World Wide Woozle episode #412

Welcome back to the WWW for episode #412. Please remember that if you get this the old school way, via email rather than via Facebook or straight to the website, that you can unsubscribe at any stage OK? Just let me know. I won't be offended, I'll just cry myself to sleep tonight on my huge pillow!

So I have survived a week away at Mollymook. Those that know me well will understand that I really don't like the beach at all. I never have and at my advancing age I can't see that changing. As a kid, the beach for me meant sticky black sand, hot car trips and being hosed off in the garden when you got home. However, Alison and I were very fortunate to have the run a friend's holiday house and it was super cool. We did very little and that was the whole point. Other than riding my bike up some rather large hills we read books, did a bit of walking and continued the search for decent cafes. I even walked on the beach a couple of times and it was quite pleasant (no wind makes a big difference). We also listened to a heap of music. I made a point of taking nothing new away with us, just the iPod loaded up with our entire collection to choose from. I spotted an old church for sale in Milton and as soon as we come up with the cash we're making a sneaky purchase and heading there to start a new life with our coffee, guitar and decluttering emporium...ha ha! I needed time away to relax and for the most part it was a big success. 

The Eagles - Peaceful Easy Feeling (live) - https://youtu.be/QHkU1obOWdY?t=3m32s

One of the books I read was about Father Bob Maguire. He's an interesting man no doubt and one who speaks his mind in a good way. If you have an interest, as I do, in why and how people do selfless things then have a read of this and you'll be exposed to a man who has made it his life's work. A very good read indeed. The book is simply called, "Father Bob". I particularly liked his philosophy on "BYO DIY religion".

Little River Band - Help Is On Its Way - https://youtu.be/iq2WJ2r0NkM

One of the bonuses, or pitfalls depending on how you look at it, was that I had no phone/internet coverage whilst I was away. I could get a smattering of a signal if I went into town or up a big hill but that seemed to defeat the purpose of being on holiday. Other than wondering what my kids were up to I must admit that it was pretty good to be offline. I should do it more often. It does seem ludicrous though that 2 hours from the capital of the country and about the same from Sydney that I had no signal.

Travelling Wilburys - Not Alone Anymore - https://youtu.be/GKHqC9FnA-I

Cycling adventures at the coast are more suited to the mountain biking fraternity. Since I no longer have an offroad steed I packed the trusty Cervelo anyway armed with the advice of staying off the Princes Highway and being prepared for a lot of hills. And hills there were - in abundance! With no internet signal I was reduced to a real map to plan my rides. This was just as well as Google Maps has an annoying habit of drawing lines over the satellite image so that you have no idea if a road is sealed or not. I don't do off road on the Cervelo! My very average map reading skills did not cause any dramas though and somehow I managed to pick 50km of sealed back roads that were pretty quiet...other than the large number of other cyclists. I'm not sure I'd want to train on those roads all the time as there is very little flat riding to be had but I did enjoy the downhill sections quite a lot and my sore legs told me that the uphill bits were challenging enough. More hills required!

Bruce Springsteen - Stayin' Alive (live) - https://youtu.be/4n1GT-VjjVs

People die all the time; I may have said this before and it's a simple fact. But some make more of an impact than others. I could go on and on about those who have passed away recently but others more eloquent than I have probably done that a little bit too much. But I want to mention two. Firstly David Bowie. It's now a year since his light went out and for many it's still raw and very recent. If you haven't seen this entire concert then you must - it's your homework! In terms of live music concerts on film it's second only to Iron Maiden's "Live After Death" in my opinion.

David Bowie - Rebel Rebel (live) - https://youtu.be/eF551z9KlA8

The other person who went far to early was my mate Glenn. He left us on 14 Jan 2010 whilst out riding his bike. RIP mate; you're missed by so many.

Chris Cornell - Wave Goodbye - https://youtu.be/byKW7JWNg24

Back to work next week I guess. I think the only thing that I miss now about being a teacher are the holidays!

Hoo Roo,

Rob

Hmmm....what to leave here for those adventurous souls willing to click here.....try this. Someone out there will understand why.

World Wide Woozle episode #411

Gud moning. Olsem wanem? (good morning, how's things?)

Yesterday I had a rather enjoyable trundle around the Cotter/Uriarra loop with Roger and Andy. That is until my gears stopped shifting properly. It's pretty hilly out there and I can't say that I enjoyed not having access to the easiest gear whilst climbing. Apparently bicycles are fairly simple mechanical pieces of equipment. Armed with YouTube tutorials, instructions, tools and a healthy dose of confidence I decided to adjust the gears myself last night. This morning my bike is at the shop for the professionals to deal with it. Will I ever learn? Probably not.

Luxembourg - Sick of DIY - https://youtu.be/IBScLoplDnw

Going back to work right at the start of January is always interesting. You'd think that there would be a little quiet time that could be used for planning, getting control of the inbox and generally setting up for the year ahead. Not so it seems. Week 1 of 2017 was as busy as usual. Luckily DJ Jewel-E sent me photos from her days at the cricket to make me smile.

Giuda - Working Class Man - https://youtu.be/zFmZnAFW2_c

The rock musical, "Rock of Ages", remains one of my favourite films. If you need a laugh and a good singalong then it's tops. There are quite a few cool cameos in it including Debbie Gibson, Nuno Bettencourt and Sebastian Bach. But there was one guy I kept seeing who I was sure I knew. After watching live footage of the stage show, as opposed to the film, I spotted him in there as well. Joel Hoekstra plays guitar in the stage show as well as with bands like Night Ranger and Trans Siberian Orchestra. He's the guy in the next clip with the Les Paul Goldtop guitar. How much fun would it be playing all those classic rock bits in "Rock of Ages"??!

Night Ranger - Knock Knock Never Stop - https://youtu.be/-QuwO05QABM

Cold Chisel recently released the third in a series of live recordings. This one is from 1980 at the Manly Vale Hotel. The sound is really good quality and Chisel were a great live band who usually avoid the three or four chord repetition that some pub rock relies on. There are some bum notes and rough bits but this is a warts and all live gig played by musicians on real instruments. No-one was turning up to see a guy and his laptop.

Cold Chisel - Home & Broken Hearted (live 1980) - https://youtu.be/_xtrTc-q14o

A few years ago we went to see Russell Morris play. His alsum, "Van Diemen's Land", was a recent release and it was a cracker (and well promoted). Anhyoo, the gig was fantastic and the album remains one of my firm favourites. I spotted the vinyl version on sale yesterday and just couldn't resist. Russell is a great story teller and lyricist and there's always something to think about or look into after listening to his songs.

Russell Morris - Van Diemen's Land - https://youtu.be/V2O8upNpo-0

I have to say that $40 for the latest Billy Bragg LP was a bit steep. It's still on the rack at the shop.

Sting has a new album. Well released in November last year so still pretty new. To tell the truth I'm not sure I even gave it half a moment's thought as I didn't really think I needed to listen to his more recent brand of relatively slow, bland, ethereal music. It's his thing and I get that but it's not for me. "57th & 9th" isn't like that. There are quieter songs sure but Sting lets it rip a few times in a way that really makes me tap my foot and remember his rock and roll pedigree. Lovely blue Telecaster in there as well....

Sting - I Can't Stop Thinking About You - https://youtu.be/ZtEIuz71tEk

I sold a guitar. Yeah, yeah, I know I said I wouldn't do it again but I did. The rather gorgeous Reverend V shaped guitar has gone. It has a new home in Geelong and the guy I sold it to, who it turned out that my Dad knew, is very happy with it. So, I've been saving hard as well and it's almost time to start looking for something else and I'm going to be super choosy as I'm in no rush. I love my black Stratocaster so much that it hurts. IT's the best electric guitar I've ever played and my other axes rarely get a look in. But I've always loved red guitars. SGs, 335s, Strats in red or cherry, they're the best. I'm going to hunt down a late 80s or early 90s red USA Stratocaster if I can; pretty much the doppelganger of my original electric guitar. It has to be special, it has to feel right and it has to sound, well, like a Strat should. Strats quack on the bridge pickup and have the famous "woman tone" at the neck with everything in between. Let the madness begin! If you want to know who to blame for this red obsession then watch some videos with Mark Knopfler, Gary Moore, Jimi Hendrix or Hank Marvin in them...

Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing (live 1979) - https://youtu.be/AaAE33rMTSk

Dire Straits & Hank Marvin - Going Home (live 1985) - https://youtu.be/SyyxOxjT4qQ

That's it for another episode. Keep smiling and rock on brothers and sisters!

Rob

Need more? Click this. One of the best versions of this song ever.

World Wide Woozle episode #410

2016 is gone and good riddance I say. On a personal level there hasn't been much more difficult during my 45 revolutions of the sun than the combined events of the last year. 

I was pretty chuffed to reach my target of averaging 1000km a month on the bike. In the end I made it to 12,178km which is a bit less than in some previous years but more than good enough considering I had 3 weeks overseas, some time off sick and it also rained an amazing amount for Canberra! My goal for 2017 is to keep up the distance whilst trying to ride more often with other people. In the last four years I've clocked up just over 50,000km and the majority of it has been by myself.

One of the things I enjoy most about time off work is the opportunity to read. Usually there is so much going on in my head that I can't read for enjoyment and instead throw on some headphones to listen and relax. The local library allows us to "borrow" books electronically so I've read a few ebooks as well as the real thing. At the moment I'm reading the fifth book in Spike Milligan's WWII collection after spotting it on a bookshelf at work. The first three deal with his time in uniform during the war in North Africa and Europe and are frankly hilarious. His descriptions and stories are just priceless. Book four remains a mystery to me as I've never seen it. Knowing Spike it doesn't really exist and this is a huge joke designed to keep me scouring second hand bookshops. The fifth book is about him travelling through parts of Europe immediately post WWII whilst appearing with a band. Probably not as side splittingy funny as the first three but it still has its moments.

I've just finished Duff McKagan's autobiography, "It's So Easy". Duff plays bass guitar for Guns N' Roses as well as Velvet Revolver and Loaded. I'm not a huge GnR fan but I thought I'd give the book a chance anyway and it turned out to be worthwhile. Along with the now seemingly standard 80s heavy rock band antics Duff writes well about his journey to sobriety, family and now success that he actually remembers and enjoys. The story of him destroying his body with drink and drugs and then finally turning all of that around through martial arts, mountain biking and education is pretty inspiring to tell the truth. If you're a Gunners fan then read the book for quite a deep insight into the machinations of the band. If you're just interested in people and the human experience then read it too. I think one of my favourite bits is Dave Dederer (the guitarist from Presidents of the USA - remember them?) helping Duff learn to write essays to get into college.

Presidents of the USA - Peaches - https://youtu.be/VvcohzJvviQ

Velvet Revolver - Fall To Pieces - https://youtu.be/9JhsUFuqbCM

Whilst I sat out the Billy Joel / Elton John show that the band put on for New Year's Eve, George made sure I had plenty of music to listen to. Knowing that I really don't have much time for Phil Collins, the second Genesis album, "Trespass" was included. I'm giving this one a long time to seep into my consciousness though. The few reviews I've read of it are quite divergent and this leads me to believe that it's definitely an LP worth persevering with. Watch this space I guess.

I was saddened by the death of actor William Christopher who was of course most famous as Father Mulcahy in the Korean War TV show M*A*S*H. People die all the time and remember folks, it's natural, but that doesn't mean it's not a downer. Christopher's portrayal of the padre who loved boxing and had a strong sense of what was right and wrong was very much an integral part of M*A*S*H. Whilst Hawkeye was often the outraged, outspoken and over the top anti-war crusader, Mulcahy was the quiet moral compass within us all.

Here's a quick movie review of Captain America: Civil War. In two words, "don't bother". What a waste of screen time and CGI. The film looks great but the storyline is dreadful. Compared to other Marvel films it is a stinker. I just got around to watching Ant-Man and it was a million times better.

I was very fortunate to receive an original vinyl copy of KISS' LP, "Hotter Than Hell", from DJ Al-ee-sunshine for Christmas. What's amazing is that although the cover shows the wear of about 30 years the record itself, seems almost unplayed. It's been played now and it sounds great all these years later. It was interesting to read that in all the cover photos of Ace Frehely his makeup is airbrushed on as he'd injured himself in a motor accident close to the photo shoot.

KISS - Hotter Than Hell (live 1975) - https://youtu.be/EQi0ilHkOMQ

Neil Finn & Paul Kelly got together a while ago for a live concert where they combined their talents. I was sceptical and I needn't have been. Whilst I understand that Paul's voice and Neil's Beatle-esque songs may not be for everyone, this is a well recorded and enjoyable live performance by a couple of bonafide legends obviously having a good time. The energy and enjoyment shine through in the delivery of the songs. I think there is a DVD of this as well so I might have to track it down. 

Neil Finn & Paul Kelly - Four Seasons In One Day - https://youtu.be/YTU5gkYa7_4

According to Jason Isbell, the previous song is about his Netflix viewing habits! The good news is that he's about to return to the recording studio to lay down a new album. Woo hoo!

Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free (Live at the Grand Ole Opry) - https://youtu.be/fVP4PqcfOck

Quite a few of my friends have written books and quite successfully at that. A couple of weeks ago I was trying out the ebook app from the library and ended up with. "The Best Music Writing Under The Australian Sun", edited by Christian Ryan as well as, "RockWiz Decades", by Toby Creswell. The collection edited by Ryan was very patchy but a particular piece about a man and his wife at a concert interstate during a family crisis caught my eye. The RockWiz book, however, is fantastic with short pieces about a whole heap of songs that mean something for a huge range of reasons. So I'm inspired and I figure if I put it out there in public that I might just get on and write something about music, gigs and guitars that have had an effect on me. In the end I know that very few people will read it but the fun is seeing if I can cobble something together that is coherent and even half interesting. After writing a few things down I've been fortunate enough to receive some constructive feedback and I'll take it onboard and keep on typing. I'm eternally grateful that, in 1985, my school was forward thinking enough to make us all learn to touch type!

Belle & Sebastian - Wrapped Up In Books - https://youtu.be/iBU-MxydbWQ

Finally, George Michael; dead at only 53. You may or may not agree with all of his life choices but there's no denying that he had an amazing voice. There are quite a few stories emerging about how he was, very quietly, a very generous man and that's something that really warms my heart at a time like this. RIP George.

Wham - Freedom - https://youtu.be/BFwOs-jy53A?t=1m12s

And here's George with Queen from a while back. No-one else even comes close to Freddie Mercury but this is sublime.

George Michael and Queen - Somebody To Love - https://youtu.be/LjZ9Qny7Z28

Have a great 2017 folks.

Rob

One for 2016....