
Just add flour, salt, a little red wine
And don’t forget a dollop of tomato sauce
For sweetness and that extra tang

And give my love to Angus, and to Frank and Dolly
Tell ’em all I’m sorry, I screwed up this time
And look after Rita, I’ll be thinking of her
Early Christmas morning when I’m standing in line

I hear Mary’s got a new boyfriend
I hope he can hold his own
Do you remember the last one? What was his name again?
Ahh, just a little too much cologne
And Roger, you know I’m even gonna miss Roger
‘Cause there’s sure as hell no one in here I want to fight

Oh, praise the Baby Jesus, have a Merry Christmas
I’m really gonna miss it, all the treasure and the trash
And later in the evening, I can just imagine
You’ll put on Junior Murvin and push the tables back

And you’ll dance with Rita, I know you really like her
Just don’t hold her too close
Oh, brother, please don’t stab me in the back
I didn’t mean to say that, it’s just my mind it plays up
Multiplies each matter, turns imagination into fact

You know I love her badly, she’s the one to save me
I’m gonna make some gravy, I’m gonna taste the fat
Ahh, tell her that I’m sorry, yeah, I love her badly
Tell ’em all I’m sorry, and kiss the sleepy children for me
You know one of these days, I’ll be making gravy
I’ll be making plenty, I’m gonna pay ’em all back

Yeah, do-do-do-do, do-do
Do-do-do-do, do-do

Peter Max… Art Work

Hello everyone!!!! Tomorrow I’ll be officially back posting again. I wanted to share this before that and see what you guys think of it. To have an actual piece of artwork by Peter Max is something I still can’t believe.

I was shocked when I received this painting.

A friend of the family told me not long ago that she wanted to give me a Peter Max painting. I thought she meant a copy of course and I said I would be happy to take it. Peter Max is one of my favorite artists…and one of the best pop art artists in the world.

Well, she took it out of her car and I got a big surprise. It’s an original piece of artwork that she bought from Peter Max himself a long time ago in Texas where he had a booth setup. She knows I like pop art from the 60s and 70s and this is right up my alley.

Plus by the way, he signed it “Max” It fits me perfectly. I could NOT get a good picture of it because of the glare on the glass. I am not brave enough to take it out of the picture frame at this point.

If you don’t know who Peter Max is…look him up and his artwork. I like a lot of his paintings more than Warhol. I hope one day to get a better picture of it.

Anyway…Thank you Kelly!!!!

Closing Down For Two To Three Weeks.

Hello everyone… I hate to but I’m going to have to take a short vacation from blogging. Work has been very busy lately and for around 2 or so weeks…it’s not going to let up.

I’ve barely been able to stay caught up recently so I thought I would shut down the place for a short amount of time instead of a complete month like last August. That should be enough time for the work projects to pass…plus I do need to recharge as well. I will start Star Trek back up as soon as I come back plus post some original songs.

I wish all of you the best and I may drop by once in a while. Thanks for reading!

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A Question For the Readers

The reason I’m posting this at night? I want to make sure it works…and I didn’t want to be scrambling with it on my way to work.

I am putting together my new music computer and I haven’t recorded anything in a few years… and what a project it has been! I was wondering if you all would be receptive if I posted any of my songs once in a while? I’m only talking every once in a while…not many. The only thing I request of you…is if you can… listen to it… if possible wear headphones. The reason is I am NOT a good mixer and I mixed them down in headphones which you should never do.

On most, I played all the instruments myself unless I note it otherwise. When I was playing more (before covid) with the guys in my garage…I would make demos to show them…hey this is how it goes.

The songs you will be hearing are basically demos… I made them a few years ago for our band to learn so we could record them properly. Well life happens and that never happened. Some of you have heard some of the songs I’ve emailed to you… and I’ve somehow got positive feedback. I did most of the instruments my self…guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards, and programming real drums sounds which I’m not good at. These were never meant for public consumption but what the hell…I’m not 20 anymore trying to make something.

The reason I haven’t posted them before? My terrible voice and I was waiting for my cousin Mark…who is a proper singer to take over but that will take a while…so you would be hearing the rough demos.

So what do you think? Are you game for this? I’ve included an example of a song…this one has no vocals…just something a friend I have and I put together in 10 minutes (really just 10 minutes) a few years ago to work on later. It’s just guitar (him), bass (me), and some drums that I programmed from real drum kits. We called it “Whats In That Brown Paper Bag?”…more as a joke. This is not one of the songs I want feedback on…the feedback on this is how it sounds over your system. It is harder than the usual songs I write. Chris, my friend who plays guitar on this, came up with this riff. It gave me an excuse to have fun playing bass…Also….does it even play?

It’s very repetitive because like I said…it was for the fun of it and so we wouldn’t forget it. Today we are using it as a test. IF it goes well and I don’t get too many “no’s” then I will post one within a week or two with singing and a real song.

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Urban Rescue Ranch

This is another youtube channel that I have been hooked on. Any channel with people trying to help animals I usually will watch. Unlike Chandler’s Wildlife, there are no King Cobras, Crocodilians, Black Mambas, or many other reptiles. This guy takes in any animal that loses its mother, animals given up by people, and any lost ones that come in.

His name is Ben Christie (Uncle Ben) age 24. Right now he has a Kangaroo (saved from a Texas hunting range that charges hunters to hunt in a fenced-in area…which is disgusting to me), Prairie Dogs, Capybaras, goats, ducks, rabbits, deer, turtles, dogs, Opossums, chickens, and the most interesting one is a Rhea named Kevin. Kevin was going to be euthanized by a farm because he was so aggressive…Ben took him in with his other Rhea named Karen. Rheas are not usually aggressive at all. The rest of his Rheas are great…it seems Kevin just wants to inflict pain on Ben. Fans mailed riot shields and nerf swords for him to deflect Kevin’s bites.

I didn’t know what a Rhea was until I saw this. I thought Kevin was an ostrich or an Emu. He will terrorize any non-farm animal but will generally leave his fellow farm animals alone. He even chased a coyote out of the farm.

The animals have become just as big of interest as Ben has through this channel. People tune in just to see what new animals he has and how the familiar ones are doing. He keeps humor going through the videos. He has named his animals after rappers, politicians, characters (Darth Vader), and just whatever pops into his head.

He has joke titles for each of the 12-15 minute videos. Some examples are: Why I Fed a Beaver to my Prairie Dog, How to Hatch Rhea Eggs (I’m NOT the Father!?), How to Survive a Rhea Attack (Lawsuit Pending), Kevin and I go to Therapy?? (Extremely Emotional) *we also rescue ducks*…

The story of Ben Christie is interesting… when he was in college, people would send him animals without a home and he lived in a small house off campus and he would take care of them. He was in his senior year of Baylor University and he got a job at Oracle as a sales rep. He kept on receiving animals and thought he would film what he was doing. He started with Tik Tok and finally decided he was done with Oracle because he just wasn’t happy. He didn’t know how he was going to live because he wasn’t getting many views. The day after he turned in his two week notice he had a video to go viral. He then started his youtube channel and now around 2-3 years later has over 2.1 million subscribers.

He lived in Austin Texas but found a 3-acre property in Waco Texas and moved there. The small house was an old crack house. The property had old tires, junk, syringes, and everything else but he lived in a small camper and fixed it up. He started a not-for-profit shelter for animals. He is slowly building it up and his love for animals comes through.

I first noticed him on Chandler’s Wildlife when he visited. In the first episode, I watched…the Kangaroo (when he lived in a smaller house) escaped and he took off running through the neighborhood before Ben finally caught him. I was imagining if I was his neighbor looking at my window that day. A barefoot guy with overalls and a straw hat, complete with a staff chasing a Kangaroo came by my window…I would pause to think about what I just saw.

Sometimes Ben will go to downtown Waco and grab ducks from under the bridge. I was wondering what he was doing but a lot of the ducks are not wild. They were dropped off by pet owners who couldn’t take care of them anymore. He said they would be fine until winter came. He grabs a few and takes them back to his rescue.

A coyote killed one of his chickens during a drought so he captured it and gave it water because it was dehydrated. He ended up letting it go back into the woods. He is not licensed to keep coyotes so he called the authorities and they said they would come and euthanize or he could let it go… he took care of it and let it go.

The animals seem to appreciate all he does…except Kevin. You can tell if someone is genuine and Ben seems to be. I’ve read some articles about him and he has inspired a lot people to start small rescues to help out lost wildlife.

Ben has a very goofy sense of humor and his videos are edited really well so that he doesn’t lose your attention. He does this usually on an iPhone. I didn’t get him at first but I watched around 3-5 episodes and I haven’t stopped watching. The Urban Rescue Ranch

Prominent animals

Kevin

Karen

DaBaby

Poggers

Big Ounce…

Seeing this prairie dog makes me want one. When Ben pets and scratches him the prairie dog looks like he dies. So Ben has fun with this through a lot of videos.

Gort and Quandale Dingle

Queen

…and too many more to mention.

This is Ben Christie telling how he started.

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Chuck Berry – Run Rudolph Run

Nice little Christmas song by Chuck Berry… the father of Rock and Roll. The song has a “Carol” vibe to it and that is never a bad thing. It was one of the first rock and roll Christmas songs and it was released in 1958.

Berry based this song on “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” giving Rudolph a bit of an attitude as he delivers the toys. The song is credited to Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie. Johnny Marks wrote Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Chuck puts his stamp on this song.

The song is sometimes known as “Run Run Rudolph,” which is how it appears on some other covers. Other artists to record the song include Sheryl Crow, Bryan Adams, The Grateful Dead, Jimmy Buffett, Dwight Yoakam, Bon Jovi, and Keith Richards.

The song peaked at #69 in the Billboard 100 in 1958 and has re-charted many times through the years…it peaked at #36 in the Billboard 100 in January of 2020…and I’m sure it is charting now.

The song appeared in a lot of films including Home Alone, Diner, The Santa Clause 2, Cast Away, and Jingle All the Way.

Run Rudolph Run

Out of all the reindeers you know you’re the mastermind
Run, run Rudolph, Randalph ain’t too far behind
Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph ’cause I’m reelin’ like a merry-go-round

Said Santa to a boy child what have you been longing for?
All I want for Christmas is a rock and roll electric guitar
And then away went Rudolph a whizzing like a shooting star
Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph, reeling like a merry-go-round

Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph, reeling like a merry-go-round

Said Santa to a girl child what would please you most to get?
A little baby doll that can cry, sleep, drink and wet
And then away went Rudolph a whizzing like a Saber jet
Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph ’cause I’m reelin’ like a merry-go-round

Chandler’s Wildlife II

I posted Chandler’s Wildlife before but that was a couple of years ago or more. I wanted to update his progress which is impressive. He has come a long way now. He took most or all of his youtube money (at one point he was drawing up to 6 million views per post) and bought 10 acres in Florida and has turned it into a reserve for private tours all for his animals. He also tells about what he has to go through to own these animals. Bite protocol, hurricane protocol, snake-proof room, and many licenses.

He has an owl, King Cobras, alligators, crocodiles, monitor lizards, Rattle Snakes, Black Mambas, Green Mambas, Inland Taipan (a single drop of venom can kill 100 men), and many more. If it is venomous…Chandler has it. He is around 24 years old and he acts like it but I mean that in the best way. He can be goofy but his love for these deadly animals is obvious. He has a ring of friends who also deal with venomous reptiles and they appear on each other youtube channels. These snakes are not venomoids…. they all have their venom glands and fangs. He does not believe in taking that away from them.

I have a huge fear of snakes…I’ve never even touched one but watching Chandler has made me respect them and want to know more about each of them. NO…I would not go out and get a King Cobra…I won’t even buy a corn snake! I just got the first reptiles in my life. I got two red ear slider turtles…no venom!

He built his 15-foot King Cobra named Kevin…a 16-foot enclosure so he is easy to see for guests and is not stuck in a small enclosure. Kevin is what drew the early viewers in. I’ve always been fascinated by King Cobras since I watched Riki Tiki Tavi as a kid. Kevin is pretty chill for a King Cobra…but he has a female named Justina who pretty much tries her best to kill Chandler every time he brings her out. She has chased him around before trying to corner him.

He educates as well as entertains. He drank King Cobra Venom to show that is NOT poison…it’s a protein and yes you can drink it as long as you don’t have mouth sores. It has to be injected to work and in your bloodstream. It’s the last video at the bottom. You can tell that he was influenced heavily by Steve Irwin. I wouldn’t compare them but Chandler has the same energy level and love for reptiles.

He can make you nervous free handling these dangerous animals. He does know what he is doing but if you look at the below video about the new enclosure…you see a bandage on his leg. While getting a new crocodile a few weeks ago he got into muddy water with one of them and he was bit by the crocodile. Not bad but more of a warning bite. If that Crocodile would have death rolled…Chandler would have one leg now.

He is incredibly goofy at times but you have to respect the love and care he gives these animals…most of them will not love him back. If I’m ever down in that part of Florida I will see if I can visit his place. He has really made it beautiful.

Kevin’s new enclosure

Justina…you will see her charging out of her cage at Chandler

Drinking King Cobra Venom

Sloan – Spend The Day …. Power Pop Friday

My friend Deke got me into this power pop band from Canada. Deke and Dave have introduced me to many Canadian artists that I hadn’t heard of before like Blue Rodeo, The Moist, ~~Justin Bieber~~ (Just Kidding Guys!), Tragically Hip, and more. It still puzzles me why some very successful Canadian bands in the 80s-90s didn’t translate in the US.

Sloan got its start in Halifax during the early ‘90s. The band played around the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design before moving to Toronto. They got their name from a pot-smoking musician they knew in Halifax. He worked in a restaurant as a busboy and used to be known as “the slow one.”

The band made their recording debut on the Halifax, Canada CD compilation “Hear & Now” with the song “Underwhelmed” before releasing their debut EP “Peppermint” in 1991 on their own label Murderecords. In 1992 Sloan signed with Geffen Records and released their full-length debut “Smeared”. The album had somewhat of a grunge style. They soon switched to power pop and they have some fantastic songs.

Hearing this band is encouraging for Power Pop. A few weeks ago I posted a song about The Beths and now Sloan who have new albums out. Their influences have been listed as The Beatles, Sonic Youth, Fleetwood Mac, and more. In this song, I hear a little Beatles and Who.

This song is on their new album called Steady released on October 21, 2022. It’s their 13th album to date. Guitarist Patrick Pentland wrote this song. There is a great review of this album here. I would recommend giving this power pop band a try.

Spend The Day

It’s not like living in your real worldIs better than my life on The Other SideI’m sick of wired and I’m tetheringAnd weathering somewhere out of my mind

Hide awaySpend the day in here with me a whileHide awaySpend the day in here with me a while

It’s not like every time your wide eyesLook at something that it’s full of liesYou’re gonna try and findThe who what why whereI refuse to recognize

Hide awaySpend the day in here with me a whileHide awaySpend the day in here with me a while

It’s not that living in your real worldIs better than my life on The Other SideI’m sick of wired and I’m tetheringAnd weathering somewhere out of my mind

Hide awaySpend the day in here with me a whileHide awaySpend the day in here with me a whileHide awayHide awaySpend the dayHide awayHide awayWith me a while

Beths – Expert In A Dying Field ….Power Pop Friday

I learned about this band from Graham at Aphoristic Album Reviews. I think the subject of this song is brilliant. It’s the title song on the album Expert In A Dying Field. The album was released in September of 2022 and is their 3rd studio album to date. It peaked at #1 in New Zealand and #80 in Australia in 2022.

Through the years in power pop…the lyrics take a back seat to the music many times. The Beths music excites me because they don’t produce empty songs…they have substantial lyrics to go along with their irresistible hooks.

The Beths are a band out of New Zealand, that was formed by Elizabeth Stokes in 2014. The songs are full of guitar hooks along with Stokes’s clever writing and voice… make them fun to listen to. They have some 90s indie sound with a little of the 60s thrown in at times.

The members include Elizabeth Stokes ( lead vocals, rhythm guitar ), Jonathan Pearce (lead guitar, backing vocals), Benjamin Sinclair (bass, backing vocals)
and Tristan Deck (Drums, backing vocals).

Here is a link to the entire album on youtube.

From Allmusic by Marcy Donelson on the album

After quickly building a fan base in New Zealand and Australia with their live shows, Auckland’s the Beths burst onto the broader indie scene with an infectious, hook-crammed debut, 2018’s Future Me Hates Me. As suggested by the album’s title, Elizabeth Stokes’ self-depreciating lyrics were part of its charm, and the follow-up, 2020’s Jump Rope Gazers, reflected an even more hapless outlook as it explored strained relationships caused by the band’s new life on the road. Without skipping a hook, third album Expert in a Dying Field delves still deeper into melancholy, with lyrics navigating a breakup as well as pandemic life. Churning fuzz and ringing lead guitar begin a downcast but nonetheless driving opening title track that asks, “How does it feel/To be an expert in a dying field?/How do you know/It’s over when you can’t let go?” The song’s chorus picks up multi-tracking, vocal countermelodies, group harmonies, and crashing cymbals by its final incarnation.

It could be said that much of the album continues in kind, with memorable melody after memorable guitar hook after air-drum-compelling fill on a series of songs that border on midtempo, but the way it plays out is something much more off-balance. The Beths lean on the accelerator three tracks in, on the polyrhythmic “Silence Is Golden,” for instance, a song whose punky, racing rhythms and guitar histrionics are matched by a rambling, lilting vocal that only stops to breathe before the chorus’s repeated “Silence is golden.” Nearing the halfway point of the track list, the two-minute “I Want to Listen” is a gentler, McCartney-esque ditty with more complex chords and shifting harmonic progressions than are typical for the onetime jazz majors. Later, the chanting “Best Left” (“Some things are best left to rot”), while still wistful in tone, plays to the arena crowds. The group have said that Expert in a Dying Field was made with live performance in mind, and on that point, it delivers, right up until the plaintive closing ballad, “2 a.m.,” which finds Stokes left alone in a flash of headlights (“There’s a song that never fails to make you cry”). The album also delivers on vulnerable, rock-solid songs, a juxtaposition the Beths continue to master.

Elizabeth Stokes: “I really do believe that love is learned over time. In the course of knowing a person you accumulate so much information: their favorite movies, how they take their tea, how to make them laugh, how that makes you feel. And when relationships between people change, or end, all that knowledge doesn’t just disappear. The phrase ‘Expert in a Dying Field’ had been floating around my head for a few years, I was glad to finally capture it when writing this tune.”

Elizabeth Stokes: “When I first started this band … I was looking back towards [what] I liked when I was younger, sweetly sung melodies and super depressing lyrics”

Expert In A Dying Field

Can we erase our history?Is it as easy as this?Plausible deniabilityI swear I’ve never heard of itAnd I can close the door on usBut the room still existsAnd I know you’re in it

Hours of phrases I’ve memorizedThousands of lines on the pageAll of my notes in a desolate pileI haven’t touched in an ageAnd I can burn the evidenceBut I can’t burn the painAnd I can’t forget it

How does it feel (how does it feel)To be an expert in a dying field?And how do you know (how do you know)It’s over when you can’t let go?You can’t let go, you can’t stop, you can’t rewindLove is learned over time‘Til you’re an expert in a dying field(How does it, how does it feel?)

The city is painted with memoryThe water will never run clearThe birds and the bees and the flowers and treesThey know that we’ve both been hereAnd I can flee the countryFor the worst of the yearBut I’ll come back to it

Can we erase our history?Is it as easy as this?Maybe in other realitiesThe road never took this twistAnd I can close the door on usBut the room still exists

How does it feel (how does it feel)How do you know (how do you know)Can’t stop, can’t rewindLove is learned over time‘Til you’re an expert in a dying field

Oh, an expert in a dying field

Jerry Lee Lewis 1935-2022

Jerry Lee Lewis passed away today. He is one of… if not the last of the great 1950s artists that was still around. He was not an angel in life (who is?) but what a performer! The man was pure rock and roll and was hated by parents everywhere…and that is a rock and roll seal of approval. When I see those fifties clips of him live they are incredible. His blonde hair would unravel by the middle of the song and would be pounding the piano till the end.

I always thought that Jerry Lee and Little Richard were the two raunchiest 50s performers live…and I mean that in the best way. He went through controversies like we go through socks. He was successful in Rock and Roll and later in Country Music.

He was never short on confidence…he talks about moving to Memphis: “I was reading a lot of magazines about Sam Phillips and Sun Records … so I told my dad, this is the man we need to go see. And we did. We drove down from Ferriday into Memphis and pulled up in front of Sun Records. I came in and auditioned for Jack Clement, who said I could never make it playing the piano. He said rock ’n’ roll was out, cause Elvis had it all tied up. He said I could forget that. Well, I said, ‘I don’t think so.’ I said, ‘I’m a hit.’ He said, ‘They all say that, son.’ I said, ‘I’m not all. I’m different.’”

It’s a sad day for rock and roll.

“Goodbye to the Killer” RIP
Keith
From the 1983 Salute to Jerry Lee Lewis @jerryleelewis pic.twitter.com/SRAkPPH8qR

— Keith Richards (@officialKeef) October 28, 2022

Sad to hear of the passing of Jerry Lee Lewis. Love his music and I was hugely influenced by his records and live performances which were always full of fire and inspiration! No one could touch him!
God Bless you, Jerry Lee ❤️👼🏼 pic.twitter.com/yp9DQr7z7D

— John Fogerty (@John_Fogerty) October 28, 2022

R.I.P. JLL the KILLER-What a man🙏⚡️☀️ XX🎶🎶🎶☀️❤️@jerryleelewis #jerryleelewis pic.twitter.com/GrF9f5RC0E

— Ronnie Wood (@ronniewood) October 28, 2022

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dennis Quaid (@dennisquaid)

God bless Jerry lee Lewis peace and love to all his family Ringo. 😎✌️🌟❤️🎵💕☮️ pic.twitter.com/5tG54Der07

— #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) October 28, 2022

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No Nonsense Know How…. NNKH Youtube Channel

No this is not the name of a new or old band. It’s a youtube channel that I’ve been hooked on. As I’ve said before, my first car was a 1966 Mustang and when I was 16 it was the key to my universe. I was a traveling man always keeping the roads hot. If something went wrong with my car…I could always fix it with the help of my brother-in-law who knew about cars. He would not just fix something…he would show me how to do it and I would get it done with his help. I’m so thankful he didn’t try to take over…he taught and I retained most of it.

As far as cars go…once we got into the mid-90s…that all stopped as cars became complicated. My current position is Director of IT…but that doesn’t help jack s*** with modern cars. All the computer boards, chips, and sensors…they are so small under the hood you have to be a contortionist to change your oil now. Ok…let me get to the point of this youtube channel.

This guy named Chris will go to junk yards or where ever and find a car that hasn’t run in 20 years or so and spend some time on it…and make it run. That is amazing to me. Added to the entertainment value is his girlfriend Jen, her dog Gus, and a squirrel they saved named Leo. He usually picks older cars and I’ve been watching his channel for at least a month and a half now. I have an old 1984 Chevy Durango S-10-type truck that we used for trash mostly. It’s been sitting for 4-5 years and with the tips, I got from him…I got it at least started again.

In one episode he, Jen, and Gus fly to Las Vegas and buys a 1974 Grand Torino Elite sight unseen…it hasn’t ran in 15 years…he gets it running and they drive all the way back home to Pennsylvania in the car…fixing things as he goes.

Now…it inspired me to be on the lookout for my dream car…a junk one that I would like to fix up…a 1968-1972 Opel GT. I do have a mechanic friend so yes I do have some help. I would not do that on just youtube videos but Chris is an artist on cars. He doesn’t spend big money either…he doesn’t always throw money at problems. He also doesn’t buy supercars…he buys cars that ordinary people would buy at good prices. He is highly entertaining and very down to earth including Jen.

He also does this to boats, motorcycles, heavy equipment, and about anything with wheels. His videos are usually 45 minutes to an hour long. The trip to Las Vegas is a two-parter and it’s around an hour each. One Bulldozer that he gets running hadn’t been running since 1985!

The channel is Nononsenseknowhow

The Las Vegas Videos

The Plymouth Fury Video

The Caterpillar Bulldozer Video

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Loretta Lynn 1932-2022

Very sad news that Loretta Lynn passed away at the age of 90. I met the lady one time and she was wonderful. She was the definition of the word classy.

When I was eight years old, my mom took me to Loretta Lynn’s ranch. I actually had breakfast with Loretta Lynn. My mom knew someone who knew her… we were at her Ranch that was just opened to the public. She saw us and pointed and said “come in here” and we sat at the table and ate with her. She was very nice. She kept asking if I needed anything and if I was having a good time.

She was one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever met. Even though I was young, she didn’t talk down to me…she talked to me. It was a wonderful experience and even I knew at that age it was special…that this didn’t happen all of the time.

She wrote about real-life situations with women during her career. Her songwriting was honest and pure.

It saddens me that she just passed away. She is up there with Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, and a host of other country legends. I was happy back in 2004 when Jack White of the White Stripes produced her album Van Lear Rose.

Jack White of the White Stripes is a huge fan of Loretta Lynn. The White Stripes dedicated their 2001 album, ”White Blood Cells,” to her and invited her to share a bill with them at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.

Jack White produced her album “Van Lear Rose” and he asked Loretta to write all 13 songs for the album. The title refers to the Van Lear Coal mines from her youth. White said he would have been happy just to play tambourine on the album as long as he got to work with her.

Country radio snubbed “Van Lear Rose,” and the album received no CMA Awards nominations but it still reached #2 on the country charts and #24 on the Billboard 200. Lynn notched five Grammy nominations for her new music. In February 2005, she and White won Grammy awards for best country album and best country collaboration.

The album is great and this is the song that I liked best. If modern country music was this…I would actually listen! As I type this…I get mad all over again by the way country radio treated this album.

Van Lear Rose

One of my fondest memories
Was sittin’ on my daddy’s knee
Listenin’ to the stories that he told
He’d pull out that old photograph
Like a treasured memory from the past
And say child This here’s the Van Lear Rose

Oh how it would bring a smile
When he talked about her big blue eyes
And how her beauty ran down to her soul
She’d walk across the coal miner’s yard
Them miner’s would yell loud and hard
and they’d dream of who would hold the Van Lear Rose

She was the belle of Johnson County
Ohio river to Big Sandy
A beauty to behold like a diamond in the coal
All the miner’s they would gather ’round
Talk about the man that came to town
Right under their nose
Stole the heart of the Van Lear Rose

Now the Van Lear Rose could’ve had her pick
And all the fellers figured rich
Until this poor boy caught her eye
His buddies would all laugh and say
Your dreamin’ boy she’ll never look your way
You’ll never ever hold the Van Lear Rose

Then one night in mid July
Underneath that ol’ blue Kentucky sky
Well, that poor boy won that beauty’s heart
Then my daddy would look at my mommy and smile
As he brushed the hair back from my eyes and he’d say
Your mama
She’s the Van Lear Rose

[Chorus]

Right under their nose
Stole the heart of the Van Lear Rose

View-Master

I had view masters as a kid and loved them…tonight I was able to see some view master slides in a view master projector with a screen. I always wanted one as a kid but never could get it. I had the “click” model you held in your hand.

A few months ago…my cousin Mark came over. He and I collect things from the 50s-70s. Mark has been collecting View-Masters and the round slides. He shopped on Market Place and found someone with a 1950s View-Master projector. The projector is very clear.

All of us (wife, son, Mark, and myself) spent over an hour watching the view-master slides on a screen that he bought from different people.

Of course, the slides are not 3-D when projected but it still was really cool. We saw Busch Gardens, Silver Dollar City, Acapulco, Sequoia, Kings National Park (I think), and some other places. It was like stepping back in time to the 60s or 70s which I guess was the idea. All the pictures came from the 50s through the 70s.

As a kid, I would spend hours clicking the round slide over and over. For some reason, I remember an outer space slide selection I had. The 3-D made it look like you could touch it. When my son was around 5 we got him one and he loved it. I would recommend picking one up if you see one somewhere…no matter how old you are…they are still fun!

The View-Master was based on the stereoscopic viewer, which dates all the way back to the 1800s.

Real or Memorex? Lip Syncing and Backing Tracks

I saw an interview with Paul McCartney and he called out major bands playing live with backing tracks but refused to say which ones. I also saw an article about Motley Crue using pre-recorded tracks to bolster their sound.

McCartney: “To me the concert experience is at the heart of what music is about. You come to a show and you are in the room so it is the real thing. I have been to concerts where I think, ‘Oh, I really am in the room with Tony Bennett and it is like he is in my living room’. That is a great part of the experience. I then think, ‘Wait a minute, people must think that about me’. When we make mistakes playing live, we always now turn it and say, ‘Tell you what this proves we are live

McCartney and his band did just that when I saw him. They messed up an intro of a song…Paul laughed and went on.

Before you read the rest…I might be harsher than some people. I didn’t even like it when after 1981… the Stones started to fill up their stage with different musicians to sweeten the sound…and professional backup singers…I would rather hear Keith sing backup. The same applies to the Who… who did the same thing on their 1988-89 tour. That was more because of Townshend’s hearing problems but I would have rather heard the four of them and maybe a keyboardist…BUT at least those bands were not faking it…they didn’t hide anything…they just added more musicians.

Sometimes backing tracks have to be used…Backing tracks are sometimes used when a band cannot have an orchestra or an exotic instrument which I totally get. I’ve seen KISS use it when Peter Criss would sing Beth…I totally get that. I’ve seen The Who use a backing track for Won’t Get Fooled Again and Baba O’Riley which again I totally get. They don’t try to hide it…it’s a part that would be hard to duplicate live and is the main part of the song. That is the reason Keith Moon wore headphones while playing those songs so he would come in on time.

Those tracks are not what I’m talking about. What I’m getting at is when a guitarist, bassist, or vocalist mimes what they were doing and you are NOT hearing it live. You are hearing what they perfected in a studio sometime in the past.

There are places when this has to be done. Many TV studios are not made for rock bands and they have to lip sync to a backing track…most of the bands don’t like doing it but if they want to promote a song they do. In music videos for the most part…they have to lip sync also… so there are times when there is no other choice.

When you are paying $100 for a ticket…I don’t believe lip-syncing or faking should be allowed or they should have to tell you they are doing it. I could take four more bloggers (any volunteers?) and we could mime to Jumpin’ Jack Flash…would anyone want to pay $100 for that? Many acts that dance and jump about…when you hear them sing you hear no panting or breathing hard and you SEE them panting and breathing hard. I’m not a fan but I admire the fact that Lady GaGa actually called some performers out for lip-syncing.

“I don’t think it’s cool to lip-sync, I’m not judging if people do, because it’s everybody’s own style and type of artist they’ve decided to be. But I think that if you pay money for a ticket to see a show then the artist should f**king have some pipes and sing their records for you”… I agree with her.

Paul McCartney is 80 and sometimes his voice goes off… not a lot but sometimes…so what? Mick Jagger goes off at times…but that makes them human. I’m old fashion about this… but I cannot respect anyone that goes out and mimes their greatest hits in a live atmosphere. I’ve been listening to a lot of concerts in the 70s… Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith, The Who, Led Zeppelin, etc. How did they do it without autotune? How did they do it without an extra Jimmy Page guitar pre-recorded? If they messed up…they messed up…big deal…they are human. Some performers have said since the ticket prices are so high…they want to give a perfect show. No, I don’t want a perfect show…I want a real show warts and all.

What do you think? If you go to see a band live…do you want to hear guitar, vocal, or bass tracks that were recorded earlier? Live music…should be live… right? Am I’m expecting too much? It may not bother many people.

Artists who have been caught lip-syncing include Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Milli Vanilli, 50 Cent, Justin Bieber, Beyonce, Selena Gomez, Madonna, and more.

Ah…I cannot conclude this post without Miss Ashley Simpson…the poster child for lip-syncing.

I’m Boarding Up the Joint Until September 2, 2022

Hello everyone. As much as I hate to… I’ll be taking a small break from posting after today because of work, home projects, and just to recharge my batteries. I started this blog on September 18, 2017. I’ve been posting regularly since May 2018. WordPress has just told me that I have posted for 1,112 straight days going back to July of 2019…that needs to be broken now.

I had a few more posts scheduled to go, but I will save them for when I return. I genuinely love posting about pop culture and commenting with every one of you…if you agree with me or not. The last time I took time off I was in the hospital for a kidney stone…this time it’s my choice. Hope to see you all when I get back! I figure a good date to return would be Friday, September 2, 2022. Yep…just grabbed that out of the air! I’ll have some good posts lined up.

I want to say a huge THANK YOU for all the comments in the past and those yet to come…that is what I like about WordPress most of all…the interaction with all of you. That makes it worth it all.

Thank you to all my regular readers and the newer ones. I wish all of you a wonderful August! See ya in September!