Peter’s Mum Remembered

This week I am going to write about my Mum. One problem with writing about my Mum is that I have limited concrete evidence about her early life, for a number of reasons. Growing up in the 60’s, there were things that just weren’t discussed in front of the children. Also, for at least 2 1/2 years in the early 60’s, we had 10 people living in a 3 bedroom house, including an infant and a toddler. Opportunities for meaningful discussion were thus limited. When that situation had eased, I had become a typical self absorbed teenager, and shortly thereafter went on to try to carve out my own Life.

Roxanne Tellier – Pet Sounds Revisited

“The Internet is a lot like ancient Egypt: people writing on walls and worshipping cats.”  

Doug Thompson: “(WE’RE GONNA) ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK” AGAIN

This column is the first of what hopefully, will become more of a regular one on DBAWIS by yours truly.  My intention (and we all know what happens to intentions, especially good ones) is to take a closer look at some of the hit records and hit makers from the rock era using some of my interview archives.

Frank Gutch Jr: They Will Never Pass This Way Again— Musicians We Lost in 2013, Part One; Plus Notes…..

The first time I think I even thought about death was when Hank Williams died back in 1952.  New Year’s Eve it was, but I only remember the headlines.  I was five years old and Hank was a regular part of my day.  Dad, the curator of the famous Gutch record collection, had only a few records at that time and Never Again (Will I Knock On Your Door) was one of them.  I loved that song so much that I begged and begged Dad to play it every time he headed toward the record player and, usually, he obliged.  I remember Dad humming along in a grunting kind of way, almost as if the music was going to bust out of him at any moment, but it seldom did.  Dad was a lot like myself in that when the music was playing, singing along seemed a lack of respect.

JAIMIE VERNON – WHERE HAVE ALL THE NOVELTY SONGS GONE?

This week Frank & Moon Unit Zappa’s novelty hit “Valley Girl” turned 30 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb21lsCQ3EM. For those too young to remember, that’s the 1982 song…not the 1983 movie starring Nicolas “I’m A Coppola So Fuck YOU!” Cage.  It’s what we old geezers like to refer to as a novelty song. Novelty songs were, and should still be, tunes reflecting social trends and fads – in the guise of humourous observational commentary, parody or satire.

Roxanne Tellier: Pet Sounds

“The Internet is a lot like ancient Egypt: people writing on walls and worshipping cats.” Cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, horses, hedgehogs … you name it. The supply of animal pictures seems to be limitless. And nothing can draw an “awww” out of even the most hardened grouch’s mouth quicker than the sight of a tiny, helpless, pink-mouthed baby anything. We are helpless before their innocent charms.