Another piece from Fiaschi, on 205y September 2010. I met Kris a few times, after being paid to write a couple of articles about his extraordinary art creations. I'm surprised to find this elaborate video on YouTube, published this month. We were friends for a while, but lost touch. He made a necklace for Karleen… Continue reading Art’s deeper oceans and Wilder Shore
Category: video
Other Places, Other Times
I created a video and put it on YouTube in April 2015. It contains these tracks, you can click to hear any or all, * Inglan is a Bitch--Linton Kwesi Johnson High Society--Snooks Eaglin (New Orleans Street Singer) I feel So Good--J B Lenoir (Alabama Blues) My People--Youssou N'Dour (The Guide) Moments--Sandy Denny (Rendezvous, bonus… Continue reading Other Places, Other Times
Why we do what we do
I was quite startled by a programme on the radio, especially the following transcribed excerpt. It’s a tiny fraction of a heavy book—literally*. I picked it up in the bookshop: not bedtime reading without strong arms.† Yet in a few words it covers pleasure, happiness, the meaning of life—and how to make the most of… Continue reading Why we do what we do
Storms
The songs I like best in this album by singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith are "You Made This Love a Teardrop" and "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go". Each song is a dignified lament, as typified by the title "If Wishes Were Changes". Most sentimental songs in the world of Pop are about "me", my… Continue reading Storms
Sail Away
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCRGrnhdNQE I can’t remember the train of thought, or musical musing, which led me from Laurie Anderson to Randy Newman. It may have gone in the other direction. I ordered “Sail Away” on the 10th of Jan., then posted the piece about Laurie (O Superman) 2 days later. They patently have much in common, being… Continue reading Sail Away
Black Books
In reality I don’t have a front garden, just a concreted area big enough to hold four bins, for the separated recyclables, and a few plant pots. It also serves to provide a seven-foot gap between our front door and the sidewalk. There’s no separation from our neighbours’ concreted front area, and their front door… Continue reading Black Books
Panspermia
Ashok in a blog post called Heaven, Scientifically Speaking refers to a theory called Panspermia. He thought I would be interested, or in his words, “excited”. I was in fact curious to ask myself why I am not excited. First his title. To me, Heaven, which featured in my recent post The Grand Scheme of… Continue reading Panspermia
Boundless Space
I’m sure everyone has blessings worth counting and those who do count them are blest indeed. One that I’m particularly grateful for is the blessing of space: physical space, time too; or a metaphysical combination of both. I wake at 3:30 and dress myself warmly against the autumnal chill in the house, quiet as the… Continue reading Boundless Space
the Namesake, Elizabeth + Elizabeth, the Golden Age
Copied from my old blog Fiaschi You can read plenty of online reviews, so I will only add my own observations which you won't find anywhere else. I loved this film for being poetic and simple in story, and telling me what it is like to be a Bengali, by putting a family of these… Continue reading the Namesake, Elizabeth + Elizabeth, the Golden Age
Liberation
In the last year I have been reminded, time and again, by smells and various other stimuli, of a period I spent in Holland when I was five. It was a young age for roaming alone in streets and woods, but that's what I did. I’d been dumped with an unwilling bogus “aunt” in a country… Continue reading Liberation