For Eberle

A photo of Eberle & I in our old (hippie) farmhouse, with friends, almost 10 years ago.

A lot happens over time—Eberle & I have been involved since 1997.  We’ve had so many good times over the years—fun with music, with working the land & building things, fun with cats & llamas & of course, one particular parrot, & guinea hens & chickens (& the occasional stray dog) who’ve shared our land, as well as the many stuffed animals who share our home (& many more have come to live here since this shot was taken!); fun with trips & fun with staying at home & watching our various beloved films & TV shows (with special emphasis on Ray Harryhausen movies, 30s Screwball comedies, silent films, all the Star Trek franchises, Poirot, Miss Marple, Perry Mason, Foyle’s War, Julia Child & the original Japanese Iron Chef).

& we’ve had trials too: difficult family situations, chronic illness, the challenges of living in an isolated area, differences about religion (Eberle’s a devout Catholic, & I’m agnostic), & money problems.  Right now, the latter is a significant strain.

But thru it all, there’s no one I’d rather be with than her, & no matter how low things may seem to get, or how trying specific circumstances may be at a given time, I believe we’ll manage & come thru these dark patches into a new day.

"Nuno's Poem"

[This poem had me at "the record store" (if not before!)  I also love the illustration.  Hope you like it too!]

Nuno’s  Poem

She chased Happiness down the stairs
and then out the back door.
She lost him in the street
down by the record store.

She caught him two weeks later
and he quickly got away.
So she followed him discreetly
to find out where he stayed.

She tried to trick and trap him
to keep him by her side.
But every time she turned around,
Happiness would hide.

I don’t know why she sought him out,
why she didn’t wait for him,
but on and on went her pursuit
though she could never win.

They found her in the courtyard,
in the center of the town,
her world a mess, like all the rest,
‘cause someone let her down.

She sat alone and cried there.
She knew this was the end....
Then Happiness approached her
and asked to be her friend.


Barbie Dockstader Angell
© 2009-present

Candy Man (revisited!)

Happy Monday, folks!  If it’s Monday, this must be the Monday Morning Blues.

Last week, I wrote about Mississippi John Hurt’s song “Candy Man Blues” as part of the 10 Essential Delta Blues Songs series.  As regular reader Roy pointed out, there is another well-known “Candy Man” song in the tradition (& we’re not talking Sammie Davis, Jr or James Taylor here!), one that was either composed by or is at very least closely associated with the great ragtime/gospel guitarist & singer Reverend Gary Davis.  There was some question about connections between the songs, so I decided I’d do a bit of “dime store” ‘net research.

One thing is clear: Mississippi John Hurt’s “Candy Man Blues” is a copyrighted song—not even close to public domain, as it was copyrighted during Hurt’s “second career” in the 1960s.  The provenance of Reverend Gary Davis’ song is more ambiguous: some sources say it is “by” him, but give no copyright information (tho of course there are copyrights on various published arrangements & actual recordings), while other sources (the Sing Out songbook, for example) list the song as “traditional.”

I’m more familiar with the Davis’ tune myself simply because I’ve performed & even recorded that one, while I’ve only played around with Hurt’s song.  It’s also my impression (& I don’t have any “stats” on this) that there are more cover versions of the Davis’ song.  Musically, there are notable differences: Hurt’s song uses only two chords, with a variation on the tonic chord that "suspends" it at certain moments—for those not familiar with guitar chord lingo, that means substituting the “Fa” note of the scale for the “Mi” note of the scale when playing a major chord (in this case, substituting the note D for the note C#).  Hurt played the song in A, & in addition to A & A suspended (which change happens quickly), there is also an E chord, typically a “dominant seven,” which means that the note D is included in the chord.  There is a characteristic “break”—an instrumental passage—in which Hurt plays the same two chords “up the neck.”

Davis’ song is a three-chord song, & like the typical three chord song, it contains the tonic chord (the chord that harmonizes the Do note of the scale, also called the I), as well as the IV & V chords (which harmonize the Fa & Sol notes of the scale).  Davis played the song in C.  One characteristic of Reverend Gary Davis’ “Candy Man” is that the 6th note of the respective scales (the “La” note) is played frequently against both the tonic chord & the V chord.  A lot of the song’s particular sound comes from this.

The underlying subject matter is the same in both songs: a “Candy Man” is a gigolo, & both songs are clearly about such a person.  Hurt’s song is fairly graphic, & discusses the Candy Man’s physical endowment in some detail; Davis’ song (depending on which set of lyrics is being used) can get positively surreal. 

Of course, the whole point of this ultimately is what great songs they both are!  You can hear Hurt’s version of his song here on last week’s post, & I’ve also posted three (count ‘em!) versions of the Davis tune here.  The first is a short instrumental version by Davis himself (I’ve read that he didn’t like to sing his more “profane” songs later in life, tho other sources say that was only true when his wife was present); the second is a wonderful cover version by a great guitarist & singer in his own right (who was at one time a student of Reverend Gary Davis), the late Dave Van Ronk.  Finally, there’s the sublime Taj Mahal version from his Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home double album.  Taj Mahal plays it on the banjo, which I love (I’ve also started performing the song on the banjo), & interestingly, while he stays reasonably close to the Davis’ melody, he does insert one verse based on Hurt’s lyrics.

Enjoy!

Photo of the Week 6/5/11

Lilacs in Bloom

Indian Valley, Idaho

Friday 6/3/11

"Contrasts"

[The next in my series of translations from Blaise Cendrars’ Deux-Neuf poèmes élastiques (19 Elastic Poems)]

Contrasts

The windows of my poetry are wide open on the boulevards and in their display cases
Glitter
Gemstones of light
Listen to the limousines’ violins and the Linotypes xylophones
The scrub painter rubs his hands on the sky’s towel
Everything’s stained with color
And the hats of the women who pass by are comets in the evenings conflagration

Unity
There’s no more unity
All the clocks now point to midnight after having been set back ten minutes
There’s no more time.
There’s no more money.
In the Assembly
They’re watering down the raw materials’ marvelous elements

At the bar
The blue collar workmen are drinking red wine
Every Saturday gamehen
They’re playing
They’re betting
From time to time a gangster passes by in a car
Or a child plays with l’Arc de Triomphe…
I advise Mr Big to put his protegees up at the Eiffel Tower.

Today
Change of ownership
The Holy Spirit on sale in the smallest shops
I read with rapture swarms of calico
Of poppies
It’s only the pumice-stones of the Sorbonne which have never bloomed
The Samaritan sign plows through the Seine
And over by Saint-Séverin
I hear
The streetcars’ relentless bells


It’s raining electric light bulbs
Mountrouge East Station Metro North South water-buses world
All’s halo
Depth
Rue de Buci they’re hawking L’Intransigeant and Paris-Sport
The sky’s airdrome is now, ablaze, a Cimabue painting
When in the foreground
Men are
Long
Black
Sad
And are smoking, factory chimneys


Blaise Cendrars
translation Jack Hayes
© 1990-present

Where To Begin?

Even a professional hostess like Pinky gets nervous sometimes—she just feels she should hide her nervousness and make everyone else feel comfortable, that’s what makes hostesses different. But it’s a little silly for her to try this with me because I can always tell by a wrinkle just to the left of her trunk when she’s nervous. A Platypuss is, at heart, an observer. She has been asking me questions like: How will you ever tell the whole history of Big Bed Land, ancient and recent? How will you explain the Underwater Ones and the Bubble Dogs and Racoonio’s pet fish that lives in the television? How will anyone ever be able to keep us all straight if they didn’t grow up here? Should I make nametags for everybody?

Well, I tell her, I think Piggles would love for you to make a nametag especially if it had glitter and flowers on it, and Lefty would like a whole collection of different ones, especially with outlandish names never heard before in Big Bed Land (names like Laffidepot, or Gornsnook, Lefty adds here)—but otherwise, probably not. Pinky’s face got a little pinker at the suggestion of glitter and she scampers off like the graceful pink elephant hostess that she is.
By the time she gets done spelling Laffidepot, I will have started us off with Goat’s tale of adventure and we’ll be on our way. I should perhaps mention, since Goat does not, that this whole adventure takes place on an island in Canada in the St. Lawrence Seaway. Even Monster E. doesn’t really know exactly where that is but maybe you do, so I mention it. Bink finds it very interesting that the plane ticket Monster E. used to get there reads “Eberlems.” He thinks it curious that monsters flying have different names than their usual ones, but perhaps that is useful in some way. He has looked through the Monster Dictionary (which is often strangely inadequate) and finds no explanation of this mystery. Here is the first section of Goat’s Log.
GOAT'S LOG:

Most of the trip was boring. So I fell asleep in my sleeping cave, deep on Pirate Island. My wolverine slept beside me. They are robbers, feared and detested, and they make good pets. I woke up suddenly on a boat. My ears were blowing backwards in a pirate wind and I knew the real journey had begun. It was a monster boat, which no animal of Big Bed Land ever drove before. I drove it very fast (Piggles says that animals don't enslave ancient trees to run boats like monsters do - OK - but just this once it was great, it was loud and stinky and fast.) I knew I was going to have adventures. At landfall, there was a lot of hugging also kissing so I left.

Adams County Makes the News - Adams County Leader #32

The Adams County Leader        Published Weekly On Friday
Wm. Lemon Editor and Manager
Member State Editorial Association 
Member National Editorial Association
Official Paper of Adams County Price $2.00 Strictly in Advance

March 9, 1928
SUCH A THING AS AUTHORITY

During the past week, a youth of the community was hailed before Justice Watt by the village marshal, George Childers, the complaint being that he rode a horse up and down the street at an unlawful pace, all to the violation of town law and the peace and order of the community.  Without entering into the discussion of guilt or innocence of the boy, though we take it for granted he was guilty as the fine was paid, we do assume to take the side of enforcement of law and the maintenance of peace, order, and discipline.

There is a tendency on the part of youth, and every reasonable man knows it, to override authority and laugh at attempts of enforcement.  In other words, a very large majority of boys appears to think that as they never did have to obey or respect authority, when they come face to face with laws of the commonwealth, that too can be ignored and ridiculed.  If more law enforcement officials would do their sworn duty rigidly, there would be less disrespect of law and order, and the citizenry of the country would be better for it.

Since we have observed the attempts of town law enforcement in Council, we have noted that each time the officer made an attempt there was remonstrance raised by some that he was “picking” on the accused and that he was venting his personal prejudice on this particular one.  If an officer is known to observe violations of some and to ignore them, and then pick up another for the same thing or a similar violation—that is reprehensible; but no such condition has been shown to be true against Marshal Childers.  Some have been heard to make statements to the effect that he “passes up” some violations and then jumps on others.  But such accusations have not been substantiated.  We doubt that any of them can be proven.  At least the marshal defies anyone to prove such charges.

There is such a thing as authority, even in a small community, and the sooner it is made evident and respect for it established, the better it will be for all concerned.

March 9, 1928
NEW VILLAGE MARSHALL

George Childers submitted his resignation to the village fathers Monday night and will prepare at once to move to the ranch on Cow Creek, west of Goodrich.  He thinks the ranch offers better possibilities for a living than does the small town.  “At least,” he says, “we can be independent.”  The council elected Will Pouste for watermaster and marshal, who enters on his duties at once.

March 9, 1928
P. I. N. PROBLEM IS VITAL ONE
Editor Adams County Leader
Dear Sir:
I want to add a few words to what has already been said in regard to the P. & I. N. railroad which operates between Weiser and New Meadows and which for the past three years has not been making expenses.  I was among the first settlers in Meadows Valley, before there was any railroad, and have not forgotten the inconveniences of living without a railroad.  If this railroad should be discontinued and we should have to depend on trucks, our lumber could not be moved and every sawmill in this section would have to go out of business.  I feel it would set our country back forty years with inconceivable disaster.

Respectfully,
George W. Clark

March 16, 1928
EDITOR TOO GREEN
Some have said that the Leader editor has no business to “butt” into this P.I.N. and truck discussion so vigorously because he hasn’t been here long enough—he’s too green in the affairs of this community to have any say about our local affairs.  And by this it may be assumed that the editor may editorialize all he likes about something way off in Chicago or Boise, but when it comes to local affairs, he should keep out of discussions.

But the editor relies somewhat for his guidance in this particular proposition on the theory that according to the laws of existence, growth, etc., green things at least have the characteristic of being able to grow, while ripe things quickly come to the point of decay—even rottenness.

July 27, 1928
CONSERVE CITY WATER

On account of extreme dry weather the springs that feed the village water supply are running so low that the reservoir has been drained to the extent that water users in the east end have been short of water for house use.  Water must be conserved by all, and it is anticipated that next week, three days can be set apart when water can be used for irrigation purposes during specified evening hours (5 to 10 o’clock) designated by the village council and supervised by the marshal.  This program will be tried out but if found impossible, water for irrigation will have to be discontinued for a longer period, as fire protection must be maintained.  Every water user MUST conserve water for all purposes.

Village Council, by George W. Prout, Chairman

compiled by Eberle Umbach