Hello out there all you readers, listeners and even the stalkers! Welcome to 2023 and another year of the World Wide Woozle. I'll do my best to talk about and recommend a wide range of music as well as exploring a few other topics as well.
For those of you that came in late; this whole thing started out many years ago as a weekly email to a few friends and colleagues. After a while it moved to also being a blog (www.robwoozle.blogspot.com.au). There are almost 600 episodes now and even though I tried to stop writing them a couple of times it seems to be part of my DNA now. Writing about music makes me feel good and I enjoy it when readers have something to say, even if it's just a few words. I used to write because I had to; because I felt like a failure if I didn't punch out an episode every Friday. These days, with improved mental health, I'm a bit more casual about the whole thing but it's still important to me.
Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma - https://youtu.be/P_i1xk07o4g
I'm just back from my first real holiday since 2019. I did get a few days away in June 2021 but that was cut short by a covid lockdown. So, I had 11 days off in a row and it was awesome. I got to go to Geelong to spend time with my Dad and his partner Denise. I was able to jump on the train to Melbourne and attend the first day of the Boxing Day Test cricket with Angus and also to stay with him overnight in his house for the first time ever. I read a lot. I did waaaaay too many kilometres on the bike including being lost a couple of times in Geelong. And you'll all be surprised to know that I listened to a lot of music.
I'm not a fan of new year resolutions. If you're going to do something then just get on with it. But a new journal and a Xmas reset did give me the headspace to think more clearly than I have for years about my own wellness. Accountability is a useful tool for me so here we go with the things I am doing to stay well. Many will probably seem obvious to you but writing them down, ticking them off daily and knowing that others are aware of them helps me out.
Exercise is an obvious one. I need to do quite a bit to feel good and also for the events I have planned. But I also need to listen to my body and rest once in a while. It's not perfect but my watch has a "body battery" reading which is a score out of 100 related to how much energy etc. I have left. Over the last couple of years I've found it to be pretty accurate with regards to if I should train or not. This morning it was less than 20/100 so I took the tram to work rather than cycling. I have regular yoga / pilates and light weights in there as well a couple of times a week.
Diet. I work with a dietician and we have expanded my diet, got me to three meals a day regularly and the odd snack too. I was really grumpy about spending money for the programme until we reviewed what I'd achieved in three months.
Meditation is something that I've used to good effect when I've been unwell. Now I'm using it as a preventer I guess. 10 minutes a day isn't much but a few times a week it makes a big difference. I use the "Smiling Mind" app but you can also get stuff via their website. It's Australian and there's no cost.
There's other stuff too but that's enough navel gazing...let's get to some music.
I've banged on many times about the special place Tom Petty's music has for me. There are a whole lot of live shows now on Spotify; mainly those that were FM simulcasts back in the day. If you're even a casual fan then it's time well spent and, if recent experience on the 8 hour drive from Canberra to Geelong is anything to go by, they are great road trip records! I hadn't noticed that Tom was a finger picker until I saw this footage. Always learning. Maybe, like me, he dropped his pick and just kept going!
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Listen To Her Heart (live, 1977) - https://youtu.be/Bxzacv-H9Ng
Many years ago I played in a band called The Dark Violence of Beauty. My mates Scot and Rod (with others) had recorded an album not long before I was recruited. The album, At The Sign Of The Pink Flamingo, is now available on all the major streaming services. Scot probably has some copies in a box under his bed too! For an album recorded in the late 1990s, the sound quality stands up well. That's what you get from using a professional studio. I still like the songs and have good memories of playing most of them live.
DVoB - Bordertown - https://open.spotify.com/track/7FrjoBX8nvx36f6zXpTsLe?si=82b9c6f5d8514bd5
Tommy Emmanuel is on tour in Australia soon. He's a guitarist that is as much fun to watch as he is good to listen to. He's effortless, energetic and a lot of fun. Don't forget to go back and look for him in some old footage with Dragon and John Farnham.
Tommy Emmanuel & Kenny Vaughn - Right or Wrong (live) - https://youtu.be/8cuBrJzLqUo
I'm not always a Jethro Tull fan. There are a few albums however that really resonate with me. When I heard German band Wucan playing, the Tull influence was clear. And they are also quite obviously fans of 70s prog and hard rock. It all mixes up for a great sound that is almost timeless.
Wucan - Night To Fall - https://youtu.be/-JlbIEegS1c
I watched a long form interview recently with Australian comedian Kevin "Bloody" Wilson. He describes himself as a "bawdy balladeer" and I wouldn't argue with that. What I didn't realise, other than the fact his real name isn't Kevin, is that he also has songwriting credits for Slim Dusty and Adam Harvey. He's also quite thoughtful and softly spoken in real life. The interview was part of the Enough Rope TV series with Andrew Denton and you can see it here (pt1) and here (pt2).
Slim Dusty - There's A Rainbow Over The Rock - https://youtu.be/3IAPsyMmv0c
I like dogs. I like to dog sit, walk dogs, let them sit on me whilst reading and generally be around them. Luckily I have a few friends who are very happy to facilitate this for me as I'm really not at home enough to have one of my own for now. Weezer have a new album and this is the first song. Yep, Rivers Cuomo gets it too.
Weezer - I Want A Dog (live) - https://youtu.be/Q4uBmqLK0eI
A quick plug for a TV show. If you have Netflix then have a gander at the 10 part series called Irreverent. It's about a Chicago mobster hiding out in tropical North Queensland and masquerading as a reverend at the local church in a tiny little town. I've almost completed the series and it's extremely entertaining. Maybe if you like/d shows such as Doc Martin, The Castle or Orange is the New Black then this will appeal to you.
That's it for this time around. Hopefully there's a track or two in there that you didn't hate.
"Turn up that old school, riff driven, hard rock music for me..."
Nirvana - Opinion - https://youtu.be/5Jja5iWRp1w
For those of you that came in late; this whole thing started out many years ago as a weekly email to a few friends and colleagues. After a while it moved to also being a blog (www.robwoozle.blogspot.com.au). There are almost 600 episodes now and even though I tried to stop writing them a couple of times it seems to be part of my DNA now. Writing about music makes me feel good and I enjoy it when readers have something to say, even if it's just a few words. I used to write because I had to; because I felt like a failure if I didn't punch out an episode every Friday. These days, with improved mental health, I'm a bit more casual about the whole thing but it's still important to me.
Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma - https://youtu.be/P_i1xk07o4g
I'm just back from my first real holiday since 2019. I did get a few days away in June 2021 but that was cut short by a covid lockdown. So, I had 11 days off in a row and it was awesome. I got to go to Geelong to spend time with my Dad and his partner Denise. I was able to jump on the train to Melbourne and attend the first day of the Boxing Day Test cricket with Angus and also to stay with him overnight in his house for the first time ever. I read a lot. I did waaaaay too many kilometres on the bike including being lost a couple of times in Geelong. And you'll all be surprised to know that I listened to a lot of music.
B(if)tek feat. Julee Cruise - Wired For Sound - https://youtu.be/fejmuF4D108
I'm not a fan of new year resolutions. If you're going to do something then just get on with it. But a new journal and a Xmas reset did give me the headspace to think more clearly than I have for years about my own wellness. Accountability is a useful tool for me so here we go with the things I am doing to stay well. Many will probably seem obvious to you but writing them down, ticking them off daily and knowing that others are aware of them helps me out.
As I Lay Dying - Electric Eye - https://youtu.be/j2L8QzWG8Ro
Exercise is an obvious one. I need to do quite a bit to feel good and also for the events I have planned. But I also need to listen to my body and rest once in a while. It's not perfect but my watch has a "body battery" reading which is a score out of 100 related to how much energy etc. I have left. Over the last couple of years I've found it to be pretty accurate with regards to if I should train or not. This morning it was less than 20/100 so I took the tram to work rather than cycling. I have regular yoga / pilates and light weights in there as well a couple of times a week.
Fem Belling - Let's Get Physical - https://youtu.be/N4CNjyg5mhM
Diet. I work with a dietician and we have expanded my diet, got me to three meals a day regularly and the odd snack too. I was really grumpy about spending money for the programme until we reviewed what I'd achieved in three months.
Meditation is something that I've used to good effect when I've been unwell. Now I'm using it as a preventer I guess. 10 minutes a day isn't much but a few times a week it makes a big difference. I use the "Smiling Mind" app but you can also get stuff via their website. It's Australian and there's no cost.
Stryper - Free - https://youtu.be/MYq7fGpPl6w
There's other stuff too but that's enough navel gazing...let's get to some music.
I've banged on many times about the special place Tom Petty's music has for me. There are a whole lot of live shows now on Spotify; mainly those that were FM simulcasts back in the day. If you're even a casual fan then it's time well spent and, if recent experience on the 8 hour drive from Canberra to Geelong is anything to go by, they are great road trip records! I hadn't noticed that Tom was a finger picker until I saw this footage. Always learning. Maybe, like me, he dropped his pick and just kept going!
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Listen To Her Heart (live, 1977) - https://youtu.be/Bxzacv-H9Ng
Many years ago I played in a band called The Dark Violence of Beauty. My mates Scot and Rod (with others) had recorded an album not long before I was recruited. The album, At The Sign Of The Pink Flamingo, is now available on all the major streaming services. Scot probably has some copies in a box under his bed too! For an album recorded in the late 1990s, the sound quality stands up well. That's what you get from using a professional studio. I still like the songs and have good memories of playing most of them live.
DVoB - Bordertown - https://open.spotify.com/track/7FrjoBX8nvx36f6zXpTsLe?si=82b9c6f5d8514bd5
Tommy Emmanuel is on tour in Australia soon. He's a guitarist that is as much fun to watch as he is good to listen to. He's effortless, energetic and a lot of fun. Don't forget to go back and look for him in some old footage with Dragon and John Farnham.
Tommy Emmanuel & Kenny Vaughn - Right or Wrong (live) - https://youtu.be/8cuBrJzLqUo
I'm not always a Jethro Tull fan. There are a few albums however that really resonate with me. When I heard German band Wucan playing, the Tull influence was clear. And they are also quite obviously fans of 70s prog and hard rock. It all mixes up for a great sound that is almost timeless.
Wucan - Night To Fall - https://youtu.be/-JlbIEegS1c
I watched a long form interview recently with Australian comedian Kevin "Bloody" Wilson. He describes himself as a "bawdy balladeer" and I wouldn't argue with that. What I didn't realise, other than the fact his real name isn't Kevin, is that he also has songwriting credits for Slim Dusty and Adam Harvey. He's also quite thoughtful and softly spoken in real life. The interview was part of the Enough Rope TV series with Andrew Denton and you can see it here (pt1) and here (pt2).
Slim Dusty - There's A Rainbow Over The Rock - https://youtu.be/3IAPsyMmv0c
I like dogs. I like to dog sit, walk dogs, let them sit on me whilst reading and generally be around them. Luckily I have a few friends who are very happy to facilitate this for me as I'm really not at home enough to have one of my own for now. Weezer have a new album and this is the first song. Yep, Rivers Cuomo gets it too.
Weezer - I Want A Dog (live) - https://youtu.be/Q4uBmqLK0eI
A quick plug for a TV show. If you have Netflix then have a gander at the 10 part series called Irreverent. It's about a Chicago mobster hiding out in tropical North Queensland and masquerading as a reverend at the local church in a tiny little town. I've almost completed the series and it's extremely entertaining. Maybe if you like/d shows such as Doc Martin, The Castle or Orange is the New Black then this will appeal to you.
That's it for this time around. Hopefully there's a track or two in there that you didn't hate.
Rock on brothers and sisters,
The Woozle.
"Turn up that old school, riff driven, hard rock music for me..."
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