Positive Songs For Negative Times #68: Poor Blind Birds

The war goes on.

Prices keep going up.

Covid could be set to surge again soon.

On the positive side, the oil companies are enjoying record profits and Boris has been let off with a slap on the wrist for repeatedly breaking the law and lying to everyone about it.

So it's not all bad, is it?

The Felice Brothers continue to provide me with a wealth of entertainment. I'm currently enjoying their 2019 album Undress, which contains many fine tunes, not least this one. It seems particularly apt today.

We live in a world we can't understand

Poor blind birds, if we're anything

And the world is not what it seems

To poor blind birds

Grumpy Old Men Songs #19: Money, Compliments & Publicity

It's exactly two months since I turned 50, and because I went into a lying in a dark room sulk for a couple of weeks straight after, I never posted my 50th birthday presents. Here they are, for posterity; photo taken in our cliff-top retreat. The Brit-Pop Top Trumps were from Ben. I was thinking of doing a series based around them, but I'd rather just fill this blog up with more existential whinging.

Here's another Grumpy Old Man who has featured here before, and will no doubt do so again. Todd Snider is the gift that keeps on giving, like The Dude if he'd followed Creedence's example and spent less time bowling and more time writing songs.

So many great lines in this song, I'm tempted to quote them all. Or you could just listen to it and discover them for yourselves. I'm not going to spoon-feed you!

I went to see this therapist

She said, "Just do the best you can do"

Do the best you can do?

I was hoping for something more specific

2022 Contenders: Even More Shakespeare

This year, rather than releasing 3 new albums, Weezer are instead releasing 4 new EPs (that's a reduced work ethic for these guys). However, the first one, SZNZ: Spring, has seven tracks on it, so that's bigger than most EPs. Weezer are always worth a listen, but like most artists who release everything they record, they could do with a little more quality control. These days though, where new content is king, they're probably doing the right thing to maximise the old streaming revenue. What do I know? It's a crazy world.

Anyway, Weezer promised these new records were "inspired by magic, Pagan myths, religious rituals, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Shakespeare & more", and track one certainly fulfills the promise of the Bard... it even sounds a little bit "hey nonny nonny", with added Weezer guitars.

Hamlet makes me happy

Falstaff makes me happy

So happy, and I'm happy to be with you

Rosalind makes me happy

Beatrice makes me happy

So happy, and I'm happy to be with you

Hamlet makes me happy too. Sadly, I don't get to teach my favourite Shakespeare play as it's not on the syllabus. Lots of Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, and last week I even had to teach Twelfth Night... which I've never even read. Just stay a few pages ahead of the class and you'll be fine...

Conversations With Ben #28: The Blind & The Bald

Rol: Since getting my glasses, I've found reading much easier. I know that sounds really obvious, but whenever I've sat down to read anything over the past few years, I've ended up really tired after a chapter and ready to quit. Clearly I've been straining my eyes for a long time.

Ben: Have you tried looking at a tree yet? That was what was most notable. Its like the branches as leaves had become HD.

They're reading glasses. My long sight is fine. But I presume you mean close up.

Still, did everything suddenly seem much clearer? Like more than you were expecting? That's what surprised me.

Only things that are a reading arm's length from my face. Everything else is as blurry  with the glasses on. Which is probably for the best.

I saw that he visited Ukraine yesterday.

Why on earth...? Haven't they suffered enough?

Maybe Putin sent him. Sleeper soldier.

Putin strikes me as more of a Simple Minds man.

Don't nuke forget about me?

Jim Kerr. In Spain, they call him Juan.

I thought that was John?

Think about it...

I used to work with a Jim Kerr. He was a Glaswegian with a big scar on his face.

My wit is wasted on you.

Wit?

New Jamie T song is great.

Yeah, it's not bad.

Statham in the MCU?

No.

Just no.

He's been cast.

It's not me speculating.

I'm just speculating who he's been cast as.

Dr Doom.

"I fackin hate you, Reed Richards!"

That's Danny Dyer.

Oi, Reed. You slaaaaag.

Yer doin me fakkin nut in.

He's too busy doing quiz shows.

I think his Wall show is quite funny. Me and Mrs. Ben have created this narrative that he thinks the wall is alive and is his enemy.

I wish he'd get buried under it.

I think it's filmed somewhere in Europe so there'd be a lot of red tape to enable that.

You have to spoil all my plans.

Blame BoJo, not me. We'd still be able to do it if we were in the EU.

If Cameron had mentioned burying Danny Dyer under a wall, the Brexit vote would have gone the other way.

Looks like we need to get Red Wedge back together to help us.

Whatever happened to Ken Livingston?

This is something I can get behind.

"Commenting on a man’s baldness in the workplace is equivalent to remarking on the size of a woman’s breasts."

All those ladies staring at my scalp.

Would you be less upset by the “Anglo-Saxon” language than the comment on your appearance?

Yes. I am a Celt.

I've been saying that for years.

Goes back to when the Romans invaded. It was the Celts who went, "yep. We have no allegiance to these deities, gimme day Jesus."

Sorry. Just put my glasses on. I misread what you said above.

Monday Morning Blues #2: The Original Talkin' Blues

I'm a big fan of Talkin' Blues songs, as popularised by the likes of  Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs, and in more recent times by artists such as Todd Snider and Dan Bern. They say it's the original rap music, and who am I to argue with they?

But what was the first ever Talkin' Blues record? Well, it's this one, by Chris Bouchillon, recorded in 1926. Apparently he had a terrible singing voice, but a great sense of humour...

Blues to cheer up your Monday morning. That's what we need!