The Manhattans

I stayed in Manhattan once.
I should have ordered a Manhattan and listened to this track.
Instead I had a Vodka Martini and went to a jazz club in Bleecker Street, probably in that order.

Many, many months have passed by since then.  Now, I would never be so conceptually unintact.

Ed Sheeran: The Parting Glass @ Wembley

I took the eldest daughter to Wembley last night to see the ginger-headed one – the best bit I felt was when he referenced his Irish roots (and my Scottish ones) by singing The Parting Glass acapella.  The rest, well, it wasn’t altogether my cup of tea, but there’s no knocking the lad’s intent, his passion and the overall workrate.  And he’s only 24.

His set was just over 2 hours long, alone with his guitars, and without a break.  He held the audience’s attention, although my own mind wandered from time to time.  I took a few photos – as did thousands of others.

We spent the night high up in the gods and, looking down, as the sun set, I was reminded of nothing more than Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds that made me so angry some years back in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. That was a blog post that never got written, and never will, now.

A lifetime ago.

Goodnight and joy be with you all

 

 

‘Caution the road is hot’

Today would be the late great Robert Nesta Marley’s 70th birthday.

Happy Birthday Bob Marley. What better way to celebrate than with this wonderful song that showcases the particular timbre of his voice which is utterly unique and about as soulful as I think it gets.

Go here for more songs, great photos, and a better article than I can put together, which is only what Bob deserves.

One Love.

The Philosophy of Forgiveness (continued)

I had at least one reader yesterday *waves* so feel duty bound to finish what I started; even though I know that the reader in question will be concerning themselves with striped mini feline japery this evening and not a lot else.

So, yes, I listen to podcasts at bedtime, often on philosophy, although tonight I might treat myself to the excellent Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole which is book of the week on Radio 4 and set in Harvard Medical School’s Neurology Unit. I digress. Forgive me.

According to the philosopher Lucy Allais, forgiveness means a willingness to see someone who has transgressed against you, not in the light of their wrongdoing with all the associated feelings of hurt or anger. Rather to be prepared and able to see them, if not as you saw them before the transgression, as still a person worth something to you. In short, you do not let an action, colour your whole relation to them. Forgiveness is a letting go, but it is not words, it is an internal process related to feelings.

At least that’s what I think she said, before I fell asleep.

Which brings me to how it feels when someone does not forgive, or when one cannot forgive another.

I think, on balance, it feels worse to be unable to forgive than to be personally unforgiven.

On which note, I commend the rather excellent Metallica song to you, of the same name. Which rather makes this blog post feel like The Weekend News I had to write at primary school, and this paragraph the quick ending I bashed out to get the thing finished before going out to play. In this case however I am merely sloping off to watch House on Netflix.

Now there’s a chap whose friends and colleagues know a thing or two about forgiveness.

What I’ve felt,
What I’ve known
Never shined through in what I’ve shown.

Be warned, this song was so good the band went on to record Unforgiven II and Unforgiven III. You may want to swerve this blog for a while, until we move on.

Nils Frahm ‘Re’

Harrison and Dylan Rock Double Denim

There’s something about this rehearsal recording that is very touching.

The performance is not earth-shattering; it’s a rehearsal after all. I think it’s to do with the lack of audience. The pair are stripped right back, playing only for the other musician: George Harrison plays to Bob Dylan, and Dylan plays back to him.

There’s a moment where Harrison relaxes. It’s palpable. Enjoy.

‘The Way We Do It’

Re: the previous post.

This is more like it –  properly turned out for a music video too.

Here endeth the August jukebox mofos.  Back to peeling paint next time.

‘So High’

Good song, fo sho.  But the chutzpah of it  – turning up at the Royal Albert Hall to tinkle the ol’ joanna in just yer vest and not a medallion in sight.

It’s thrown me into a regular linguistic confusion.

‘You Wish’

In my case, I wish I was good at shopping. As everyone knows: I am rubbish at it. Still, there’s always this song to groove to after looking at literally thousands of products, with NO SUCCESS. If you’ve had a birthday recently, all I can offer on the gift front is: I am behind. Sorry!

Mr Probz

It was all about the Robin Schulz radio remix on Friday night – but this has Sunday evening written all over it.

~ Waves ~