When I saw Elvis Costello the Philadelphia crowd booed and shouted "Get off the stage you fat pig!" So your question might be better adding, "Why do people have to get old and fat?" ; )
Those late 70s early 80s E.C. records are on fire, pure solid gold. Getting older is a real drag Grammaw is 90 and having a rough time, she is ready to shuffle off but her body says to continue. All the punk whippersnappers and poseur conformists are aging too though so it is indeed a double edged sword.
Melvin, one of the things I like best about that late-seventies time period was the way the Punk mindset infiltrated other genres/forms of music. EC, while not producing Punk music (at least not in the Ramones/Pistols style), certainly had a punk mindset, the anger, the attitude mixed w/ a little sarcastic humor, the middle finger to convention and expectation. The Punk movement was far more wide-ranging than the Pistols and a thousand imitators. Bands like the Wire, Jam, Specials, Siouxsie, Buzzcocks all were part of this movement in one way or another.
The aging thing is something I really struggle with (more than I can usually admit). My grandparents are all dead, but my mom, who is pushing eighty, is slowly deteriorating before my eyes. She's really all I have left in terms of immediate family not counting my wife(my big bro died way too young a few years back and my dad died in the mid-nineties). When I allow myself to open my eyes and really take a look around, I don't much like where all this is heading, so I keep them shut mostly (hence the blogs). What you mentioned about your grandmother reminded me of something an old droog once told me, something about how getting older is nothing more than a process of becoming on more and more intimate terms with death. Of course, at the time, I sneered and knocked back another beer, but in hindsight, that's exactly how it feels.
You have the blog family and readers. That is not an easy thing to come by. Sure anyone can put up a blog but that doesn't mean anyone wants to see it or read it or download files from there :o)
Melvin, I guess that's what the blog does for me. I know it's cyber but it does make me feel more connected to people with similar interests than I ever did before. Thanks for reminding me of this
scurfie, when I lost my dad 16 years ago, it changed everything for me (woke me up out a slumber I'd been in since my early twenties), but when my brother died about 18 months ago (He was 54), it broke my mom's spirit and I've been on a downward emotional spiral ever since. well, I probably shouldn't get too dark here in a blog comment box, but also in reference to Melvin's comment, even though its cyber, I consider you guys very good friends and in many ways more real to me than the friends I see in person
my father died on thursday morning, i was driving way too fast across Australia from Brisbane to Perth to see him, but i was a day late. it was a surreal day in the desert when i got the news. i feel really lost at the moment... everything's fucked.
oh, and i saw elvis in 1978, he was on fire musically, but he was a complete asshole on stage. but then i shouldn't be too harsh, after all i was an asshole in 1978 too :)
bedlam, all I can say is that I'm very sorry to hear about your father. I do have a sense of how you're feeling right now. During the last decade of my father's life, we lived 2000 miles apart. I would talk to him on the phone every couple of weeks but during our final conversation, we had a terrible argument and I slammed the phone down on him. Little did I know that three days later, I'd never have the chance to speak with him again. It's been 16 years and I still feel a gaping hole in my heart and life. My thoughts are with you my friend
thanks man. so sad for you vioxautre, at least i got to see dad about a month ago. we had a great talk, i got to say all the things to him i would've regretted not saying, if that makes sense.
bedlam, my father died suddenly of a heart attack; it was very unexpected, so I was still under the illusion that I had time to say all those things later on. Why is it so easy to put off telling people how important they are to us?
When I saw Elvis Costello the Philadelphia crowd booed and shouted "Get off the stage you fat pig!" So your question might be better adding, "Why do people have to get old and fat?" ; )
ReplyDeleteThose late 70s early 80s E.C. records are on fire, pure solid gold. Getting older is a real drag Grammaw is 90 and having a rough time, she is ready to shuffle off but her body says to continue. All the punk whippersnappers and poseur conformists are aging too though so it is indeed a double edged sword.
ReplyDeletescurfie, wow, Philadelphia has to have the most ironic motto the U.S. City of brotherly love my ass!
ReplyDeleteMelvin, one of the things I like best about that late-seventies time period was the way the Punk mindset infiltrated other genres/forms of music. EC, while not producing Punk music (at least not in the Ramones/Pistols style), certainly had a punk mindset, the anger, the attitude mixed w/ a little sarcastic humor, the middle finger to convention and expectation. The Punk movement was far more wide-ranging than the Pistols and a thousand imitators. Bands like the Wire, Jam, Specials, Siouxsie, Buzzcocks all were part of this movement in one way or another.
ReplyDeleteThe aging thing is something I really struggle with (more than I can usually admit). My grandparents are all dead, but my mom, who is pushing eighty, is slowly deteriorating before my eyes. She's really all I have left in terms of immediate family not counting my wife(my big bro died way too young a few years back and my dad died in the mid-nineties). When I allow myself to open my eyes and really take a look around, I don't much like where all this is heading, so I keep them shut mostly (hence the blogs). What you mentioned about your grandmother reminded me of something an old droog once told me, something about how getting older is nothing more than a process of becoming on more and more intimate terms with death. Of course, at the time, I sneered and knocked back another beer, but in hindsight, that's exactly how it feels.
You have the blog family and readers. That is not an easy thing to come by. Sure anyone can put up a blog but that doesn't mean anyone wants to see it or read it or download files from there :o)
ReplyDeleteNicely stated sir. Death is indeed the last call. I too lost my dad and it affected me much more than I thought it would. But we have today!
ReplyDeleteMelvin, I guess that's what the blog does for me. I know it's cyber but it does make me feel more connected to people with similar interests than I ever did before. Thanks for reminding me of this
ReplyDeletescurfie, when I lost my dad 16 years ago, it changed everything for me (woke me up out a slumber I'd been in since my early twenties), but when my brother died about 18 months ago (He was 54), it broke my mom's spirit and I've been on a downward emotional spiral ever since. well, I probably shouldn't get too dark here in a blog comment box, but also in reference to Melvin's comment, even though its cyber, I consider you guys very good friends and in many ways more real to me than the friends I see in person
ReplyDeletei remember this song from an atrocious 70's film called "Americathon"
ReplyDeleteFlying Spaghetti Monster, you know, I vaguely remember that movie. Wasn't John Ritter in that?
ReplyDeletemy father died on thursday morning, i was driving way too fast across Australia from Brisbane to Perth to see him, but i was a day late. it was a surreal day in the desert when i got the news. i feel really lost at the moment... everything's fucked.
ReplyDeleteoh, and i saw elvis in 1978, he was on fire musically, but he was a complete asshole on stage. but then i shouldn't be too harsh, after all i was an asshole in 1978 too :)
bedlam, all I can say is that I'm very sorry to hear about your father. I do have a sense of how you're feeling right now. During the last decade of my father's life, we lived 2000 miles apart. I would talk to him on the phone every couple of weeks but during our final conversation, we had a terrible argument and I slammed the phone down on him. Little did I know that three days later, I'd never have the chance to speak with him again. It's been 16 years and I still feel a gaping hole in my heart and life. My thoughts are with you my friend
ReplyDeletethanks man. so sad for you vioxautre, at least i got to see dad about a month ago. we had a great talk, i got to say all the things to him i would've regretted not saying, if that makes sense.
ReplyDeletebedlam, my father died suddenly of a heart attack; it was very unexpected, so I was still under the illusion that I had time to say all those things later on. Why is it so easy to put off telling people how important they are to us?
ReplyDeleteyes, it can end in a blink eh? which is why i hug my son and daughter every morning and every night... even though they are in their mid 20s :)
ReplyDelete