Gotta Run -- Make Coffee

I have about five minutes. Gotta run, make coffee, get cracking on my day.

I want to recommend a coffee maker, if you like coffee. I'm hooked on it as the best coffee, but I can drink whatever anyone has. It's just never as good.

French press coffee making. You can get them at any kitchen place, or coffee place. You grind the coffee, and the coffee is right in the water, swirling around. Then you press down the metal filter with a handle and all the grounds go to the bottom.

Of course your coffee can be any strength -- depending on how much you put in -- but I like it really dark, really strong, fresh ground. Umm, puts hair on your chest. You're an albino, and you've suddenly got this dark, coarse, Russian hair all over your body. Me, like in one of the Bonzo Dog Band's songs, I'm currently two separate gorillas.

So my time is nearly up. Coffee awaits, dog needs to be taken out, cats fed, exercises done, Three Stooges watched, shower taken. All in the next less-than-one hour!

Guitar Culture

Brand new blog, Guitar Culture. Started June 3 with a test post. A couple videos. And some guitar music instruction, "Here is a pattern that will aid your playing to one day play like Paul Gilbert, Joe Satriani, Buckethead and many other great shredding guitarists."

Critical Culture

Hmm, this blog also has a post about Brigitte Bardot and Muslims. I guess I've been hopelessly out of touch. It says she's been in court again for hating Muslims -- her fifth time in eleven years! Do we get this news in America? Which page is it on?

The blog is called Critical Culture.

Notes on Religion

This looks like a noteworthy blog, Notes on Religion. It has an emphasis on Islam, it would appear. But it has a wider range, with some of the tags being Christianity, church, education, God, women, and others.

The top post right now is one on Brigitte Bardot being found guilty of racial hatred against Muslims! Now there's something! I had no idea, since I haven't seen her name in the news in years. Hmm.

A couple posts down is the third installment in a series of articles by invited authors, this one by David Nancekivell, on the Christian view of Jesus.

John McCain's Speech

Please check out my post -- at the Boy Leg blog -- on John McCain's speech.

A Book, Literature Group Blog

Link to "Buried in the Book."

It looks like the big project underway is the reading of Don Quixote. How many pages you need to read in a day to get it done in a certain amount of time. What you might like about the book, what you might not like.

I've got a few editions of Don Quixote, a couple paperback ones, which I know are different from one another. And the Modern Library giant edition. And just the other day at Goodwill I saw an edition, a reprint of course, which is the Tobias Smollett translation from the 1700s.

It's been several years, but I enjoyed a large part of this book. There are pitfalls, though, as far as I'm concerned. Like where there are stories within the story. It seems to me kind of a nasty detour away from the main story. And that's where I got bogged down.

The blog mentioned here isn't just about Don Quixote. There's a current reading list that has several old classics. Check it out, or I'll have a mournful countenance.

McCain Royalty at Grandma Slump's

There's no traffic at Grandma Slump. This link explains the graphic.

Time Lapse Snowfall Video

Very interesting, beautiful time-lapse snowfall video by Rob Ireton. The original is at this Flickr link.

Looks Intelligent

This blog, daddyBstrong, I'm just glancing at it. It seems like it has good full posts, and looks intelligent, and up to date.

The blogger refers to himself throughout as "the daddy."

I'll probably mark it and check it out once in a while. Looks like a place to find some musings, a take on the news.

Blog of Absurdities

This blog, Santa v. Satan, has lots of funny things, silly graphics, videos with some absurdities (in my opinion), such as a mother breastfeeding her kid 8 years old. I suppose there's nothing wrong with it, but I believe 7 should be the cut-off point, at least it was for me.

Cheney's Incest Joke Unloved

Dick Cheney's incest/West Virginia joke at the National Press Club didn't go over well.

When the folks of West Virginia heard the joke, including Gov. Joe Manchin, they were upset.

Here's what happened. He got into a discussion about himself and Barack Obama being eighth cousins. Then came this. He revealed that he recently learned there were Cheneys on his mother's side of the family as well as his father's side. He quipped, "So I had Cheneys on both sides of the family and we don't even live in West Virginia."

He has since apologized, through a spokeswoman. No word yet when he'll apologize for everything else he's done.

Bo Diddley

MCA Records CD, CHD-5904.

Bo Diddley passed on. I got this CD in 1986 or '87. It combines two albums from Chess Records, "Bo Diddley" and "Go Bo Diddley." I don't listen to it much, but there are several songs on it I really like. It has 24 tracks, with track 6 and 23 being the same song, and I'm thinking the same everything, each being 2:32 for time. [Later edit: Track 6 and 23 have two different master numbers, and a slight personnel difference between the takes, according to the liner notes.]

1) Bo Diddley - Great song with the Bo Diddley sound. "Have ya heard?" Clever, casual lyrics, almost nursery-rhyme like, Mockingbird stuff, with muddy, persistent sound. Very direct and live. This is the definitive Bo Diddley sound.

2) I'm A Man - The rhythm as far as I know it is the "I'm A Man" rhythm. Like the first track, it's an iconic song. Spell "M-A-N, Man." Great declaration. And it's unapologetic, 100% man, making love in such a way they can't resist. Legendary song.

3) Bring It To Jerome - Very cool repetition of the title throughout. Melody is walking along at a good speed, and the voices interplay with this lazy repetition of, "Bring it to Jerome." The rhythm of Bo Diddley songs have a nice individuality.

4) Before You Accuse Me - More classic blues sound. "Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself." You got somebody else. The guitar work sounds so casual, almost informal, yet every note gets in there.

5) Hey! Bo Diddley - Wild combo, thrashing out a distinctive rhythm. Telling a story in snippets. "Saw my baby runnin' across a field, slipping and sliding like an automobile." Shout and response on the title throughout.

6) Dearest Darling - So direct and right before you. Song is about someone the Lord picked out for him. It marches along, with the vocals slow and deliberate. She has two hearts and he has none. Gets brasher toward the end, insistent, volume increases, very feeling. Soulful.

7) Hush Your Mouth - Very fast pace, "Ahhh, hersh yer mouth." Mockingbird type of rhythm, which is what the Bo Diddley sound is like. "Mama going to buy you a diamond ring," etc. Dirty, thick sound on the track, powerful drums.

8) Say Bossman - Relaxed combo sound, close up background singers. Lead vocal, telling bossman of the 19 kids he has to feed. The background singers add to the whole relaxed vibe. The lead vocal is like a preacher's voice, with a swaying choir.

9) Diddley Daddy - The Bo Diddley rhythm, little snippets, little lines, in the nursery rhyme kind of poetry. They fill in a song that has a strong instrumental presence. The recording on some of these songs -- this one -- has some distortion, being quite casual.

10) Diddy Wah Diddy - Strong, guitar and almost doo-wop vocal style. This is a blues rocker. I love this song. It has a cleaner sound overall, the recording quality. He has a gal, she lives way down in diddy wah diddy. Ain't no town, ain't no city, but how they love in diddy wah diddy. I think I got that right. Beautiful guitar on this one.

11) Who Do You Love - This is a famous one. I've heard this song a lot without even trying. Weird, cryptic lyrics, poetry in a different stream. Then the title repeated several times, a beautiful song. Mentions rattlesnakes and whips, Arlene, and somebody screamed.

12) Pretty Thing - Very crisp, clear guitar opening. Then the group comes in with rhythms that are distinctive Bo Diddley. Prolonged instrumental section. "Let me give you all my love the rest of my life, you perty thing." Become my blushing bride, "O, you perty thing."

13) Crackin' Up - This is another song I love. It has a loping rhythm, and several aspects of cool group interaction. Bo addresses a loved one who's always complaining. Such a great song. "You buggin' me, yeah yeah, you're crackin' up." This is a song that could go on for a half hour as far as I'm concerned. It's that great. "I'm all fed up, yeah yeah, you buggin' me."

14) I'm Sorry - Romantic sound to the instruments. The vocal is a sentimental one, of sorrow, with a doo-wop like background going on, sorry for the things I said to you. This one is very much like a traditional doo-wop, soul song. Slow, pleading. Interesting lyrics, "For I knew not what I was saying."

15) Bo's Guitar - Instruments going in generally the same direction, a real stew in their interplay. Quite a band sound -- unlike most songs you've ever heard. Nearly like noodling around, with everything thrown together. Completely instrumental song.

16) Willie and Lillie - The vocals dominate, intense delivery. The instruments are not sparse, but more reserved. The recording on this song sounds like it needs someone to clean it up a bit. Kind of a bad one.

17) You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care) - This is like a call and response song, with the response being from the moaning instruments, immediately there. He has a complaint against her, with the title telling the story. The band rocks out on this one, some killer piano licks.

18) Say Man - Very fast beat. And interaction between two. A humorous song about a guy who insults the other guy's girl. I don't know what the genre is called, but there's a category of songs in which they exchange insults about their girl, their mamas, etc. His chick is so ugly she has to sneak up on a glass to get a drink of water. Like that. Funny. The band just keeps a beat going, overlaid with the two speakers.

19) The Great Grandfather - Probably my favorite song, not as good as Crackin' Up, actually, but it's a sentimental favorite. I used to sing this one to my kids, and I still sing it. About the great grandpappy. Telling about the old guy, then moaning, ohh, ohh... Includes redskins, so it's like the old pioneers or something. "The grand grandpappy was a busy man, cooked his grub in a frying pan. Picked his teeth with a huntin' knife, he wore the same suit all of his life." That's the part I love. Also a cool falsetto bit.

20) Oh Yea - The classic Bo Diddley sound slowed down a bit. Crisp and clear, and confident vocals. "She's my woman, all in all, she's my lover, she's my ball." Declarations about his lover, who says, "Bo Diddley, you the one, O yea, sho nuff."

21) Don't Let It Go - Song hustles along. Great background work on this one. Like a revival meeting going at it in song. Piano working it, but the real distinctive is the vocal work. Bo right up front, then everyone else coming in.

22) Little Girl - Faster blues rhythm. Simple song, generic lyrics, "Little girl, can I go home with you." Good excuse to dive into some instruments.

23) Dearest Darling - We had this song. Same as track 6.

24) The Clock Struck Twelve - Very dirty sound on the instruments, meaning intense sound and jagged edges. Clean recording. This has some intensity, all music, instrumental. Toward the end there's a dominant solo, some kind of highly taut thing, picked like a rubber band. Then a violin that gives it a smoky, dive-like sound.

Conclusion

If I were going to download eight songs off this album, they'd be: 1) Bo Diddley; 2) I'm A Man; 3) Diddy Wah Diddy; 4) Who Do You Love; 5) Crackin' Up; 6) The Great Grandfather; 7) Pretty Thing; 8) I'm Sorry. But the first six on that list are my favorites.

John Wesley Hardin, Texas Gunfighter

Here's an old book I never saw before: John Wesley Hardin, Texas Gunfighter. But it was at one of the thrift stores I go to. And since books are so cheap there -- a quarter -- I thought I'd get it.

I know the Bob Dylan album, which has "Harding" with a G.

'He was a friend to the poor, he traveled with a gun in every hand, and he was never known to hurt an honest man. No one could track him down, and he was never known to make a foolish move.'

The book is a short one, 127 pages, and a fast read. It was written by Lee Floren, published by Macfadden Books in 1962. It says it was a Macfadden original book, not published anywhere else before. And the original price was 35 cents. So, getting it where I got it, that was only a dime less than original. But if it had been at Goodwill, it would've been 50 cents. So, that's a savings! But 35 cents in 1962 was of course not 35 cents now.

The book plots the movements of John, usually called Wes Hardin. He's a kid who gets in a fight with a guy -- Mage -- then Mage later attacks him and Wes kills him. Getting away from that whole situation, he needs to kill a few other guys. Then he kills some other guys. Pretty soon he kills some other guys. Then he needs to kill some others. By the time he gets done killing, I've lost track of how many it was, but the cover says, "Murderer of forty men." Whether any of those were "honest men" who were killed, I suppose it depends on who you ask.

There's a big moment when Wes is in Abilene, Kansas, and Wild Bill Hickok is the marshal there. Wes gets away with plenty -- tons -- and eventually is able to make Wild Bill back down -- called "back watering" -- and he rides away free. The book gives the story of Wes' family, a minister father, a lawyer brother, and the comings and goings of their outlaw son/brother.

There's $800 on his head, but for some reason, no one can ever get him. He's off then for a while to Florida, with an assumed name, with his wife. Then in Louisiana. Finally back in Texas, and he is caught and sent to prison. This is a good section, as he tries to escape, then has to be punished. It looks like he had the mind to drown rather than submit, when they have him in a big thing of water to torture him, and he gets out of that. He studies to be a lawyer, and he's a minister for a while.

Toward the end he's over at El Paso -- there originally on a legal case -- then gets killed by being shot in the back of his head.

It's a quick read, like I said. It marches right along and has lots of interesting things. It wasn't written for the kiddie market, since it mentions Wes' experiences with prostitutes and madams a few times, their "crib" over the saloon.

What it really makes me wonder about is how a guy could get away -- and keep getting away. It seems like all the Rangers in Texas. All the authorities. Somehow they'd be able to put the clamps on this one single guy. But, hey, I also wonder how Robin Hood could manage to elude the Sheriff of Nottingham. It can't be that hard to do: use a laser gun, a 30-ought-6, a cruise missile, something, and you can bring down these elusive outlaws!

Other Groups' Walruses

Maybe you've heard The Guess Who's "Friends of Mine" at some time in your life. It was mildly popular at one time, at least where I lived. It was on the radio once in a while, fairly often, and it was kind of an event to listen to it. I remember really paying attention closely.

But it's a song that, to my knowledge, doesn't get played on the radio much anymore. And whenever I see a collection of Guess Who tracks, I look to see if it's there, and I never see it.

It was on the Wheatfield Soul album. And of course it was on the CD of Wheatfield Soul. I don't know if there was a shortened version put out as a single or not. It seems to me I used to hear a shortened version once in a while, but that could be my imagination, or a radio edit.

This is a song -- once an event, as I said -- that was a lot better at the time. Listening to it now, and this was true even a little over 20 years ago, it doesn't pack quite the same punch. The lyrics sound to me almost embarrassing. (I also loved the movie Billy Jack at the time, but last time I tried to watch it...my attempt was unsuccessful.) There are plenty of songs that have stood the test of time, or were sufficiently poetic to have transcended the bounds of their time. This one didn't quite make it.

Just to review the song, then I want to make another point about the Walrus ... and who the Walrus is ... and who cares.

This is a song that chugs along for just over 10 minutes. It starts off, "Friends of mine, don't have the time for food or wine, just money is on their mind." The lyrics are fairly cryptic. It's also a sing-along for those who've heard it a lot, except for the recitations. But the lyrics aren't the greatest throughout, such as, "Gotta do it to a duck on a two-ton truck." It has some nice treble guitar things going on.

Then there are the references to Magical Mystery Tour, with this lyric, "And Kurt is the walrus, (repeated), and the walrus does funny things to the veins in his left arm, all right." I want to get back to that line.

We go on to hear that Michael is a proud father, and that that means Michael's wife is a mother, stated in a very matter of fact way. The instruments are smoking. Then we come to a pause, a breakdown of sorts. This introduces the condemned man's walking the 13 steps to the gallows, and a recitation about death being near. We are marching up the steps and the soul of the condemned man is about to leave his body. This is cryptic. Then the man was dead. He went down, down, down, "to a place we laughingly refer to as hell." But none of us will go there because we're all "far too groovy." There's kind of a howling in here, and we're out in a wasteland somewhere. Until we ultimately question God, in a very overstated, overly dramatic way, "And where was God??" Echoed with weird effect.

That takes us back into the chugga chugga, an instrumental break. A time for us to drift away and consider it all. Then a moaning section, with a plaintive lyric about "Flanders Field," where the hippies go to smoke the poppies and feed their heads. "And they're all friends of mine." Then we get back into the main, original theme, "bu-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-baby!" It's all over and it's all right!

Toward the end we're all drifting about, doing our own noodling thing with the guitars and drums, a major breakdown, drifting vibes. But right at the end, the discipline returns and we get the organ, the essential tune we started with, bringing it to a nice conclusion, fading out.

OK, who is the Walrus, and who cares?

We know from The Beatles' song that, "I am the walrus," with John singing. And we know as well, from "Glass Onion," that, "The walrus was Paul." All quite significant, right? The Beatles actually have a walrus mask and other masks from your basic walrus collection. It is a thing of pop lore, the Walrus, yes!

But when we get to The Guess Who, and this line, "Kurt is the walrus," we're like "Kurt?" Sounds like an inside line, and because we don't really know anything about them or their friends, it's hard to care. Then we hear that the Walrus does funny things to the veins on his left arm, and for me, I have to pull back and ask for some respectful discretion. Funny things? Not funny, ha ha, I'm assuming. But funny as in strange, odd, self-destructive, while the rest of us are busy keeping our left arms looking good.

As far as I can discern, that's the end of Kurt's story. You've got the Magical Mystery Tour. That's clear enough, The Guess Who are propounding mysteries a la The Beatles. The announcement of Kurt's status as the Walrus means exactly what? Don't know. But what he's doing, some kind of drug thing, like the hippies later smoking poppies, is what we remember him for.

The conclusion to this fine blog post is this: The only Walrus we really care about is The Beatles'. Other groups -- if they have a Walrus -- need to either call it something else, or give us more of a reason to tune in and find out what their Walrus is up to. I'm respectful of The Guess Who on several levels, and mean no disrespect. But no one really cares about other groups' Walruses.

End of post, print it!