Jungleland (1975) – Bruce Springsteen

Jungleland is the second song to feature here from my favourite Bruce Springsteen record Born to Run released in 1975. I consider it one of the cohesive and influential albums I have ever heard in contemporary – music. Nearly every song from the record will appear here. I wrote in my post about the song Backstreets: ‘I was so taken aback by Born to Run (the album) I wrote a lyrics booklet in my youth of the whole album complete with a little nice string to thread the pages together. Lyrics weren’t so accessible back then like they are today, so I transcribed what I thought he sung as if I was doing something unprecedented. I felt like a devoted scribe of a great musical sermon‘.

Jungleland is fittingly the closing song on the album. It could be described as a noir – theatrical musical piece about street sub-culture. Springsteen used this song to showcase Saxophonist Clarence Clemons talents. Clemons also known as ‘the big man’ passed away in 2011 and his nephew Jake Clemons, joined the E Street Band for the Wrecking Ball Tour in 2012. He played the saxophone in versions of Jungleland in recognition of his uncle. I think Jungleland contains some of Springsteen’s best writing, although his catalogue in this regard is expansive.

The Rangers had a homecoming in Harlem late last night
And the Magic Rat drove his sleek machine
Over the Jersey state line
Barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge
Drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain
The Rat pulls into town rolls up his pants
Together they take a stab at romance
And disappear down Flamingo Lane

Though much is made of the six months it took to record Born to Run, Jungleland was not completed until 19 months after its first rehearsal take on January 8, 1974 in New York. It was played live regularly, losing its jazz influences, adding Suki’s violin to the introduction, and Springsteen making many lyrical modifications. “All we could do was hold on. Smoke a lot of pot and try to stay calm,” said Clemons, who spent sixteen hours playing and replaying every note of his Jungleland solo “in order to satisfy Bruce’s bat-eared attention to sonic detail…’
In concert, Jungleland is usually played towards the end of shows. During the E Street Band’s reunion tour in 1999 and 2000, it was part of a revolving “epic” slot, alternating with Backstreets and Racing in the Street.

In popular culture, John Malkovich used the song, among a nearly all-Springsteen theatrical soundtrack, in his 1980s Steppenwolf Theater production of Lanford Wilson’s play, Balm in Gilead. It served as the background for a choreographed tableau of street denizens miming a tragic slice-of-life. Also, the American educational children’s program Sesame Street featured a parody of Springsteen about addition called “Born to Add“. The post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel The Stand by Stephen King opens with three epigraphs, one of which is the final lyrics from the song.

Reference:
1. Jungleland – Wikipedia

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Jubilee Street (2013) – Nick Cave

I went into two musical appreciation ages of Nick Cave. I discovered his music in my late teens and devoured his records The First Born is Dead, The Good Son and Henry’s Dream and then much later in 2014 I saw his musical documentary 20000 days on Earth which featured today’s song Jubilee Street. Just prior to that I saw Cave singing Leonard Cohen’s Susan in the music concert – documentary ‘I’m Your Man‘.

Asked by The Sun if he is referencing the Jubilee Street located in his hometown of Brighton (England) Cave replied: “If people think they’re going to have a good time down Jubilee Street, I’d say forget about it unless they’re particularly interested in going to the library or Yo Sushi. When I was writing that, I had it in my mind that Jubilee Street was another, more colourful street. Then I was actually walking along it, looked up and went, ‘Oh no, this is f—ing Jubilee Street‘.

And here I come up the hill
I’m pushing my own wheel of love
I got love in my tummy and a tiny little pain
And a ten ton catastrophe on a 60 pound chain
And I’m pushing my wheel of love on Jubilee Streets
Oh, look at me now

The problem was she had a little black book
And my name was written on every page
Well, a girl’s gotta make ends meet even down Jubilee Street
I was out of place and time, and over the hill
And out of my mind on Jubilee Street
I ought to practice what I preach

I’m glad I returned to Nick’s music. He would later compose the modern-day classic album ‘Ghosteen‘ (2019) about the sorrow of the death of his son. I wrote about his remarkable song Bright Horses which remains the most viewed article on my blog by far. I count Nick Cave’s poetry and value to music up there with the contemporary-modern greats including Dylan, Cohen, and Waits. Cave seems to do with style and class what the beatniks could only do on paper and then deliver it on stage.

I have to relay below Cave’s reflections of music and his performance of Jubilee Street at the Sydney Opera House. Below that is the original music video directed by John Hillcoat and featuring Ray Winstone. Cave wrote the screenplay of Hillcoat’s Australian Western film – The Proposition (2005) which Hillcoat directed and Winstone starred in.

Reference:
1. Jubilee Street (song) – Wikipedia

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Planes, Trains and Automobiles – John Hughes (Friday’s Finest)

Warning: The following dialogue could be deemed offensive:

Car Rental Agent: [cheerfully] Welcome to Marathon, may I help you?

Neal: Yes.

Car Rental Agent: How may I help you?

Neal: You can start by wiping that fucking dumb-ass smile off your rosy fucking cheeks! Then you can give me a fucking automobile! A fucking Datsun, a fucking Toyota, a fucking Mustang, a fucking Buick! Four fucking wheels and a seat!

Car Rental Agent: I really don’t care for the way you’re speaking to me.

Neal: And I really don’t care for the way your company left me in the middle of fucking nowhere with fucking keys to a fucking car that isn’t fucking there. And I really didn’t care to fucking walk down a fucking highway and across a fucking runway to get back here to have you smile in my fucking face. I want a fucking car… right… fucking… now.

[pause]

Car Rental Agent: May I see your rental agreement?

Neal: I threw it away.

Car Rental Agent: Oh, boy.

Neal: Oh, boy, what?

Car Rental Agent: [narrows her eyes] You’re fucked.

IMDB Storyline:

All that Neal Page wants to do is to get home for Thanksgiving. When bad weather cancels his flight, he decides on other means of transportation. As well as bad luck, Neal is blessed with the presence of Del Griffith, shower-curtain-ring salesman and all-around blabbermouth who is never short of advice, conversation, bad jokes, or company. And when he decides that he is going the same direction as Neal..

That is all.

1. Planes, Trains and Automobiles – Wikipedia
2. Planes, Trains and Automobiles – IMDB

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Posted in Movies and TV

Special Edition Post – Mark Laita of Soft White Underbelly on Doing Interviews and The Homeless Problem

I have been addicted to alcohol most of my adult life and the following video was a breath of fresh air. Interviews from the Soft White Underbelly channel have been my go-to place of late. The last one I saw was with a couple Mike and Stephanie in Los Angelas addicted to Fentanyl.

What I find so alluring and productive of Mark Laita’s work is it presents reminders to everyone which would not ordinarily be made available to the public of how easy it is to let yourself slide. ‘Everything you do matters, and you have to carry that with you.‘

I hear it here in Colombia and I heard it expressed as well in Jewish culture of the saying ‘Temor de Dios‘ (Fear of God). In the beginning, I took it as a zealous sleight of hand. But now I understand the true weight of its significance. Jordan Peterson often said he acts as if God exists. I think what it boils down to is – Don’t take advantage of that’s what given to you – such as your good health and youthful exuberance. See it as a blessing and give back to the Logos.

In the interviews I’ve seen so far, nearly everyone wished they didn’t take advantage of what they had when times were good. The ‘Temor de Dios‘ (Fear of God) is a substrate that now makes sense to me, and I understand why people way smarter than me act on it.

‘Everything you do matters, and you have to carry that with you.’

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Jessie (1993) – Joshua Kadison

Back in the 90’s, in my carefree – lucid days of my early 20’s I must have heard this song 50 times. Here, Joshua Kadison sounded to me a lot like Elton John and akin to John’s early 80’s repertoire, Jessie seemed to belong on the classic record Too Low for Zero. Just now I read on Wikipedia that his musical style and voice are compared to Elton John.
I’ll admit the song hasn’t aged so well to my ears, but it harks back to these breezier times, and I still enjoy hearing it. Kadison is perhaps best known for the top 40 hits Jessie and Beautiful in My Eyes from his debut album Painted Desert Serenade.

From a phone booth in Vegas
Jessie calls at five a.m
To tell me how she’s tired
Of all of them
She says
“Baby, I’ve been thinking
‘Bout a trailer by the sea
We could go to Mexico
You, the cat and me
We’ll drink tequila
And look for seashells
Now doesn’t that sound sweet”
Oh Jessie, you always do this
Every time I get back on my feet


Jessie, paint your pictures
About how it’s gonna be

The single Jessie was released on Painted Desert Serenade and was certified Gold in the United States in August 1994, and later Platinum. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Bryan Buss called it “chock full of odes to finding romance, longing for romance and losing romance“.

Wikipedia states that Kadison has a huge following in Germany where he signed a deal with EMI Germany and his album Vanishing America was released. It dealt with his disillusionment with the lost values of America and was a collection of songs that told stories about people not realizing their own beauty and full potential. Ironically, the album was never distributed in the United States.

Reference:
1. Joshua Kadison – Wikipedia

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Evergone (2022) – Christina Perri

I have been in an article hiatus the last 2 weeks because I have been enjoying the company of my two wonderful children. During that time, we listened to a lot of music amongst other things. Today’s song Evergone by Christina Perri was one of the most frequently played songs. I discovered it a month ago and like most of Perri’s material, the more I hear it the more I like it. When I sent Evergone to my kids a while back, their first reactions weren’t positive. My daughter told me ‘That doesn’t look like Christina nor does the melody seem up to scratch with her other material.’ But after subsequent listens, my daughter and son’s fondness of the song has soared, whereby they now consider Evergone one of their favourites.

Christina Perri has featured a lot here lately. I must admit I have become quite a fan of her music. What I find surprising is this isn’t the type of music I would ordinarily engage with. But I continue to marvel and be in awe of her melodies, singing and lyrical prowess. Each listening experience feels like listening to the song anew. I can’t quite pinpoint what it is about her music that touches me so, but I can say I am so impressed by her transparency, vulnerability and uninhibited image and presentation which is conveyed seamlessly in her material and delivery. Someone that does what she does in the way she does it, takes a valiant artist.
Christina basically offers master-class sessions on how to deliver a ballad. She is one of a kind. Irreplaceable. I feel indebted to hear her art.

Thoughts of you bring me back
To times I thought we’d always have
Who knew the world could spin so fast? I didn’t
I write letters to you in my head
Things we did and things we said
Today I heard someone say your name again


In your hopes and dreams
In your memories
In the songs we sing
In the ones we leave
We carry on
But no one is evergone

Evergone was released on Christina Perri’s recent album A Lighter Shade of Blue and it is the second song to feature here from it. It seems to reflect on the loss of her daughter in 2020 who was stillborn (and perhaps the miscarriage she had prior). I adore the music video below. I even get a kick-out of her combat boots dangling from the ride. I wrote in my last article about Christina’s classic ‘Jar of Hearts‘ how Julie Greenwald, chairman and COO of Atlantic Records said of Christina, ‘she was stomping on the piano in our lobby with her combat boots. She was so confident and poised‘.
Perri was born in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. She is of Italian and Polish descent and has called her family “very Italian“. In May 2022, Perri announced she was pregnant with her fourth child and gave birth to her daughter in October 2022.

Thank you for reading as always and I hope you enjoy Evergone as much as I have. Below the music video is a brief behind the scenes video featurette about the making.

‘Noone is Ever Gone‘

Reference:
1. Christina Perri – Wikipedia

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5/12 – 11/12/22 – Post-Protestantism, 7 Exercises & Capitalism vs Socialism

news on the march

Welcome to Monday’s News on the March – The week that was in my digital world.

Post-Protestantism’s Anxious Age Revisited | Thinking in Public with Albert Mohler
Video interview at Albert Mohler

In this edition of the popular podcast series “Thinking in Public,” Albert Mohler talks with one of the most important public intellectuals in the United States, Joseph Bottum, about post-Protestantism’s anxious age as examined in Bottum’s book, “An Anxious Age: The Post-Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of America.” (Watch entire interview here)

7 Exercises You Should Do Absolutely Everyday!
Video presentation at Bob & Brad

Bob & Brad demonstrate 7 exercises you should be doing every day.

I underwent surgery a year ago on a herniated disk in my lower back, but a few weeks ago I experienced (Again!) a slight discomfort in my sciatic nerve. I searched YT for some therapy treatments to alleviate and realign my lower-back and fortunately I found Bob and Brad’s channel. This chucklesome physical therapist duo offer invaluable “get fit, stay healthy, and pain-free” information. I noticed in just this brief period adhering to their advice I felt relief in my lower back. (Watch presentation here)

Capitalism vs. Socialism | Glenn Loury, LaJuan Loury & Richard Wolff | The Glenn Show
Debate at The Glenn Show

American Economists Glenn Loury and Richard Wolff go head-to-head in this debate about which economic model is superior – A Capitalist or Socialist one.
Frankly, it’s a relief to see this open conversation occurring in a digital-hegemonic age where almost all A grade intellectuals and podcasters only interview people who affirm their worldview. It was also great to finally see Glenn’s wife LaJuan Loury. I hope she will become a common feature going forward. (Watch full debate here)

news on the march the end
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Posted in Health, News, politics

Jokerman (1983) – Bob Dylan

Jokerman is the opening track of his 1983 album Infidels. It’s my favourite track from the album but License to Kill and Neighbourhood Bully sure give it run for their money. You just have to be reminded this record could have also included the outtake Foot of Pride and Blind Willie McTell. On the latter classic Dylan claims he can’t even remember why he chose to leave it off of Infidels, shrugging it off as “most likely a demo.”

Jokerman sees Dylan returning to some of his best lyrical imagery since Changing of the Guards on Street Legal. He also summons the passion and fervor synonymous with his earlier work and delivers an inspiring vocal performance. The song has appeared on several Dylan “Best of” compilations. I really like his groovy live version of Jokerman on Dave Letterman.

Standing on the waters casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing
Distant ships sailing into the mist
You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing
Freedom just around the corner for you
But with the truth so far off, what good will it do?


Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

In a 1984 interview for Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan discussed his inspiration behind the song: “Me and another guy have a boat down there [in the Caribbean]. ‘Jokerman’ kinda came to me in the islands. It’s very mystical. The shapes there, and shadows, seem to be so ancient. The song was sorta inspired by these spirits they call jumbis” (A type of mythological spirit or demon in the folklore of some Caribbean countries).

As a single, Jokerman failed to chart, but was critically well-received and continues to have a positive legacy especially within Dylan fan-circles. The Telegraph named it Dylan’s fourth best song. The song also features Mark Knopfler and Mick Taylor on guitar.
I chuckled when I read what one person wrote below about Jokerman and I couldn’t resonate more:

‘This is my favourite song by Bob, amongst all my other favourites’
.

Reference:
1. Jokerman (song) – Wikipedia

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The AnkiDroid Collection (Part 28) – Sat Nam, Skinner’s Rats & Google Motives

Ankidroid additions related to Science, History and Philosophy. More information about Anki can be found in this article.

Sat Nam

In Kundalini yoga, Sat Nam is the most widely used mantra.

Sat – Truth and Light
Nam – Identity and Existence

I wrote about my yogi Nirvair Khaisa (pictured above) in two other articles here. My interpretation of Sat Nam based on Nirvair’s teachings is when you chant ‘Sat‘ you feel a burst of light representing ‘truth‘ penetrate and illuminate you and when you chant ‘Nam‘ you let that become your ‘Identity‘ and divine wisdom.

‘Sat Nam‘ is also used as a greeting to acknowledge the Truth in each one of us and as a personal mantra to express or tune into one’s infinite identity.

Skinner’s Rats

I was umming and ahhing over whether to include this one here since I haven’t found confirmation this experiment was ever conducted, but it was relayed by someone who I considered a reliable source. May be someone here can chime in.

As I heard it – The behaviourist psychologist B.F. Skinner did a rat experiment of extended awareness. The interpretation of its findings which I heard recently is that it exposed the danger of being conscious of too much, especially relatable now in a globalised society with social media.

Rats which were put on a table of perspex floating on water and didn’t know of the danger just ran around randomly, and the perspex continued to float. When human beings were put under the same test conditions, they lasted to float for just seconds because they would run to the same side to ensure equilibrium and in so doing topping themselves over.

Knowing too much and oversaturated with too much stimuli can be a detriment to our human-race commensurate with extreme political polarisation since the advent of social media and systemic information dissemination problems associated with the Pandemic.
When we were living in clans – hunter gather or Agrarian societies we just went about making the most of life and living simply and locally. We weren’t conscious or inundated with how terrible human beings can be or the quantity of world problems. Sometimes knowing less means we can float.

Google Motives

The following are the three motives of Google according to Dr Robert Epstein from the American Institute for Behavioural Research which offers data on the power of Google and Big Tech:

1. Make Money

Google are the biggest advertising agency in the world by 20 times. A few years ago, Google made 100 billion, now they make 150 billion.

2. Impose Their Values

96% of donations from Google go to the Democratic party. They are trying to reengineer humanity according to company values. Recommended searches ie rid negative searches from who they supported ie Hilary Clinton, but let the negative pop-up in search suggestions for other candidates and turn a 50-50 split in undecided voters to a 90-10 split for the supported candidate.
My own thoughts: See the obfuscation / censoring of the Joe Biden’s son story leading up to last US election and Google’s alleged temporary suspension of Tulsi Gabbard’s advertising account after the 1st democratic debate.

Dwight Eisenhower post-war 34th US President (Head of Allied Forces WWII) in his retirement speech warned of the large military-industrial complex emerging, but also warned in the future of a technological elite controlling public policy without anyone knowing. The technological elite are now in control.

3. Share Intelligence

It became evident Google shared intelligence with Government and Law enforcement worldwide – finding threats to national security by looking at what individuals are searching. It was set up to track and observe search history.

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Posted in politics, Reading, Reflections

Jim Jones (1992) – Bob Dylan

Jim Jones is my joint favourite song from Dylan’s 1992 record Good as I Been To You. Canadee I-O which has already featured here is my other favourite from his cover versions of old mainly 19th Century folklore ballads. The difference with this one is it is steeped in the colonial-history of my home country – Australia. As I wrote in that Canadee I-O article below; the same could be said for my appreciation of the Jim Jones version by Dylan:

When I hear it, I can’t help but sing it at the top of my lungs. I so admire Dylan for unearthing these old 19th century English (Australia in this case) ballads that would otherwise remain dust-ridden in some old folk collection and giving them his signature acoustic sound. He really does them enormous justice and his guitar playing is brash, but entirely unique and incapable of replication.

The storytelling in this remarkable traditional Australian folk ballad ‘Jim Jones at Botany Bay‘ which dates from the early 19th-century immerses me like none other in my country’s early – white settlement history.

Come and listen for a moment, lads
And hear me tell my tale
How across the sea from England
I was condemned to sail
Now the jury found me guilty
Then says the judge, says he
“Oh, for life, Jim Jones, I’m sending you
Across the stormy sea
But take a tip before you ship
To join the iron gang
Don’t get too gay in Botany Bay
Or else you’ll surely hang
Or else you’ll surely hang,” says he
“And after that, Jim Jones
It’s high above on the gallows tree
The crows will pick your bones.”

From the Wikipedia article below: The narrator, Jim Jones, is found guilty of poaching and sentenced to transportation to the penal colony of New South Wales. En route, his ship is attacked by pirates, but the crew holds them off. When the narrator remarks that he would rather have joined the pirates or indeed drowned at sea than gone to Botany Bay, Jones is reminded by his captors that any mischief will be met with the whip. In the final verse, Jones describes the daily drudgery and degradation of life as a convict in Australia, and dreams of joining the bushrangers (escaped convicts turned outlaws) and taking revenge on his floggers.

This is a silly personal account I can relate here. When my class were on excursion to Botany Bay (a little south of Sydney) back in the 80’s I found washed up on the shores a piece off old wood which had fungi and moss growing on it. I declared to the class, that this rare artefact was in fact from one of the convict boats that arrived in Botany Bay during colonisation. I wanted to believe it and hoped others did as well even if it was for a few seconds.

Australian folklorists such as Bill Scott date the song’s composition to the years immediately preceding 1830 when bushranger Jack Donahue, who is named in the song, was fatally shot by troopers. The oldest surviving written version of the ballad is found in Old Pioneering Days in the Sunny South (1907), a book of reminiscences by Charles McAlister, a pioneer who drove bullock teams in southern-eastern New South Wales in the 1840s. According to folklorist A. L. Lloyd, “Jim Jones at Botany Bay” may have been lost to history had McAlister not included it in his book.

Apart from the studio version below, there is a lovely live version here where Dylan’s acoustic guitar work is on another level.

Reference:
1. Jim Jones at Botany Bay – Wikipedia

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