August 30,2024 Today is our 44th wedding anniversary/ Nous fêtons aujourd’hui notre 44e anniversaire de marriage. Ce qui suit est une histoire vraie. Les noms n’ont pas été changés pour protéger les coupables. What follows is a true story. The names have not been changed to protect the guilty. Scènes de notre marriage / Scenes..
Spring 1969, London, Ontario. Grade 12, Oakridge High School A friend named Chris Turnbull had somehow inherited a car. Probably his parents handed over this dilapidated vehicle when he turned 18. His decrepit Dodge was something of a jalopy. But it was equipped with an 8-track cartridge player: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-track_cartridge You inserted a clunky music cartridge..
Deaf as a post For years I have been in denial about my hearing impairment, blaming it on wax build-up and congestion, while secretly recognizing that my experience of a typical soundscape is akin to that of a skin diver trapped in a massive reverberating fishbowl, especially in venues such as bars or restaurants where..
Sweetening the pot I’ve been an incurable insomniac since the age of five, when I became convinced by the minister of our local parish that I would burn in hell for eternity because “I took the name of the Lord God in vain.” For the next few years, I spent entire nights praying to the..
Andy McClelland: A singer/songwriter you’ll want to share In 1969, by a strange fluke, I won a scholarship to study at a small private Canadian institution located in Switzerland, Neuchâtel Junior College, receiving financial assistance for which only students from London, Ontario were eligible. I never should have been granted this award. It should..
Leonard Cohen: They’ve got you covered First off…a confession …until very recently, I had no idea what a “cover tune” meant. Second confession: Now that I know that “covers” refer to artists interpreting other artists’ work, I have to say that there are a great many cover versions of tunes that I prefer to..
David Sedaris and little old me Most of us have been told at one time or another that we look just like “X” (i.e. my favorite cousin’s best friend’s elder brother/sister/wife/uncle). Well, what happens when someone tells us that we write a whole lot like “X”? Since my book My Time with You Has Been..
Sad Lisa As a person suffering from acute anxiety, I’m haunted by this beautiful, poignant song. En tant que personne souffrant d’anxiété aiguë, je suis hantée par cette chanson magnifique et poignante. (1) Yusuf Cat Stevens, Sad Lisa, Festival de Viña 2015 HD 1080p – YouTube Sad Lisa She hangs her head and cries on..
My old friend Andy McClelland is a brilliant singer/songwriter, an Indie musician with an amazing portfolio. He has given me a wonderful Christmas gift by turning two of my poems into songs. Here is the second tune called… Anne Is The True Artist In Our Home You can give the tune a listen by..
My old friend Andy McClelland is a brilliant singer/songwriter, an Indie musician with an amazing portfolio. He has given me a wonderful Christmas gift by turning two of my poems into songs. Here is the first tune called… I’m a Grandpa for Rent (Lyrics by Robert McBryde) Give the tune a listen by clicking..