TO WHERE I AM NOW

Today we found out that we can go out. We can sunbathe (but aren’t we in England?). Restrictions lifted for daily exercise (we need to exercise?) and we can drive to beauty spots (they’re giving us a car?). All this depends on decreasing numbers of infection and death due to the virus. On June 1st they are talking about opening the shops and the schools, on July 1st pubs and restaurants. But what happens if the deaths and infections increase? Can the country/the world stay closed? Answers on a postcard.

Also today we got our first noise complaint in nearly 20 years. A note from the flats opposite the studio building complaining about the “base” and constant “boom boom”. Signed with the threat to call the council if it doesn’t stop, by Anonymous. Obviously not written in the spirit of cooperation, we wonder what is happening to people. How about talking to us? It’s really sad how you can bring up something that is bothering you without any attempt to solve the issue before the threat. Is this how we evolve as people? Well at least we’re in good company (you can listen to this play out on the Abbey Rd outtakes album):

“With their amps turned up high, The Beatles received a noise complaint from one of the studio’s neighbours in the Soho area of the city. The take starts with Lennon exclaiming, “My boys are ready to go!” before the band is told about the complaint. Lennon replies, “What are they doing here at this time of night?” then lays it down: “Well, we’ll try it once more very loud. And then if we don’t get it, we’ll try it quiet, like it might do it the other way. OK. The loud one, last go. Last chance to be loud!”

Once I was playing at the Fillmore in San Francisco and after arriving at soundcheck the in-house crew informed us that it was crucial that we keep the back stage doors and loading bay doors at the back of the building closed at all times. Residents in the newer buildings were complaining, even about soundcheck in mid-afternoon. Who moves to spitting distance of The Fillmore and complains about noise? I’ve heard this story many times. In Portobello Road residents were complaining about the market traders setting up early in the morning, something they have done for over 100 years. When venues are closing down because of an angry resident who lives in the thick of an area, that is the part of town with clubs, bars and venues, you wonder about the mindset. You may remember the story of Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen performing together and going over curfew (just) at Hyde Park. The organizers pulled the plug before they could thank the crowd of 65,000 people – they did it to comply with their license which ends the show at 11.30PM in order to protect the local residents. If you can afford to live that close to an occasional concert in Hyde Park then you could afford artists’ flexibility in running times. The world has gone mad.

In America I have fallen foul of these kinds of laws on a couple of occasions. Once in LA at the House Of Blues when I both smoked and drank, I was in the main room waiting for soundcheck with a cigarette (I presume it was a cigarette) and a bottle of beer. The venue was closed. A rather rude and heavy looking ungentleman said “You can’t smoke in here” so I went to the back door and stepped outside. He followed me and without a hint of irony said “You can’t drink outside”. So I straddled the line at the door between the inside and the outside with my smoke in my left hand and my beer in my right so neither were breaking the rules. He was a little perplexed as to what to do as I wasn’t breaking any rules but was definitely showing some serious attitude.

Okay, these poor employees are just doing their jobs but as Barry McGuire said in his classic rendition of P.F. Sloane’s Eve Of Destruction, “You’re old enough to kill but not for votin’”. Aren’t some rules archaic or obviously ridiculous? In America you can buy a shotgun or rifle at 18 but not a beer till your 21. The argument is that people kill people, not guns. But in a country that has tens of thousands of gun deaths a year, that theory isn’t really working, is it? Here’s a disturbing statistic:

In 2017, gun deaths reached their highest level since 1968 with 39,773 deaths by firearm, of which 23,854 were by suicide and 14,542 were homicides. The rate of firearm deaths per 100,000 people rose from 10.3 per 100,000 in 1999 to 12 per 100,000 in 2017, with 109 people dying per day. In Canada the rate is 1.8 homicides per 100,000 people, a country that also has a lot of guns, they just don’t shoot each other so much. Due to the last mass shooting in Canada, Trudeau has banned the sale of 1,500 types of assault weapons. Can you even believe that there are that many variations? At the beginning of this month he said, “These weapons were designed for one purpose and one purpose only – only to kill the largest amount of people in the shortest amount of time. You don’t need an AR-15 to bring down a deer”.

I don’t really need to post statistics from other Western countries, but I must say I wasn’t aware and was shocked by the amount of suicide gun deaths in America each year.

It was very confusing to the Prog fans when Kansas cancelled their European tour in 2017 because “Europe was too dangerous”. It seems that it’s not really a debate you can have with someone with opposing views, so please, I don’t need a response that justifies this madness, let’s beg to differ till you grow a brain (that’s not going to be blown out of your head with an AR -15).

Today was a mega sessions and studio today. Tony making progress with his EP in Sydney, more on that as studio time grows nearer. Rajan in Brooklyn and Joanne in Portland prolific as ever, trying to find the process that leads from idea to release and Doug near Woodstock who’ll be playing there at this rate.

Space Summit had me playing a little bass, tambourine and bongos, perhaps those bongos were that annoying “boom boom”. There is a ground floor flat in the building opposite that always has a glaring bright light on and no curtains, I wonder why they wouldn’t be bothered by that?

Music today was trying to find solace in old faithfuls after a trying day of complaints and a busy day of music. I also recommended this album to Doug. It’s Argus by Wishbone Ash from 1972, a seventies classic with great songs and harmonies and lovely twin guitars.

Yesterday in a session with Brian in Florida, Yes came up, so that seemed like a cosy listen and so I dug out Fragile (1971). Never gets old. Great artwork, a Progressive classic.

But then a change of mood in Barry McGuire’s 1965 hit album Eve Of Destruction with its topical self-titled P.F. Sloan penned No.1 single. Sloan wrote hits for Herman’s Hermits (A Must To Avoid), Grass Roots, The Turtles, Mamas And The Papas, The Searchers. He wrote Secret Agent Man for Johnny Rivers that became the theme tune for Patrick McGoohan’s Danger Man, precursor to The Prisoner. His real name was Phillip Gary Schlien (the F stood for Flip). Jimmy Webb wrote a tribute song called, wait for it, P.F. Sloan in 1970. (Covered by Rumer in 2012.)

Twelve More Times was P.F. Sloan’s second album, released in 1966, Measure For Pleasure was his third album, released in 1968. Meaningful songs of the period that stand strong today. Somehow Tim Buckley, Harry Chapin, Don McClean, Gordon Lightfoot’s careers had more longevity probably because of hit songs written by them or recorded by others. In Tim Buckley’s case interest was revived due to Jeff’s genius and tragedy. McClean and Lightfoot will always be remembered by somebody for their classic hits, American Pie and Vincent and If You Could Read My Mind, The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald and the Dylan covered Early Mornin’ Rain and Tim Hardin for Reason To Believe and If I Were A Carpenter. Chapin for WOLD, Taxi, Cats In The Cradle. But as Dylan gets the Nobel prize, Dave Van Ronk (known as the Mayor Of MacDougal street and a Dylan influence), Phil Ochs and hundreds more wonderful singer-songwriters, Folk singers, protest singers, need to have their spirits kept alive and like them P.F. Sloan demands your attention. Highly recommended. (And don’t forget John Prine who died of corona!)

Song Of The Day is Song For Victor Jara in appreciation of protest against insanity. This concept is of course subjective, but ask yourself this – Why are scientists trying to trick The Flat Earth Society into thinking the Earth is round?

 

Song For Victor Jara

If these walls could speak
Of the things that you done
Behind metal doors
The beast you’ve become

With your pliers and chains
And a gun in your hand
But I’d rather die
Than to kneel in the sand

Hear my song, sing along
Hear my song

History
Will condemn you I know
For my blood is wine
Though my agony’s slow

Every scar
That you tear in my face
Is a river of life
For the whole human race

Hear my song, sing along
Hear my song

Hail the light
Hail the kiss of your fist
I am laughing/crying out loud
As you’re breaking my wrist

You will live in fear
Because there’s thousands like me
Dare you see me die
With my dignity

Hear my song, sing along
Hear my song, sing along
Hear my song

(Willson-Piper)
Nightjar (2008)