World Wide Woozle episode #609

Hi.

Do you remember rock and roll radio? I do. I remember the joy of twisting the knob and moving up and down the dial in search of something cool to listen to. At night especially one could listen to AM stations from all over the country. Community radio was important back in the day as well. It's where I heard so many cool and interesting bands that were never going to get played on commercial stations. Now we have music everywhere and it feels like fewer people listen closely. Life has a soundtrack but do you know the words?

Ray LaMontagne - Like Rock & Roll And Radio - https://youtu.be/xn9x_9Gt5q0

Last time around I wrote about not being so well in the head and taking positive steps to address it. I won't labour the point but I'm doing a lot better. I had a really awesome chat about it today with my mate Toddo as we rode up a long, gradual hill into a strong headwind! We all know that we need to maintain our bodies physically and for me that means cycling, yoga, walking, weights and sleep. If I let the yoga and sleep drop off then I get a few niggles and I remember that I really need to do those exercises! It's the same inside my head except that if I stick to my routine, write in my journal, sleep well (there's a pattern there) and do some mindfulness practice a few times a week then I'm pretty good. It sounds simple but it's easy to fall off the wagon. I also have a few songs, smells and other things that have been triggering unpleasant memories that cause me to ruminate and sometimes do a bit of catastrophizing. Learning to deal with those is a real journey. However, onwards we go.

Neil Young - Old Man (live, 1971) - https://youtu.be/OuVIJlSDOs0

DJ Artisam and I went to see Henry Rollins on Tuesday. The man did not disappoint. Henry walked on, tested the microphone, sorted out the foldback system and then proceeded to talk non-stop for two and a half hours. It was awesome. Interestingly, I found that he talked a lot more about him having been in Black Flag than he usually does. He often referred to himself as, "Henry Rollins from Black Flag". I guess a lot of people identify with that part of his career and thus recognise him for it. I came to the party a bit later on. The other news is that I'd emailed him a few days earlier and he was gracious enough to write back to me. 

Rollins Band with Chuck D - Rise Above (Black Flag song) - https://youtu.be/RozKBqflQYY

I've been listening to the new Witchskull and Isbell album but I might let them sit for a few more weeks before I write about them. I certainly have no complaints so far about either. A couple of other records have also distracted me this week. Johnny Cash's American III record and a collection of Rory Gallaher's songs have been the CDs of choice on the World Wide Woozle sound system. Cash is one I've loved forever. I always wanted bands I've been in to play I Won't Back Down the way he does it but the best I got was the intro before we went all Heartbreakers (which was fun). Tom Petty is on backing vocals here too....

Johnny Cash - I Won't Back Down - https://youtu.be/xggRxWXdTng

Lastly, a big WELCOME HOME to my brother. He's been in hospital for too many weeks after a car hit him and made a huge mess of his leg. Love you bro.

Rod Stewart - Hot Legs (live) - https://youtu.be/Nl-G2GWRQcI

Rock on everyone,

The Woozle

"And he's still climbing,

See him trying to cross the street,
He tests his footing,
Like he was up ten thousand feet,
Above the clouds,
Half-way down Dominion Road..."

The Mutton Birds, Dominion Road, 1992.

World Wide Woozle episode #608

Hi everyone, here it comes.

Skip the next paragraph if you don't want or need to read about what's been going on in my head.

I've not been feeling myself for a couple of weeks. It's something that I haven't quite been able to put my finger on. Seriously, most things in my life are pretty good. My kids are happy, work is excellent and I'm blessed with some good friends. I've been sad about my brother being in the hospital but he's on the mend and though his career as a lower leg model may be over, he's going to be OK. So what's doing this? I was so worried that I thought it was time for a chat with the GP about maybe going back on some medication. Suddenly my diet had become an issue, cycling was no fun, I hadn't really played a guitar for a week and I'd felt a bit lethargic. Guess what? I've worked it out. Certainly taking myself off Facebook has helped a lot as has limiting my exposure to the news. The thing that has been triggering me though seems to be television. Not TV in general but one particular show. And that show is Alone. For those unfamiliar, Alone is a survival show where participants are dumped, truly alone, along with film gear, and have to survive as long as they can in a very challenging environment. Whilst camping isn't my thing, seeing that on telly didn't worry me. As the show progresses though, other than injury, the main issue that the people deal with is being alone. It's pretty raw at times and some of it made me quite emotional. Whilst I live alone, I am rarely lonely. The TV show seems to amplify those feelings though and as a result something inside me shifted. My routine fell apart and I couldn't get it back. Since I realised that a couple of days ago, I watched the final episode of the season I was on (I had to know who made it) and now I won't watch any more. I've spent time looking at my routine with a clearer understanding of what it means to my mental health. We're not talking about me needing to obsess over it, but I do need to get the major building blocks back in place in a healthy way. So I'll do that for a few weeks and with any luck I'll continue to feel better.

Skunk Anansie - Twisted - https://youtu.be/Zqe4NbLW7Ww

I've been spending more time going through my cassettes of live shows that were recorded from the radio back in the day. This past week I've treated myself to The Living End, The Mark of Cain, AC/DC, and Pearl Jam. I think I still have Billy Bragg, The Screaming Jets, Nitocris, silverchair and The Poor to go. Those are all 90s shows other than AC/DC which is from 1977. There could be more. Oh, and if I loaned you my original copy of Judas Priest's Killing Machine cassette then I'm keen to get it back! I bought it in K-Mart in Moe back in the late 80s.

The Mark of Cain - Point Man - https://youtu.be/OtKdXwLuCo0

I'm off this week to see Henry Rollins do his spoken word thing. I'm not too proud to say that Henry is one of my heroes. He's brutally honest, insightful, funny and totally committed to his art. Whether it was when he was a singer, his many books, spoken word or a multitude of other things, you could never accuse him of being half-arsed...ever. I'll report back.

Henry Rollins - Top 3 CDs - https://youtu.be/hY6sMm7y-hc (language warning)

This weekend I saw an advertisement for an Australian alt-country singer called Fanny Lumsden. I'd never heard of her but I saw that she was playing at the Street Theatre soon. So I listened to one song and then booked a ticket. It's time to get out more. Again, I'll report back. Oh, and the ticket price was much more sensible that the thousand dollar Def Leppard ones that DJ Donuts alerted me to!

Fanny Lumsden - Real Men Don't Cry (War On Pride) - https://youtu.be/-a7NrwChdB8

Fanny Lumsden - When I Die - https://youtu.be/JB0tOZ-jCwI

I want to talk about songwriting for a minute. It's something that I would really, really like to be good at. I started writing songs in the early 1980s and I assure you that whilst I remember some of those early moments, they are dreadful. I did record a song for a girl when I was in Year 11 once. She liked it but she dumped me anyway! I wrote another good song in 1992 and a couple in the last few years so as you can see, I'm not setting the world on fire. Not all that long ago I worked out, with help from Jason Isbell, that I could write songs about other people and not have to be the main character and that was a bit liberating. Still, it's not been easy. Like a lot of people I'll get halfway through a track and realise I've basically rewritten something I was listening to last week but with worse lyrics. Last week I was watching a documentary about Don McLean (you know him, American Pie; the song, not the film). He said something along the lines of, "I never had a pickup truck but in a song I can have anything I like". That really helped me too. I do have a new song almost ready to record and after saying all that, it's actually about me. I'm not sure if I want people to hear it because it feels a bit like unexpectedly appearing naked in front of a crowd but I'll have a think about it. The last song I wrote was about someone else and they've not heard it yet despite a couple of subtle hints. I think I'm moving past worrying about embarrassing others and myself. Life is a journey that happens to all of us; good, bad and in between.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Hope The High Road - https://youtu.be/ci-6Au1Gnrs

Finally, a shout out to Angus who not only kicked his first senior goal this weekend in Australian Rules Football, but got the nod as best on ground for his team. How good is that?!

Tune in next time for my thoughts about the new Witchskull, Motorhead and Jason Isbell albums. And lots. lots more.

Thanks Blakey, you got me at just the right moment.

Rock on everyone,

Rob

"So needless to say

I'm odds and ends
But I'll be stumblin' away
Slowly learnin' that life is okay..."

a-ha - Take On Me, 1985 (the Weezer cover version)

World Wide Woozle episode #607

Hi everyone and thanks for reading this!

Last time I reflected a bit about my cycling. Well, on Sunday it all went pear shaped. I guess the signs were there but I chose to ignore them. I set out to ride 150km and about 40km into the ride I realised that I'd had enough both physically and mentally. I got home with 85km ridden but it wasn't good at all. The rest of the day was pretty much a write off. Thinking back to my triathlon days when we trained the house down in a four week cycle, I remembered that we had a month off in the middle of the year. Affectionately known as "fat month" it was meant to be an opportunity for our bodies, and families, to recover. I decided that I needed to have this week off the bike. I've caught the tram to work, slept in, eaten more and had an extra three hours in the day. I did go bushwalking today (Saturday) and I absolutely loved it. Don't get me wrong, the bike still beckons but it's been good to take a short break. Maybe I'll do it again...next year.

Spiderbait - Calypso - https://youtu.be/CnMmRV8y0xM

Last week I came to the grim realisation that I was missing the 2017 vinyl issue of Armoured Angel's 1994 EP, Mysterium. I'm not sure how this happened but it was relatively easily remedied. The fab people at ALT CVLT in Frankston, Victoria sent me a copy in quick time and it arrived well packed in black paper with a thankyou note, a sticker and a couple of badges too. That made me smile and I'll certainly look at their webstore again after next payday.

Armoured Angel - Enigmatize - https://youtu.be/UNTLzpwfFfs

I see that Foo Fighters have a new drummer and a new album. It's great to see them carrying on given the circumstances. I have to say though that the album is a bit, well, boring. They are great musicians, it's well recorded and has a good level of energy, but, I don't know. I can't put my finger on it. It's just doing nothing for me at all and I struggled to listen to the whole thing as it all melded into one long variation on a theme. I'll go back and try it again later on. This one never gets old though.

Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench (live 2023) - https://youtu.be/TohRMbtih0w

Last time around I played a great track from Ugly Kid Joe. If you didn't click that link then I feel you missed out. Following on in that vibe how about this from the band Goodbye June? Honest, loud, rock and roll.

Goodbye June - See Where The Night Goes - https://youtu.be/ohCKF3DBweU

This is a shorter episode. I've had a tough week inside my head. But what do you do? I'm thankful for friends and family who look out for me and that I have a good job that I like. I'll take stock, re-jig a few things, stay off Facebook, and keep on keeping on.

Rock on everyone,

The Woozle

"At night the highway's diesel roar

Speaks to me and tells me more
Than any book I've ever read

Or anything you ever said
With silent eyes inside

I watch myself and worlds collide
The seasons burn and crack my skin

I stay outside and live within..."

Rollins Band, Illumination, 2000.

World Wide Woozle episode #606

Welcome back loyal listeners! This week really is #606, unlike last time when I got slightly over excited and ahead of myself.

This week started well because Monday was a public holiday. That gave me the chance to get outside on my bike with three good mates. We rolled around for about 50km, chatted a lot and generally had a fine old time. I've been quite aware that nearly all of my riding for a while has been alone. I don't mind rolling around in my own company but doing it all the time is bad news bears.

Whitesnake - Here I Go Again (the original version from '82) - https://youtu.be/DSlSaGcc0QM

I was meant to have some double glazing put on my balcony sliding door on Wednesday but it was all too hard apparently. The boss man visited on Thursday and they've come up with a better solution but of course I have to wait six weeks for another installation slot.

I heard recently that the Midnight Oil 1982 live set that had been released via streaming only was available as a limited run on CD. So I hightailed it off to Soundland Records in deepest Weston Creek on an arctic morning to secure my copy. I had a lovely time at the record shop. I've been avoiding purveyors of vinyl and CDs for a little while but once I was there I couldn't help myself. As well as the Oils CD, I came home with Billy Bragg's most recent album on vinyl (to be fair, it was on sale) and the new album by The Barnestormers. I hadn't been into Songland for quite a few years and I was pleasantly surprised by the wide ranging selection and relatively decent prices.

The Barnestormers album is a rockabilly good time but, checking the small print, I was surprised to see that all the artists had recorded their bits in different places. I guess that's a sign of the times but it left me with a slightly hollow feeling. Hopefully it's successful enough that they can get together for a tour. Fans of some of Jimmy Barnes' other work may notice some recycling of lyrics on at least one song (but not the next one). 

The Barnestormers - Working for the Man - https://youtu.be/rW1ZkcpYRNU

Inspired by DJ ElShano, I grabbed out some of my old 45s and played them this week. It'd be nice to have a jukebox for this but it was still fun and of course I spun the b-sides as well. I hadn't realised that the sleeve of my original copy of Better by The Screaming Jets was autographed! Interestingly, Dave Gleeson, who was also singing for The Angels for the past few years just announced that he's giving up that gig. I've seen him play live with both bands and he really puts on a good show.

The Angels - Take A Long Line (live 2019) - https://youtu.be/YsHEXpcMFPM

Like many of you I am sure, I thought that Ugly Kid Joe had stopped playing music a long time ago. Oh how wrong I was. I spotted an album from them called Rad Wings of Destiny that was released late last year. After the first couple of songs I was ready to turn it off. It wasn't bad, it just sounded a bit, well, average. I kept going though and quite enjoyed their cover of Lola. And then things got interesting. The rest of the album, what would have been the B side on vinyl I imagine, is totally rocking. This track, Dead Friends Play, has everything I want in a rock and roll song. Scratchy driven guitars playing a riff that swaggers like the Stones on a good day, energetic drumming with a big live tom sound that's so in the pocket that it's falling into your socks, simple driving bass and then lyrics and vocal delivery that totally slay. This is awesome. And the rest of the record is pretty sweet too. "You and me we're not the same, I like ZZ, Skynyrd and the James Gang..." Classic.

Ugly Kid Joe - Dead Friends Play - https://youtu.be/avIwFeAQdME

I made my week of cycling a little easier this week. I took 2.5 days off. Shocking. I do feel better for it though. And I finished reading Will Pollock's unputdownable new novel. And I went to bed at a reasonable time almost every night. And to top it off, yesterday I passed the formality of six months of probation at work so for the first time since 2018 I am in stable and permanent employment. I cried because I was so relieved. Life certainly is a journey.

Rollins Band - Low Self Opinion - https://youtu.be/o28dyt7w3As

Rock on everyone, I am.

The Woozle

"We were good, we were gold

Kinda dream that can't be sold

We were right 'til we weren't..."

Miley Cyrus, Flowers, 2023.

Go on....click the links...there's always something unexpected somewhere each week if you look :-)