You know, sometimes it’s okay to meet your hero…

George Winston in pencil with graphic design
George Winston as rendered by an admiring fan

Rest forever, hero, in the peace and comfort you and your music has provided to so many…

The following article was originally published in November 2014.


Most of what little refinement I have can be attributed to my lovely and loving wife.

I would say all of it could be attributed to her, but I do have a pretty good three-object juggling technique that I’ve worked hard on over the years to perfect.

Metaphorically speaking, the wife can juggle just about anything thrown her way; non-metaphorically speaking, however, she’s not a juggler by any stretch of the imagination.

But other than my juggling skills, just about anything else refined about me — especially anything artistic or intellectual — more than likely has its foundation somewhere within in my wife’s lovely and loving intellectual and artistic brain.

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A Sunday Song to Spark the Spirit and Summon the Moves of the Dance

Okay, I’m a week or so late for this, but…

Happy 90th birthday, Yoko Ono!

You may not appreciate Ms. Ono’s avant-garde melodies and artwork as much as her many devoted fans around the globe do, but you must surely appreciate her lifelong boundless spirit and passionate love of humanity, so, please wish her well and take a moment of reflection or say a prayer for peace in her honor.

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Sunday Songs to Spark the Spirit and Summon the Moves of the Dance

You probably know that Steve Earle is a world-renowned folk/country/crossover singer-songwriter…

And maybe you know that he is also an actor, having appeared on The Wire, Treme, and other productions, his characters mostly mirroring his life as a musician, as in Treme, or as a recovering heroin addict, as in The Wire.

But did you know he is also an author?

And a damn fine one at that?

Yeah…

Dude’s def got it going on, I must say. Obviously, I’m a big fan.

His book I’ll Never Get Out of this World Alive is named after a Hank William’s song. I listened to the audiobook version, of which Earle performed. It’s great. The main character is a down-and-out, disgraced doctor, and an addict, who angelically performs illegal medical services for the locals of his unruly hood, particularly for the at-risk sex workers. It is a sad, touching, funny, magical, hallucinatory/ghostly tale (Hank Williams plays a critical role… or at least his ghost/Doc’s hallucination of him does) of which I highly recommend.

Anyway, have a listen of this little ditty of Earle’s from when he was a much younger human, and tap a toe or two while you’re at it…


#ICANTBREATHE – Dido’s Lament

“Not again. I couldn’t believe it. I felt helpless and I had to do something,” Yves Dharamraj has said. “We’ve all seen the scenes from Minneapolis, from New York, from everywhere.  Normally, I would’ve gloved and masked up, and marched down Broadway with my fellow protesters crying out against police brutality and racism. 

“But, instead, I took up Anthony McGill’s #TakeTwoKnees call-to-action for musicians to record themselves and post it online.”

Cellist performs heartrending version of Dido’s Lament in memory of George Floyd, Classic FM, June 15, 2020

#BLACKLIVESMATTER

Killing in the Name

Waiting for the trump statement to be released declaring the Minneapolis cops who murdered George Floyd to be good people…

Mr. Floyd died after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by an officer’s knee, in an episode that was recorded on video by a bystander, inciting condemnation and protests.

What We Know About the Death of George Floyd, New York Times, May 27, 2020

President Donald Trump seemed to encourage police to be more violent in handling potential offenders during a speech to law enforcement officers today.

“Please don’t be too nice,” he said to the audience in Long Island, New York.

Trump to police: ‘Please don’t be too nice’ to suspects, ABC News, July 28, 2017

Some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses…

#GEORGEFLOYD
#KILLINGINTHENAMEOF
#WAKEUP
#BLACKLIVESMATTER

All 165 of Pink Floyd’s Songs Ranked?!

Impossible to do.

Not because I think all of them are great, which they very well may be.

But because I basically only know songs from The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon.

But Bill Wyman writing for Vulture thinks it’s possible.

Anyway, whether you’re into Floyd or not, or into rankings or not, for now this version of “Mother” is my current Floyd favorite…

A Sunday Song to Spark the Spirit and Summon the Moves of the Dance

The response Roger mouths after singing “Mother should I trust the government” is classic him…

#wedontneednoeducationbecauseweareallbloodygeniusestobeginwith

A Sunday Song to Spark the Spirit and Summon the Moves of the Dance

Time to forget for a moment the madness and mayhem and the apocalyptic fever dreams and just close your eyes and imagine you’re out on the dance floor with the most delectable babe* of your dreams groovin’ it to this new release written and performed by my youngest son and produced by my eldest son…

https://soundcloud.com/vaughanbrindley/8th-wonder

#rockon
#likeyourlifedependedonit


*non-gender specific