Category Music
Warped in Calgary
I was telling this story recently at a family gathering, and my brother, who had not heard it, said I should do a post about it. It took a long time to tell, complete with hand gestures. Here’s the short version, you’ll have to imagine my gesticulation while you read. In 2006, on a family […]
Not Too Young To Die
The baby boom generation is contemplating its mortality. Or at least I find I am thinking about death a lot lately. Not in a morbid fashion, but it does seem that every day when I read the newspaper I read about what seems to me to be an untimely death. When I scan the obituaries […]
From Background Vocalist to Superstar
Shania Twain has announced the dates for her farewell tour. Seems strange to call it quits at 50, but I know touring is rarely as much fun for the musician as it is for the audience. I must confess I’ve never seen her show. It’s not that I dislike her music, but I’ve never been […]
20 Feet From Stardom
I missed that the 2014 Academy Award for best documentary film went to a movie about background vocalists in pop music titled 20 Feet From Stardom. But I made up for that recently and watched the film, attracted to it because I recognized the names of the stars. I am an voracious reader. If it’s […]
Ode To Joy
I was planning on taking the day off from posting, then came across this video. If you are receiving this by email you’ll have to go to the actual post for it to work. The bank that sponsored this has benefited from the publicity – more than 61 million views on YouTube. I don’t mind […]
Beatles III – My Beatle Encounter
I met a Beatle once. It was the late 1990s and Pete Best, the band’s drummer from 1960-62, was touring Canada fronting the Pete Best Band. He had retired after a career as a British civil servant and was just playing for fun, and really what amounted to spare change. I think the tickets were […]
Beatles II – Concert Memories
I never saw The Beatles in concert. I blame my parents for that. It was 1964 and they were playing at the Forum in Montreal. All my friends wanted to go. My parents, like most other parents of the day, said no. I think the only person I knew who actually made it to the […]
Beatles I – 10,000 Hours in Hamburg
Sometimes stories take on a life of their own. Author Malcom Gladwell, in his book Outliers, makes a point about the importance of repetition, the idea that practice makes perfect, which is something I agree with him about for the most part. He says if you practice something for 10,000 hours you will become really […]
Bits and Pieces from the Culture Wars
Some truly random thoughts today on aspects of the entertainment business. I tried to watch The Interview yesterday. I felt it was important that I exercise my free speech rights, though it did not seem like the type of film I would enjoy. I came to two very definite conclusions: First, the North Korean government […]
The Hippopotamus Song
I take requests. It’s a hangover from my days as a radio disc jockey. I always enjoyed that interaction with a listener on the telephone who wanted to suggest a song, especially when doing an overnight shift. At night there aren’t as many listeners as in the daytime; you can get to know your regular […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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