Some randon post-American election musings:
-Given that the Republicans have strengthened their hold on the Senate, I wouldn't be surprised to see a re-opening of the initiative to drill for oil in the Alaska Wilderness Refuge, a giant arctic ecosystem that stretches into the Yukon. Bush tried this in his first term, but the effort failed when a few Republican senators broke ranks and voted it down. He'll have a better hand if he tries it again. And given that the Middle East is likely to stay at least as tense as it is now, and that this may lend a greater urgency to U.S. efforts to develop alternative oil supplies, I wonder if he’ll have another go.
-I doubt celebrities really help that much in an election. John Kerry may have Bon Jovi et al on his side, but this misses the fact that entertainers work off of a different popularity scale than politicians. Even the biggest stars don't need to appeal to more than ten percent of a particular market to achieve fame and fortune. The thing is, in seriously appealing to that ten percent, they often irritate the crap out of the other 90 percent, a fact that makes them less-than-useful political allies. For every undecided voter who says "hey, the composer of 'Living on a Prayer' endorses Kerry,' there are about nine who score it as a mark against the candidate.
-There's likely to be a Canadian election in the next year or two. I'm wondering if Canadians will opt for a Conservative government as a kind of 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' way of easing cross border tensions, or if Bush antipathy will simply solidify the Liberal hold on parliament. In a sense the Liberals have adopted a right-leaning fiscal policy, and have thus been able to outflank the Conservatives enough already to prevent a wholesale move to the right.
I'm also curious as to the effect of four more years of Bush on the tiresome-but-undismissable Quebec separatist movement.
In the past, Quebecers were always among the most pro-American of Canadians. For instance, it was Quebec support of Brian Mulroney that helped him carry through the free trade initiative in 1988. And I can distinctly remember Lucien Bouchard emoting his love for America at the time of the last sovereignty referendum. Quebec separatists have often seen a closer connection with the States as a way of leveraging themselves out of Canada, much in the same way Scottish nationalists often effuse about greater connections with Europe as a counterbalance to the English union.
Now things seem a bit different. Nowhere is the anti-Bush sentiment more pronounced than in Quebec. Does Quebec really want a closer relationship with Bush's America? Sure, the Bloq has a heavy presence in the current Parliament, but this may be due to a passing anti-Liberal protest vote as much as anything. Could it be that Bush will bring us all closer together?
Bush owes a lot to his right-wing base. With some supreme court vacancies possibly opening up, I imagine that the U.S. will become more socially conservative over the next few years. Anglo-Canadians have long fussed over establishing an identity separate from the U.S. Well, it seems Bush is helping accomplish that by default.
-Speaking of things that could unite us, what about the quaint notion of a Canadian foreign policy? I hope like hell that rather than listen to my fellow countrymen spend four years whinging about the Republican view of the world, that we might actually get off our asses and assert our own perspective around the globe.
We have record budgetary surpluses with which to fund a military that might actually be able to make a difference in a place like Rwanda or present-day Sudan, or assert a bit of a presence over our own territory (did you hear that the frigging Danes, of all people, are trying to snatch a piece of our Arctic from us?).
What about developing a serious foreign aid program, like our moneybags PM promised Bono? What about not snorting like rubes when our head of state attempts to introduce our culture to other countries?
I was willing to put money on a Bush victory, but I'm not willing to put a dime on the possibility of Canadians rousing themselves to contribute a bit more to the world than endless empty rhetoric and bitching.
-In closing, I'll leave you with an anecdote, related by actress Julianne Moore on Letterman the other week. She had driven her car from New York to Toronto, where she was making a film. While waiting to make a left turn, a bunch of locals driving by spotted her New York plates, slowed down, and shouted "Go back to Boston!"
If we wonder why Americans sometimes don't seem to be listening to the rest of the world, maybe it's because sometimes the rest of the world is not quite as smart as it thinks it is.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Well, only a weekend ‘till the U.S. election. I’m wary of predictions, but if I had to bet, I’d take Bush.
Having said that, a few late developments are making it an interesting contest. The most notable to me is the fact that a number of erstwhile Bush commentators in the U.S. have come out in favour of John Kerry. I’m doubtful of the ability of certain select pundits to influence an election outcome, but if their thinking is reflective of any kind of current in the American electorate, the Democrats may have an outside chance.
To use a baseball analogy, a few on the American political right seem to think that Bush is like the starting pitcher in a baseball game. He took them through the early innings and got some key outs. But now his arm is getting tired, he's throwing some wild pitches, and his attitude is pissing off the umpires. Time to pull him and put the relief guy in.
Here is right wing blog star Andrew Sullivan:
“If Bush is re-elected, even Britain will likely shift toward withdrawal in Iraq, compounding American isolation there and making it even harder for a new Iraqi government to gain legitimacy. In the essential tasks of building support for greater international help in Iraq - financially, militarily, diplomatically - Kerry is the better choice. No, other countries cannot bail us out or even contribute much in the way of an effective military. But within Iraq, the impact of a more international stamp on the occupation and on the elections could help us win the battle for the hearts and minds of Iraqis. That battle - as much as the one on the battlefield itself - is crucial for success. I fear Bush is too polarizing, too controversial, too loathed a figure even within his own country, to pull this off.
“...One of the great benefits of being a democracy at war is that we can change leaders and tactics to advance the same goals.”
Note that Sullivan is not anti-war. He is for the war in Iraq. He just doesn’t think Bush can finish the job. This could be a real problem for Bush. Republicans are countering that it doesn't matter who's in the White House; the French, Germans, and whoever else aren't going to help in Iraq in any case. But with support for Bush faltering even in Great Britain, where the opposition Tories are no keener on him than many in Tony Blair’s increasingly restless Labour party, the relief pitcher mentality could be factor.
Let's switch to a hockey analogy. When he coached the Canucks, Harry Neale made a controversial trade to secure Dave 'Tiger' Williams from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Though lambasted for the trade, Neale felt that Williams was the type of player who, by the very fact that he was so hated by opponents, would be valuable to the Canucks.
"If they're on the other side," said Neale of players like Williams, "you hate 'em. If they're on your side you like ‘em."
Indeed, for a while Williams was the Canucks' leading goal scorer, a pugnacious catalyst who gave the team some determination and grit.
It seems to me that Bush is seen by many Americans in the same light. They don't care if everyone else hates him. His blinkered determination and stick-it-to-em style are seen as key assets during a tough time.
The problem for Bush, though, is that a few of his former supporters are starting to look at him as a net liability. Kind of like when Tiger Williams took a dumb penalty, or when his yapping pissed off his teammates or kept the refs from giving his team the benefit of the doubt.
If enough Americans start to feel that Bush's style, or, as another pro-war pundit, Christopher Hitchens, puts it, his ‘excruciating personality’ is getting in the way, he'll be in trouble.
Add to that the fact that many conservatives feel that he's well off track. They can't stand the huge deficits he's running up. They're irritated that he's expanded certain social programs (or entitlements as they're called in the States) in order to nail down support from seniors in places like Florida. Some of them don't like his social conservatism, seeing it as unwarranted state meddling in the private affairs of citizens. And they're irritated by his immigration policies, which they see as giving a free ride to queue jumpers from Mexico as a way of shoring up the burgeoning Latino vote.
Taking the long view, some feel that a Republican defeat this time round would be better for conservatives down the road.
‘If Bush loses,’ says Andrew Sullivan, ‘the fight to recapture Republicanism from Big Government moralism will be given new energy.’
It’s one thing when Michael Moore and company wants you out. But when your own camp starts turning on you, you may have a problem.
As a final note, keep a few things in mind.
Americans, unlike a lot people from a lot of other countries, don't necessarily associate Republican presidents with war.
Think about it. Americans were led into almost every major conflict they have faced over the past 100 years by Democrats. Woodrow Wilson led them into World War I; Franklin Roosevelt led them into World War II; Harry Truman took them (with U.N. approval, mind you) into Korea; and Lyndon Johnson heavily ramped up JFK's efforts in Vietnam.
True, it was George Bush Sr. that went into Kuwait, but not without massive (including Arab) diplomatic and military support.
The guy who was supposed to the biggest maniac of them all, Ronald Reagan, had to content himself with bombing Khaddafi and locking down Grenada. Even Bill Clinton, with his attacks on Yugoslavia, Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan, was able to drop more ordinance. (This is excluding, of course, the support Reagan lent to various goon-squad regimes in Central America.)
Perhaps Americans feel that the more ornery and crazed their leader looks, the more everyone else will step back. Again, a bit of hockey tactic, akin to Gretzky always making sure he had a Semenko or McSorley on hand.
The biggest problem for Americans is that they need a higher calibre of player altogether right now.
‘They are both second-tier politicians,’ says Andrew Sullivan of Kerry and Bush, ‘thrust into the spotlight at a time when we desperately need those in the first circle of talent and vision.’
That’s just it. The U.S. needs brawn AND brains right now, the whole package. They don’t need a Williams or a Semenko. They need a Howe, or a Messier, or an Orr.
Regrettably for all of us, there doesn't seem to be one on the horizon.
Having said that, a few late developments are making it an interesting contest. The most notable to me is the fact that a number of erstwhile Bush commentators in the U.S. have come out in favour of John Kerry. I’m doubtful of the ability of certain select pundits to influence an election outcome, but if their thinking is reflective of any kind of current in the American electorate, the Democrats may have an outside chance.
To use a baseball analogy, a few on the American political right seem to think that Bush is like the starting pitcher in a baseball game. He took them through the early innings and got some key outs. But now his arm is getting tired, he's throwing some wild pitches, and his attitude is pissing off the umpires. Time to pull him and put the relief guy in.
Here is right wing blog star Andrew Sullivan:
“If Bush is re-elected, even Britain will likely shift toward withdrawal in Iraq, compounding American isolation there and making it even harder for a new Iraqi government to gain legitimacy. In the essential tasks of building support for greater international help in Iraq - financially, militarily, diplomatically - Kerry is the better choice. No, other countries cannot bail us out or even contribute much in the way of an effective military. But within Iraq, the impact of a more international stamp on the occupation and on the elections could help us win the battle for the hearts and minds of Iraqis. That battle - as much as the one on the battlefield itself - is crucial for success. I fear Bush is too polarizing, too controversial, too loathed a figure even within his own country, to pull this off.
“...One of the great benefits of being a democracy at war is that we can change leaders and tactics to advance the same goals.”
Note that Sullivan is not anti-war. He is for the war in Iraq. He just doesn’t think Bush can finish the job. This could be a real problem for Bush. Republicans are countering that it doesn't matter who's in the White House; the French, Germans, and whoever else aren't going to help in Iraq in any case. But with support for Bush faltering even in Great Britain, where the opposition Tories are no keener on him than many in Tony Blair’s increasingly restless Labour party, the relief pitcher mentality could be factor.
Let's switch to a hockey analogy. When he coached the Canucks, Harry Neale made a controversial trade to secure Dave 'Tiger' Williams from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Though lambasted for the trade, Neale felt that Williams was the type of player who, by the very fact that he was so hated by opponents, would be valuable to the Canucks.
"If they're on the other side," said Neale of players like Williams, "you hate 'em. If they're on your side you like ‘em."
Indeed, for a while Williams was the Canucks' leading goal scorer, a pugnacious catalyst who gave the team some determination and grit.
It seems to me that Bush is seen by many Americans in the same light. They don't care if everyone else hates him. His blinkered determination and stick-it-to-em style are seen as key assets during a tough time.
The problem for Bush, though, is that a few of his former supporters are starting to look at him as a net liability. Kind of like when Tiger Williams took a dumb penalty, or when his yapping pissed off his teammates or kept the refs from giving his team the benefit of the doubt.
If enough Americans start to feel that Bush's style, or, as another pro-war pundit, Christopher Hitchens, puts it, his ‘excruciating personality’ is getting in the way, he'll be in trouble.
Add to that the fact that many conservatives feel that he's well off track. They can't stand the huge deficits he's running up. They're irritated that he's expanded certain social programs (or entitlements as they're called in the States) in order to nail down support from seniors in places like Florida. Some of them don't like his social conservatism, seeing it as unwarranted state meddling in the private affairs of citizens. And they're irritated by his immigration policies, which they see as giving a free ride to queue jumpers from Mexico as a way of shoring up the burgeoning Latino vote.
Taking the long view, some feel that a Republican defeat this time round would be better for conservatives down the road.
‘If Bush loses,’ says Andrew Sullivan, ‘the fight to recapture Republicanism from Big Government moralism will be given new energy.’
It’s one thing when Michael Moore and company wants you out. But when your own camp starts turning on you, you may have a problem.
As a final note, keep a few things in mind.
Americans, unlike a lot people from a lot of other countries, don't necessarily associate Republican presidents with war.
Think about it. Americans were led into almost every major conflict they have faced over the past 100 years by Democrats. Woodrow Wilson led them into World War I; Franklin Roosevelt led them into World War II; Harry Truman took them (with U.N. approval, mind you) into Korea; and Lyndon Johnson heavily ramped up JFK's efforts in Vietnam.
True, it was George Bush Sr. that went into Kuwait, but not without massive (including Arab) diplomatic and military support.
The guy who was supposed to the biggest maniac of them all, Ronald Reagan, had to content himself with bombing Khaddafi and locking down Grenada. Even Bill Clinton, with his attacks on Yugoslavia, Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan, was able to drop more ordinance. (This is excluding, of course, the support Reagan lent to various goon-squad regimes in Central America.)
Perhaps Americans feel that the more ornery and crazed their leader looks, the more everyone else will step back. Again, a bit of hockey tactic, akin to Gretzky always making sure he had a Semenko or McSorley on hand.
The biggest problem for Americans is that they need a higher calibre of player altogether right now.
‘They are both second-tier politicians,’ says Andrew Sullivan of Kerry and Bush, ‘thrust into the spotlight at a time when we desperately need those in the first circle of talent and vision.’
That’s just it. The U.S. needs brawn AND brains right now, the whole package. They don’t need a Williams or a Semenko. They need a Howe, or a Messier, or an Orr.
Regrettably for all of us, there doesn't seem to be one on the horizon.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
The following gibberish was originally intended as a stream of actual blogging. Like certain other things, its release was delayed.
Noisy Summer
Saturday Aug. 7th, 3:10 pm.
I have new neighbours next door. It’s like living next door to a perpetual aerobics class.
Is it too much for seemingly intelligent people to grasp that their excessively loud ‘music’ might disturb people around them? Why are people, no matter what they’re doing, so indifferent to other people? Clearly the world would work better if people were more considerate.
I’m reminded of this again when I’m on the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo.
Is it now some sort of tradition for louts to smoke pot on the outer deck? Never mind families with their kids. Never the rest of us. Again, anti-social behavior rules the day.
Is this what constitutes a liberal society? People must be accepted, regardless of how objectionable their behavior? They must be given space to do their thing, even if ‘their thing’ infringes on other people’s enjoyment of their own lives?
It occurs to me that in some ways, a traditional, conservative society is more co-operative, more oriented toward the collective good.
Good manners. Consideration of others. These things are denigrated in our society. In Vancouver, where idiots rant endlessly about the need for more fun, a handful of morons erode the collective respect that is necessary for a high-density population to live and work together successfully.
Is it a coincidence that a society like Japan, a heavily populated but geographically small country in which families often live in small apartments, is a society that also values politeness and courtesy more than our own?
I’m sick of this, and I’m going away.
***
6:30 pm
The leaky union out at the pumphouse is not leaking. I test the runoff taps. There’s lots of water in the pipes. Oh joy! No doubt it might start dripping later, after the pump is on and the pressure builds up. But that’s okay. If no one is here most of the time, then we’re not dripping water most of the time. Any leak that occurs is, as they would say on Star Trek, ‘within acceptable parameters.’
I really have to take a plumbing course. Some kind of entry level night class. One thing I’ve learned is that you can’t tighten too much. It’s an art. If you overtighten, you wreck the connection.
Kind of zen, that.
Sunday Aug. 8th, 11:00am
Get up early on Sunday morning, and decide on drive around the island. By chance I turn down small gravel road, and discover a beach access I have not yet explored.
Local property owners have posted innumerable ‘No Trespassing’ signs. Some fucker felled a bunch of trees along the access path to the beach.
I suspect that this is the site of the fabled Grande Hotel. The Grande was built atop a sheer rock cliff, and was the local hangout of most of the island's characters. There are legends of inebriated patrons wandering over the cliff on a dark night, but I'm not sure of their veracity.
Despite the unwelcoming signals, I persevere, and I find a superb stretch of walkable/climbable coast, with wonderful views.
The Grande seems to have been turned into a lodge/campground. Some guy in a Boston whaler, seemingly launched from the lodge, peers at me as I walk along the nearby shoreline. I am reminded of ‘Dr. No,’ when Bond and Ursula Andress are straffed by goons on a boat as they make their way along a Carribean beach toward Dr. No’s hideout.
3:30 pm
I’m not much on jazz guitarists. Frankly, I’ve scarcely listened to any of them. Obviously they’re virtuosos when compared to many of their rock counterparts, but I think the electric guitar was made for a bit of grit; the amplifier is part of the instrument.
I picked up a copy of ‘Birds of Fire,’ by John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra prior to heading over here. I’ve only heard McLaughlin on a couple of Miles Davis records, but he plays with a certain rock moxy. His eschews the prissy guitar tone that is the hallmark of some of his jazz cohorts, and he doesn’t shy away from The Riff.
The first thing that strikes me is the dual lead runs by Mclauchlin and violinist Jerry Goodman. Unbelievable how they synch some of these runs, but the tone begins to grate on me. A good idea, brilliantly executed, but slightly overplayed.
On the whole, though, I’m rather taken with the record. I will have to explore more McLauchlin. Bill Cobham is utterly masterful.
Sitting on an island....relaxing in the afternoon with some prog/rock/jazz fusion....looking forward to a nice drink....
I’ve become the Mule, circa 1998.
6:00pm
There was a sale at Roger’s Video at 15th and Oak last week. A whole bunch of VHS unloaded. I’m trying to build a small video library for the island, and so I picked up six movies, including ‘You Only Live Twice.’
Released in 1967, this was the film that soured Sean Connery on the Bond series. It was sprawling and over budget, and the filming went well past deadline.
The fact is, though, that any Connery Bond flick is a cut above anything else in the series. My main problem with YOLT is the admittedly absurd part where Bond is made to look Japanese.
Other than that, I quite like the movie. The setting is exotic, and the music is among the best of the series.
Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay. It has it’s moments, but it generally conforms to the Bond style. The first hour of the film rolls along beautifully. After that, it becomes a bit pedestrian.
The thing to keep in mind with the Bond movies is this: when they started the thing it 1962, they hit the jackpot. Connery was unkown at the time; the producers lucked out and got a first rate star. To use an hockey analogy, he’s a hall of fame player who’s been succeeded by a bunch of solid but unexhilarating journeymen.
But it’s not just that. The guy who directed three out of the first four Bond films, Terence Moore, was a well-heeled Englishmen of impeccible education and taste. He set the tone of the movies, giving the early ones an elegance and dry wit that is now lamentably absent. Composer John Barry created an incredible legacy. There were many others; editors, writers, and so on.
Getting all this talent in one place, at an (initially) affordable price, was a masterstroke for the series’ producers. The early Bond production lineups were like a hockey team of relative unknowns who become great, then move on as individuals to other things. If you think about it, it’s really no surprise that they couldn’t hold it together.
9:45pm
Unbelievable. I come to a gulf island to get away from noise and there’s huge party going on down the road, complete with loud music and a P.A. system.
Am I being filmed? Am I the unwitting star of some comedy series?
Aug. 9th, 2004
I’m working on a record album, and am aware that I have been the cause of some amusment to the handful of people who are awaiting the record’s release. It’s taking some time to complete.
I keep learning new things, and getting new ideas. In any case, the thing is done. I spent today working on it, laying down a couple of handdrum tracks, but this thing is basically finished.
The problem is, mixing is no mean feat. One of the biggest tasks is simply cleaning things up. You have to go through all the tracks and mute them when they’re not active. It takes forever.
This is the hard slogging that separates the pros from the pretenders in the word of recording engineers. Anyone who’s ever been in a studio is aware of the tedium of watching an engineer go track by track through the recording.
“What the fuck’s he doing?” you think to yourself, especially if you’re footing the bill. “Does it really need to take this long?”
When you try it yourself you realize that the guy in the studio is a lightspeed wizard who’s saving you about a billion man hours of sheer tedium.
I’ve found that I’ve been influenced by my contemporaries in recording as well. It’s a curious but enjoyable sensation to realize that other local musicians have more of an impact on your thinking than some hotshot rockstar.
It’s part of the process of a changing music scene. A kind of devolution is taking place.
Aug. 10/2004.
I’ve run out of overdubs. There’s nothing more I can possibly do. I’m finished with this, though I’m mindful of film director Anthony Harvey’s caveat regarding the creative process:
‘You’re never at peace.”
Lounged around for part of the day outside reading.
Noticed the headlines of the Vancouver Sun today. Something about the booming construction industry. Has everyone noticed that the Sun seems to be on some kind of campaign to convince everyone that the economy is in overdrive? These guys are little more than the P.R. wing of the B.C. Liberal party.
It’s all about Campbell. Low interest rates have nothing to do with booming real estate at all.
Aug. 11/2004
Went down to Victoria today. Took the scenic route through Saltair, Chemainus and Cowichan Bay. I advertantly came up that route a few weeks ago after attending a party of sorts on Saltspring Island. The sun had just gone down, and it was a beautiful drive.
Decided to try it again, this time in the morning. Nice, but I couldn’t recapture the majic.
Very busy in downtown Victoria. Meandered around a bit then went on a drive around the very scenic and soothing Victoria waterfront.
I’ve always liked Victoria. It’s various rocky outcrops, complete with tan grass, remind me of a few other places in the world. Edinburgh, Auckland and parts of California come to mind.
Met up with my friend Gene, who pointed out a neat little music shop on Fan Tan Alley. Will have to go back.
Surprisingly non-aggravating on the highways. Compared to the endless motoronic displays around Vancouver this is the height of civilized society.
Aug. 12/2004
Everytime I come over here something goes wrong. Today was the day. First the hose came out of the rainbarrel as I was using it, giving me an unexpected shower as I struggled to fit it back in.
I managed to (I think) fix the outhouse door, which was hanging from one hinge. The other was attached to a rotting 2X4 that disintegrated. Water supply from well seems close to depleted. Have been struggling with a dripping pumphouse union all year. Might be a factor, but I don’t think it’s the cause of the dryish well.
Tried yet another approach to sealing it. No luck.
Arrrgghhh!
Aug. 13/04
Fairly idyllic day. Nice long walk in morning. Early enough to avoid crowds except one intgriguing older woman who I’ve seen around here before. She acknowledged me on the beach, which is more than I can say for the indifferent tourists currently over-running the place.
Did some more mixing clean up. Have to sort out all the effects plug-ins so I can bounce the mixes. I’ve always liked a dry sound, but you need things like compression and reverb more than I ever realized. The ability to apply these things in the right amounts is another of the chef-like skills recording engineers must possess.
I seriously doubt that home recording will ever rob engineers of their jobs. If anything, it will create more demand and appreciation for their work.
No one is going to like this record. I’m convinced of that. And why finish it anyway? Who’s ever going to hear it? I may as well just put it away and keep working on it forever.
Lounged around outside reading and listening to Charlie Parker for a while. In the late afternoon I went to a less crowded (ie. I was the only one around) part of the island and went for a dip. Great big surf, and a nice sloping pocket of sandstone. Very warm water. Unbelievable. I didn’t want to come out.
Evening wears on. Tiresome olympic ceremony on television. I’ve run out of movies.
Aug. 14/04
Well, that’s it. When this week started it seemed to stretch eternally in front of me. Now it’s done.
Nice walk this morning over a particularly rocky stretch of coast. Saw this incredible staircase built down a cliff.
Did a bit more mixing and overdubbing. Now I’m really finished.
Saw ‘Grandma’ Vera at the museum. An old friend of my dad’s, she used to own an orange cat named ‘Charlie,’ who inspired a song. Felt good to do see her; she was in high spirits as usual. Good spirits must clearly be good for one’s health. That’s a lesson I’m trying to learn. Went for a swim down by our place, despite crowds (ie. there were appx. 10 people around). Refreshing, though not as exhilarating as yesterday.
************************
Noisy Summer Part II
Aug. 19/04.
Went home for four days, now I’m back by chance. The opportunity arose and I took it. Very glad to be here. A great trip over on the ferry, and now time to relax with a DVD of ‘Foyle’s War,’ a British mini-series I’ve becoming seriously addicted to.
Aug. 20.04
Okay, I admit it, I’m still mixing the bloody record. But I swear I’m almost done.
Watching some Olympic coverage on television while mixing. It appears that Marnie McBean has adopted the Greg Millen style of sports commentary. I pity Chris Cuthbert, who must be wondering while he’s always the one to get paired with the motormouth.
Aug. 21.04
A bit more mixing, but seriously, it’s done. More Olympics. Sprinting trials. I have a friend whose brother became a trainer to athletes a few years ago.
His day job?
Pharmacist.
Rainy day today. Good. It will fill the rain barrels. Down at the beach the wind is coming up from the southeast. Low pressure system. Counterclockwise. Still beautiful. Went to a place on the island where I could watch the waves hitting the rocks and spraying all over the place.
Back at the cabin, things are as idyllic in rain as in sun.
“Rain is different in the country,” said a former barber of mine.
Yes it is.
Only one problem; I’ve been caught unawares alcholol-wise. I’ve got lager, limes and vodka, but it’s clearly a whiskey and ale kind of day.
Aug. 22.04
Up very early today to go home. I rather dread going home, which is not good. There will be more rave music next door, and I will run the risk of turning into what Super Robertson would call a ‘rage hero.’
Have the Olympics on while I clean the place up. More rowing.
Marnie seems particularly interested the anguished facial expressions worn by rowers at the end of the races. She likens one exhausted visage to “that painting ‘The Screamer.’”
Hmmm.
Sounds like a title dreamed up by some art grad-turned porn director.
Aug. 23.04
How about that. ‘The Screamer’ has been stolen from a gallery in Oslo.
Back at the games, we have some rather disappointing rowing results.
The Canadian Olympic Committee adopted tougher standards for athletes to get to the games this time. I can remember the rowing coach commenting that he thought this was good, that only the elite athletes should be going. Presumably he felt his team was included in this category.
Perhaps he’ll be a little more charitable next time.
Frankly, Marnie McBean should get out of the booth and into a boat. My previous smartass comments notwithstanding, her and Kathleen Heddle were one of the best athletic teams this country has ever produced in any sport.
Aug. 24.04
Home now. Olympics going full bore. The best comment on the Feliecien incident comes the very same day via blog from Paul Wells of MacLeans:
“Tomorrow’s National Post editorial: Perdita Felicien fell down because Chretien kept Canada out of Iraq.”
Aug. 25.04
Much handwringing at this point over the usual disappointing medal totals. “We must provide more funding, and specialize in certain sports,” say the experts.
Actually we already do specialize in certain sports. The thing is, most of them are part of the winter games.
A quick review of the medal totals of the past three winter Olympics shows that Canada finished in 5th, 4th and 6th place respectively at Salt Lake City, Nagano and Lillehammer. In 1998, remembered by most as the year in which we didn’t win in hockey, we actually won more medals than the U.S.A.
If it weren’t for pesky little Norway, and their ability to succeed in the five dozen or so Olympic varations of cross-country skiing, we’d have a real shot at the top three.
We need a few more Canada-friendly sports in the winter games. A few more curling-like events. Maybe synchronized snowboarding. Or perhaps a Zamboni competition; who can flood the ice the fastest. Extra points for planting your national currency at centre ice.
Aug. 28.04.
From an article on Adam Van Kouverden in the Globe and Mail.
“What really hurts the amateur athlete, and rubs off on him, Mr. Oldershaw (Van Kouverden’s coach) said, is "the real apathy. I felt it myself, when I was an athlete. People would ask me what I did, and when I told them, they'd say, 'But what do you really do?' "
Sounds like being a musician.
In many respects, the Olympic athlete and the unsigned musician are a lot alike. Toiling in fields or genres that are sometimes obscure, their efforts ignored in favour of those of a handful of superstars. Is a centre on a N.F.L. team really a better athlete than a kayaker? Is a guy who can slug a baseball in the major leagues really a better athlete than a mountain biker? Especially when the former is allowed to dope up and the latter is not.
I’ll admit I’ve watched a lot of the Olympics this year. I always watch them. What I like the best about them is the unknown athelete who trains hard and grabs a medal. They’ll go back to an ‘ordinary’ life afterwards, but they will have known some real glory, some real recognition. It’s Warhol’s 15 minutes of fame syndrome.
Sept. 19th, 2004.
Today I took off back to Gabriola. Last weekend of summer. My neighbours back home have quietened down somewhat (though now that I write this I imagine they’ll fire the rave music back up).
Perhaps I judged them too harshly.
All’s well that ends well.
For now.
And now into the Autumn.
Noisy Summer
Saturday Aug. 7th, 3:10 pm.
I have new neighbours next door. It’s like living next door to a perpetual aerobics class.
Is it too much for seemingly intelligent people to grasp that their excessively loud ‘music’ might disturb people around them? Why are people, no matter what they’re doing, so indifferent to other people? Clearly the world would work better if people were more considerate.
I’m reminded of this again when I’m on the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo.
Is it now some sort of tradition for louts to smoke pot on the outer deck? Never mind families with their kids. Never the rest of us. Again, anti-social behavior rules the day.
Is this what constitutes a liberal society? People must be accepted, regardless of how objectionable their behavior? They must be given space to do their thing, even if ‘their thing’ infringes on other people’s enjoyment of their own lives?
It occurs to me that in some ways, a traditional, conservative society is more co-operative, more oriented toward the collective good.
Good manners. Consideration of others. These things are denigrated in our society. In Vancouver, where idiots rant endlessly about the need for more fun, a handful of morons erode the collective respect that is necessary for a high-density population to live and work together successfully.
Is it a coincidence that a society like Japan, a heavily populated but geographically small country in which families often live in small apartments, is a society that also values politeness and courtesy more than our own?
I’m sick of this, and I’m going away.
***
6:30 pm
The leaky union out at the pumphouse is not leaking. I test the runoff taps. There’s lots of water in the pipes. Oh joy! No doubt it might start dripping later, after the pump is on and the pressure builds up. But that’s okay. If no one is here most of the time, then we’re not dripping water most of the time. Any leak that occurs is, as they would say on Star Trek, ‘within acceptable parameters.’
I really have to take a plumbing course. Some kind of entry level night class. One thing I’ve learned is that you can’t tighten too much. It’s an art. If you overtighten, you wreck the connection.
Kind of zen, that.
Sunday Aug. 8th, 11:00am
Get up early on Sunday morning, and decide on drive around the island. By chance I turn down small gravel road, and discover a beach access I have not yet explored.
Local property owners have posted innumerable ‘No Trespassing’ signs. Some fucker felled a bunch of trees along the access path to the beach.
I suspect that this is the site of the fabled Grande Hotel. The Grande was built atop a sheer rock cliff, and was the local hangout of most of the island's characters. There are legends of inebriated patrons wandering over the cliff on a dark night, but I'm not sure of their veracity.
Despite the unwelcoming signals, I persevere, and I find a superb stretch of walkable/climbable coast, with wonderful views.
The Grande seems to have been turned into a lodge/campground. Some guy in a Boston whaler, seemingly launched from the lodge, peers at me as I walk along the nearby shoreline. I am reminded of ‘Dr. No,’ when Bond and Ursula Andress are straffed by goons on a boat as they make their way along a Carribean beach toward Dr. No’s hideout.
3:30 pm
I’m not much on jazz guitarists. Frankly, I’ve scarcely listened to any of them. Obviously they’re virtuosos when compared to many of their rock counterparts, but I think the electric guitar was made for a bit of grit; the amplifier is part of the instrument.
I picked up a copy of ‘Birds of Fire,’ by John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra prior to heading over here. I’ve only heard McLaughlin on a couple of Miles Davis records, but he plays with a certain rock moxy. His eschews the prissy guitar tone that is the hallmark of some of his jazz cohorts, and he doesn’t shy away from The Riff.
The first thing that strikes me is the dual lead runs by Mclauchlin and violinist Jerry Goodman. Unbelievable how they synch some of these runs, but the tone begins to grate on me. A good idea, brilliantly executed, but slightly overplayed.
On the whole, though, I’m rather taken with the record. I will have to explore more McLauchlin. Bill Cobham is utterly masterful.
Sitting on an island....relaxing in the afternoon with some prog/rock/jazz fusion....looking forward to a nice drink....
I’ve become the Mule, circa 1998.
6:00pm
There was a sale at Roger’s Video at 15th and Oak last week. A whole bunch of VHS unloaded. I’m trying to build a small video library for the island, and so I picked up six movies, including ‘You Only Live Twice.’
Released in 1967, this was the film that soured Sean Connery on the Bond series. It was sprawling and over budget, and the filming went well past deadline.
The fact is, though, that any Connery Bond flick is a cut above anything else in the series. My main problem with YOLT is the admittedly absurd part where Bond is made to look Japanese.
Other than that, I quite like the movie. The setting is exotic, and the music is among the best of the series.
Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay. It has it’s moments, but it generally conforms to the Bond style. The first hour of the film rolls along beautifully. After that, it becomes a bit pedestrian.
The thing to keep in mind with the Bond movies is this: when they started the thing it 1962, they hit the jackpot. Connery was unkown at the time; the producers lucked out and got a first rate star. To use an hockey analogy, he’s a hall of fame player who’s been succeeded by a bunch of solid but unexhilarating journeymen.
But it’s not just that. The guy who directed three out of the first four Bond films, Terence Moore, was a well-heeled Englishmen of impeccible education and taste. He set the tone of the movies, giving the early ones an elegance and dry wit that is now lamentably absent. Composer John Barry created an incredible legacy. There were many others; editors, writers, and so on.
Getting all this talent in one place, at an (initially) affordable price, was a masterstroke for the series’ producers. The early Bond production lineups were like a hockey team of relative unknowns who become great, then move on as individuals to other things. If you think about it, it’s really no surprise that they couldn’t hold it together.
9:45pm
Unbelievable. I come to a gulf island to get away from noise and there’s huge party going on down the road, complete with loud music and a P.A. system.
Am I being filmed? Am I the unwitting star of some comedy series?
Aug. 9th, 2004
I’m working on a record album, and am aware that I have been the cause of some amusment to the handful of people who are awaiting the record’s release. It’s taking some time to complete.
I keep learning new things, and getting new ideas. In any case, the thing is done. I spent today working on it, laying down a couple of handdrum tracks, but this thing is basically finished.
The problem is, mixing is no mean feat. One of the biggest tasks is simply cleaning things up. You have to go through all the tracks and mute them when they’re not active. It takes forever.
This is the hard slogging that separates the pros from the pretenders in the word of recording engineers. Anyone who’s ever been in a studio is aware of the tedium of watching an engineer go track by track through the recording.
“What the fuck’s he doing?” you think to yourself, especially if you’re footing the bill. “Does it really need to take this long?”
When you try it yourself you realize that the guy in the studio is a lightspeed wizard who’s saving you about a billion man hours of sheer tedium.
I’ve found that I’ve been influenced by my contemporaries in recording as well. It’s a curious but enjoyable sensation to realize that other local musicians have more of an impact on your thinking than some hotshot rockstar.
It’s part of the process of a changing music scene. A kind of devolution is taking place.
Aug. 10/2004.
I’ve run out of overdubs. There’s nothing more I can possibly do. I’m finished with this, though I’m mindful of film director Anthony Harvey’s caveat regarding the creative process:
‘You’re never at peace.”
Lounged around for part of the day outside reading.
Noticed the headlines of the Vancouver Sun today. Something about the booming construction industry. Has everyone noticed that the Sun seems to be on some kind of campaign to convince everyone that the economy is in overdrive? These guys are little more than the P.R. wing of the B.C. Liberal party.
It’s all about Campbell. Low interest rates have nothing to do with booming real estate at all.
Aug. 11/2004
Went down to Victoria today. Took the scenic route through Saltair, Chemainus and Cowichan Bay. I advertantly came up that route a few weeks ago after attending a party of sorts on Saltspring Island. The sun had just gone down, and it was a beautiful drive.
Decided to try it again, this time in the morning. Nice, but I couldn’t recapture the majic.
Very busy in downtown Victoria. Meandered around a bit then went on a drive around the very scenic and soothing Victoria waterfront.
I’ve always liked Victoria. It’s various rocky outcrops, complete with tan grass, remind me of a few other places in the world. Edinburgh, Auckland and parts of California come to mind.
Met up with my friend Gene, who pointed out a neat little music shop on Fan Tan Alley. Will have to go back.
Surprisingly non-aggravating on the highways. Compared to the endless motoronic displays around Vancouver this is the height of civilized society.
Aug. 12/2004
Everytime I come over here something goes wrong. Today was the day. First the hose came out of the rainbarrel as I was using it, giving me an unexpected shower as I struggled to fit it back in.
I managed to (I think) fix the outhouse door, which was hanging from one hinge. The other was attached to a rotting 2X4 that disintegrated. Water supply from well seems close to depleted. Have been struggling with a dripping pumphouse union all year. Might be a factor, but I don’t think it’s the cause of the dryish well.
Tried yet another approach to sealing it. No luck.
Arrrgghhh!
Aug. 13/04
Fairly idyllic day. Nice long walk in morning. Early enough to avoid crowds except one intgriguing older woman who I’ve seen around here before. She acknowledged me on the beach, which is more than I can say for the indifferent tourists currently over-running the place.
Did some more mixing clean up. Have to sort out all the effects plug-ins so I can bounce the mixes. I’ve always liked a dry sound, but you need things like compression and reverb more than I ever realized. The ability to apply these things in the right amounts is another of the chef-like skills recording engineers must possess.
I seriously doubt that home recording will ever rob engineers of their jobs. If anything, it will create more demand and appreciation for their work.
No one is going to like this record. I’m convinced of that. And why finish it anyway? Who’s ever going to hear it? I may as well just put it away and keep working on it forever.
Lounged around outside reading and listening to Charlie Parker for a while. In the late afternoon I went to a less crowded (ie. I was the only one around) part of the island and went for a dip. Great big surf, and a nice sloping pocket of sandstone. Very warm water. Unbelievable. I didn’t want to come out.
Evening wears on. Tiresome olympic ceremony on television. I’ve run out of movies.
Aug. 14/04
Well, that’s it. When this week started it seemed to stretch eternally in front of me. Now it’s done.
Nice walk this morning over a particularly rocky stretch of coast. Saw this incredible staircase built down a cliff.
Did a bit more mixing and overdubbing. Now I’m really finished.
Saw ‘Grandma’ Vera at the museum. An old friend of my dad’s, she used to own an orange cat named ‘Charlie,’ who inspired a song. Felt good to do see her; she was in high spirits as usual. Good spirits must clearly be good for one’s health. That’s a lesson I’m trying to learn. Went for a swim down by our place, despite crowds (ie. there were appx. 10 people around). Refreshing, though not as exhilarating as yesterday.
************************
Noisy Summer Part II
Aug. 19/04.
Went home for four days, now I’m back by chance. The opportunity arose and I took it. Very glad to be here. A great trip over on the ferry, and now time to relax with a DVD of ‘Foyle’s War,’ a British mini-series I’ve becoming seriously addicted to.
Aug. 20.04
Okay, I admit it, I’m still mixing the bloody record. But I swear I’m almost done.
Watching some Olympic coverage on television while mixing. It appears that Marnie McBean has adopted the Greg Millen style of sports commentary. I pity Chris Cuthbert, who must be wondering while he’s always the one to get paired with the motormouth.
Aug. 21.04
A bit more mixing, but seriously, it’s done. More Olympics. Sprinting trials. I have a friend whose brother became a trainer to athletes a few years ago.
His day job?
Pharmacist.
Rainy day today. Good. It will fill the rain barrels. Down at the beach the wind is coming up from the southeast. Low pressure system. Counterclockwise. Still beautiful. Went to a place on the island where I could watch the waves hitting the rocks and spraying all over the place.
Back at the cabin, things are as idyllic in rain as in sun.
“Rain is different in the country,” said a former barber of mine.
Yes it is.
Only one problem; I’ve been caught unawares alcholol-wise. I’ve got lager, limes and vodka, but it’s clearly a whiskey and ale kind of day.
Aug. 22.04
Up very early today to go home. I rather dread going home, which is not good. There will be more rave music next door, and I will run the risk of turning into what Super Robertson would call a ‘rage hero.’
Have the Olympics on while I clean the place up. More rowing.
Marnie seems particularly interested the anguished facial expressions worn by rowers at the end of the races. She likens one exhausted visage to “that painting ‘The Screamer.’”
Hmmm.
Sounds like a title dreamed up by some art grad-turned porn director.
Aug. 23.04
How about that. ‘The Screamer’ has been stolen from a gallery in Oslo.
Back at the games, we have some rather disappointing rowing results.
The Canadian Olympic Committee adopted tougher standards for athletes to get to the games this time. I can remember the rowing coach commenting that he thought this was good, that only the elite athletes should be going. Presumably he felt his team was included in this category.
Perhaps he’ll be a little more charitable next time.
Frankly, Marnie McBean should get out of the booth and into a boat. My previous smartass comments notwithstanding, her and Kathleen Heddle were one of the best athletic teams this country has ever produced in any sport.
Aug. 24.04
Home now. Olympics going full bore. The best comment on the Feliecien incident comes the very same day via blog from Paul Wells of MacLeans:
“Tomorrow’s National Post editorial: Perdita Felicien fell down because Chretien kept Canada out of Iraq.”
Aug. 25.04
Much handwringing at this point over the usual disappointing medal totals. “We must provide more funding, and specialize in certain sports,” say the experts.
Actually we already do specialize in certain sports. The thing is, most of them are part of the winter games.
A quick review of the medal totals of the past three winter Olympics shows that Canada finished in 5th, 4th and 6th place respectively at Salt Lake City, Nagano and Lillehammer. In 1998, remembered by most as the year in which we didn’t win in hockey, we actually won more medals than the U.S.A.
If it weren’t for pesky little Norway, and their ability to succeed in the five dozen or so Olympic varations of cross-country skiing, we’d have a real shot at the top three.
We need a few more Canada-friendly sports in the winter games. A few more curling-like events. Maybe synchronized snowboarding. Or perhaps a Zamboni competition; who can flood the ice the fastest. Extra points for planting your national currency at centre ice.
Aug. 28.04.
From an article on Adam Van Kouverden in the Globe and Mail.
“What really hurts the amateur athlete, and rubs off on him, Mr. Oldershaw (Van Kouverden’s coach) said, is "the real apathy. I felt it myself, when I was an athlete. People would ask me what I did, and when I told them, they'd say, 'But what do you really do?' "
Sounds like being a musician.
In many respects, the Olympic athlete and the unsigned musician are a lot alike. Toiling in fields or genres that are sometimes obscure, their efforts ignored in favour of those of a handful of superstars. Is a centre on a N.F.L. team really a better athlete than a kayaker? Is a guy who can slug a baseball in the major leagues really a better athlete than a mountain biker? Especially when the former is allowed to dope up and the latter is not.
I’ll admit I’ve watched a lot of the Olympics this year. I always watch them. What I like the best about them is the unknown athelete who trains hard and grabs a medal. They’ll go back to an ‘ordinary’ life afterwards, but they will have known some real glory, some real recognition. It’s Warhol’s 15 minutes of fame syndrome.
Sept. 19th, 2004.
Today I took off back to Gabriola. Last weekend of summer. My neighbours back home have quietened down somewhat (though now that I write this I imagine they’ll fire the rave music back up).
Perhaps I judged them too harshly.
All’s well that ends well.
For now.
And now into the Autumn.
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