Well…..I’m sick and wide awake at 2am, coughing…. I refuse to bow down to the Spirit Virus. I will not yield to the scourge that is coursing through my system…my eyes, my nose, my body. I will not lie down on the Altar of Kleenex. I reject this damnable cold…. (it’s amazing what your brain comes up with at 2am). I am in denial but it’s not working. So, with a box of Kleenex, a cup of tea and enough ibuprofen in my system to kill an elephant, I power on. Homemade soup comes later.
It’s Tuesday night and ain’t got no money…..no….wait…..wrong song! It’s Tuesday night and I’m just starting my column….that’s it. This one will be short and sweet (so to speak). My lovely daughter-in-law Colleen has just finished giving me a Thai “massage”. The word massage is in quotes because it’s not really a “massage”.
Well, this weekly “journal” style of writing has been thoroughly enjoyable and I love bringing everyone along to the clubs and festivals with me and my trusty camera. It’s 6am on a Wednesday morning and I’m back to the beginning of this column. The original beginning sucked. Seal has just finished playing Kiss From A Rose and Journey has just begun. I pick up my new vehicle this morning and then enjoy a repast with my son Aarron this afternoon. A new day has begun all bright and shiny with the sun beginning its daily trip across the amazing shade of blue we call the sky. I sit here and wonder what the next 24 hours will bring. It’s always full of lovely surprises. ….and here’s another….Barry White is next and then Steppenwolf blasting through my speaker soooo….on with the week. I wonder what will be playing when I finish this column?
The weeks, days, minutes, even seconds spin by so fast and another day rapidly approaches. Everything starts to run together and life becomes a joyful blur of music and people. I want to capture every moment, not just with a camera but in my mind and my heart. To be able to embrace the memories, close my eyes and watch the movies of my life roll by.
Deadlines. I don’t think I’d get anything done if it weren’t for deadlines….artificial or otherwise. I’m one of those that have a tendency to back one’s self into a corner which forces said person to address shit and just DO IT! Tuesday afternoon and already my head is swimming with so much information, events and “stuff”….past, present and future.
I’m staring at a blank page….my mind is a million miles away. Not sure what today’s column will turn out like. Focusing is increasingly difficult with a plethora of things running through my mind. The synapses are firing off so fast I’m in a spin. So much happening recently at such a rapid fire pace. Externally I have two laptops on the go, Amy Winehouse (Wake Up Alone) playing in the background and a good friend who needs help from a system that is so totally broken and letting her down. Amy sure sets the mood. Internally, how quickly can someone go from elation to shear “pissoffedness“? Answer….about a nano second. How do you scream at a blank page on a screen?
It’s my anniversary!!!! My one-year anniversary writing for DBAWIS!! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown and what a year it has been. A wild and woolly ride full of music, festivals, clubs, bars, a little G&T, dancing, more music and incredible people. Have you ever suddenly blinked and wondered, “Holy shit, what just happened? WHAT the HELL has just happened?” My life, as I knew it, has inexorably changed….almost transformed….I blinked.
I have been in a quandary about what I am going to write about for today’s column. The past week, and especially the weekend, have disappeared in a flash, everything just jumbled together, one thing overlapping the other. Now here it is Tuesday night and I’ve started this piece four times!
Life happens (or maybe it occurs), either way my plans for today’s column were short circuited by a few happenstance events that tumbled into each other this past weekend. A visit, a text, a ticket, a song and two remarkable performances by two gifted artists. One who is just beginning on his journey and another who’s journey began over 50 years ago. This is the blues.
Personally it’s been, indubitably, a year of massive, incredible change….a complete turnaround….a 360….that’s two 180’s, and I’m still spinning. It’s been jam packed full of opportunities, challenges, reconnections, new connections, bags of music, loads of dancing, early mornings, late nights, no sleep, G&T’s, club hopping, previews and reviews, outdoor patios, fast food, fine dining, ear-splitting bands, (did I mention dancing), photo shoots, video shoots and writing. Okay, deep breath, plunging in, here we go….the year in review. Really!! ….and WELCOME BACK!
Bullseye Records of Canada
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 