purple haze

No bones about it: I dislike rock music. Notice I didn't say "hate". I reserve that word for the Liberal Government and their criminal mismanagement of what used to be the most marvelous country in the world. But I certainly do not like, listen to or seek out rock music. Haven't since my late twenties. The last piece of rock music I liked was Elvis Costello's "Allison". That was back in the late 70's and it's not really rock anyway, is it? The 80's were a complete wasteland (Duran Duran, anyone?), the 90's began with the totally oversold Nirvana - nihilistic trash with puerile lyrics that you can neither dance to nor hum. The 21. century? I don't know because I don't listen to any radio station that plays rock.

I use the term "rock", not "rock'n'roll" , which is great music. Rock'nroll is Little Richard and Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. Music that is organic and pure. Music that has a pedigree. You can either dance to it and let your hair down (Little Richard) or quote it (Chuck Berry) or cry to it (Roy Orbison) Also, this was music that still had the rebel spirit. From what I could discern there was zero rebel spirit in the 80's and the 90's substituted angst and self-pity.

Most other forms of music build on tradition and history. You cannot play or study Hindemith without studying Mozart. You can't play or understand Miles Davis without listening to, and digging Louis Armstrong. Even country musicians have traditionally undergone long periods of practice and apprenticeship: especially bluegrass musicians some of whom are incredible virtuosos.

That is not to say that I dislike rock only because so many of its practitioners are dilettantes (though it IS one of the reasons) Elvis Costello did not to have to play guitar like Pat Metheny in order to write "Allison" or "Watching the Detectives". But he did build his songwriting upon a tradition - the tradition of the Beatles, of the music hall, of folk music and though his early lyrics are full of bile, they do manage to convey something very real.

Later rock music - and this is my main reason for disliking it - lost its feel for what is real. I never liked Led Zeppelin, for example: a multi million selling band who took simple, heart-felt blues, pumped it up with volume, bombast and self-admiring posturing, then resold it. I find it empty, stupidly loud and completely removed from its original meaning - always did, even in my early twenties, so this is NOT just a function of age. Instead of listening to "Dazed and Confused", I always prefered to look up the old masters: Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee or Muddy Waters. Those cats had style AND substance. Rock "artists" thought they had style (looking at old Led Zep vids one seriously doubts it) but there was zero substance.

For all the above reasons (and more), one of my all time favourite movies is "This Is Spinal Tap". See it and you'll never again be able to take a rock star interview seriously. Not that you should have in the first place!

bankrupt

I had a late afternoon gig yesterday, so I asked my dear wife to tape my favourite radio show: Cross Country Checkup on CBC. The host of CCC is the supremely intelligent and highly principled Rex Murphy. Easily the CBC'c best asset - along with Don Newman, the only other scrupulously neutral journalist on the network. I don't like the CBC because I don't think a national network should wear its bias on its sleeve. But I do often watch Don Newman's show "Politics" on Newsworld and always listen to Rex Murphy.

The gig was fairly long and exhausting. When I got home I found out that our fridge had given up the ghost and after having limped for a few days, had simply croaked. A new one is on its way but last night - not daring to use even the cheese - I just put some peanut butter and jam on stale bread, brewed a cuppa and started listening to my CCC tape - all about the current scandal and the looming elections.

Please help me out here - I don't get it!!! What's with this long parade of people saying they are "not ready for an election"? I simply don't understand what they mean! What is there to be ready for? In my buliding, polling takes place in the exercise room on the 23d floor. I take the elevator up, mark my "x" and go home. What the heck is there to be ready for? Do these people have to take classes on how to mark the ballot? Is the short walk to the polling station a problem? The time off work? I'll be thankful to anyone who explains to me what "the country not being ready for an election" means.

I do understand there is cost involved. But unlike the sleazy Liberal kickbacks or their impotent gun registry scheme - this is money very well spent. It's transparent, it's obvious, it's accountable. Elections Canada keeps a close watch and there is no hidden money, no hidden agenda. Is it not better to resolve to spend whatever it takes and have an election rather than hide behind a "the country is not ready for an election" shibboleth - which really only means "I don't mind the Liberal government staying in power"? That's ALL it means.

We should all be outraged, we should all be screaming with anger and clamouring for an immediate election in light of the Gomery revelations. The fact that we are not reveals a moral apathy and a societal rot of profound dimensions. It reveals that we are morally and ideologically bankrupt and that we are stupid. This is not about Paul Martin being a nice man and no doubt an honourable man. This is not about Jean Chretien being an arrogant street fighter and possibly a crook. This is not about any one given person or any one given act. This is about a government whose moral perfidy makes the Mulroney administration look like poor diletantes. The guys we have now are smooth pros at the game of deceipt, corruption and decadenece.

I do not buy the argument about having to wait for Judge Gomery to make his recommendations. Why? Have we not seen enough? And given what we have already learnt from the inquiry - do we REALLY need to know more? Do we REALLY need to know which persons will be found criminally liable and go to jail in order to know this government needs a kick in the butt NOW?

The Liberal cant about Steven Harper being "scary" is pure crock. Steven Harper is as scary as my accountant. He is an intelligent guy but also a fairly stodgy, slow, methodical and humourless character. He is not a bible bashing preacher, nor is he a motorcycle riding, machine-gun toting, tattood Easy Rider. Scared of Steven Harper? Give me a break!

What I am scared of is the limping, bankrupt government, the never ending stench of scandal emanating from Liberal Ottawa and above all, the apathy of Canadian voters who are "not ready" to throw these bastards out and who are afraid to engage in a real and meaningful discussion of our aims and values as a freedom loving, democratic country. The true North strong and free, eh?