music and my mother's passing - spotify

Mona Rosenbaum (1930 -2021) and her only grandson.

My 90-year-old mother died early in March 2021. I remain heartbroken. She was a good soul and a wonderful mum. Our health system allowed her to pass peacefully in a small private room and, despite COVID precautions, I was allowed to stay with her. She slipped in and out of consciousness. She loved music, classical and Yiddish melodies. I dimmed the lights, brought out my phone and a blue tooth speaker, and found a mix on Spotify. When it finished, the algorithm took over and the soothing music continued. It is common in my social circle to heap scorn on Spotify because it pays so little to musicians while making huge profits. I agree that more money needs to go to artists, but I will never forget how it helped bring peace to this sad occasion.  

home delivery

Walking along my street, listening to a podcast on my iPhone, up pops an ad for Tim Hortons new home delivery, while watching Amazon and UPS drop off packages. My thought was, how 2021 is this! Rewind. It’s the early 90s in England, where I lived briefly. Seeing milk delivery vans making the rounds. Thinking this is so archaic. There haven’t been milk men in Canada for years. Rewind again. The 80s. Riding with the last milk man in Edmonton for a CBC Radio feature I produced. Rewind one final time to a very little me watching the milk man and bread man making regular visits to our house. I’m too young to remember ice home delivery.

breaking guitars

The Clash, London Calling

Some people expressed outraged when Phoebe Bridgers smashed her Danelectro guitar on SNL. Her performance was in accordance with rock tradition. The Who, The Clash, Jimi Hendrix broke or set them alight over the years. It started with The Who as an accident, or possibly inspired by Pete Townshend’s art school education. The complaint against Bridgers was that it was contrived. Yes, it was planned. When artists break things on stage, it puts others in danger. Not planning is irresponsible. I believe Bridgers (4:19) was called out because she’s a woman. After all it’s OK for men to show anger on stage. For example, nobody tweeted a word the week before when Machine Gun Kelly (2:42) threw his guitar off stage. I guarantee it was not in great shape after it hit the floor. .

kris kristofferson

Laura Roberts/Invision/AP

Kris Kristofferson left my radar about the time he became a movie star. I knew him as the composer of Me and Bobby McGee and a few other 70s hits. Then his movie acting overshadowed his records. That is until his spellbinding solo appearance at the 2006 Calgary Folk Music Festival. A warm dark night, 12,000 people listening to one man singing and playing acoustic guitar. Other solo artists crash and burn in this environment, not him. You could hear a pin drop. We hung on every lyric and story. After that night I dug into his recordings including as a member of the Highwaymen. Recently the octogenarian announced his retirement. Godspeed Mr. Kristofferson. If you haven’t listened for a while, you should dig into his discography.    

victory sausages

Victory Sausages is the title of an episode of This Day in Esoteric Political History, a podcast that recounts obscure events in the U.S. and how they resonate today. The title refers to the Second World War and how names were changed to reflect the war. I wondered if they would mention Berlin, Ontario which became Kitchener during the First World War. Nope. Their Canadian example was a tiny mining town called Swastika (pop. 500). They pointed out that the town was named for the mystical and benign symbol and predated the war. It retains the name today. So awkward. A quick google search turned up another weird slice of Canadian history connected to the town, an article about Unity Valkyrie Mitford. I love podcasts.

dc memories

From TheGuardian.com

I was lucky to have had the opportunity to visit DC a few years ago for a speech writing conference. Presenters were writers for past Dem and GOP Presidents and major CEOs for companies like Microsoft; real heavy hitting experts with wise words. It was the best. As a communicator, I continue to apply what I learned. I stayed a few more days to take in one of the world’s great cities – monuments, museums, and the 9:30 Club, a live music venue where I saw a blistering concert by The Infamous Stringdusters. Unfortunately, DC now ranks among cities I have visited that evoke sadness born of violence. Good memories of DC, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Dubrovnik are now mixed with media images of mayhem. It’s heartbreaking.  

cigar box blues

It’s an instrument that was born of poverty. In the 1800s, North Americans couldn’t afford musical instruments, so they improvised. They took cigar boxes and made them into fiddles, banjos, and guitars. This tradition has been revived and is thriving. Some guitar nerds dismiss them as frivolous. I say they are cool and my new one is the coolest. My friend Mark who builds cigar box guitars under the brand Winston and Fidel, built it for me. I was visiting his garage workshop and noticed this unusual CAO Flathead box and said, “this is the one I want.”  It took him two years to figure out how to build it. The weird box presented him with challenges. But it’s done, it’s mine. Now it’s time to learn to play it.  

tracy chapman

When I go for walks, my iTunes is on shuffle. I skip songs according to my mood. The other day I landed on Tracy Chapman’s Change.  I switched to her compilation and it was Tracy all the way home. If you don’t know her music or haven’t listened for a while, do it. She’s a husky voiced singer who was hugely popular in the 80s and 90s. Some of her songs are personal; some are politically charged. You might remember big hits - Fast Car from ‘88 and Give Me One Reason from ’95. Chapman stays out of the spotlight and avoids social media. She made a rare TV appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers before the U.S. election performing Revolution. I recommend her Greatest Hits as a staring point.

Pitchfork feature on Chapman’s debut album

christmas on the air

When I was a radio journalist, I volunteered to work during the holidays. It allowed coworkers to spend time with their families. That brings me to one Christmas Day in a small Saskatchewan town. I was the Jewish radio news reader. The deejay was Jehovah’s Witness. He spun all Christmas music of course but he never once mentioned the holiday. Not one word of “Christmas” all day, even if it was part of a song title. Just time checks and weather. Then the news sting would play, and I boomed “Merry Christmas, here’s what’s happening!” No local news to speak of, just updates from Bethlehem, holiday fluff wire copy, and messages from the Pope and the Queen. For four minutes at the top of each hour, it was Christmas on Christmas day.    

folkies unite

Penguin Eggs, the final edition

Sad news. Alberta based folk/roots music magazine, Penguin Eggs, has folded. It was a great publication to learn about wonderful music. In the early 2000s, I was artistic director of a folk club in Ontario. Somehow a copy of this recently launched mag landed on my lap. Flipping through, I found a gushing record review of a new singer songwriter and noticed the reviewer was an old friend; one who was hard to impress. He sang the praises of David Francey. I bought David’s record based on that review and booked him for a show right away. Since then, Francey has won Junos. These days, influencers – online and IRL – turn us on to new music but sometimes, it starts with a good old-fashioned magazine. RIP Penguin Eggs.        

covid-19 guitar

Flying V Kit

This Flying V guitar kit is my next COVID project. Vs are cool, a design hatched by Gibson in 1957 as a futuristic instrument. While somewhat awkward and hard to play, the design persists. I want one. So instead of shelling out thousands, or hundreds, I bought this kit for about $230 CAD. I am a guitar collector and bad player who knows little of their inner workings. I enlisted my friend Kevin from TNV Guitars to help me and teach me so I can gain building knowledge as well as a cool guitar. Guitar nerds, FYI, I’ve bought replacement parts – tuners and pickups. There will be more upgrades. Watch for updates in 2021.

ho ho holidays

After years as a non-celebrator, 2020 may be my first real Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always had a relationship with the holidays, even though it’s not my heritage. As a kid, I’d race to my best friend’s house on Christmas morning to help him play with his toys. As a grownup, I loved the parties at my workplaces, and I always volunteered to work Christmas so my coworkers could spend time with their families. For the first time, this year, I may embrace Christmas on a personal level. Not religiously, because it’s not my religion, but after a year of hardship, hate and strife, I’m ready for tidings of peace, comfort and joy.    

estate sale

Everybody who shops estate sales hopes for an Antiques Roadshow moment. That’s when something inexpensive turns out to be valuable. It happened to me when I joined my coworkers for an estate sale on our lunch break. There wasn’t much that interested me, so I sat down while they kept looking. Next to my chair, a rack of two-dollar records. I flipped and it was the usual stuff – Nana Mouskouri, etc. Then, paydirt. Three 10-inch records. I knew that one was seriously collectable. I bought them because, well, $6.00. They are: Yodelingly Yours Jimmie Rodgers, Volume 1, Greek Folksongs, Irma Kolassi, Marches of the World, The Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Richard Stolz. The Rodgers is valued at $100+.    

mike duffy

Before Duff was a Canadian senator, he was a TV reporter. He and I were among the journalists in Jasper, Alberta covering Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The PM was meeting with farm leaders discussing grain shipping. Very contentious at the time. We were waiting in a room for the farm leaders. They trickled in. I noticed one standing alone. An important fellow who the other reporters hadn’t noticed. I walked over and started interviewing him. Suddenly somebody grabbed my arm from behind and yanked it, hard; the arm with the hand holding my microphone. It was Duffy. My mic displayed call letters of my radio station. It was in his shot so he assaulted me. Mike Duffy is a jerk. I fought the urge to smack him back.

covid cash

Open your wallet. How much cash is there? I have one $5 bill. Just that for weeks. My wife says she can’t remember the last time she withdrew cash from an ATM. Debit card and buying online means no need for bills and coins. I did some googling to investigate this as a trend and found facts I didn’t expect. A Bank of Canada Cash and COVID-19 study says, when the pandemic hit, demand for bills increased. Reasons? Reduction of deposits from retailers to the banks and increase in consumer demand. But, that was then. Is it different now? It is in my wallet. The survey says people still want cash but they may find a change when they survey again in early ’21.

trudeau on a train

I was on a train with Pierre Trudeau. CN big shots were showing him railway tracks in Northern Alberta, twinned to allow increased grain shipments. This was a really big deal for Western Canada in the 80s. I was among the reporters along for the rail ride. We were bored. There was nothing to do until the end of the line and the upcoming photo op and scrum with the PM. We were drinking coffee and snacking. Nature called. I walked to the bathroom. Was it occupied? Free? The indicator was broken so I couldn’t tell, so I jiggled the handle. Up jumped security. “The Prime Minister is in there.” I jumped back. I saw nothing but to this day the image of Trudeau on the toilet is seared in my brain.  

life changing LP

Listening to Talking Heads: 77 was a life changing experience. I remember the day it happened. It was my first day as a college radio deejay at CJAM at U of Windsor. I arrived from CJSW, U of C radio. My first shift I was handed a record. “This time of day we play a full LP; this is the one.” I was miffed. I was used to choosing my own music to play. Punk was new. Spitting, safety pins and outrage weren’t my taste, yet. New wave was in its infancy. I dropped the needle. Psycho Killer. Quirky weird nervous energy. Holy crap this is good. It all started making sense.

memories

It’s funny what triggers memories. My friend, comedian John Wing wrote an obituary for Norm Crosby. My family used to watch Crosby on Sullivan. That triggered a memory of my uncle Archie Eisenstadt who resembled Crosby, or so I thought as a kid. It made him a celebrity in my eyes. He was deaf. I remember watching him and my aunt Virginia cut a rug on the dance floor at bar mitzvahs. I asked my mum “How can Uncle Archie be such a great dancer if he can’t hear the music?” “He feels the vibrations through the floor.” I haven’t thought about Archie in years. Thanks John. Rest in peace Norm and Archie.  

powerful lesson

I learned an important, first-hand lesson about politics and power as a young radio reporter in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada. The provincial government released a budget. The finance minister, on a media tour, showed up in a big black Caddy with an entourage. I was intimidated. Fast forward a few months. He lost his seat and went back to teaching high school. Same election, Roy Romanow lost his seat to a 23-year-old gas station attendant. I met him and we discussed the loss. He eventually regained a seat and led his party to serve as Premier of Sask. from 1991 to 2001. This is how a democracy works. Voters give political power and take it away. Everybody needs to remember this, presidents and everybody else.

ahead by a nose

In Canada or in the USA or anywhere, an election is not a horse race. No matter what is being reported online or on TV, nobody is ahead, nobody is behind. In the most recent U.S. election, the president was chosen when all the votes were in. Counting ballots happens, then the winner is determined. And of course, in this case, votes will be recounted and maybe contested in court. But the whole “who’s ahead” thing is moot. It’s a construct of the media. We would all be better off if they just said, "OK folks, the votes are in, we'll let you know in a couple days when we finish counting and we'll double check. Then you can start arguing." It's a pipedream but it's also quite true.