Tag Archives: friends

I Lived High Fidelity Before High Fidelity Was High Fidelity!

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I mentioned in a post from July 2010 that I love the novel High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, as well as the Stephen Frears film based on the book.

What I didn’t mention then, however, is that long before Nick Hornby wrote his book — including the characters Rob, Dick and Barry, the owner and two employees of a record store, three hardcore music geeks who spend their downtime compiling Top Five lists of albums, songs, opening songs on albums, etc. — I was one of those characters.

While I didn’t work in a record store, it seemed I spent half my life in record stores, and my friends and I, starting in the early 1980s, 15 YEARS before High Fidelity was published, regularly rattled off our Top Five and Top Ten lists to each other, struggling to make the right choices, beating ourselves up or teasing each other over careless, obvious omissions…

It.Was.Heaven!

Well, gulp, 30 plus years later, while we don’t exchange our lists nearly as often, they still spontaneously erupt from time to time, and just last night there was one such eruption. Here now is an excerpt from our discussion, edited for flow and clarity, which took place via text messages and emails, and if this doesn’t remind you of High Fidelity you either didn’t read/see it, or you weren’t paying attention. (BTW, 4708 was an address where we lived together back in 1989 or so.)

Keith: Dear Boys of 4708: If you had the chance to request and listen to front and center one song to be played by Pete Townshend, solo acoustic, what would it be?

Me: One song?! Impossible! Unheard of! Absurd! Instead, here are my Top Five off the top of my head, in no particular order, while retaining the right to add and subtract unlimited times for the rest of my life: 1. The Shout; 2. The Sea Refuses No River; 3. Drowned; 4. Blue Red & Grey; 5. Heart To Hang Onto…

(Long pause.)

Me: …6. Keep Me Turning; 7. I Am An Animal; 8. The Seeker; 9. Stop Hurting People; 10. So Sad About Us.

Mike: First of all, Keith and I were talking earlier tonight and your list of Townshend songs blew us away! We were saying that, in the future, we need some warning if you’re going to pull out the big guns like that. I mean, The Sea Refuses No River? Acoustic??? It may be TOO brilliant for my pee-sized brain to comprehend. Pure genius.

If I had to pick one song, right now, off the top of my head, I might pick After The Fire. The Naked Eye would be up there. Oh, and However Much I Booze. And Substitute is high up there as an all-time favorite. It’s hard to beat, “I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth.” It’s lines like that that makes me think maybe all humans aren’t completely fucking horrible.

Keith: One child going nuts, the other not going to bed, but here’s my list: 1. The Kids Are Alright; 2. The Seeker (learned, learned); 3. Imagine A Man; 4. A Quick One (available on YouTube in the attic series); 5. The Sea Refuses No River (or any other Ecclesiastes-Townshend collaborations)

I can also go for Sea and Sand…especially at this point in my life…I don’t remember ever hearing Townshend do a version.

Keep Me Turning…nice call! Vegas didn’t see that one on the list.

Me: What can I say? I’m honored and humbled at the same time.

Mike, Naked Eye is inspired! In fact, I now intend to learn to play that song!

Also, Substitute really does hold up in a big, big way. I think of early Beatles songs, classics for sure, but they don’t effect me in nearly the same, deep way that early Who songs do.

Keith: The Naked Eye solo acoustic. Holy Crap. Has it been done? If not, should it be required by law?

Latest headline in the London Times “The Boys of 4708 sue Peter Townshend for not playing The Naked Eye solo Acoustic.”

P.S. I woke up this morning with one thought: How did I forget English Boy?

My apologies.

Me: Keith, I can’t believe I didn’t comment on this last night, so it must be that I was so utterly stunned by your selection that I was left wordless, but…

Imagine A Man?! Absolutely.Brilliant! (BTW, I just wrote that while listening to the version of A Quick One on YouTube that you recommended. Great fun!)

Mike: BTW, Keith, I remember in high school or college you quoting the song Is It In My Head – the line, “I see a man without a problem.” And then you saying, “I want to be a man without a problem.” Ho-ly crap.

You know what? I’m putting that song on my list. My head might explode though if I heard Townshend sing, “I pick up phones and hear my history. I dream of all the calls I miss. I try to number those who love me, and find exactly what the trouble is.”

If you guys need me, I’ll be under the table in a fetal position.

See what I mean?

As a bonus, the following is the song that topped my list, a song that appeared on Townshend’s 1987 album Another Scoop, a compilation of demos and outtakes. This is the last song on Side B of the second record of this two-record LP, it’s a gorgeous meditation on love, with the guitar in some kind of open tuning, there’s a distinct Eastern flavor with all the drone strings droning, and it still gives me chills:

Video Fridays: Wilco, Mavis, Nick, and the music circle

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WAY back in August 2010, I wrote about how Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy was producing an album for soul music legend Mavis Staples.

Meanwhile, Wilco’s been touring with veteran English rocker Nick Lowe, after having covered Lowe’s 1977 song I Love My Label earlier in 2011, in celebration of the founding of their own label: dBpm Records.

Well, Wilco recently played what they called the Incredible Shrinking Tour of Chicago, five consecutive nights in five different Chicago venues, with guest appearances by Mavis Staples and Nick Lowe, and, lucky for us, someone filmed a wonderful backstage rehearsal (see below) of The Band‘s hit The Weight, a song Mavis has been singing for years, ever since she, her father, and her sisters, The Staple Singers, performed it with The Band in Martin Scorcese’s amazing 1976 concert film The Last Waltz.

I watched this video and felt a warm rush of feelings, as it evoked the incomparable joy I feel making music with family and friends. I’ve been blessed, for the past 15 years or so, to have had many occasions to join together in circles of musical compatriots, singing songs old and new, blending instruments and voices together, creating a vibe of love and community on which I thrive.

The timing of having stumbled upon this video is pretty incredible. I’d just sent out an email to invite folks over to my house for a music jam later this month. Now, that day can’t come soon enough!

Happy New Year, from Fish & Bicycles!

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As the remaining seconds of 2011 tick away, I find myself reflecting on this blogging thing that I do.

Unlike last year, when we had a new decade to celebrate — even though, as I wrote, most people had incorrectly celebrated the year before — this year we’re ushering in just another mundane set of 12 months.

Sure, there’s all the Mayan calendar 2012 ridiculousness, but let’s face it, things really won’t get fun again until the year 2020, because it’s such a cool number, or 2112, because there’s a classic Rush album by that name.

Um…where was I?

Oh, yeah, reflecting on blogging!

2011 has been an exciting year, here at Fish & Bicycles. I feel like I’ve really hit my stride, like I’m in the flow, that the blog is serving it’s primary purpose of acting as an outlet for my creative expression. I look at the content I’ve accumulated since I started in October 2009 and I feel very proud of it.

Icing on the cake: my monthly page views have tripled since this time last year, and it’s more thrilling than I can say, knowing that folks from all over the world have stopped by.

Now, not all of my reflective thoughts about blogging are so positive. There are times, infrequent as they may be, when I question the value of doing this. There are times when I have nothing really burning to say, but I feel a sense of obligation to try to produce something. On my good days, I see this as purely good writing discipline, for many a writing teacher will tell you that writing something, regardless of the quality, every single day is essential to being a good writer, as it keeps the creative juices flowing. On my not so good days, I wonder whether or not I’m in need of an ego-trip check, that perhaps, rather than a commitment to a writing regimen, I might really be more concerned with how the blog looks, updated as often as possible, which, experts preach, is essential for attracting more regular readers.

I’m sure that a lot of creative types wrestle with this from time to time, especially those of us who do not do it for a living. Really, it’s that age-old question: Is it art if no one but you ever sees or hears it?

While I believe it most certainly is, I also believe that a lot of artists do what they do because they want to share the fruit of their labors with others, to entertain, to provoke thought and emotion, to contribute something born of the human spirit to the world.

I could probably go on an on with this subject, but that’s enough reflection for now. We’ll see how this next year goes.

In the meantime, thanks, as always, to everyone who stops by, however briefly, for taking the time to consider my humble contributions to the blogosphere.

Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays, From Fish & Bicycles!

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Well, it’s that time of year again, when I’ll be heading over the river and through the woods, to grandparents’ houses for Christmas.

We’re halfway through Chanukah, had a great time lighting candles, playing dreidel, and eating latkes, but we’re an interfaith family, and now we get to load up all of our Jewish stuff to bring with us for the second half of the holiday, along with all of our Christmas gifts, and drive to Seattle for time with the goyishe relatives.

Typically, this means that I won’t be blogging much for the next few days, so things will be quiet here at Fish & Bicycles, probably until Monday.

While I’m indisposed, feel free to browse around Fish & Bicycles in any of the following ways:

  • Tags: In the sidebar, under Stuff About…, you can click on any of the Tags and see all the posts I’ve done that have at least something to do with those topics.
  • Recurring Series: At the top of the page, hover over the Recurring Series drop-down menu and select from options like Celebrating Eco-Progress, which applauds businesses adopting sustainable practices; Eyecatchers, a collection of photos, graphics, and videos that have, well, caught my eye; Video Fridays, my favorite video of the week pick; and more.
  • Archives: Towards the bottom of the sidebar, select a specific month to see everything I posted in that time period.

Cheers!

Staycation Day 2: Rock Climbing @Mt. Erie

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Well, yesterday’s adventure wet our appetites, so the family and a friend are now here at Mt. Erie, rock climbing the Powerline Wall.

Gorgeous weather once again, spectacular views of the Puget Sound, covered in clouds, and the San Juan Islands in the distance.

I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place!

Off to Heliotrope Ridge!

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Taking a rare Thursday off from work and heading up to the Heliotrope Ridge trail, to get up close and personal with the Coleman Glacier and Mt. Baker!

One of the blessings of living in Bellingham is that there is so much hiking nearby, and yet there is so much so close that I often satisfy my hiking habit within a fairly short distance from my home, sadly rarely making it out and up to the Cascade Mountains just about an hour’s drive away.

But, when you have a day off and a friend in town from southern California who has never been in the Cascades, well, it’s a perfect time to head up for some of that alpine goodness; stands of old trees, meadows of heather, wildflowers, and blueberries; glaciers; and our friendly neighborhood active volcano.

Cheers!!!