The Afterword

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Noel and Bruce

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For those who haven’t come across it, this Noel Gallagher interview might interest. I thought the meeting Springsteen bit was the most interesting. “How about that Stone Roses album?”

I’m guessing he means the first one.

Murder in Rome

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Did anyone else follow the trial of Finnegan Lee Elder and Gabriel Natale-Hjorth? A fascinating case, I thought. Almost like a James Ellroy novel or a Quentin Tarantino screenplay.

For those who didn’t follow the case, Elder (then 19) and Natale-Hjorth (then 18) are school friends from a wealthy suburb of San Francisco who met up while they were both holidaying in Rome, Elder on his own and Natale-Hjorth with relatives. On the night of 25 July 2019 at around 2pm they went to looking to buy some cocaine. They asked a guy with a bike, Sergio Brugiatelli, and he took them to a dealer in a nearby piazza. As they were walking away they checked out the cocaine only to find it was aspirin, but just then some police showed up and everyone ran. As the lads were running they grabbed the rucksack Brugiatelli had left on a bench. Inside the rucksack was Brugiatelli’s phone which Brugiatelli called, using a friend’s phone, once the lads were back in their hotel. They told him they wanted their money back and some coke in return for the rucksack. They arranged an exchange in a nearby street, but when they got » Continue Reading.

The best song not on the best album conundrum

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You want to recommend an artist/band to someone not au fait with their oeuvre (excuse my French). So you recommend their best album, their masterpiece. But, darn it, their best song is not on that album! Whatchagonnado?

Happens to me with Tom Petty. I know some bonkers fools on here don’t accept that Damn The Torpedoes is his best album, but they’re wrong and the Classic Albums telly series clearly proves that. A perfect, flawless, brilliant album. But, darn it, my favourite Petty song is ‘A Woman in Love’ off of Hard Promises.

Marianne Faithfull’s another. Broken English is clearly her best album, as it’s the best album by any British female artist ever in the history of everything, but, darn it, ‘Truth, Bitter Truth’, off of Dangerous Acquaintances, is my favourite Faithfull song.

Any other examples of the best song not being on the best album (darn it)?

10 songs from my travels

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In today’s The Guardian novelist and Pink Floyd lyricist Polly Samson talks about music that reminds her of her various travels. (I love that she chose Bill Withers’ Lovely Day as a reminder of my home turf, Puglia.) Have we done a similar thing here? Who cares. Here’s mine, below, although I can’t come up with 10. Anyone else care to share?

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/apr/29/polly-samsons-playlist-10-songs-from-my-travels-david-gilmour-greece?fbclid=IwAR1AxjtGMcwBCdW3tlDVowGBwGfT7yQI1CmLhJhNj2QFebLEvDUeb1rA4wg

Exorcism: the facts

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It strikes me that exorcism is all too rarely discussed on the Afterword and I wonder if this is due to a lack of knowledge, particularly among those Afterworders who have never been possessed by Satan. (I have read occasional comments here along the lines of “Jethro Tull are shite” and “the best-fitting jeans I’ve ever had are from ASDA”, but quite frankly such comments have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the topic of exorcism and aren’t really worth mentioning in this context.) Exorcism is a complicated subject and who better to explain the ins and outs of it than a proper exorcist? So here’s Father Vincent (“Vince”) Lampert M.Div., pastor of ‘St. Peter’ and ‘St. Michael the Archangel’ Catholic Churches in Brookville Indiana and designated exorcist of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis. I think he’s something of a celebrity exorcist to the stars and on this YouTube interview he does a great job of separating fact from fiction and debunking a few common myths. The interview is from last October so, given the frequency and speed with which the Catholic Church likes to implement change, not all of the info will be up-to-date. Nonetheless, some of his » Continue Reading.

Two guitar challenges

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Back in October YouTube guitar teacher Paul Davids challenged 10 guitarists to improvise a solo over a backing track he provided. Most comments on the video reckon the last ‘competitor’, one Chris Buck, came up with the best solo and I am agree.

For Rickie Lee Jones fans

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I’ve been watching this video of RLJ playing some songs in her living room. It’s nice to see her play the old songs on just an acoustic guitar. She’s singing as beautifully as ever, looking as cool as ever, and has some nice stories to tell. A wonderful way to pass an hour.

Jon Anderson interview

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I’m not exactly a fan of Yes (I like a few songs, but don’t really know much of their music) but I really enjoyed this interview with Jon Anderson. What a lovely chap. Might interest others.

The agenda behind COVID 19

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This video has been getting a fair bit of attention in some circles, I’d be very interested to know what any wise AWers interested enough to watch it think. Erin Brockovich style exposé or David Icke style paranoid hogwash? Do you find any of it at all credible?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJXEvQrGBVc

Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii

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“1972 saw the release of ‘Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii’, a film of the band performing without an audience in the historic Roman amphitheatre of Pompeii, directed by Adrian Maben. The concert film is the 2016 re-edited version as featured in ‘The Early Years 1965-1972’ box set and will appear as part of the @YouTube Film Festival for a period of *24 hours only*.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m5yprC6_Zw

Bella Ciao

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From Wikipedia: “Bella Ciao” is an Italian protest folk song that originated in the hardships of the mondina women, the paddy field workers in the late 19th century who sang it to protest against harsh working conditions in the paddy fields of North Italy. The song was modified and adopted as an anthem of the anti-fascist resistance by the Italian partisans between 1943 and 1945 during the Italian Resistance, the resistance of Italian partisans against the Nazi German forces occupying Italy, during the Italian Civil War, and the Italian partisan struggle against the fascist Italian Social Republic and its Nazi German allies. Versions of “Bella ciao” are sung worldwide as an anti-fascist hymn of freedom and resistance.

It’s one of the most famous songs in Italy, often sung at football matches and family/friends gatherings. I’ve been teaching myself to pluck it on the guitar and this morning came across this versh by Marc Robot that I’d never heard before. Tom Waits sings. I think it’s absolutely spiffing and shall be listening to nothing else today.

Face masks – yes or no?

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Where I live, practically everyone is wearing a face mask when outside. When I go to my local supermarket I’m pretty much the only person not wearing one and I even attract disapproving looks from the other shoppers (even more so than usual, I mean). But I’m reading so many conflicting articles (and have seen many conflicting videos) on the subject. Here in Italy, as in some other countries, experts such as doctors and virologists are largely saying that everyone should wear one outside their home, whereas the WHO advise against them (as do important health organisations in UK and America, including the NHS). It has even been argued that they can do more harm than good: – They cause people to touch their faces more. – People will wear them for much longer than a few minutes for which they are designed, so they become damp inside and are therefore an ideal place for viruses to land and breed. – There is a risk they can be shared, especially by children. – There is a risk they are not disposed of properly, resulting in viruses being spread further. – And there is a risk that they distract people from » Continue Reading.