111 Hertz

This is the frequency that targets that part of your brain used for trance or meditation. Use it wisely!

God save us from the people who live their lives within the parameters of ‘What happens if?’. Sometimes thinking things through is a good thing, but why are people so scared to take decisions & procrastinate?

Don’t they have any faith in God’s plans for them?

My belief is that you have to jump in straight away. As Allen Ginsberg said, ‘First thought, best thought’. This was reinforced by Timothy Leary telling us to always ‘Think for Yourself’.

Or it could have been in a ‘Fools & Horses’ sketch, ‘He who hesitates is lost, Rodney’.

Fan Dan

I thought I would supply a few guidelines just in case this site is monitored by the CIA/FBI/MI5/MI6/Black Ops……etc. Perhaps I am being paranoid; this would never happen in what is called a democracy.

Perhaps a definition is required here: democracy= one of those concepts that our half of the world is killing the other half in order to achieve.

You can measure the success of this imposition in Iraq for instance. I remember last week asking David Pratt foreign editor for the ‘Sunday Herald’ about the obvious weakness of the imposed leaders in the Middle East & how would allow America to continue with running these countries to fulfil their own evil ends.

Anyway back to the guidelines: this blog seems to address the same themes at various times. Obsessively writing about 1) Free Scotland (moving a little on this recently) 2) Free Palestine (the writer keeps drawing a comparison between these 2 countries) 3) Radical Music 4) Radical Books 5) Football & cricket (contains an unhealthy attitude to Celtic FC!)

The writer also believes he can right some wrongs in the world & stand up against oppression & exploitation. His passports show he has visited many of the countries on the axis of evil & his fluency in Arabic & his love of Arabic/Islamic culture makes him someone well worth watching.

Gulag Orchestar – Beirut

Often bands do not live up to the hype. This one does. It has taken me an age to get around to listening to ‘Beirut’ but it has been on repeat play ever since.

It’s like the Hawk & the Hacksaw’s flirtation with Hungarian gypsy music, It’s the soundtrack to the Jodorowsky film not made yet & a blend of all the best bits of 3 Mustaphas 3, Penguin Café Orchestra, Muzikas & the most beautiful Beach Boys harmonies that mad, mental Transalvanian vampire hunters can muster.

On the subject of vampires, we kept a dvd on lesbian vampires in the workroom, but after a heated discussion, we decided that in this so-pc world, surely lesbian vampires have their rights too, so we will have to put the dvd on display.

Remember those back streets in Zagreb & the gypsy violin & brass that drifted from the open windows in the dark.

As we approach the marching season (again) you often wish those bigoted, misguided, drunkards would play something like this, instead of those old anthems of hatred.

Those trumpets take me back to a Scotch Sitting Room in rickets-riddled, Govan, eating brown bread & butter & sugar (no wonder my teeth are scoobied!), Eddie Calvert ‘Oh Mein Papa’ on the radio, my father over the water (where I was to end up) – a temporary split-up & me touched by the hand of God for the very first time.

Truth

Although I have been attending almost all of the West Dunbartonshire Literature Festival events, I was deeply impressed by the talk by David Pratt of the Sunday Herald.

His travels as a war-torn correspondent in obscure corners of the world reflect my own travels as a peace seeking librarian in obscure corners of the world.

I haven’t yet read his book on the ‘Intifada’ but hopefully given time I will.

I could ask questions on Afghanistan & the Middle East. In fact the question & answer session elicited a lot of terrific information that shows how committed to real events & real news he is. This refreshing approach to the truth is remarkable when we are fed so many lies by corporate media.

Born Bad

Over the years I have occasionally lapsed into a fondness for 60s garage or psycho rockabilly.

For some reason both musical forms are obsessed with the subcultures around them. This might be an unhealthy attitude to horror movies, b movies, sci-fi or life as a juvenile delinquent.

I finally caught up with an excellent compilation ‘Born Bad’ that begins with the Bossweeds classic ‘Faster Pussycat Kill Kill’.

I was surpised to find Holly Golightly in among a lot of this material. I had recently heard her haunting track on the superb ‘Broken Flowers’ soundtrack & this urged me to search out her other work & she seems to be categoried amid those other krazy psychobilly kats.

What’s in the (Ministry of) Bag, Jack?

Glasgow is certainly where it’s at. Last nights Spanish invasion for the excellent UEFA Cup final @ Hampden Park showed the City at it’s best. It was interesting that the new First Minister was filmed alongside Michel Platini at the event. What chance a Scottish Republic?

Tonight sees the return of Jack Bruce to play the RSAMD, where he began his career @ £1 per ticket. I would jump at the chance to go but I have to take a class in Alexandria (no not that one ya ninny).

As a teenage Cream fanatic, I always felt there was more depth & adventure in Jack’s songs. This was later evidenced in his first solo album, ‘Songs for a Taylor’, still one of my favourite desert island discs.

As a Govan- born lad I was very pwoud, that he named another of his early albums ‘Harmony Row’ after a street I frequented in that town. Alex Ferguson another Govan boy seems to be doing ok as well.

Von sudenfed-tromatic reflexxions

giffoni, charles-welcome home

katharisis-666

le revolution de emiliano zapata-s/t (mex psych)

kovac, boris-east off europe

conrad, tony-fantastic glissandro

pfangen, crista-watch me

fujimoto, yuichiro-komorebi

fujimoto, yuichiro-mountain record

bailey, derek & parker, evan-arch duo

davis, miles-big fun

davis, miles-live evil

riley, terry-descending moonshine dervishes

up, bustle & out-city breakers

up, bustle & out-live @ bbc

up, bustle & out-urban evacuates

basho, robbie-voice of the eagle

coyne, kevin-knocking on your brain (x2)

jodorovsky, alesandro & r frangipane & don cherry-holy mountain' (ost) (x2)

gemini-rising

kovac, boris-amamenisis

if-live stockholm

morrison, van -astral weeks live

humble pie-live @ bbc, 1970

lillies, andrew-black mamba

various-greek electronic music, vol 1

hecker-sun pandemonium

bloomfield, mike & al kooper-live adventures of

various-batchelors guide to the galaxy

artwoods-art gallery

henry cow-unrest

nurse with wound-gift cd

yoko ono-fly

dependables-klatu berada niktu

ekseption-beggar julias time trip (1970)

retsiem, bokaj-psychedelic underground (1968)

linhardt, buzzy-buzzy

groundhogs-blues orbituary

gospel oak-s/t (1970)

graham bond organisation-sound of 65 & bond between us

parker, evan & lawrence casserly-solar wind

moss, david-full house

galatic explorers-epitaph for venus (1972)

bailey, derek & parker, evan-topography of the lungs

bailey, derek -aida

hopper, hugh & gowen, alan-2 rainbows daily

merzbow & genesis p orridge-perfect pain

milky lasers-voyage

mission of burma-vs (1982)

stefana, alessandro-poste e telegrafi

residents-commercial album

brazda brothers-s/t (canada 1973)

jeck, phil-vinyl code IV

colleen-les ondes silencie

nadler, marissa-songs III

mendes, sergio-pure bossa nova

waits, tom -live ebets 74

chilton, alex-man called destruction

minekawa, takako-athletica

amps for christ-circuits

galardini, r & lessman, k-live in prato

rose, jack-split 7"

baby grandmothers-tune in drop out (1967) (sweden)

princess nicotine-folk & pop burma

ohio express-beg borrow & steel (x2) (1968)

blues control-puff

charlatans-amazing (1969)

the flow-greatest hits

john dummers blues band-ooblee jubilee

brigade-last laugh

nurse with wound-stereo wasteland

throbbing gristle-in the shadow of the sun

throbbing gristle-blood pressure

psychic tv -allegory & self

magical power mako-harmoniym pts 1-5

coltrane,john & alice-cosmic music

milky chu-dope coarsa

tokumaru, shigo-lst

noriko, tujiko-shojo toshi

santana, carlos & coltrane, alice-illuminations

santana, carlos & laswell, bill-divine light

santana, carlos & mclaughlin, john-love, devotion & surrender

connors, loren mazzacane-live pittsburgh

vanaconcellos, nana & towner, ralph-contramusicao

art ensemble of chicago-reese & smooth ones

duke, george-feel

farmers manual-no backup

fourtet-eps

wiese, john-collected tracks

haino, keiji-abandon all words (x2)

reiko, ike-kokotsu no sekai

rlw-piroutten

shalabi effect-trial of st orange

moore, r stevie-hobbies galore (2005)

help yourself-s/t (1971)

dark-around the edges (1971)

herd-anthology (x2)

jan & dean-s/t (1966)

maxfield parrish (kaliedoscope)-it’s a cinch

mckendree spring-tracks (1973)

golden earings-desconocido

fushitsusha-1516 (1991)

dylan, bob-1969 (bootleg)

dylan, bob-1970 (bootleg)

dylan, bob-1973 (bootleg)

manson, charles-indestructible spirit

traffic-low spark demos/out takes

one ensemble of daniel padden-wayward the 4th

graham, davy-playing in traffic

science, chico-da lama ao caos

souleyman, omar-highway to hassake

te-kotoba

bittervetch-masters & demos (1964-68)

mason, dave-alone together

excalibur-1st album

tazartes, ghedalia-total eclipse of the sun

hyun, shin yung-in a kadda da vida

crest, jason-senile mysteries black mass

mikami, ken-live

universe zero-rio festival milan 1979

sam gopal-escalator (1969)

farlowe, chris-out of time (x2)

st john green-s/t (1968)

stained glass-crazy horse roads (1966-69)

stone garden-s/t (1968)

zwerling, andy-spiders in the night

ray, bob-s/t

golden, lotti-s/t

alexander, gordon-gordon's buster

north sea-esquisite idols

amber lions-pink panther blood 3"

mazurek, ray-carmina burana

mazurek, ray-doors myth (x2)

schulkowsky, robyn & nils petter molvaer-hastening westward

coster, tim-blackberry - rowboat

radio tarifa-cruzando el rio

steamboat switzerland-live

wyatt, robert-mid eighties

bulldog breed-made in england

dave dee, dozy micky & tich-s/t

embryo-rock session

chatham, rhys-thudergod

tilbrook, glen-acoustic unfinished

branca, glen-hallucination in city

neon pearl-s/t

anderson, arild-molde concert

hafler trio-dislocation

styers, michael-s/t

varten, sylvie-est ce que tu

mount st mary's college-experimental music of frank zappa (63)

humble pie-thunderbox

weeds-s/t (lollipop shope)

basinski, william-short wave music

zappa, frank-tengo na minchia tanta (92)

haino, keiji & sataa the-animamima (x2)

fushitsusha-withdrawe

haino, keiji-feat weasel walter

hyakkei, koenji-2

mako, magical power-super record

3-sanburn no sun (75)

licht, alan & loren maccane connors-hoffman estates

chatham, rhys-an angel moves too fast to see

beach boys-pet sounds acapella

harrison, george-all things must past demos

comus-boxed 2 lps & singles

beefheart, captain-live london 74

grateful dead-blues for allah

brown, pete-a meal you can shake hands with

carter, dorothy-troubador

windy & carl-antartica

bardot, bridget-la madrague

gall, frances-bebe requin

various-kranky (x2)

seals & crofts-year of Sunday

baker, chet-s/t (1959)

belhom, thomas-cheval oblique

my cat is an alien-cosmic light of the 3rd millenium

weber, hajo & ingenbold, ulrich-winterreise

chang, asa-hana

100 sights of koenji-s/t

I just thought it was time to insert a recent list of what fab new music we have been grooving to at our pad. Apologies to the taste police. Yes, I know there is a lot of Japanese noise. In the words of Miles Davis: so what!

Booked! 07

I had to take a long weekend to try & catch up with myself. Its that time again; The 7^th West Dunbartonshire Literature Festival. Yours truly has to make many appearances at events. It goes with the territory, it is expected.

This year, I made a special effort to attend the first event: Alastair Pearson Lecture & what drew me what the fact that Christopher Rush was the speaker.

As I had been impressed with his book on Robert Louis Stevenson’s journey through the Cevennes: a journey that he was to repeat 100 years later after a family tragedy, I wanted to go.

I had been told that the view out of the Millenium Hall, Gartocharn was breathtaking & it certainly was, even on an overcast evening with rain in the air.

I couldn’t make the Thursday event, although I did get to Ann Cleeves talk in Balloch Library on the Friday. I hadn’t read any of her novels, but if I ever get to choose a book to read & the time outside of my 2 Reading Groups, I will endeavour to read one of hers, as she certainly gave the audience the desire to pick up her titles.

Sometimes getting out of the house & making the effort to attend these events, that you do not expect to be all that rewarding, can be such an uplifting experience. Certainly this is true with many of these author visits.

I Lost My Sherpa @ Tchai Ovna

I finally got around to having tea @ tchai ovna, Otago Lane, Glasgow west end. I had been told about the place & read how ‘trendy’ with the belle & sebastians & pastels ….etc of this world it was. It is also a fine haunt for library types.

I have a soft spot for houses full of Dickensian nooks & crannies, mazes, hidden rooms & to be honest I was taken back to those snow-bound, welcoming tea house in katmadu. I am sure with a roaring fire in the winter the reverberations would be stronger.

With the current fad for coffee, I must admit I have become lazy in my tea making techniques. Not that long ago, I used to take great care & spend time brewing ‘proper’ tea, but like everything else today, its got to come quicker, faster, instant as we rush through our lives to what end? Are we happier with all we can achieve in a day, rushing, speeding, pushing, pulling……..It is time to ‘slow down world’ as mr leitch called one of his albums.

Sipping tea in Otago Lane certainly gets you to take stock, catch a breath especialy if you attend on a Monday night & Yaman (steve) is playing sitar & flute. (I was chatting to him outside during a smoke break as we looked over a sodden view of the Kelvin below – it could have been the Himalayan foothills? – it was odd to stand there chatting about the music school, that he attends in Varanasi (Benares), that I can still remember after all these years!

Other memories come flooding back…e.g. throwing clay cups onto the railway line after a hot, milky sweet cup of tchai. I did mention before about my fondness for the old Ceylon Tea Centre that was in Buchanan Street.

Pint mugs of tea in Manchester as I was studying for my exams. Small glasses of sweet arab tea & a sheesha pipe in Saudi Arabia. Tea houses in Turkey, Iran, Pakistan & India. Afghani tea stops, where I shared a roaring fire sheltering from sub zero temperatures, with pilgrims on their way to Makkah. I quickly earned respect by moving away from the fire when new pilgrims arrived out of the cold.

Winning Ugly

This is a new phrase I have picked up but it is certainly appropriate as a description of the achievements of the Scottish Premier Champions.

I have watched many awful games at the end of the season. It certainly was not entertainment. There was rarely any evidence of the beautiful game. The only bit of class came from the man from japan. It has got to the stage where although there are very few games left, I will not watch them. This is not just my personal opinion. I have a friend, who is more passionate about the game than me, as he is a season ticket holder, but he feels the same way & hasn’t been attending matches.

The games I have watched & when the victors ground out their 1- 0 result, there was very little celebration amid the crowd, only relief.

Let’s hope the new season will be completely different.

Numbers, patterns, Sequences & Remarkable Coincidences

As I sat down to scoff mackerel fresh out of the Sound of Mull the night before, I thought about how this fish’s great grandfather might have fed my great grandfather, as he repaired the town clock in Tobermory. Then I remembered that I should listen to the Raymond MacDonald/George Burt cd that was recorded about the clock.

Next thing you know, I am watching Bill Murray in ‘Broken Promises’ (I had just watched ’Lost in Translation last week!) & I am back on Arran, where I first saw this moody film. I was totally entranced by the Ethiopean soundtrack to this film & along with recent Tinawaren albums, I am hearing the real deal in world music. There is a lot of dross in the World Music arena at the moment so it’s great to hear something real.

Another thought just hit me as I mused over this month’s ‘Wire’ mag. Mark E. Smith is Johnny Cash.