Book reading: The Butcher Boy

So far, so good. Irish kid goes insane. Pretty cool writing style……. so far. I just hoope it doesn't turn into something like the cinamatic style of The Blair Witch Project. I almost barfed.

Last movie watched: Somebody Up There Likes Me

A Classic. Based on the life of Rocky Graziano, this film stars a young Paul Newman (perhaps overacting a bit) Sal Mineo, Pier Angeli, and if you look close you'll see Steve McQueen doing one of his first bit parts as a punk hoodlum.

I've seen this before, but I found it used today for $10. Woo-Hoo!!

Last Cd listened to: Beethoven 'Piano Sonatas op.7, 49, 54, Op. 27, #1'

Just piano. Listen to the whole thing here. Fantastic, particularly Allegro molto vivace, from Quasi una Fantasia.

Last Cigarette Smoked: 'Arrows', Baby! Shit, I'm smoking one right now………

Thank you First Nations! Don't tell the Indians that smoking's bad for you……. THEY INVENTED IT!

Well……. today's the big day. I finally had to admit to myself that I'm more comfortable with the 'large' size text while browsing.

Hey, at least I've got another upsize to get to. I'm still not using the largest size text yet. (I'm using IE7 [what? You're using something else? What are you a communist or something???…….])

Oh well……… at least I'm not wearing specs yet.

Soon enough tho. Eventually my arms are not gonna be long enough to focus on anything anymore.

I've been working on a song about the town I was born in, and as I thought about my young years in St. John New Brunswick, I remembered a series of photographs that brought it all flooding back to me.

There was a young man named Ian MacEachern running around St. John with a camera photographing his little world for posterity. It just so happens that that little world was also my little world. 

I ran across this series of photographs a couple of years ago, and couldn't believe my eyes! I practically expected to see myself popping up in one of these shots. (I'm not in any of them, but I might as well be any one of the kids pictured)

My eyes watered up as I re-lived the streets and backyards of my youth. This is where I come from. This is who I am. Yes, we were dog poor, we just didn't realize it until somebody told us……….

I remember walking over this bridge. It's Rockland road. The street we lived on!

I remember this 'Export "A"' sign -it was the brand that my mother smoked.

This shot could have been taken anywhere near my house.

We lived up on the hill to the left and behind Union Station. (note: wrong side of the tracks!!!)

I remember getting in touch with Mr. MacEachern and thanking him. He sent me back a nice little email talking about those days.

Unfortunately, he never met up with my father,  who was a professional photographer his whole life, and who at that time, worked out of Harvey Studios in St. John.

Ironic, huh?

Take a look at some of the other photos on Ian MacEachern's site. He was hip enough to catch 'The Velvet Underground' at McMaster University in Hamilton in '66, and yet sensitive enough to grasp the tragedies at the old Queen st. Asylum.

Of course I'm biased here, but even without the 'St. John' series of photographs, I'd still have to say that MacEachern is one of the greatest photojournalists that I've ever seen.

In my life.

In 1927, a car practically coasted out of the hills of Virginia into the then teeming town of Bristol. The occupants had come in response to an ad placed in the local newspaper by a fellow named Ralph Peer, with the hope of auditioning, and quite possibly recording some sides.

(more…)

Many years ago, I played in a band called the Phantoms here in Toronto. Lately a few people from the past have gotten in touch with me with regards to my doings.

One of them Boyce Richardson, father of Phantoms bassist Ben Richardson, has his own (self described as 'left wing ravings') blog, and wrote a charming little piece about us.

It's gonna take me a while to sift through Boyce's site, it seems huge! You can access his front page here.

testing

Holy shit! Enrico Fermi, Oriana Fallaci, Umberto Ecco, Guglielmo Marconi, Sam Giancana…….. -I could go on forever…… but since this is a (supposedly) musical themed blog, I'll just try and focus on that aspect, -specifically, male 'pop' singers, loosely evolved out of the 'bel canto' tradition.

From the suave sophistication of Frank Sinatra, to the cool aloofness of Dean Martin, and the heartfelt sincerity of Tony Bennett, it seemed that for a while, they had the market cornered.

I love 'em all, but the one I've been listening to a lot lately is Louis Prima!

Most people today (unfortunately) only know of Prima through that asshole David Lee Roth's cover of 'Just a Gigolo - I Ain't got Nobody.' Too bad.

Dig a little deeper any you'll find gems like 'Closer to the Bone,' 'That Old Black Magic,' 'Pennies From Heaven.'

Louis always seemed like he was on the verge of going completely out of control. Like his head was about to explode.

Smart enough to surround himself with the likes of Keely Smith, and that horribly underrated marvel of the tenor sax Sam Butera, Prima busted 'em up wherever he went!

And -for bonus points- Louis is the voice of King Louie in 'The Jungle Book.' How cool is that?

-total hits so far this month: 23550 (most of 'em me, and robots trying to spam me no doubt)

-busiest hour: 1 a.m.; averaging 188 hits per hour for jan.

-busiest day this year so far: jan. 1; 2830 hits

-busiest 'url': this blog; averaging 352 hits per day

-top referrers: google dot ca., followed by google dot com

-top search string: 'Brokenjoe', followed by 'broken joe'

-Usage by country: US (70%) followed by Canada (20%)

-Weird shit: 9 hits from Saudi Arabia; 4 hits from Seychelles; 42 hits from Switzerland (WTF??)

So, I wouldn't really say that I'm 'on fire' here, but it's interesting to see how many people/androids are tuning in. Not bad for a pile of shit!

What the hell…….. I'll give it a shot………..

Let's see………

Both men were the best that there ever was in their fields. Both men changed the way we percieve their respective vocations.

Both men are extremely humble -almost to the point of being shy.

Both men have a boyishly handsome gap in their teeth.

Too bad Lester Flatt is dead. It would be interesting to see if Wayne Gretzky could have scored all those goals if Flatt was passing to him.

………probably wouldn't-a mattered……….

Or……

Do you think the combination of Mark Messier and Earl Scruggs woulda' made it into the Country Music Hall of Fame? 

………yes…….

O.k., O.k……..

So this guy is really trying to fuck this girl that he met so he decides to take her to Vegas.

He books a room at the 'Sands' 'cause Sinatra's playing there.

They check into their ritzy hotel room, and the fella says 'sit tight for a couple of minutes baby, I'm gonna go downstairs and check out all the perks.'

He walks out into the hall, calls the elevator, and when he boards, who should be going down in the car but Sinatra himself!

'Holy Jesus', this guy thinks………'now's my chance to make a big impression on this chick!'

He plays it cool for a few seconds, and then he leans in close to Frank and says 'Hello Mr. Sinatra. I'm here with my girlfriend, and it would really impress her if you came over to our table at the end of your show and said 'Hi Joe' to me. 

Sinatra glares back at him, but then he relents and says to Joe 'Alright pal. Wait until after I do my encore and the room has cleared. I'll come over to your table, ask you how your doing, and then shake hands.'

Well…… Joe's over the moon! Here's his big chance. He Says to Sinatra 'thank you so much Mr Sinatra. This is the best thing anyone has ever done for me in my entire life!!!!'

Well, a couple of hours later, Joe and his girlfriend go down to the dining club, have a great meal, and enjoy a superb show by 'The Chairman of the Board' himself. They watch as he does his encore, and just as things seem like they're wrapping up for the evening, Joe orders a couple more drinks and says to his girlfriend 'Let's have another round, and savor the night. This is a fantastic evening!'

In a moment or two, their drinks show up, and as they sit sipping their cocktails, who should appear from the side of the curtain but 'Ol Blue Eyes himself!!!

Sinatra walks right over to their table and extending his hand to shake says to Joe 'Hiya Joe. Glad you could make it. How's things?'

Joe looks up to Sinatra, and without missing a beat shoots back 'Jesus Frank….. how many times have I got to tell you? Fuck Off! Can't you see I'm with a lady???'

…..Sorry..