Writing one’s column on the day it’s supposed to post is not the best in planning but it will have to do for today (and last week and probably next week). Right now I’m listening to The Beach Boys song God Only Knows and I can’t stop thinking of all the people that have shared my life, not just in the past four years but going as far back as I can remember. So add the following video I found on FB and a late night conversation and yes, once again my column takes a different fork in the road.
I open today’s column with great sadness. Tom Petty, a true rock ‘n’ roller and one of the most respected individuals in the music business today, as both as musician and a person, has died just days before his 67th birthday. Social media was on fire with the news, jumping the gun just a tad early (thanks CBS) but nonetheless, we instinctively knew in our hearts he wasn’t going to make it. I traversed the 70’s and 80’s with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, listening to and loving his work. Not your “classic” rocker, in both appearance and musically, but we all knew Petty was pure talent. The “humanness” of his lyrics, his way of combining them with a unique melody and his distinctive voice, touched a certain part of your psyche and drew you in. You stopped to listen. There will be so much written about him over the next few days and weeks I won’t drag it out here. Suffice to say this is one rocker I will truly miss. I send my condolences to his wife Dana York, his two daughters Adria and AnnaKim, his step-son Dylan and his extended family.
Mid August, and most days I feel like, this year, summer never really got started. Maybe it’s the weather, or the political climate, but something feels off-kilter. My potted veg and herbs are in shock; it’s been either torrential rain or temps in the 90s – sometimes in the same 24 hours – every day since they were planted. Sodden pots sit cheek by jowl with containers so arid they threaten to burst into flame. There won’t be much of a harvest this year.
I do believe summer is here. Finally….and with a rather heated bang (or melt). The humidity makes my hair go crazy, like I stuck my finger in a light socket. It just sort of poofs out with no sense of decorum whatsoever. Absolutely zip in control. But I’m not just referring to the weather as the summer intro but goings on around town and the many bodies spilling in and out of the hundreds of patios across the city. However, two events in particular kept me hopping this past weekend. I haven’t partied like that in…..well, let’s not get into the details. (Oh….and for summer I’ve added a little colour to my coif….a few purpley/lavender streaks, just for shits and giggles)
Rolling Stone Magazine recently released their latest ‘list’, “The 100 Greatest Songwriters” rollingstone.com). Let me repeat that title, “The 100 Greatest Songwriters”. Their descriptive line states “From Brill Building tunesmiths to Punk poets, from Woody Guthrie to Max Martin, the visionaries who defined music history.”
excerpted from the forthcoming book ‘Bullsography: The Bullseye Records Story 1985-2010’
Excerpted from the forthcoming book “Bullsography: The Bullseye Records Story 1985-2010”
There’s a great time wasting pub game on social media quite popular with my music friends whereby you assemble the ultimate supergroup featuring your favourite musicians past and present.
Last week’s ramble down Toronto’s musical memory lane seems to have touched a chord in those who were there, or wish they had been. The list of other musicians and bands from the 70’s and 80’s, many of whom became friends, then or since, is endless. Such a roster of incredible talent! It’s heartening to see how many of those great players are still around, and still entertaining their fans, either on record or live.
Toronto was a different place in the late 1970’s and early eighties. Although it’s easy to look back with rose coloured glasses, it was, in fact, a watershed time for Toronto musicians. Everywhere you turned, you were surrounded by outstanding music, made by dedicated and very talented players, who enjoyed the freedom to create their art, and make a living at the same time.
Bullseye Records of Canada
