“Writers are liars, my dear, surely you know that by now? And yet, things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot.” - Neil Gaiman - Dream Country
Artist: Rain Tree Crow Title: Blackwater Favourite Lyrics:
Blackwater take me with you To the place that I have spoken Come lead me through the darkness To the light that I long to see again
Why?: Sometimes you're just going through your mass of accumulated music you find a song that all at once is nostalgic and fits into your current mood. For those not in the know, you might be more familiar with these guys by the name of their old band, Japan.
The first time I heard this song I was 16. Hearing it now just makes me long to be 16, with a driver's licence, a borrowed '87 Mustang and driving all around the city, listening to this and a strange mix of other music on hanging with my best friend, far too late at night, because that car stereo with it's one blown rear speaker, with window's open, was the best sound system in my world.
Why?: I baked today. It seems to be the in-thing lately with SARS-CoV-2 (I recently learned that this is the name of the virus and coronavirus and COVID-19 is the disease caused by said virus) running rampant.
Baking and posting your successes (and if you're brave or oblivious, your failures) on-line is what you need to do in order to let people know 'Hey! I baked stuff and didn't burn the house down!' I like to bake and I think I'm ok at it... Except for the one time I made singularity banana bread muffins*, everything else has eaten and complimented immediately. I discovered that when I bake, there are specific songs that I need to start off on to get me inspired. Today I decided to start off my baking exploits with the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Then I remembered that Tim Friese-Greene had something to do with the song and in the time between plunking the tin in the oven to the time it was going to be done, maybe (given I'm like this raging Talk Talk fan) I should look up what it was that he'd done. It obviously wasn't the version that kicked off my baking. But here are three more versions of this song (that's been covered a billion times it seems). I'll let you guess which one inspired me to bake my banana bread today. *Singularity Banana Bread Muffins: when you toss caution and the recipe instructions to the wind, and triple on the number of bananas and have a little less flour than you were supposed to add. And forget baking soda. You get these dense pucks of banana goodness with it's own gravity and event horizon. Also special thanks to threadpennyvinyl on Instagram for bringing the documentary ’ReMastered: The Lion’s Share’ about the origin of this song originally called ‘Mbabe’ composed by Solomon Linda and the where all the royalties went. It was super informative for me. I strongly suggest if you are interested to give it a watch. It is currently available on Netflix.
Artist: The Specials Title: Ghost Town Lyrics: This place (town) is coming like a ghost town No job to be found in this country Can't go on no more The people getting angry
Why?: Today the City of Toronto finally made their decision and will be fining people who aren't following the rules of physical distancing. Three weeks into this and they are sort of putting their foot down. I say 'sort of' because I feel like we don't have enough people to properly enforce the rules.
On March 15th I posted about this song in an Instgram post, as my iPhone has this weird sense of the world and a wonderful sense of humour. It likes to make the soundtrack to my life relevant for the moment when I put it on shuffle. I had gone out for a ride and this was the song that kicked off my ride as chosen by my iPhone's ever sardonic Artificial Intelligence. Things were very quiet in Toronto because of the COVID-19 pandemic was becoming a very real and frightening reality. Normally the city would be busy and bustling. It would be two days later when the state of emergency would be declared in the province of Ontario and a week later when the province finally shut down all non-essential businesses.
Today the city should have been like ghost town, but it wassn't. There are still crowds to be found. I am not against people going outside. You can't expect us to be cooped up. But if you see that some place is packed, move along. With the exception of grocery stores, I can't understand why the parking lot at Humber Park was full this past weekend. I can't understand why people aren't able to understand what physical distancing is. I've decided, if I need to go out to pick up supplies, I will probably have a hockey stick strapped to me and poke people who come too close. Thing is. I'm short so my hockey stick is most definitely shorter than two meters. Which also means if I take a swing and I connect, you were most certainly in my personal space.
Hockey sticks aside, stay safe everyone, stay home if you can, avoid crowds if you can't and remember social distancing.
Artist: Bad Manners Title: Can Can Why?: Remember that scene in the movie 'Titanic' when the ship is sinking and the band is playing music? In a crisis situation, you need people to be calm. Calm means people need some sense of normalcy. Having the band play music was an effort to make things seem normal.
Right now, the ship is sinking. Which is why we're all desperately clinging to the things that make life normal. Which is why, in Toronto anyway, you're seeing people crowding into parks when they shouldn't be. It's spring here. Many people are either working from home or laid off with very little to do. Staying trapped inside your home, especially when you know something terrible is going on, is incredibly nerve-racking. I
don't want to be the tragic doom-sayer. I would much rather stay
cheerful because there's enough negativity in the world all around. But
the world is sinking fast. Or, at least, Toronto is. We're Canadian, and
we have a reputation for being nice. Unlike some other governments, we've
had all levels of government politely and firmly suggest what the course
of action should be, and for the most part, people have done their best
to do so. But when you hear people moving gates so they can go to a
closed park, or recreational areas teeming with people, who are clearly
not physically distancing themselves, it becomes sadly obvious that we
needed actual legislation placed sooner. These people are that kid who
wouldn't stop talking and made the rest of the class loose out on recess
time because he was an idiot. And we are going to pay for these
recess-time cutting morons. At this point, me being me, decided that if this ship is indeed sinking, and they gotta play Orpheus
in the Underworld, then let it be this awesome ska version of it because it will bring a smile to your face because it's fun and ridiculous. Bonus! Bad Manner's appearance on Top of the Pops featuring Buster
Bloodvessel in appropriate costume, whose skills as a dancer match my
own.
Artist: Splogenessabounds Title: Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please Lyrics:
Oi! Two pints of lager and a packet of crisps, please. Ay! Two pints of lager and a packet of crisps, please. Two pints of lager and a packet of crisps, please. I've been here half hour And I'm getting very thirsty!
Why?: Ahh... I bet you're all dreaming about when this will all be over and you can go back to your local crowded pub and continue to be ignored by the bartender who's too busy trying to get the girl down the bar's phone number or the barmaid who's been busy flirting with the drunk old guy at the other end of the bar for extra tips.
Yes, yes. I know not all bartenders/barmaids are like this. But I've been to my fair share of pubs, clubs and bars. I know good service which is why when my favourite pub did close I pretty much never found another local hang out exactly for the reasons above. For the record, I wasn't much of a drinker back in the day. I was usually the designated driver. I didn't like soda/pop/whatever moniker Cola/Ginger Ale has in your part of the world. Our favourite watering hole, Cassidy's, had the best bartenders. One of them suggested hot chocolate. Then the next time, the barmaid added whipped cream. Then the bartender, who had heard about the whipped cream, added peppermint sprinkles. The next bartender decided to up the ante by adding shaved chocolate. I heard rumours that there were plans drawn up by the fourth bartender on how to make sparklers stand upright in the mug to serve it to me with a giant bendy straw to keep me safe. Unfortunately it never made it to the pyrotechnics part. Have hope. We'll soon be packed in all the great bars/pubs/watering holes soon enough. Cheers.
Artist: Talk Talk Title: It's My Life Lyrics: It's my life. Don't you forget, It's my life. It never ends. Why?: Leave it to a visionary like Mark Hollis to have left us a lesson in physical* distancing 36 years ago. Pay close attention! His hands are firmly planted in his pockets so he's not touching anything. He's also gone to the zoo but he's pretty much all by himself. Even his band mates aren't to be seen anywhere! There are in fact, people around, but he's keeping his distance... like football pitch distances, to the closest people. Physical distancing pioneer! A reassuring wink and smile from him at the end of the video is sign that things will be all right in the end anyway.
It's not easy for people isolate. Years of evolution have made us the social animals that we are. But years of evolution also made our brains as big as they are, and gave us a greater understanding of the world around us. Mind over matter. We can do this.
Now's also a great time to sit back, relax, and appreciate David Attenborough's and the BBC's great documentary skills. Hey perfect, here's Talk Talk's video, filled with awesome animal documentary footage... Especially good if a: You're a Talk Talk fan, and b: You have a short attention span.
But if you have a good attention span, I recommend watching any nature documentary. They're all pretty amazing. And for the record, I'm still not sure why, with all the technology we have, that I can't have the option to have a channel of all nature documentaries with our choice of narration by David Attenbororugh or David Suzuki, and choice of Talk Talk music as the soundtrack. Hook me up!
Link to my original non-COVID-19, rambly blog post about this song here: https://motorcyclepeanut.blogspot.com/2018/08/stuff-im-listening-to-2.html *So apparently they've reworked the term 'social' distancing to 'physical' distancing to clarify that you don't have to turn yourself into a hermit. You just need to keep your distance from each other. Screaming across the street at your neighbours? Perfectly acceptable.
Treating today as though it was the last, the final show Get to sixty and feel no regret It may take a little time a lonely path, an uphill climb Success or failure will not alter it
And do you feel scared, I do But I won't stop and falter And if we threw it all away Things can only get better
Why?: If we are careful, we can control the rate of infection and things will get better. These are dark times. You're right to feel upset, anxious and worried. We've never experienced anything remotely similar to this in our lifetimes. But we're fortunate. We know enough on how to effectively deal with it, so long as one follows the rules.
For me, I like to deal with my anxiety by reading up on the pathology of this virus. The science behind all of this is truly fascinating. And in many ways, it's very calming for me. It's very much a case of 'knowledge is power'. For example, you've probably heard that the virus is mutating. The problem here is most of us associate 'mutation' with negative connotations, unless you're a comic book reader. The way this virus mutates is, however, not dramatic enough to require a new vaccine every year (like influenza). Any vaccine developed will be able to be used for the long term and still be effective. I detest misinformation. Some of it is downright dangerous! Please! Don't take your cousin's sister in-law's best friend's half-brother's dog-groomer's boyfriend's nephew's babysitter's dad who never graduated from high school's advice on how to make your own hand-sanitizer from olive juice and tea tree oil. Just don't! Making your own hand sanitizer gives you a false sense of security. You are better off carrying a water bottle and bar of soap!
Remember, mental health is important too. Do things to cheer yourself up. I've always liked this song by Howard Jones. So catchy, cheerful, hopeful. 80s pop has always been my go to if in need of some cheering up.
So much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away I get so tired of working so hard for our survival I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive
Why?: So more practice on social distancing. This has more to do with that scene in the movie 'Say Anything' than the actual song. But the song is great. Peter Gabriel is great. But let's just learn from John Cusack's character, who is demonstrating perfect social distancing by serenading with his boom box.
Artist: the Police Title: Don't Stand So Close To Me Lyrics:
Young teacher the subject Of schoolgirl fantasy She wants him so badly Knows what she wants to be Inside her there's no room This girl's an open page Book marking she's so close now This girl is half his age
Don't stand so close to me
Why?: This song has popped up about as many times as R.E.M.'s song has in my social media. Like yesterday's tune, here's your lesson, this time, in social distancing. And also a lesson not having a romantic relationship with your students because that's just awkward and stuff. Mind you... if Mr. Sumner was my teacher... and we'll just leave it at that.
Artist: Georgia Satellites Title: Keep Your Hands To Yourself Lyrics: She said don't hand me no lines and keep your hands to yourself
Why?: If you haven't figured it out yet, I have a terrible sense of humour. I know horrible things are happening in the world at the moment. I know people are scared and rumours are running around like crazy. I strongly recommend if you are going to get your facts straight, the best sites to gather information from will be from reputable health organizations. I strongly recommend WHO. Laughter is the best medicine and we need some levity right now. Picking out this play-list made me laugh or gave me some pause for thought, and I hope you're at least lightly amused by it or at least enjoying the great tunes.
So here is song 1 of my COVID-19 play-list. Oh, and wash your hands!
