June 12th is a a national holiday in Russia, commemorating the end of the Soviet Union back in 1990. And if that just makes you think of the WONDERFULNESS done since by that VERY NICE MAN Vladimir Putin then, GOOD FOR YOU.
(This post has been edited to stop the bots reporting me. I don't want to end up in a Siberian Salt Mine, thank you very much. I've got in enough trouble for slagging off Trump all the time.)
Remember what Sting told us - the Russians love their children too!
These are the sons and the daughters of parents who died in the last one
Do you think that they want to go through that again?
The destruction, the bloodshed, the suffering and pain
In the second world war, out of every three dead, one was Russian
If we try with all of our power
Can we not find a way to peacefully settle our difference?
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Cold War, it's a day to celebrate that strange visitor from another planet who became a symbol of truth, justice and the American Way. Except they don't say that anymore - in fact, about 15 years ago, Superman renounced his American citizenship and now represents "Truth, justice and a better tomorrow". Considering he's still an immigrant, it's a wonder the Tangerine Tosspot hasn't tried to have him deported. Or maybe he's worried the Man of Steel would move to Russia...?
Introducing C's guest post yesterday, we had David MacCallum, a one-time Invisible Man. Today, C sent me a lovely photo of Pauline Murray, without her Invisible Girls. And here they are reunited...
A quick dash through the four final songs on this CD... it's Halt Term, so my blog-hours are limited.
Track 17: Joshua Kadison - Jessie
I like a good heartfelt piano ballad. And beyond the obvious candidates (Billy, Elton), there are a lot of one hit wonder types who do this sort of thing very well too. Randy Edelman. Bruce Hornsby. Marc Cohn. And here's another one - from 1993, when I was 21 and really shouldn't have been listening to this sort of thing. Except that I was a hopeless romantic even then, so while all the cool kids were getting into grunge, I was getting down to Joshua Kadison. (Grunge came later.)
From a phone booth in Vegas, Jessie calls at five am To tell me how she's tired of all of them She says, "Baby, I've been thinking 'bout a trailer by the sea We could go to Mexico... you, the cat, and me We'll drink tequila and look for seashells Now, doesn't that sound sweet?" Oh, Jessie, you always do this every time I get back on my feet
Looking at the video, which I don't think I've ever seen before, Kadison wouldn't have looked out of place in the grunge scene, with his long unkempt hair and sleeveless vests. Fair play to him then for going out and recording this kind of epic singer-songwritery slush when all the cool kids were doing the whole quite-loud thing with their angst.
Apparently he wasn't quite a One Hit Wonder in the States, and his second hit, Beautiful In My Eyes, became a big wedding favourite. The video of that has him riding down the highway like Bon Jovi... but he still sounds like a 90s Dan Fogelberg tribute act. Jessie is a far better tune.
Track 18: The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
You don't get much more old skool than this. Of course, I wasn't in to rap music in 1979. Apart from Debbie Harry, who was? But I came to appreciate this later, like most people, and probably prefer it to most of the rap that followed. It's got a sense of humour, which a lot of rap seems to lack these days (or if it is funny, it's nasty-funny), and while the rhymes start out pretty basic, if you take a listen to the longer version, there are all kinds of hidden treats, including this gem of a story from Wonder Mike...
Ever went over a friend's house to eat and the food just ain't no good? I mean the macaroni's soggy, the peas are mushed, and the chicken tastes like wood So you try to play it off like you think you can, by sayin' that you're full And then your friend says, "Momma, he just being polite, he ain't finished, uh-uh, that's bull!" And so your heart starts pumpin', and you think of a lie, and you say that you already ate And your friend says, "Man, there's plenty of food!" so you pile some more on your plate And while the stinky foods steamin' your mind starts to dreamin' of the moment that it's time to leave And then you look at your plate and your chicken's slowly rottin' into something that looks like cheese
Oh, so you say, "That's it, I got to leave this place! I don't care what these people think I'm just sittin' here makin' myself nauseous with this ugly food that stinks!" And so you bust out the door while it's still closed, still sick from the food you ate And then you run to the store for quick relief from a bottle of Kaopectate And then you call your friend two weeks later to see how he has been And he says, "I understand about the food, baby bubbah, but we're still friends"
Many years later, I'm sure Flight of The Conchords paid tribute to that here...
I didn't put the long version on CD32, but I reckon Sam might be ready for it now.
Track 19: Huey Lewis & The News - The Heart of Rock n Roll
I've probably said enough about these guys recently. Besides, Huey says it best...
When they play their music, ooh that modern music They like it with a lot of style But it's still that same old back beat rhythm That really, really drives 'em wild
They say the heart of rock and roll is still beating And from what I've seen I believe 'em Now the old boy may be barely breathing But the heart of rock and roll, heart of rock and roll is still beating
Track 20: The Beatles - I Should Have Known Better
I'll be honest - I've no idea why I ended this CD with such an obscure Beatles track. The early CDs were pretty Beatles heavy, because they're often good basic catchy melodies that little kids dig... no wonder they were so successful. Keep It Simple, Stupid. But there were plenty of more obvious tracks I still hadn't featured by the time I hit CD32... maybe this was the exact right length for the space I had left on the CD? It wouldn't be the first time that criteria has led to a final song selection...
OK, that's it for CD32. We'll start another one next week. Bet you can hardly wait!
Over the Half Term holiday, I had a visit from our local Reform Councillor. The first one to be elected in our area, and he was obviously chuffed with himself and his shiny blue rosette. I was loading my car up in preparation for a trip to the tip when I saw him knocking on the neighbours’ doors, and though I didn’t immediately know what party he represented, I had my suspicions.
When he approached and identified himself, I gave him both barrels.
“Turn around, go away and never come near my house again.”
“Very well, sir,” he replied, obviously accustomed to abuse, “that’s your right in a democratic society. But do you mind if I ask why you’re saying that?”
“Because I’ve seen what’s happening in America and I don’t want the same thing to happen over here.”
“Well, America’s very different to here.”
“It won’t be if you lot get in.”
This went on a bit more, and I ended up calling him and his brethren a “bunch of racists”, which he denied, quietly, as he moved on to the next house.
Afterwards, I regretted my outburst. I should have just turned away immediately and not let myself be drawn into any kind of discussion. Why didn’t I?
Because he was outside my home. And as such, he was directly invading my Environment.
You may remember in the last couple of editions of this very sporadic series, I mentioned Dr. R. Douglas Fields’ list of nine triggers for anger, summed up in the acronym LIFEMORTS. I’ve previously looked at the first three letters – L for Life or Limb, I for Insult, and F for Family. The next is E – the anger we feel when something invades our environment, our home, our safe place – even our personal space. In a recent interview, Dr. Fields explained…
“… animals who are territorial will protect their territory with violence. And we can see that in many animals in nature. But humans are fiercely territorial. Trespassers will be shot.”
“One of the main functions of territorial behaviour for humans is the preservation of privacy. Having a place where we can control who has access to us and when is essential for normal day-to-day functioning, and a lack of such control can be quite dispiriting and stressful.”
It goes on to suggest that this is one of the reasons homelessness has such profound psychological effects on people. We are hard-wired to need our own safe cave to retreat to when the world gets too much. And when the sabretooth tiger steps into our cave looking for a meal… how can we ever feel safe there again?
When I was in the Sixth Form and we’d just started passing our driving tests, we would occasionally get to borrow a parental car and give friends a lift home from school. I have a vivid memory of the time we dropped my friend Rachel off at her house only for her to come running back out in tears moments later. Her home had been broken into while everyone was at work / school, and the burglars had ransacked the place. The police even found a shotgun propped up against a wall in the living room, suggesting that the thieves might have had to leave in a hurry – perhaps when they heard us pull up outside.
Rachel and her family were obviously deeply affected by this, but they were tough Yorkshire folk, and I guess they got over it. Her parents stayed in that house for a good many years afterwards, but I know a lot of people never get over a burglary or home invasion, and their only option is to move.
Scientists suggest we don’t have to be in a place for a long time for us to start feeling territorial. One study, cited in Psychology Today, reported that…
“…when a person seated at a table in a university snack bar for five minutes or less was approached by a stranger who asked them to move, they invariably complied and often offered an apology as well. However, if the person had been seated there for a much longer period of time, they usually refused to move.”
Have you ever been sat on a park bench, just enjoying the sunshine and the birdsong, the breeze on your face… and someone else has plonked themselves down on the same bench? On your bench? How does that make you feel? Maybe you’re a sociable soul and you welcome the company. Or maybe it depends how long you’ve been sitting there.
Territorial rage can even exist on the interweb. I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets a bit miffed when I receive spam comments on my blog – but it’s worse still when Mr. Angry From Purley has a rant about something I’ve written. And check out all those people getting into heated arguments on social media – your Facebook account is another safe space. When some dickhead invades that with a comment they’d never make in real life… watch out!
Territorial anger is a natural human reaction then… so next time a Reform candidate comes knocking on your door, don’t beat yourself up about slamming it in his gammony face.
Here's a song about someone who gets very angry when someone invades his space... be warned that it features a fair bit of bad language. Even worse than what I said to the Neo-Nazi.
You can pretty much tell AI didn't come up with that image, can't you? What can I say, I'm an old-fashioned guy, and I wanted a picture of a square dude holding a camera. Unlike yesterday when I showed you one of the residents of Albert's Square holding a camera.
All in aid of - with great thanks to our resident Maths teacher, George, for suggesting the theme and many of the tunes - songs about Square Numbers. Working our way from the square of 15... down to the square of 1.
