The Elder Things are Nigh!
Posted 5 months agoJust thought I'd give a bit of a bump to a recent collaborative effort I played a (small) part in: Do You Know the Elder Things are Nigh? (A Lovecraftian Holiday Parody)
I do two lines of lead vocals, as well as some harmony vocals, and I played zills. :)
To quote the YouTube description:
It is the year 1984. One year ago, Professor Dyer and his student intern Danforth returned from the Antarctic. They were only witnesses to the horrible destruction of Miskatonic University’s ambitious, but doomed, expedition to the frozen land.
Despite the great cost to his reputation and career, Prof. Dyer has thus far refused to provide a detailed account of his colleagues’ destruction.
However, word of a new expedition to the same ill-starred wastes has forced him to reveal the horrors of that foreboding land. Breaking his silence, he attempts to dissuade further exploration using the most effective public opinion tool known to the 1980s:
A big, dumb, charity single.
Shoggoth-Aid presents: Do You Know the Elder Things Are Nigh?
A Lovecraft-inspired parody of “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band-Aid
Lyrics by Hiker
Arranged and Produced by MPony
Featured Vocalists:
Hiker (https://bsky.app/profile/hikeryote.bs..., https://floofy.tech/@UC4TQGkojt8032KV..., https://twitter.com/HikerYote)
Daniel “Dralen” Hamel (https://bsky.app/profile/thedhamel.bs..., https://twitter.com/daniel_hamel)
Wotan
Branwyn Dan “Branwyn Lion” Desveaux (https://twitter.com/branwynlion, @danieldesveaux3905)
Mpony
Khaz
Halex
And featuring the Shoggoth Choir of Camp Feral 2023!
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this insanity possible!
Check out The Three Leonards! thethreeleonards9848
I do two lines of lead vocals, as well as some harmony vocals, and I played zills. :)
To quote the YouTube description:
It is the year 1984. One year ago, Professor Dyer and his student intern Danforth returned from the Antarctic. They were only witnesses to the horrible destruction of Miskatonic University’s ambitious, but doomed, expedition to the frozen land.
Despite the great cost to his reputation and career, Prof. Dyer has thus far refused to provide a detailed account of his colleagues’ destruction.
However, word of a new expedition to the same ill-starred wastes has forced him to reveal the horrors of that foreboding land. Breaking his silence, he attempts to dissuade further exploration using the most effective public opinion tool known to the 1980s:
A big, dumb, charity single.
Shoggoth-Aid presents: Do You Know the Elder Things Are Nigh?
A Lovecraft-inspired parody of “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band-Aid
Lyrics by Hiker
Arranged and Produced by MPony
Featured Vocalists:
Hiker (https://bsky.app/profile/hikeryote.bs..., https://floofy.tech/@UC4TQGkojt8032KV..., https://twitter.com/HikerYote)
Daniel “Dralen” Hamel (https://bsky.app/profile/thedhamel.bs..., https://twitter.com/daniel_hamel)
Wotan
Branwyn Dan “Branwyn Lion” Desveaux (https://twitter.com/branwynlion, @danieldesveaux3905)
Mpony
Khaz
Halex
And featuring the Shoggoth Choir of Camp Feral 2023!
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this insanity possible!
Check out The Three Leonards! thethreeleonards9848
On a Much Lighter Note...
Posted 2 years agoIn light of all the doom and gloom in the world of late, I thought it certainly couldn't hurt to ask a question on a much lighter note.
Having had to live a bachelor's lifestyle for a number of years now, I've quite obviously had to learn the ins and outs of cooking for one in a world where nearly everything comes in "family packs", which is sometimes a rather daunting prospect when your living situation precludes having much in the way of fridge and freezer space for leftovers, unless you are deliberately trying to grow mould and fungus, or partake of things like sandwiches from Sal Monella's Delicatessen.
Sometimes, like it or not, you find yourself eating out of cans or heavily relying on microwave or toaster oven.
Well, after nuking some leftovers for the umpteenth time the other night, a question occurred to me, and that is (excluding prepared foods specifically designed and marketed to be cooked in a microwave), are there any, actual real foods that taste as good or better when prepared in a microwave, rather than via conventional/convectional means?
In my several decades of experience with microwave cooking, quite frankly, the only things I've found that come out better in a microwave are things that include dry crusts and/or flaky pastry that stay moist much better in a microwave than in a convectional oven. In my own experience, the king of this particular (and rather small) culinary hill are Jamaican patties.
In a microwave, they stay nice and moist, but in the toaster oven, they come out as dry as a popcorn fart unless you brush them with olive oil after flipping them over.
Thoughts?
Having had to live a bachelor's lifestyle for a number of years now, I've quite obviously had to learn the ins and outs of cooking for one in a world where nearly everything comes in "family packs", which is sometimes a rather daunting prospect when your living situation precludes having much in the way of fridge and freezer space for leftovers, unless you are deliberately trying to grow mould and fungus, or partake of things like sandwiches from Sal Monella's Delicatessen.
Sometimes, like it or not, you find yourself eating out of cans or heavily relying on microwave or toaster oven.
Well, after nuking some leftovers for the umpteenth time the other night, a question occurred to me, and that is (excluding prepared foods specifically designed and marketed to be cooked in a microwave), are there any, actual real foods that taste as good or better when prepared in a microwave, rather than via conventional/convectional means?
In my several decades of experience with microwave cooking, quite frankly, the only things I've found that come out better in a microwave are things that include dry crusts and/or flaky pastry that stay moist much better in a microwave than in a convectional oven. In my own experience, the king of this particular (and rather small) culinary hill are Jamaican patties.
In a microwave, they stay nice and moist, but in the toaster oven, they come out as dry as a popcorn fart unless you brush them with olive oil after flipping them over.
Thoughts?
Daily Deviation...
Posted 2 years agoHey, just a small piece of news I thought I should share with my watchers/regular readers: I woke up this morning to a bunch of notes over on my DA account, saying that my recent piece: MURMURATION had been honoured as one of today's recommended Daily Deviations, as well as a number of new watches, comments, and the ever-ubiquitous: "I would go to Alabama... Just to thank you for the llama!". So, it's a nice little artistic pat on the back to, in a single day, get more views than all of my work, combined, has ever attracted thus far... (Last I looked, it was at 80K+ pageviews). So, I figure if even 1% of those visitors decides to purchase one of my collections, maybe I could a get a few bucks out of those pageviews?
Yeah, I know... Wishful thinking. Pfffft!
I can dream, can't I? :P
The only downside is that there's a lot of porn-spam bots on DA these days, so there was also a lot of whac-a-mole stuff I needed to keep on top of...
Yeah, I know... Wishful thinking. Pfffft!
I can dream, can't I? :P
The only downside is that there's a lot of porn-spam bots on DA these days, so there was also a lot of whac-a-mole stuff I needed to keep on top of...
Came up with an acoustic guitar joke on the fly today...
Posted 2 years agoAs the title says, I was just getting ready to start my daily guitar practice today, and I found myself answering a question from an acquaintance, who is also an in-his-late-forties acoustic guitar wannabe like me... :P
Anyway, I mentioned my Darling Devotchka (my pet name for my Samick LW015-G Dreadnought), and he asked me about Her make and model, which I duly passed along, along with my humble opinion that I think that the LW and SW015-G are, by far, some of the best-sounding budget dreadnoughts ever made.
In reply, they made the comment: "Isn't Samick an Indonesian make?"
to which I replied: "Absolutely! Samick is so Indonesian-made that if you play a Samick in a dive-bar, and try to stick your lit cigarettes on one of the string-ends, it'll just fall right off, and you'll lose that cig unless you're smoking a kretek. that is how Indonesian my guitar is, Harimau!
Anyway, I mentioned my Darling Devotchka (my pet name for my Samick LW015-G Dreadnought), and he asked me about Her make and model, which I duly passed along, along with my humble opinion that I think that the LW and SW015-G are, by far, some of the best-sounding budget dreadnoughts ever made.
In reply, they made the comment: "Isn't Samick an Indonesian make?"
to which I replied: "Absolutely! Samick is so Indonesian-made that if you play a Samick in a dive-bar, and try to stick your lit cigarettes on one of the string-ends, it'll just fall right off, and you'll lose that cig unless you're smoking a kretek. that is how Indonesian my guitar is, Harimau!
Dog-Gone From My Life...
Posted 3 years agoEvery pet owner knows about that inevitable day, when you are forced to admit that your best friend has truly reached the point, where old age and the gradually increasing infirmities that go along with it have finally caught up to them...
Where it is nothing but selfish, human vanity to expect them to continue. Unfortunately, I had to make that choice today, and my always-loyal and stalwart friend for the better part of a decade passed into eternal rest this afternoon at the vet clinic, with his head laid in my lap.
In contrast to the gradually increasing aches and pains of his past few months, his ending, at least was peaceful. He simply began to snore for a few moments, and then stopped.
Always at my side, through the good and the bad, and one of the best friends I've ever known, and the inspiration for quite a few pieces I've written over the years, His Highness Prince Marley Moon-Moon Puppicus was whelped in early 2007, and entered into Eternal Rest on 01 February 2021.
I feel profoundly empty right now...
Where it is nothing but selfish, human vanity to expect them to continue. Unfortunately, I had to make that choice today, and my always-loyal and stalwart friend for the better part of a decade passed into eternal rest this afternoon at the vet clinic, with his head laid in my lap.
In contrast to the gradually increasing aches and pains of his past few months, his ending, at least was peaceful. He simply began to snore for a few moments, and then stopped.
Always at my side, through the good and the bad, and one of the best friends I've ever known, and the inspiration for quite a few pieces I've written over the years, His Highness Prince Marley Moon-Moon Puppicus was whelped in early 2007, and entered into Eternal Rest on 01 February 2021.
I feel profoundly empty right now...
Describe My Midlife Crisis...
Posted 3 years agoKind of my own twist on the Hemingway Six-Word Story Challenge, I came up with the idea of: The Single Sentence that Most Completely and Succinctly Describes Your Midlife Crisis (CamelCaseCapitalisationsOptional,AndNotRequired). :P
In my case, the way the angst was leaning, I suddenly saw myself and what I was doing in a light that grossly exaggerated things to the point, where I saw all of it in the worst possible light...
(I think a lot of us have those days).
So today, my guitar practice suddenly started looking like a distorted, funhouse mirror reflection of: "Fat, Fortysomething slob sprawled on a broken, cat-and-dog hair-covered, vaguely musty-smelling sofa, clutching onto a parlour guitar, and farting around with playing seemingly-unending fingerstyle noodle-doodles."
BAH! *grump*
In my case, the way the angst was leaning, I suddenly saw myself and what I was doing in a light that grossly exaggerated things to the point, where I saw all of it in the worst possible light...
(I think a lot of us have those days).
So today, my guitar practice suddenly started looking like a distorted, funhouse mirror reflection of: "Fat, Fortysomething slob sprawled on a broken, cat-and-dog hair-covered, vaguely musty-smelling sofa, clutching onto a parlour guitar, and farting around with playing seemingly-unending fingerstyle noodle-doodles."
BAH! *grump*
Hiding From the Beak-Doctor...
Posted 4 years agoSo,
I guess I can start out by asking everyone how it's hangin' for them in this upside-down Plague Year we now find ourselves in. I also wonder just what activities you've found yourself putting more energy into than usual since we've all been locked down (and perhaps aren't quite ready to be thrown on the cart yet. :P )
In my own case, it has been my guitar I have often been turning to for solace, and sometimes answering the call of my Dearest Devotchka has quite literally been the only thing that has kept my cheese from sliding all the way off my cracker once and for all. Couple our current situation with the clouds of midlife crisis angst I'd already often had looming overhead even before all this began, I'm sure one can't blame me for turning my guitar into a security blanket, as well as very occasionally partaking of some (now legal in Canada) herbal edibles. :P
As for today...
I Just finished an 'expanded-mind' guitar practice not too long ago, and it felt like quite a positive session. Among the things I found myself thinking of in the midst of the swirling eddies of feeling, seeing, and caressing the music, I also found myself thinking about Tom Sawyer (both the obvious and deeper reasons), and I had a thought come into mind: "I feel like, for the first time, my most recent practice sessions have started earning me blue tickets as well as red tickets."
If you'll remember from Tom Sawyer, five red tickets got you a blue ticket, and five blue tickets got you a yellow ticket, and ten yellow tickets got you a Doré Bible. I guess every *productive* hour of guitar playing (only productive if there is actual skill advancement—if you keep making the same mistakes, you get a dud-hour... No red ticket for you!" :P )
So, I figure: Ten yellow Tom Sawyer tickets, and maybe I can actually call myself an 'amateur guitar player'.
Enough red tickets, and sometimes an hour can randomly spawn as a blue ticket, as some mental block might unblock, and thus, unlock... An achievement. :P
(Insert "Super Mario eats the power-up mushroom" sound-effect...)
I guess I can start out by asking everyone how it's hangin' for them in this upside-down Plague Year we now find ourselves in. I also wonder just what activities you've found yourself putting more energy into than usual since we've all been locked down (and perhaps aren't quite ready to be thrown on the cart yet. :P )
In my own case, it has been my guitar I have often been turning to for solace, and sometimes answering the call of my Dearest Devotchka has quite literally been the only thing that has kept my cheese from sliding all the way off my cracker once and for all. Couple our current situation with the clouds of midlife crisis angst I'd already often had looming overhead even before all this began, I'm sure one can't blame me for turning my guitar into a security blanket, as well as very occasionally partaking of some (now legal in Canada) herbal edibles. :P
As for today...
I Just finished an 'expanded-mind' guitar practice not too long ago, and it felt like quite a positive session. Among the things I found myself thinking of in the midst of the swirling eddies of feeling, seeing, and caressing the music, I also found myself thinking about Tom Sawyer (both the obvious and deeper reasons), and I had a thought come into mind: "I feel like, for the first time, my most recent practice sessions have started earning me blue tickets as well as red tickets."
If you'll remember from Tom Sawyer, five red tickets got you a blue ticket, and five blue tickets got you a yellow ticket, and ten yellow tickets got you a Doré Bible. I guess every *productive* hour of guitar playing (only productive if there is actual skill advancement—if you keep making the same mistakes, you get a dud-hour... No red ticket for you!" :P )
So, I figure: Ten yellow Tom Sawyer tickets, and maybe I can actually call myself an 'amateur guitar player'.
Enough red tickets, and sometimes an hour can randomly spawn as a blue ticket, as some mental block might unblock, and thus, unlock... An achievement. :P
(Insert "Super Mario eats the power-up mushroom" sound-effect...)
Some days you're just really annoyed with your dog...
Posted 4 years agoExcuse me?!? Just, what, exactly do you think you're doing, Mr. "Produces More Poop than I Do?"
A Philosophical Thought for the End of the Year...
Posted 4 years agoMost of you know that I have two undergrad degrees: A Biology B.Sc and a Bio-Ethics BA. Bio-Ethics being, of course, a branch of philosophy. Well, I recently had a thought that draws a bit more on the BA side of my education.
I've distilled that particular thought down to the following statement, which I think best encapsulates the core message of it:
"All my life I've heard it said that: 'Human senses are inferior to those of most animals, because, as we evolved our brains towards logic and reason, we were forced to pay the price of losing much of the sensitivity of our natural instincts in return.'
'Well, I've decided I don't quite believe that. I'd instead ask a question of my own: Well, could it perhaps also be said that as humans evolved towards logic and reason, our senses were forced to develop higher tolerances for outside stimuli in order to cope with and adapt to the new way of thinking?"
I've distilled that particular thought down to the following statement, which I think best encapsulates the core message of it:
"All my life I've heard it said that: 'Human senses are inferior to those of most animals, because, as we evolved our brains towards logic and reason, we were forced to pay the price of losing much of the sensitivity of our natural instincts in return.'
'Well, I've decided I don't quite believe that. I'd instead ask a question of my own: Well, could it perhaps also be said that as humans evolved towards logic and reason, our senses were forced to develop higher tolerances for outside stimuli in order to cope with and adapt to the new way of thinking?"
To all those, who are owned by black cats...
Posted 4 years ago...Because everyone knows that cats do not have 'owners'. :P
But in all seriousness, having been partially inspired by the recently-pas't All Hallow's Eve/All Souls' Night/All Saints' Day,
I have started work on a new piece that pays tribute to all those of us, who have been uniquely-bles't
as to have had Mother Bast send one of Her most mysterious daughters and sons
to certain humans she feels worthy of becoming the life-servant
of a lucky black cat. (insert smiling cat emoji)
I was poking around with some (greater or lesser degree) Eliot-inspired
descriptors and/or playful questions
about the nature of different black cat-owned
human slaves' relationship with their
feline overlords
amongst their dreams of
endless servants
bearing catnip and fresh meese,
specifically the question as to whether one viewed their particular Feline Overlord as a:
(1) Midnight Leopard
or a:
(2) Sunshine Panther
I think I can say that in the case of my own Hunter S. Tomcat, he seems to lean more towards "Sunshine Panther".
I can see him as an idle, spoiled prince voiced by Patrick "Kronk" Warburton, in a rare attempt
at a rather languid American British Accent,
who chaise-longue daydreams of a sultry-dancing black leopardesses singing: "Teach me, Tiger", and looking at me, his human slave with the cigarette-holder snootiness of: "Now, would you be a good chap and go fetch that for me?"
and as soon as I'm out of sight, the face-paw groaning sigh/hiss
of: "Gods, how frightfully dull!"
But in all seriousness, having been partially inspired by the recently-pas't All Hallow's Eve/All Souls' Night/All Saints' Day,
I have started work on a new piece that pays tribute to all those of us, who have been uniquely-bles't
as to have had Mother Bast send one of Her most mysterious daughters and sons
to certain humans she feels worthy of becoming the life-servant
of a lucky black cat. (insert smiling cat emoji)
I was poking around with some (greater or lesser degree) Eliot-inspired
descriptors and/or playful questions
about the nature of different black cat-owned
human slaves' relationship with their
feline overlords
amongst their dreams of
endless servants
bearing catnip and fresh meese,
specifically the question as to whether one viewed their particular Feline Overlord as a:
(1) Midnight Leopard
or a:
(2) Sunshine Panther
I think I can say that in the case of my own Hunter S. Tomcat, he seems to lean more towards "Sunshine Panther".
I can see him as an idle, spoiled prince voiced by Patrick "Kronk" Warburton, in a rare attempt
at a rather languid American British Accent,
who chaise-longue daydreams of a sultry-dancing black leopardesses singing: "Teach me, Tiger", and looking at me, his human slave with the cigarette-holder snootiness of: "Now, would you be a good chap and go fetch that for me?"
and as soon as I'm out of sight, the face-paw groaning sigh/hiss
of: "Gods, how frightfully dull!"
Yes, I'm going to Hell! :P
Posted 4 years agoLike the tag-line says, I am sooooo going to Hell. :P
Basically, as I was brainstorming some poetry and writing this morning, I suddenly came up with an Urban Dictionary-styled phrase and definition. (which will not be submitted to Urban Dictionary, as they now require a fecesbook or gmail-linked account to post. Yeah, f**k that noise.)
Gary Coleman Bling-Bling (n): New jewellery that you've never actually had the chance to wear, and indeed haven't seen in almost three years - ever since your parents "borrowed" it.
(Other meanings) [a] Can also serve as a more general concept of whenever someone's hard work or effort ultimately winds up going for the use and benefit of others. eg: "The Company almost went Chapter 11 this year, but the board still approved all those executive bonuses... 'What's that? We're not getting a Christmas Bonus this year? The executives have decided to change our bonus to some Gary Coleman Bling-Bling?'"
[b] Being on the receiving end of someone 'being given an inch, but taking a mile' at your expense e.g: An "Entitled Karen" being given temporary use of a credit card for the purchase of a particular item at a particular price and quantity, who instead, in her infinite wisdom and generosity, decides to not only buy the item you requested, but to also kindly add $800 worth of Gary Coleman Bling-Bling to the grand total.
Basically, as I was brainstorming some poetry and writing this morning, I suddenly came up with an Urban Dictionary-styled phrase and definition. (which will not be submitted to Urban Dictionary, as they now require a fecesbook or gmail-linked account to post. Yeah, f**k that noise.)
Gary Coleman Bling-Bling (n): New jewellery that you've never actually had the chance to wear, and indeed haven't seen in almost three years - ever since your parents "borrowed" it.
(Other meanings) [a] Can also serve as a more general concept of whenever someone's hard work or effort ultimately winds up going for the use and benefit of others. eg: "The Company almost went Chapter 11 this year, but the board still approved all those executive bonuses... 'What's that? We're not getting a Christmas Bonus this year? The executives have decided to change our bonus to some Gary Coleman Bling-Bling?'"
[b] Being on the receiving end of someone 'being given an inch, but taking a mile' at your expense e.g: An "Entitled Karen" being given temporary use of a credit card for the purchase of a particular item at a particular price and quantity, who instead, in her infinite wisdom and generosity, decides to not only buy the item you requested, but to also kindly add $800 worth of Gary Coleman Bling-Bling to the grand total.
Poetry that Aleister Crowley, himself would be proud of!
Posted 4 years agoI'm actually truly impressed with the creativity of this poem written by a Ugandan woman to
deliberately insult the Ugandan President, and his mother.
Crowley himself would be proud! 8D
‘You should have died in birth, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’
deliberately insult the Ugandan President, and his mother.
Crowley himself would be proud! 8D
‘You should have died in birth, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’
My Fifth Poetry Collection: (((The Contradiction Trifecta)))
Posted 6 years agoJust wanted to announce that my fifth poetry collection: (((The Contradiction Trifecta))) - Selected Songs & Poems - 2015-2017, is now available on my lulu.com site
Many thanks, and happy reading. :)
Many thanks, and happy reading. :)
Anyone Going to Feral?
Posted 6 years agoThis year will be my 18th Feral in a row.
Who else will I be seeing there?
Who else will I be seeing there?
Favourite Shearwater Songs, contd... (#11 - #20)
Posted 7 years agoWell, a couple of folks asked me after my previous (#1-#10) list, what more of my favourite songs from this awesome band are. Once again, it's very hard to choose, but here goes, once again in descending order...
(20) Pale Kings - From the album: Jet Plane and Oxbow, Released 2016 - Another exhilarating piece of music.
(19) Black Eyes - From the album: The Golden Archipelago, Released 2010
(18) Pushing The River - From the album: Animal Joy, Released 2012 - What else can I say other than:
You were the flashing wings of a swallow,
you were the light in a lion's eyes
(17) Animal Life - From the album: Animal Joy, Released 2012 - Exhilarating and life-affirming. :)
(16) Basilisk (Open Your Houses) - From the album: Animal Joy, Released 2012 - This one is deliciously sinister and quite catchy
(15) The Set Table (No Link Available) - From the album: Winged Life, Released 2004 - This is the only song on this list, where Will Sheff (Okkervil River) does the lead vocals, instead of Jonathan Meiburg, but it's got an awesome ambient groove to it.
(14) (I've Got A) Right to Cry - From the album: Winged Life, Released 2004 - I love the late-sixties bubble gum groove to this one, and the Rhodes electric piano. It's got similarities to the Sloan's 1996 song: Everything You've Done Wrong, but those similarities actually add to its appeal.
(13) Johnny Viola - From the album: Palo Santo, Released 2006
(12) Home Life - From the album: Rook, Released 2008
(11) Uniforms – From the album: The Golden Archipelago, Released 2010
(20) Pale Kings - From the album: Jet Plane and Oxbow, Released 2016 - Another exhilarating piece of music.
(19) Black Eyes - From the album: The Golden Archipelago, Released 2010
(18) Pushing The River - From the album: Animal Joy, Released 2012 - What else can I say other than:
You were the flashing wings of a swallow,
you were the light in a lion's eyes
(17) Animal Life - From the album: Animal Joy, Released 2012 - Exhilarating and life-affirming. :)
(16) Basilisk (Open Your Houses) - From the album: Animal Joy, Released 2012 - This one is deliciously sinister and quite catchy
(15) The Set Table (No Link Available) - From the album: Winged Life, Released 2004 - This is the only song on this list, where Will Sheff (Okkervil River) does the lead vocals, instead of Jonathan Meiburg, but it's got an awesome ambient groove to it.
(14) (I've Got A) Right to Cry - From the album: Winged Life, Released 2004 - I love the late-sixties bubble gum groove to this one, and the Rhodes electric piano. It's got similarities to the Sloan's 1996 song: Everything You've Done Wrong, but those similarities actually add to its appeal.
(13) Johnny Viola - From the album: Palo Santo, Released 2006
(12) Home Life - From the album: Rook, Released 2008
(11) Uniforms – From the album: The Golden Archipelago, Released 2010
That Moment When...
Posted 7 years agoYou realise that two songs you liked when you are in High School actually sound almost identical to one another:
In 1987, 54.40 came out with the song Walk In Line
Now, speed the tempo up just a bit, and you get:
Celebrate by An Emotional Fish (1990)
In 1987, 54.40 came out with the song Walk In Line
Now, speed the tempo up just a bit, and you get:
Celebrate by An Emotional Fish (1990)
A True Thing of Beauty...
Posted 7 years agoI just came across a comment that I think is a true thing of beauty:
"I long for the day where Marxist sjw's[sic] are treated with the same disdain as flat earthers."
(Yes, it was hard for me to leave in the misuse of the possessive apostrophe, but since it has become common, and accepted usage, and because I have been called a Grammar Nazi for correcting it in the past, I didn't touch it).
"I long for the day where Marxist sjw's[sic] are treated with the same disdain as flat earthers."
(Yes, it was hard for me to leave in the misuse of the possessive apostrophe, but since it has become common, and accepted usage, and because I have been called a Grammar Nazi for correcting it in the past, I didn't touch it).
Happy SAD
Posted 7 years ago...For all of us for whom Valentine's Day (aka VD), is something to be endured rather than celebrated...
...For all of us for whom VD is nothing more than a cracking whip, showing yet more layers of our own, terminal FAIL...
...For all of us, who try and hide away throughout VD until it's all over...
...Who have to hear, ad nauseum the 'societal wisdom' that "You're not truly complete until you're in a loving relationship"
(I put that right up there with: "You're not truly an adult, much less a responsible adult until you have a child)...
To all of us, who need a day of our own to lick our wounds and recover from the commercialised browbeating and relentless stigma of yesterday, I would like to wish you all a Happy Single's Awareness Day (SAD).
...For all of us, who want to cherish the things we do have, such as friends and family, appreciation for nature and beauty, and the other simple pleasures in life...
Happy SAD to you, and Happy SAD to me. :)
...For all of us for whom VD is nothing more than a cracking whip, showing yet more layers of our own, terminal FAIL...
...For all of us, who try and hide away throughout VD until it's all over...
...Who have to hear, ad nauseum the 'societal wisdom' that "You're not truly complete until you're in a loving relationship"
(I put that right up there with: "You're not truly an adult, much less a responsible adult until you have a child)...
To all of us, who need a day of our own to lick our wounds and recover from the commercialised browbeating and relentless stigma of yesterday, I would like to wish you all a Happy Single's Awareness Day (SAD).
...For all of us, who want to cherish the things we do have, such as friends and family, appreciation for nature and beauty, and the other simple pleasures in life...
Happy SAD to you, and Happy SAD to me. :)
RIP Leonard Cohen...
Posted 7 years agoLeonard Cohen - a great poet, and a true visionary has now moved to the great beyond.
I have no words other than to say: 2016 can just stop already.
Suzanne - ©1966 by Leonard Cohen
Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night forever
And you know that she's half-crazy but that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her that you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer that you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind
And Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him
He said all men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them
But he himself was broken, long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human, he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him, and you want to travel blind
And you think you maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with her mind
Now, Suzanne takes your hand and she leads you to the river
She's wearing rags and feathers from Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey on our lady of the harbor
And she shows you where to look among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed, there are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds her mirror
And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind
I have no words other than to say: 2016 can just stop already.
Suzanne - ©1966 by Leonard Cohen
Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night forever
And you know that she's half-crazy but that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her that you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer that you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind
And Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him
He said all men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them
But he himself was broken, long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human, he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him, and you want to travel blind
And you think you maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with her mind
Now, Suzanne takes your hand and she leads you to the river
She's wearing rags and feathers from Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey on our lady of the harbor
And she shows you where to look among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed, there are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds her mirror
And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind
My ten favourite Shearwater songs...
Posted 7 years agoMany of those, who know me well are aware that my current musical obsession is an indy-rock band out of Austin TX, called Shearwater. Over the years, there have been very few artists, who have connected with me, and given me inspiration on the level that they have.
So, without further ado, here are my top ten personal favourites from Shearwater, in descending order:
(10) A Hush – From the album: Winged Life, Released 2004
(9) Rooks – From the Album: Rook, Released 2008 – I’ve performed this one at Feral.
(8) Castaways – From the Album: The Golden Archipelago, Released 2010
(7) Leviathan, Bound – From the Album: Rook, Released 2008 – I’m sold on the hammered dulcimer, alone.
(6) The World in 1984 – From the Album: Winged Life, Released 2004 – I think there is some real wistful magic in this song, and the halcyon days that I still remember well is what hits me the most about it. Of course, as was stated best in Calvin & Hobbes: Halcyonity is only awarded retroactively. :P
(5) Wildlife in America – From the Album: Jet Plane and Oxbow, Released 2016 - Another piece of wistfulness.
(4) Star of the Age – From the Album: Animal Joy, Released 2012 – I adore the concert-closing, arena-rock vibe to this. First time I listened to it, I had the Zippo up in the air.
(3) Backchannels – From the Album: Jet Plane and Oxbow, Released 2016 – I adore the shimmering, ambient groove in this one.
(2) Insolence – From the Album: Animal Joy, Released 2012 – This is one of those rare songs that I think is a sheer powerhouse of impact and emotion in every sense of the word. The lyrics, especially those toward the end of the song, hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. Being well into my adult life, and definitely not where I wanted to be, and facing the fact that I will probably NEVER get there… I can really identify with this.
Where were you?
Where were you?
All of your life, inside a chrysalis… writhing.
(1) The Snow Leopard – From the Album: Rook, Released 2008 – Eight years on, and this song can still bring me to tears almost every time I hear it. I can’t really state it any other way than I think this is a freakishly gorgeous masterpiece. A true, musical Magnum Opus.
The way is to climb,
the way is to lie still
and let the moon do its work on your body.
And then to rise,
forests and oceans of life,
and through the way of the black rocks,
splitting, wide,
and flow ten thousand miles…
There are quite a few other songs by this band that I really like as well, and it was very difficult to choose which ones to link to, nevertheless, I feel these stand a little above the rest. JMO and YMMV, and all of that…
So, without further ado, here are my top ten personal favourites from Shearwater, in descending order:
(10) A Hush – From the album: Winged Life, Released 2004
(9) Rooks – From the Album: Rook, Released 2008 – I’ve performed this one at Feral.
(8) Castaways – From the Album: The Golden Archipelago, Released 2010
(7) Leviathan, Bound – From the Album: Rook, Released 2008 – I’m sold on the hammered dulcimer, alone.
(6) The World in 1984 – From the Album: Winged Life, Released 2004 – I think there is some real wistful magic in this song, and the halcyon days that I still remember well is what hits me the most about it. Of course, as was stated best in Calvin & Hobbes: Halcyonity is only awarded retroactively. :P
(5) Wildlife in America – From the Album: Jet Plane and Oxbow, Released 2016 - Another piece of wistfulness.
(4) Star of the Age – From the Album: Animal Joy, Released 2012 – I adore the concert-closing, arena-rock vibe to this. First time I listened to it, I had the Zippo up in the air.
(3) Backchannels – From the Album: Jet Plane and Oxbow, Released 2016 – I adore the shimmering, ambient groove in this one.
(2) Insolence – From the Album: Animal Joy, Released 2012 – This is one of those rare songs that I think is a sheer powerhouse of impact and emotion in every sense of the word. The lyrics, especially those toward the end of the song, hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. Being well into my adult life, and definitely not where I wanted to be, and facing the fact that I will probably NEVER get there… I can really identify with this.
Where were you?
Where were you?
All of your life, inside a chrysalis… writhing.
(1) The Snow Leopard – From the Album: Rook, Released 2008 – Eight years on, and this song can still bring me to tears almost every time I hear it. I can’t really state it any other way than I think this is a freakishly gorgeous masterpiece. A true, musical Magnum Opus.
The way is to climb,
the way is to lie still
and let the moon do its work on your body.
And then to rise,
forests and oceans of life,
and through the way of the black rocks,
splitting, wide,
and flow ten thousand miles…
There are quite a few other songs by this band that I really like as well, and it was very difficult to choose which ones to link to, nevertheless, I feel these stand a little above the rest. JMO and YMMV, and all of that…
Thoughts on Orlando...
Posted 8 years agoMy feelings on radical Islam (which I've expressed in many of my pieces), have cost me more than a few LTQGB friends over the past few years, generally amidst accusations of "Islamophobia", (never mind the fact that I have NEVER attacked Islam as a whole).
Nevertheless, what we're faced with right now is well over 50 families in Orlando (and likely soon to be more), who are now dealing with the wanton and brutal murder of a loved one, simply because someone believed that their invisible sky pixie told them to do it.
I will state clearly and once again, that this is the SAME dogma that sees gay men hanged high from cranes in Iran, gays and lesbians beheaded for 'sodomy' in Saudi Arabia, castrated and/or forced into sex changes in Uganda and a number of other African countries...
If my feeling that any sort of radical dogma that would celebrate these sorts of horrors not only cannot EVER "Coexist" with decent and civilised humanity, but in fact needs to simply be eradicated with extreme prejudice, somehow makes me 'racist' or 'Islamophobic', then that's just the way the cookie crumbles.
Nevertheless, what we're faced with right now is well over 50 families in Orlando (and likely soon to be more), who are now dealing with the wanton and brutal murder of a loved one, simply because someone believed that their invisible sky pixie told them to do it.
I will state clearly and once again, that this is the SAME dogma that sees gay men hanged high from cranes in Iran, gays and lesbians beheaded for 'sodomy' in Saudi Arabia, castrated and/or forced into sex changes in Uganda and a number of other African countries...
If my feeling that any sort of radical dogma that would celebrate these sorts of horrors not only cannot EVER "Coexist" with decent and civilised humanity, but in fact needs to simply be eradicated with extreme prejudice, somehow makes me 'racist' or 'Islamophobic', then that's just the way the cookie crumbles.
My Cat-Loss Trifecta for 2015 is now complete...
Posted 8 years agoHey, constant readers...
I must apologise in advance that this has taken me a week to write about, but it has just been too raw. Folks will recall that on 3 May, my 15 1/2 year old Tuxedo tom-cat Sebastian (the inspiration for several pieces including 'Calico Cat & Tuxedo Tom'), crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
And then, on 11 Nov, Drifter, the 16 1/2 year old male cougar belonging to Shastacat, and with whom I had worked for well over a decade as part of a research project I have been involved in, likewise crossed...
At the time that I lost Sebastian, I stated that his lifelong calico mate Tanita III (also an inspiration for a number of poems, including the aforementioned, as well as mother of several of Sebastian's kittens), was not taking it well. Unfortunately, those words proved prophetic, as she never got over it, even when I ultimately adopted a young black kitten named Hunter to keep her company. Over the sumer, Tanita began to develop tumours, and during the time I was in FL last month, she developed a fast-growing mammary tumour, which was noticeable upon my return.
It proved inoperable, and I was faced with the very hard decision to have the Vet facilitate her passage. Hence, after taking her home for one, last weekend, Dowager Queen Tanita III went home to the eternal bosom of Mother Bastet on 14 December 2015.
The hole in my heart is more profound than words can express.
I have not only lost a great friend, but also my purring nighttime cuddle-pillow, and self-appointed feline hairdresser.
Hunter is sill looking for her, but has also responded by seeming to have decided to take over Tanita's pillow and hair-care duties...
I must apologise in advance that this has taken me a week to write about, but it has just been too raw. Folks will recall that on 3 May, my 15 1/2 year old Tuxedo tom-cat Sebastian (the inspiration for several pieces including 'Calico Cat & Tuxedo Tom'), crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
And then, on 11 Nov, Drifter, the 16 1/2 year old male cougar belonging to Shastacat, and with whom I had worked for well over a decade as part of a research project I have been involved in, likewise crossed...
At the time that I lost Sebastian, I stated that his lifelong calico mate Tanita III (also an inspiration for a number of poems, including the aforementioned, as well as mother of several of Sebastian's kittens), was not taking it well. Unfortunately, those words proved prophetic, as she never got over it, even when I ultimately adopted a young black kitten named Hunter to keep her company. Over the sumer, Tanita began to develop tumours, and during the time I was in FL last month, she developed a fast-growing mammary tumour, which was noticeable upon my return.
It proved inoperable, and I was faced with the very hard decision to have the Vet facilitate her passage. Hence, after taking her home for one, last weekend, Dowager Queen Tanita III went home to the eternal bosom of Mother Bastet on 14 December 2015.
The hole in my heart is more profound than words can express.
I have not only lost a great friend, but also my purring nighttime cuddle-pillow, and self-appointed feline hairdresser.
Hunter is sill looking for her, but has also responded by seeming to have decided to take over Tanita's pillow and hair-care duties...
Uhm... Wow.
Posted 8 years agoDid I really just see a Scientology® banner on this site?
GMAFB!!!
What's next? Mistress Cleo, or the Psychic Fiends Network?
GMAFB!!!
What's next? Mistress Cleo, or the Psychic Fiends Network?
A couple of songs I've REALLY been feeling lately...
Posted 8 years agoAs it says in the title, I'm thinking of a few really angsty pieces that I listened to a great deal in my final year of High School...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_BoAXopS54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3oQgAFBfWU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_BoAXopS54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3oQgAFBfWU
My Fourth Collection: Veruca Salt Goes to College
Posted 8 years agoSince the attempt to obtain art for the cover didn't work out, I've been forced to go with a plain cover...
But, just like your Momma always told you, it's what's inside that counts. :)
http://www.lulu.com/shop/trevor-pat.....-22312394.html
But, just like your Momma always told you, it's what's inside that counts. :)
http://www.lulu.com/shop/trevor-pat.....-22312394.html