World Wide Woozle episode #668

Welcome back, let's rock. I just wanna have some kicks...

Ramones - Rock N' Roll High School - https://youtu.be/oz7KYUkdlvE

World Wide Woozle playlists are here. It's the cure for what ails you.

Hang on to your hopes, my friend

I've got time on my hands, and quite possibly too much of it. Whilst working my way through listening to every single CD I have, I noticed something interesting. My level of frustration with Spotify and YouTube has ramped up significantly. I don't want the same ten songs or albums recommended to me all the time. I Got You, by Split Enz is a wonderful song, but I don't need it to be suggested three times a day. As a result I have gone back to listening to Spotify only for podcasts, audiobooks and new releases. Then I discovered that back in the day I had converted all my CDs to MP3 using a lower than optimal bitrate. So the quality isn't fantastic. Remember I said I have time on my hands? Well I've been re-ripping all of my CDs so that I can listen to them on the move. The point that I'm eventually getting to is that this has been a great way to expand my listening. There are CDs I'd forgotten I had as well as quite a few not on Spotify.

Jim Breuer and the Loud & Rowdy - Old School - https://youtu.be/dx_e8YaQpS0

I'm writing this over a long weekend that includes International Women's Day and thus a good opportunity to highlight one of my favourite artists. Fanny Lumsden is from regional NSW, not all that far from Canberra really, and I've been a fan for a while now. You may remember me going to see her play live a couple of years ago; what a great gig! Recently I ordered one of her CDs that I didn't have. At the same time I took a chance and ordered a book that Fanny had written about the album. Now, what arrived in the post is an excellent example of how to engage with your fanbase (because we all know that money from streaming services is a joke). The CD was in there, the book is very cool and also autographed, then there was a signed photo, bookmark, and a sticker. That's neat. If you're reading this from the UK then lookout as Fanny and her band, The Prawn Stars, will be there very soon.

Fanny Lumsden - Great Divide - https://youtu.be/ISMLkHrHCWo

Know your product

A few years ago I became aware that Painters & Dockers had released a live CD recorded at a show in Auckland back in the late 1990s. Their 1986 live record, Bucket, was a cassette I played over and over towards the end of my high school years. My investigations revealed that only 500 copies of the Auckland CD were ever pressed so I resigned myself to either listening to it via streaming, or maybe finding a pirate copy somewhere. A copy of Overt and Deliberate popped up for sale during the week via Dixon Records in Melbourne. Ooooh, my precious! I quickly hit the buy now button and the CD should be here this week. Hmmmm, it was a bit extravagant but I know I'm very happy to be able to have a physical copy! 

Painters & Dockers - The Boy Who Lost His Jocks On Flinders Street Station - https://youtu.be/ym2bvFrpQ6E

Tonight, I'll be starting all over again

Just as I thought I was going to be back riding my bike, Murphy and his law came calling. It hasn't been any fun at all. The upshot is that I have some new drugs and I may be getting a couple of injections in my spine. Knowing how much I love needles this is going to be quite a challenge. At this stage I don't care if the injections work for three days, three weeks, or three months. I just need a break. Of course, they might not have any impact at all.

Divinyls - Back To The Wall - https://youtu.be/yrBd96o7y4Y

Old man, take a look at yourself

This year I'll turn 55. One of the things about poor mental health is a tendency, for all the wrong reasons, to want one's affairs in order. Recently, whilst feeling decidedly unhappy I renegotiated my mobile phone plan and my health, vehicle and home insurance. It truly astounded me just how much money I could save with about fifteen minutes of effort for each of those. Now that the cost of living is about to rise again, I'm rather glad I did it. The impending birthday has meant that every person and their dog send push emails, social media posts, and the odd carrier pigeon regarding retirement. As a result, I put on my big boy pants and spent some time with a financial advisor. The first meeting was quite a revelation as apparently I will be able to retire at 60 if I want to. To be honest, I thought I'd be working for a lot longer, and I still might. Our government is far from perfect but here in Australia we've had compulsory superannuation since 1992 (thank you Mr Keating), and I've had it since I started working in 1989. I have another meeting later today where I am sure the advisory company will no doubt want me to be investing in stocks, shares, property, weapons of mass destruction and the like. Frankly, it's no secret that I am Scottish and quite risk averse so they might be disappointed! If I can pay off my house, afford to eat, and buy a CD or record once in a while then I think I'll be OK. I'm also wearing out sneakers at an astounding rate but that's a story for another day.

Bowling For Soup - Getting Old Sucks (But Everybody's Doing It) - https://youtu.be/N4e_IZFwTfM

Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream

HELP! If anyone out there has an old iPod gathering dust that they don't want/need then please get in touch before I'm forced to eBay or the hell that is Facebook Marketplace! I've got a couple of them here but they don't hold many songs. I'm looking for one of the larger capacity ones so that I can continue my offline music listening quest!

I ain't got no home, I'm just rambling 'round

And lastly, by the time I publish this it will be Canberra Day. I came here in 1989 expecting to be staying four years and never coming back. I'm still here. A few years ago, when I was the only one in the family left here, I seriously considered going somewhere else. Then I thought about it and realised that I really like Canberra, and nearly all of my friends are here. Canberra isn't a big city, but it's got everything in a relatively small space. Most importantly, the bush isn't far away and it has a fairly progressive social demographic. For many, many years I've thought about the fact that I don't really have a hometown. I've been here since I was 17 so maybe it's time to admit that I'm a local. This song is clearly not about Canberra, but it's a great example of Gerry singing about his hometown.

Gerry Cinnamon - Diamonds In The Mud (live at Hampden Park) - https://youtu.be/bz8JPzOGR3Q

Keep smiling,

The Woozle

"Four strong winds that blow lonely
Seven seas that run high
All those things that don't change come what may"

Neil Young, Four Strong Winds (Ian & Sylvia cover), 1978.