World Wide Woozle episode #605

This time around in another enthralling episode of the World Wide Woozle:
- Is too much cycling ever enough?
- Tina Turner
- Trying to enjoy Jeff Beck's music
- The new EP from Ghost
- Why I should refrain from DIY as much as possible

If you read this blog even semi-regularly you'll know that I ride my bike a lot. I ride to and from work most days (including some extra training kilometres usually on the way home). I ride on the weekends, usually longer distances. I ride alone. I ride with my mates. I'll ride with anyone I meet if they're going my way! For many years, it's kept me fit and relatively sane. But I am worried a bit. I set myself a goal of riding 14,000km this year. To put that into perspective, 12,000km is quite reachable for me. It's a lot of time on a bike (244hrs so far this year) and most of it is pretty enjoyable. Last Sunday wasn't though. I was suddenly cold, tired and lonely and it was no fun at all. Somehow I managed to keep pedalling and the sun came out accompanied by a rainbow. On Tuesday I began to feel unwell. I rode home feeling pretty drained and ended up having Wednesday off work (and the bike too obviously). I feel fine now but maybe, just maybe I need to plan my training better. I can't imagine not riding and even the thought of cutting it back makes me uneasy.

Colin Hay - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself - https://youtu.be/PhOEQIPOQ-U

Tina Turner died this week. I'm sure that you all know that by now. A few of her songs always make me smile and I really, really like this version of one of her hits. Back in 2005 I played guitar in the band for a musical. It was pretty much all songs that I would never have considered playing otherwise and this one tons of fun.

Tina Turner - What You Get Is What You See (1989 NRL promo clip) - https://youtu.be/tXIzp0ok24I

Jeff Beck is a deadset guitar legend. As a result I always thought that I should like his stuff but it's never really turned me on in any way. It's not from a lack of trying either. I get it, he's unique, but I dunno, it leaves me quite disinterested. So when Spotify threw up a new EP from Jeff I hesitated. Later on I gave it a spin and whilst it's good, it's still not my thing. Apart from this track. This one is the business. I'll play the original for you.

Jeff Beck - Goin' Down (live) - https://youtu.be/P_Ybu9qbVto

Ghost. I've rambled on about them far too much over the past few years. The new EP really does kick it hard. It's great stuff, a lot of fun and there's not a dud on it. Magnificent.

Ghost - We Don't Need Another Hero (Tina Turner cover) - https://youtu.be/AMsV7qigmgQ

Whilst I might be OK at cycling, DIY is another story. About a week ago I noticed a small amount of water coming under the shower door into the bathroom. It's not really an issue as the water can only go down another drain but I guess, being almost an old aged pensioner, I might slip on it. So I fixed it. There was old silicon, old grout, cleaning products, masking tape and new sealant absolutely everywhere. AND there was also the case of the missing sealant gun to deal with. But it's done and the seal, whilst winning no beauty awards, seems to be functional. Unlike every time I try to fix my bike there was no blood. Winning.

Iggy Pop - Fix Me (Black Flag cover) - https://youtu.be/HnZow_zx4VQ

Two of the Marshall Clan are in Scotland this week. My Dad's there as part of a trip to Ireland and Scotland and Zoe has taken the train up to see him. Who knows when I'll get to return to the land of Irn Bru. I had the joy of a work trip to Wagga Wagga last week but it's not quite the same! I'm also being sent overnight to Melbourne...on a night when Angus will be away. Good grief!

Billy Connolly - Glasgow Central - https://youtu.be/BP6avh8MntE

Lastly, I've been making a concerted effort to listen to my LPs as much as possible. If that kind of thing interests you then give me a follow over on Insta at @rob.woozle 

Rock on,

The Woozle

" When my boots hit the boards I'm a brand new man,

With my back to the riser I'll make my stand.. "

Steve Earle, Guitar Town, 1986.

World Wide Woozle episode #604

Welcome back.

Sometimes life gets in the way of cycling and music and all I can do is roll with the punches. A couple of weeks ago I booked my commuting bicycle in for a service. When I dropped it off on Wednesday I was told that I probably wouldn't get it back the same day. I was far from happy but what can you do? Then there were a couple of events that came pretty close to triggering me during the week. Certainly this would have been the case not all that long ago. Somehow, I managed to work carefully through them and other than feeling a bit annoyed, I was OK. The sun came out and I finally got to ride to work again and I managed a long trundle on the way home.

Those of you silly enough to look at my Instagram posts will note that it's pretty much all about music. I've removed most TV viewing from my days and have increased the time I spend listening to my music collection as well as reading. It's doing me good. Here's an outstanding track from an album that's had quite a few spins recently.

Southside Johnny and The Jukes - Walk Away Renee - https://youtu.be/saWaoGFfCAM

I busted out the anniversary vinyl edition of one of my favourite records last night. It's a set that includes the LP, CD, DVDs and a book. I'm pretty sure I've never actually played the vinyl and I've decided that's just silly. So Ozzy's classic album Blizzard of Ozz got long overdue airing as I pored over the coffee table book that came with the set. It's a great album that stands the test of time. Randy Rhoads remains a very influential guitarist and many of the tunes have become live staples for Ozzy. Randy's lead guitar is fluid, fast and melodic. Other than Angus Young, he's the heavy guitarist I like to listen to the most.

Ozzy Osbourne - Steal Away (The Night) - https://youtu.be/lBWuLyIqUGQ

Well, this episode got delayed by a couple of days; sorry about that. Again, life got in the way.

The weather over the weekend was fabulous here in Canberra and I had planned to get out for a couple of longer rides to make the most of it. Not much beats rolling on quiet roads or cycle paths in the sunshine. On Saturday I decided to head out to Stromlo, down to the Cotter, towards Tharwa and then home via Point Hut Crossing. It was glorious. It was also a lot hillier than I had remembered. Whilst it was only 106km all up, the 1100 metres of climbing and the rough road surfaces definitely hurt. Angus' recommendation of a chocolate milk to aid in my recovery was a good plan. But wait, there's more. Sunday was even more lovely so again off I went. A planned 65km ride turned into 80km and I was completely gassed with about 8km to go. That was a very long last few kilometers I can assure you. It's been a very long time since I've felt that unwell on a bike and it was just because I had run out of energy. There was some dizziness, nausea, a blinding headache and a couple of alarming hallucinations! As my mate Todd reminded me that afternoon, I do have to take into account the fact that I'm 52!

Ramones - I Don't Wanna Grow Up - https://youtu.be/bH17fIsYirI

In mid 2019 some of you will remember that I enrolled in a Masters Degree to work towards becoming a librarian. In the end I had to admit that my brain was no longer up to that level of academic study and I dropped out after two semesters. I thought that I was all OK about that until last week. I watched a fabulous movie called, The Public, which is about a sit-in by some homeless folks at a library in the USA. It's fiction but it could easily be real life. The film was really well written and acted with a cast including Emilio Estevez, Alec Baldwin, Taylor Schilling and Christian Bale. Towards the end though it made me very, very sad that my life hadn't been able to go in that direction (libraries, not homelessness). People throw the term "triggered" around with gay abandon these days but this movie did that to me and I didn't see it coming. I ended up having to work through an issue that I thought was long gone but I'm glad that these days I seem to have the tools to do that. Watch the movie by the way, it really is worthwhile (SBS streaming for those in Australia). This song features prominently in the film.

Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now - https://youtu.be/b0cAWgTPiwM

On Sunday afternoon Bing invited me over for a chat and to be there for him to unbox KISS' super-deluxe version of their 1976 classic album Destroyer. I think that album art is important and if you look at the cover of Destroyer then you may or may not agree that it's their best. Are they superheroes, cartoon characters or rock stars? Maybe all three. We had the chance to listen to the album in the 5.1 surround mix done by Steven Wilson and it might be the best immersive listening experience I've ever had. As well as hearing things that you may not usually hear (including the piano fattening up the bass lines in Shout It Out Loud and the cavernous reverb on Paul's voice) the whole thing puts you in the room, or on stage, with the band. It's like you live the album rather than just hearing it. We did A-B a couple of the tracks with the original 1976 stereo mix and Wilson was faithful to them whilst working his magic. There's a ton of other stuff in the boxset that would probably only appeal to KISS fans but the 5.1 mix itself is a musical treat. They really were the "hottest band in the world". Cork sniffers can feel free to let us know the genuine pros and cons of Dolby Atmos, DTS and all that jazz.

I've chosen this particular KISS live clip because it's just a hell of a good time. 

KISS - King Of The Night Time World (live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) - https://youtu.be/NnGvUMefUsg

Recently I commented that I was reading Ulysses by James Joyce. Well, I'm not any more. It was too much for my brain to keep track of and I had to return it to the library unread. I will admit that this was a bit frustrating but I just have to accept it and move on. The library's online catalogue is really quite difficult to search (or at least to get decent results from) and their digital offerings never really seem to line up with anything that I am interested in. And with the demise of the Book Suppository, I went to the bookshop in my lunch break and actually found a book by Charles Bukowski. Cool!

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

A big shout out to Angus who got the coach's award on Saturday as his team demolished the opposition by more than 100 points. I can't wait to get the chance to see him play later in the year. Australian Rules Football really is the best footy in terms of being great for spectators. It's fast, three dimensional and there is always something happening.

Little River Band - Playing to Win (VFL promo 1985) - https://youtu.be/GbtiUrHUhRw  

And finally, RIP Tiny. You were a lovely wee dog.

The Woozle

"And when finally the bottom fell out

I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keeping on, like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue..."

Bob Dylan, Tangled Up In Blue, 1975

World Wide Woozle episode #603

It has snowed here today in parts of Canberra (or maybe it was a lot of hail). Snow, rain and cold. I'm not quite foolish enough to head out on my bike in that weather so snuggle in for another instalment of the World Wide Woozle.

The Lemonheads - It's About Time - https://youtu.be/2LGpudC-bbM

Yesterday I found myself in a bad mood. I'd already planned to have a long ride and I managed to convince myself out of bed and out the door. For the most part, when I get onto my bike I'm all good, but not yesterday. I grumbled my way through the first 25 km and came quite close to turning around and going home. It was cold and I wasn't dealing well with it and the voices in my head. Then the sun came out and I pushed on; I'm stubborn. After about 50km I spotted a lump up ahead on the cycle path. It turned out to be an echidna who was also enjoying the sun. He/she was unwilling to move so I stopped and waited both to get a good look (from a distance) but to also warn other riders. When my old mate did finally wander off into the scrub I noticed that when echidnas walk it looks like their rear feet have been put on backwards! Seeing this gorgeous creature really lifted my mood.

Joey Ramone - What A Wonderful World - https://youtu.be/8IoO5nkxT_4

One of Angus' mates is working hard to carve himself out a career as a recording artist. From what I can see he's released twelve singles since 2020. One of them has over four million streams on Spotify; nice work! I can't see a link to the new tune on YouTube yet but you should be able to stream it from the link I'll post below on Spotify even if you don't have an account. In some ways this song, Monday Moods, reminds me of The Struts and in some places it's a bit Vance Joy. Triple J played the song on release day and Brodie, under the moniker YNG ONE, recently played the Groovin' The Moo festival. Here's hoping that he is wildly successful!

YNG ONE - Monday Moods - https://open.spotify.com/track/0y4VXXyPNZdqSVADcjMvGr?si=ffec1998c7894d9b

Another new track that caught my ear this week is from Nothing But Thieves who hail from Essex in the UK. If you're already a fan then you know a lot more than me about this band as this is the first track of theirs that I've ever listened to. It has a bit of a groove that reminds me of Michael Jackson's song Thriller, but the vocals would be at home in a Communards song. I am the least likely person to frequent a nightclub but if I did and I heard this song I'd be pretty happy. It's very danceable even for a gumby like me.

Nothing But Thieves - Welcome the the DCC - https://youtu.be/Y3FNUvJYGpE

I know that a lot of people really can't stand the next song and I'm probably one of them. So when I saw that the band These New South Whales had covered it I was both appalled and intrigued. After a quick look I still don't enjoy the original song but I love the energy that they've brought to it. Choccy milk, punk rock and mullets; what's not to like!

These New South Whales - Tubthumping - https://youtu.be/PXE9EntPZ8I

I've debated whether or not to write anything about King Charles getting his crown on and all that jazz. Look, I reckon Lionel Richie is a great singer, but surely the United Kingdom has a few of their own don't they? I am very proud that Zoe was working on the day but so very sad that paramedics (and all first responders) need to wear stab vests. Thomas Keneally put it well in an article in The Guardian when he wrote that if Australia wants to be a republic then Charles isn't the one standing in our way. It was also very cool to read that the royal carriage was built in a shed in North Head, Sydney.

Spinal Tap - The Majesty of Rock - https://youtu.be/RsOxgwF9LlM

Inspired by a couple of quotes I'd read I set off to find a book by the American author Charles Bukowski. That was more of a challenge than I'd expected. In the end I was a bit shocked at the prices online as well as at the fact that the ACT Library only held one title! After a wait, the library came through and I read Ham on Rye in two sittings. I'll definitely go searching for some more of his work. I figured that if I'd enjoyed Kerouac and Steinbeck then it might be worth a shot and I was right. Bukowski writes in a way that is almost gritty, rambling poetry and it really appeals to me. For now I'm going back to reading James Joyce. Considering that until recently I couldn't concentrate long enough to read fiction I'm pretty pleased with myself!

Francis Dunnery - Home Grown - https://youtu.be/R-fmIyFKwpU

And that's the end. Two dogs here need my attention (or do I need theirs) and I'm going to watch the football whilst listening to some very heavy tunes!

Rock on,

The Woozle

Well did you see the old man, outside the Seaman's mission?
Memories are fading with the medals that he wears.
Did you see the old man, outside the Seaman's mission?
He's just another hero from this land that doesn't care...

Anti-Nowhere League, Streets of London, 1982.