Don’t you know, yeah yeah, Don’t you know that you are a shooting star,
Don’t you know that you are a shooting star, Don’t you know, yeah,
from Shooting Star – lyrics and song by Paul Rodgers
Rock n Roll is a Vicous Game
SONGWRITER
MYLES FRANCIS GOODWYN
Van Heusen was instrumental ( no pun intended) in the career of Frank Sinatra. Penning ( among other songs) ‘Come Fly with Me’, a huge success for Ol’ Blue Eyes.
Like most of us, Daniela enjoyed and even played Van Heusen’s tunes without really knowing much about the four time Oscar winning composer. Like most of us – Daniela was intrigued and dove straight into Van heusen’s vast catalogue.
Downie – and his band, The Tragically Hip, are closing out a career prematurely due to Downie’s incurable brain cancer. The show ( broadcast nationwide at 8:30pm est on CBC) will be the final performance by the band as a unit. It will not be the final time fans can enjoy the music of the band live.
Thanks to video, YouTube and other recording formats, Gord Downie, his mates and the music will live on. This is the beauty to go along with the ugliness of the human condition. Of life.
Much like another Gord ( known affectionately as Mr. Hockey), Gord Downie exemplifies Canada. Through his toughness of dealing with a sickness which will leave a family fatherless and a nation without a conscience, his ability to touch souls no matter the language, Gord Downie will exit stage left as a Canadian hero.
Many ‘ common folk ‘ die with no fanfare. Celebrity tends to magnify and elevate problems into deity-like levels. Every life should be televised in it’s final episode. Every life is as important as the next. Every existence matters on some level.
Aside from the lyrics and the music which propelled ‘Canadiana’ to not only Canadians, what separates Downie is – his ‘Canadiana’. Unlike other Canadian music stars, Downie remained Canadian through and through. The Guess Who and Rush, Canada’s two main global exports – consciously or unconsciously, sold out. Reaching and appealing to Global audiences through trends, lyrics and marketing.
Planned or not – Downie and The Hip stayed indoors. Their only excursion outside during the cold winter months to the local hockey rink or the local bar. As Canadian as Maple Syrup. As syrupy as a Molson Canadian.
Over the years, throughout history in every aspect of life. In politics, science and art, it has been and always will be the true Canadians which endear to the nation’s conscience. Hockey’s Gretzky. A treasure – loved and owned by all Canadians pales in comparison to The Rocket and Mr. Hockey. Gretzky ‘lost an edge’ when he went to Los Angeles. Somehow, deep inside, regardless of the records and without fanfare or public humiliation – Gretzky became non Canadian to many. In contrast, playing most of his career outside of Canadian borders, Howe remained Canadian because he played like a Canadian. Fighting, scoring, leading and overcoming odds to play into his 60’s. Howe was tough and played the game like a true patriotic citizen no matter where he was.
Because of this, Howe was approachable in the eyes of Canadians. Just like Gord Downie.
Where Neil Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson attained God – like status and became people who were unapproachable in people’s minds, Downie is the guy at the end of the bar eating beer nuts. The smart guy whose ‘poetic’ advice was obtained through hours of talking with everyman during intermissions. Relaying the words and thoughts of doctors, machine operators and Zamboni drivers to the masses. Gord Downie educated ( scored ) with elbows up and in the corners fighting for the puck. Identifiable Canadian.
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister – overcame all critics and inexperience to become Prime Minister for one reason. He was more Canadian than Stephen Harper. Terry Fox lives on and gains God like status while Rick Hansen remains Rick Hansen. Fox was Canadian while Hansen seemed American.
Gord Downie may understand his role in Canadian history and his appeal. He may understand it more now as the ‘final’ tour winds down to the ‘final’ live appearance.
In true Canadian form he may not. In true Canadian form, all that is going through Downie’s mind is to put on a good show.
A native of Connecticut, currently dividing his time between Boston and New York – Noah has released a very interesting album.
‘Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground’ brings the listener on a history lesson which revolves around Mississippi. In music language, Mississippi means the Delta Blues and the Delta Blues are the backbone of most forms of popular music.
Skip James was the man who introduced Noah to The Blues and for Preminger, the long and winding trip continues. Exploring legends such as Willie Johnson, Booker T. White and Charley Patton – Noah is on the proper highway. His own private Route 66.
Please listen below as Noah Preminger speaks of his latest album; a foray into his own ‘take’ on some classic tunes.
The obvious reasons are acute. Fame, fame and more fame. The brighter the flame, the harder to extinguish. The brighter the flame, the more it spreads with the oxygen provided by the corporate machine, the fans and the product itself. In Prince’s case, the product was music.
How could anything else come from a man whose parents were of music lineage?
Mom ( Mattie Shaw) was a Jazz singer. Dad ( John L. Nelson), a lyricist and pianist. Music was part of Prince’s genetic code. Chances are if Prince’s chosen career happened to be a forklift operator – at home, as a hobby, Prince would have probably played the piano or sang ‘just for fun’ …
So what? Lots of folks are musical. Lots of souls possess the God-given ability to pick up any instrument and play it well. Some, such as Prince, are either lucky or blessed to reach a level where all the tools required to reach millions are at their fingertips. Artists such as Prince can then preach their messages to the hearts and souls of their followers. In effect, affect people’s lives.
Scanning social media in the hours following the death announcement, everyone had a thought, a picture or a paragraph pertaining to their ‘hero’ ‘Prince’ Rogers Nelson.
Fifteen – year-olds, teenagers – people not born when Prince hit the Pop charts were mourning his loss. Eighty-year-olds, folks who had no idea that Prince, not so long ago, went by a symbol as his moniker. Fifty-year-olds who had no idea that Prince played guitar. Folks who – have no idea just how much of a musical genius Prince was.
First ( and the most symbolic indication of humanity’s demise); people are like sheep. If one person shares the news, one ‘cool’ person, it inevitably goes viral. ‘Everyone’ must be the bearer of bad news even though ‘everyone’ has witnessed ‘everyone’ being the bearer of bad news on their newsfeeds. If this was not bad enough, suddenly ‘everyone’ is an expert of at least one aspect of the subject of the bad news. ‘Bobby Joe’ knows everything about Prince’s music. ‘Harry’ grew up with Prince in Minnesota. ‘ Darlene’ has a friend who knows what killed ‘ The Purple One’. On and on it goes …
Secondly, there are genuine fans out there. People who know more about Prince than the time of day ‘doves cry’. Fanatics who can toss ‘Purple Rain‘ aside as a commercial jingle. Folks who can say “Let’s go crazy’ and not get into a ‘Little Red Corvette’ and party like it’s 1999.
These fans, these people – are the divine holders of any profound detail concerning the life, the times and the music of The Prince of Funk. These folks are genuinely hurting. They mourn and will continue to mourn the depth of not only Prince’s musical ability, his knowledge and his craftsmanship as a true artist. A songwriter, a composer and a groundbreaking figure. The ‘Spike Lee’ of musical direction.
Musicians, fellow artists also fall into this category. People – women, men and transgenders who recognized the abilities of a man who accomplished in the studio and on stage what they could only dream of doing in their finest moments. For them – ‘Princes’ exist solely in fairy tales and rightly so.
Lastly and the veritable reason everyone mourned Prince on a level normally fit for Kings and not Princes; people are human and nothing touches the human soul more than music …
‘Sally’ recalls quite vividly where she was was when the riffs of ‘Little Red Corvette’ eased her pain. Lifting whatever was troubling her for a fleeting moment of a busy workday. ‘Jimmy’, the once pimply teenager, at the drop of some purple misting – zooms to a backseat and his first kiss with Prince providing ‘the condoms’ in the form of ‘dearly beloved’ oozing through the Blaupunkt speakers of his rusted Honda Civic. His first car mirroring his first ejaculation.
‘Jane’, the once party animal-turned-mother-of-three snickering of ‘the fight’ that took place as she defended Prince in the ever important Michael vs. Prince debate. Arguments as important at the time as Trump vs Hilary is today. Music was and continues to be the pulse of the people. It escapes no one and leaves no one indifferent.
An artist on the scale of Prince, a man who affected millions through music, showmanship, songwriting and individuality left no one indifferent.
That is the reason we mourn his death. That is the reason we will never mourn his music.
Rick Keene Music Scene 