The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ (1989) – Billy Joel

Posted on April 10, 2025 by observationblogger — 5 Comments

In “The Downeaster Alexa’”, Billy Joel sings of my beloved Montauk where we vacationed for 34 consecutive summers until Covid hit. Sadly, for various reasons, we have not returned since then. The references in the song to actual places, nautical and otherwise, such as Block Island Sound, Gardiner’s Bay, and Islanders juxtaposed against more mythical or religious lines (“giants out there in the canyon,” “where God only knows,” and “I am trawling Atlantis”) help convey a sense of a life rooted in gritty realism but controlled by larger forces.

– ‘Storm Front‘ at The Elephant’s Trunk

I saw Billy Joel’s Stormfront tour in ’91 in Sydney with my schoolmate Gary. He’s actually the one who drew the caricature of my family – that’s the featured image in my ‘Reflection’ menu. Anyway, Gary was a massive Billy Joel fan. We used to go back and forth over music because while he was all about Billy, I leaned more towards Elton John. I still remember when Elton’s Kiss the Bride came out – Gary would mock me by belting out, “I want to kiss the bridegroom!” A clever comeback, just like his caricature. So yeah, I went to the concert mostly to appease Gary, though I did (and still do) dig a lot of Joel’s music – especially today’s featured track.

I’m not sure how I forgot about ‘The Downeaster ‘Alexa’, but I was happily reunited with it through my friend Nancy’s aptly titled blog post, Storm Front, over at The Elephant’s Trunk.

I’m about to do something I don’t usually do – reblog Nancy’s article below. Given her personal connection to the song and remarkable talent as a writer, I think it’s only fitting to hand over the reins to her on this occasion. She gives the track the justice it truly deserves.

[Verse 1]
Well I’m on the downeaster “Alexa”
And I’m cruising through Block Island Sound
I have charted a course to the Vineyard
But tonight I am Nantucket bound
We took on diesel back in Montauk yesterday
Left this morning from the bell in Gardiner’s Bay
Like all the locals here I’ve had to sell my home
Too proud to leave, I work my fingers to the bone

[Verse 2]
So I could own my downeaster “Alexa”
And I go where the ocean is deep
There are giants out there in the canyons
And a good captain can’t fall asleep
I got bills to pay and children who need clothes
I know there’s fish out there, but where God only knows
They say these waters aren’t what they used to be
But I got people back on land who count on me

[Verse 3]
So if you see my downeaster “Alexa”
And if you work with the rod and the reel
Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis
And I still have my hands on the wheel

[Bridge]
Yay-o
Yay-o
Yay-o
Yay-yay-o

[Verse 4]
Now I drive my downeaster “Alexa”
More and more miles from shore every year
Since they told me I can’t sell no stripers
And there’s no luck in swordfishing here
I was a bayman like my father was before
Can’t make a living as a bayman anymore
There ain’t much future for a man who works the sea
But there ain’t no island left for islanders like me

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Posted in Music

Sweet Jane (1970) – The Velvet Underground

Posted on April 9, 2025 by observationblogger — 10 Comments

I had Sweet Jane in my collection, but inexplicably rendered it obsolete for use here. Then when I heard it again yesterday while doing chores I made note to make amends. So here we are today with what Rolling Stone ranked No. 335 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Appearing on the Velvet Underground’s fourth studio album Loaded (1970), Sweet Jane was written by band leader and primary songwriter Lou Reed, who continued to incorporate the piece into live performances after he left the band. There are more versions of this song than you can swing a cat at, including a 1969 early version which Rolling Stone highlighted in their article below. But the version I’ve gone with below is the 2015 – 45th anniversary full length version.

The main riff of Sweet Jane is deceptively simple, but it’s irresistibly groovy, creating a laid-back swagger that anchors the song. But towards the end – the song transforms into a Hey Jude-ish ‘la la la la la la’ when instrumentals coalesce into a wild mesh of hypnotic rhythm. Also throughout, Lou Reed’s signature inimitable voice is unmistakable here. It stretches and bends certain phrases with elongated, almost tongue-in-cheek inflections. There’s humor, weariness, and cool detachment – an effortless charm like a joke you’re in on as a listener.

Lyrically, Sweet Jane drifts through a lucid dreamscape, introducing a cast of characters – each rooted in different epochs and realities. Among them are the singer, who’s part of a rock ’n’ roll band, and a couple: Jack the banker and Jane the clerk. They symbolize the conventional 9-to-5 class of an antiquated society, steeped in tradition and classical music. The singer, in contrast, pleads for recognition of the raw, spontaneous beauty of rock ’n’ roll and the authenticity found in living outside societal norms. But really it becomes less a love letter to rock than a self-aware meditation on identity, routine, and the mythologies we buy into.

The following was extracted from Wikipedia:
In a 2005 interview, former Velvet Underground member Doug Yule stated that the main signature “riff” of the song (as it appears on Loaded) was finalized in the studio just before the tracks were recorded, and it was achieved by Lou Reed’s playing “cranked-up very loud” through a large Sunn amplifier. In addition to recording the bass track, the drums on the recording were performed by Doug Yule because Velvet drummer Maureen Tucker was pregnant at the time and not present during the Loaded sessions.

[Verse 1]
Standin’ on the corner
Suitcase in my hand
Jack is in his corset, Jane is in her vest
And me, I’m in a rock ‘n’ roll band
Huh
Riding in a Stutz Bear Cat, Jim
Ya know, those were different times
Oh, all the poets they studied rules of verse
And those ladies, they rolled their eyes

[Chorus]
Sweet Jane, woah
Sweet Jane, oh oh
Sweet Jane

[Verse 2]
Let me tell ya somethin’, Jack, he is a banker
And Jane, she is a clerk
And both of them save their monies
Hah, and when, when they come home from work
Ooh, sittin’ down by the fire, oh
The radio does play the classical music there, Jim
The March of the Wooden Soldiers
All you protest kids, you can hear Jack say
Get ready

[Verse 3]
Some people, they like to go out dancin’
And other peoples, they have to work, just watch me now
And there’s even some evil mothers
Well, they’re gonna tell you that everything is just dirt
You know that women never really faint
And that villains always blink their eyes, ooh
And that, ya know, children are the only ones who blush
And that life is just to die
But anyone who ever had a heart
Oh, they wouldn’t turn around and break it
And anyone who ever played a part
Oh, they wouldn’t turn around and hate it

[Bridge]
Heavenly wine and roses
Seem to whisper to her when he smiles
Heavenly wine and roses
Seem to whisper to her, hey, when she smiles

References:
1. Hear the Velvet Underground Play an Early Version of ‘Sweet Jane’ – Rolling Stone
2. Sweet Jane – Wikipedia

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31/3/25 – 6/4/25 – Tariffs

Posted on April 8, 2025 by observationblogger — Leave a comment
news on the march

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

Like I imagine some of you have been doing, I have been watching presentations on the current hot news topic – Donald Trump’s tariffs. There remains opposed reactions to the tariffs which I would like to discuss below:

Two presentations in particular: UnHerd’s – Tariff Wars – What Happens Next and Ben Shapiro’s – Trump’s Tariff War Continues… both spell impending doom and gloom at Trump’s radical implementation of a global net of tariffs which mark the end of the globalisation era which has existed since the early 1990’s and has the world teetering on a 2008 style recession or worse. They seem to disdain the arrogance of Trump putting the whole world in this state of despair by trying to reverse 50 years of trade history and supply chains with the stroke of his pen.
Shapiro, sympathetic to free-market conservatism, suggests that consumers will bear the brunt, costs will rise, and retaliatory tariffs could stifle small businesses already strangled by post-pandemic inflation.
The UnHerd economic ‘experts’ conclude that for Europe, Australia and Canada to avoid recession they should introduce fiscal stimuli and ignore the US on trade and forge new alliances, most notably between themselves and China.

At the other end of the spectrum is the biologist couple – Brett Weinstein and Heather Heying’s latest Darkhorse podcast – There’s a New Tariff In Town. While both admit they are far from ‘experts’ on economics, they apparently welcome Donald Trump’s broad sweeping Tariffs because they mark what could be a significant shift in power away from the high falluting ‘Wallstreet’ crowd towards the overlooked ‘working-class’. So they see the tariffs not as economic suicide, but as a recalibration of national sovereignty and a potential economic renaissance for the U.S. working class. There are said to be about 10 million skilled people in the US that are currently not working, but want to. Their arguments unsurprisingly have an evolutionary logic: systems that depend on global fragility are less adaptive than those with redundancy and local capacity.

So who is right? Could they both be right?
Perhaps. The tariffs could destabilise global markets and inflate prices in the short term – especially if retaliatory measures kick in and inflation worsens, but with long-term cultural and labor recalibration such policies might reanimate the productive core of the U.S. economy, but at what cost to the rest of the World?

That is all. Thank you for reading.

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Posted in News, politics

The Devil’s Been Busy (1990) – Traveling Wilburys

Posted on April 7, 2025 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

The Devil’s Been Busy might be one of the lesser known Traveling WIlbury tracks, but I’m a big fan of it – just as I am of nearly everything they released. The subject matter is both clever and unsettling. The song puts a a spin on the title phrase, using the devil as a stand-in for all the reckless things humans do – especially to the planet.

The first half points a finger at those dumping toxic waste and poisoning the environment, all while folks above ground carry on playing golf, blissfully unaware of the damage beneath their feet. Then the song shifts gears, turning the lens inward to look at human nature itself – our tendency toward violence, cruelty, and looking the other way. The Devil’s Been Busy is a social critique (how the devil’s work is often done through everyday injustice), but dressed in jangly guitars and Wilbury wit.

The Devil’s Been Busy comes from the group’s second and final studio album Volume 3. Yes, they skipped Volume 2. Jeff Lynne said “That was George’s idea’. – ‘Let’s confuse the buggers‘. After Roy Orbison’s passing, the group gathered at a private house they dubbed “Camp Wilbury“, in Bel Air, Los Angeles. The remaining 4 members adopted new pseudonyms for Vol. 3 – Spike (George Harrison), Clayton (Jeff Lynne), Muddy (Tom Petty) and Boo (Bob Dylan).

Below the studio release (at the end of this post) is a fascinating little ‘official’ piece about the song’s making. Thought I’d seen just about all the George Harrison and Traveling Wilbury videos. Really great stuff here!

[Verse 1, Tom Petty]
While you’re strolling down the fairway
Showing no remorse
Glowing from the poisons
They’ve sprayed on your golf course
While you’re busy sinking birdies
And keeping your scorecard

[Chorus, All]
The devil’s been busy in your backyard

[Verse 2, George Harrison]
Steaming down the highway
With your trucks of toxic waste
Where you gonna hide it
Maybe outer space?
You don’t know what you’re doing
Or what you have to guard

[Chorus, All]
The devil’s been busy in your backyard

[Bridge, Bob Dylan]
Sometimes you think you’re crazy
But you know you’re only mad
Sometimes you’re better off not knowing
How much you’ve been had

[Verse 3, Bob Dylan]
You see your second cousin
Wasted in a fight
You say he had it coming
He couldn’t do it right
You’re in a western movie
Playing the part

[Chorus, All]
The devil’s been busy in your backyard

[Sitar Solo]

[Bridge, Bob Dylan]
Sometimes they say you’re wicked
But you know that can’t be bad
Sometimes you’re better off not knowing
It’ll only make you sad

[Verse 4, Jeff Lynne]
They’re coming down piccadilly
Dripping at the dosh
Arresting Sticky Willy
Clubbing him with their cosh
They just might not have noticed
They’ve been hitting him so hard

[Outro, All]
The devil’s been busy in your backyard
The devil’s been busy in your backyard
The devil’s been busy in your backyard

References:
1. Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 – Wikipedia

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The Desert Babbler (2013) – Iron & Wine

Posted on April 6, 2025 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

Today’s featured track The Desert Babbler was recommended to me in my last post on Iron & Wine – Flightless Bird, American Mouth. Samuel Ervin Beam (born July 26, 1974), better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter.
Despite the thorny lyrics, the vocals and gorgeous melodies exude a warm and spacious sound. It’s said this album was a shift from the stark acoustic style of Iron & Wine’s earlier work which Sam felt contained an “anxious tension” he wanted to move away from. The Desert Babbler has a lush and soulful, jazz-tinged polish. I found myself getting carried away and humming along to the women’s catchy yet soothing background harmonies.

The following was extracted from the Wikipedia article below:
The Desert Babbler comes from his fifth full-length studio album released in 2013. The album’s title is taken from the lyrics of “Grace for Saints and Ramblers” and the cover (see image inset) is taken from photographer Barbara Crane’s series “Private Views.” The album debuted at No. 26 on Billboard 200.

He has released six studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album (a recording of his 2005 Bonnaroo performance). He occasionally tours with a full band. The name Iron & Wine is taken from a dietary supplement named “Beef, Iron & Wine” that he found in a general store while shooting a film.

[Verse 1]
It’s New Year’s Eve
California’s gonna kill you soon
The Barstow boys
Buckeyes in the shadow of the moon

Black houses in the hills and roadside hearts
Dying for a place to fall apart
Who knew that you could learn to live without?
Mother Mary’s lyin’ in your mouth now

[Chorus 1]
Back home, the kitchen’s warm with Christmas wine
And every girl has got an axe to grind
You live to look for heaven, but you’re far
From the hard light tonight

[Verse 2]
So quietly we’ve lost another year
The desert put a babbler in your ear
Mean fireweed and I miss you again
Barstow boys are spit into the wind now

[Chorus 2]
Back home, the hammer always has to fall
Crosses barely hanging on the wall
Someday I know you’ll never leave me
But we’re far from the hard light tonight

References:
1. Iron & Wine – Wikipedia
2. Ghost on Ghost – Wikipedia

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Hymn for the Carnies (2007) – My Friend the Chocolate Cake

Posted on April 5, 2025 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

The Carnie’s show is in town..
With its neon blinding shining lights
It’s got a one-legged stripper, a drunken clown…

The bloke who works the fancy dodgems
He jumps with grace from car to car
The electricity sparks the flame when the hanging wire touches wire

The view on top this ferris wheel
is the best view in all of town

Hymn for the Carnies is the second song to feature here from My Friend the Chocolate Cake’s sixth studio album Home Improvements released in 2007. A Carnie, also spelt ‘carny’ is an informal term used for a travelling carnival employee.

It is a beautiful song and set to a moving video below with the laughing clowns’ attendant at Circus Oz. You get the sense of how one’s time will be spent as a circus employee. Then suddenly out of the dark, a lady approaches with her child. This song is a nice couplet to Springsteen’s Wild Billy’s Circus Story, but the Cake’s version is a bit of a come down from the ‘live wire’ act and that’s just how it goes.
Anyone who is familiar with my blog will know what a huge fan I am of this Melbourne band and founder David Bridie. They have featured here a bucket load, so I would point you to my numerous posts on them for more information.

The band’s heady compositions swing between celebratory, gypsy-like romps and introspective ballads, with Bridie’s lyrics and voice often the icing on the Cake. His voice in Hymn for the Carnies carries a pensive and evocative tone, weaving nostalgia as he brings the circus to life. The song immerses the listener in the atmosphere and characters of the carnival. It’s one of those songs I never tire of hearing. It’s unfortunate that the lyrics are not available for this song.

My Friend the Chocolate Cake were formed initially as an acoustic side project in 1989 by David Bridie on vocals, piano, harmonium and keyboards and Helen Mountfort on cello and backing vocals. Bridie and Mountfort were members of an ambient, world music ensemble Not Drowning, Waving who have featured here as well. My Friend the Chocolate Cake took their name from a song title by an obscure Sydney band, Ya Ya Choral. Bridie admitted that one reason they chose an all-acoustic act was so they did not have to carry around amplifiers.

References:
1. Sydney Morning Herald – My Friend the Chocolate Cake
2. My Friend The Chocolate Cake – Wikipedia

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Testament of Youth (2014) – James Kent (Friday’s Finest)

Posted on April 4, 2025 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

Winifred Holtby: All of us are surrounded by ghosts. Now we need to learn how to live with them.

Storyline:
Testament of Youth (2014) is based on the memoir of Vera Brittain, a young woman who defies societal expectations to attend Oxford University just as World War I breaks out. As the war engulfs Europe, Vera’s life is upended when the men she loves – her brother, fiancé, and closest friends – enlist to fight.

Testament of Youth (2014), which I have now seen twice, is a poignant and beautifully shot film that explores not only the harrowing toll of war but also the often-overlooked suffering of those left behind. While many war films focus on the chaos of the battlefield and the physical trauma endured by soldiers, Testament of Youth offers a portrait of war through the eyes of those who bear its emotional burdens.
Through the journey of Vera Brittain (based on her 1933 memoir which became an instant bestseller and was heralded as the voice of a generation), we witness the anguish of families, lovers, and friends who wait in hope and fear, as well as the quiet heroism of those contributing to the war effort, such as volunteer nurses. The devastation of war extends far beyond the trenches, a reality that Testament of Youth conveys with poetic beauty and profound emotional depth.

Vera Brittain: Please don’t keep things back from me, Roland, with an idea of sparing my feelings. I shall never be afraid to confront the real. The imagined holds far greater terror for me.

As this quote suggests, Testament of Youth portrays Vera Brittain’s audacious quest for authenticity and truth amid the chaos of war. The film stands as a powerful testament to her relentless determination to confront the painful reality of conflict, refusing to view the war through a sanitized or sentimental lens.
A pivotal moment in Testament of Youth occurs when Vera becomes disillusioned, convinced that the comforting narratives she has been told are meant to ease her suffering rather than reflect the harsh reality. Her determination to cut through the veil of convenient falsehoods and confront the unspoken truth of her profound loss is both brazen and deeply heartbreaking. As viewers, we come to appreciate that what is presented to us will neither be glossed over nor softened for comfort.

I would like to highlight four performances I was taken by, and readers may be familiar with two of the main protagonists, namely Alicia Vikander and Taron Egerton. Alicia, who you may remember from her breakout performance as the A.I doll in Ex Machina appears in nearly every scene here as Vera Brittain. She more than aptly carries this film on her youthful shoulders as the appealing and intellectual Vera. Taron Egerton who plays Vera’s brother Edward, who most will know from his role as Elton John in Rocketman is exceptionally good here in his film debut. He’s instantly likeable and his bond with his sister is so strong and and her world is torn apart when he signs up to fight. In fact I didn’t even recognise Taron until researching this movie: he’s almost chameleon as he envelops a role as he did here here and as Eddie in Eddie the Eagle.
The two other standouts in more minor roles:
Colin Morgan plays Victor Richardson who is in love with Vera (unreciprocated) and even subterfuges it with a made-up love interest so as Vera is not burdened by his ‘real-love’ for her.
Alexandra Roach as Winifred Holtby, another student at the college, helps Vera cope with her trauma.

References:
1. Testament of Youth (film) – Wikipedia
2. Testament of Youth – Wikipedia

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Posted in Movies and TV

The Captain (1999) – Kasey Chambers

Posted on April 3, 2025 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

The music of Australian country music artist – Kasey Chambers has featured here so often and finally we arrive in the alphabetical listing to one of her most cherished and beloved songs – The Captain. It is the title track of her solo debut album released in May 1999. Kasey says that The Captain is still her favourite song to play. If my memory serves me correctly from an interview I saw with her, the inspiration for the song came from a family trip to Norfolk Island (1,412 km east of Australia).
A high-spirited tourist bus driver took them on a tour of the island, and due to his enthusiasm and storytelling, she was inspired to write the song in dedication to him while also reflecting on herself, insecurities, and early career. It’s as though she just surrendered to his zest for life and to take her on his journey in spite of her own hardships – ‘And you can carry me away if you want to‘.

‘Cause you’re the Captain, I am no-one
I tend to feel as though I owe one to you‘

Kasey Chambers was born on the 4 June 1976 in Mount Gambier, Queensland. From July 1976 the Chambers family travelled around the Nullarbor Plain, where the parents hunted foxes and rabbits for pelts during seven or eight months a year, spanning nine years. Prior to launching her solo career in 1998, Chambers performed with her parents and her older brother in family country group Dead Ringer Band for 12 years. If you would like more information about her background and family, I point you to this engaging video – At home with country superstar Kasey Chambers from 60 Minutes Australia.

Kasey’s break-out album was her follow-up Barricades and Brickwalls which was my first foray into her music and remains one of my favourite Australian albums. After the release of that No. 1 album she instantly became a household name and was on the tip of everyone’s tongue especially in the Country music industry. Specifically, the third single from the album (Am I) Not Pretty Enough rocketed her to fame overnight and was also the first music I had ever heard from her. The immediacy to which that song floored me I’ll never forget, which I discussed in my aforementioned linked post. I think that same day I picked up her album.

Both The Captain and (Am I) Not Pretty Enough explore themes of vulnerability and longing for acceptance, with the former depicting a yearning for guidance and recognition and the latter expressing insecurities about self-worth. In fact Not Pretty Enough was Kasey’s protest song about the commercial radio stations’ reluctance to play her stuff. Ironically it would be her big commercial breakthrough.
I came to learn of the Captain only after devouring Barricades and Brickwalls, but such was my adoration for that song as well as her second album, I wondered why The Captain had not been the tipping point into fame and fortune. Although the song did win Chambers an ARIA Award for Best Female Artist and was nominated for Single of the Year but it must have flown under my radar.

The Captain became more widely known when it featured on Season 3 episode of The Sopranos, He Is Risen which originally aired on April 15, 2001. Kasey reflects back on the impact of her song featuring in The Sopranos as well as other aspects in this interview celebrating 20 years of The Captain.
Please enjoy and thank you for reading.

[Verse 1]
Well, I don’t have as many friends because
I’m not as pretty as I was
I’ve kicked myself at times because I’ve lied
So I will have to learn to stand my ground
I’ll tell ’em I won’t be around
I’ll move on over to your town and hide

[Chorus]
And you be the Captain, and I’ll be no-one
And you can carry me away if you want to
And you can lay low just like your father
And if I tread upon your feet, you just say so
‘Cause you’re the Captain, I am no-one
I tend to feel as though I owe one to you
To you

[Verse 2]
Well I have handed all my efforts in
I searched here for my second wind
“Is there somewhere here to let me in?”, I asked
So I slammed the doors they slammed at me
I found the place I’m meant to be
I figured out my destiny at last

[Chorus]

[Bridge]

References:
1. The Captain (Kasey Chambers song) – Kasey Chambers

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Night (1975) – Bruce Springsteen

Posted on April 2, 2025 by observationblogger — 8 Comments

Night might not be the most celebrated track on Born to Run, but it embodies the raw energy and unrelenting spirit that define Bruce Springsteen’s breakout album. While many of the songs on Born to Run are wrapped in sweeping, cinematic storytelling, Night strips things down to rock ‘n’ roll essentials.
I was so in awe of the Born to Run record, 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.

Night erupts right from the start – Max Weinberg’s drumming pounds like the ignition of a high-powered engine, revving for takeoff. From there, the music barrels forward, fueled by the roaring guitars and Clarence Clemons’ soaring saxophone, mirroring the rush of a working-class escape into the neon-lit darkness. Springsteen’s lyrics, brimming with blue-collar urgency, capture the restless anticipation of breaking free from the daily grind, if only for a few fleeting nighttime hours.

Much like its title, Night doesn’t just describe an evening – it embodies the electrifying pulse of it. The song hurtles forward with a momentum that feels like a long-awaited joyride, headlights flashing, and adrenaline surging. In that sense, Night might be more theatrical than it first appears – just not in the sweeping grandeur of Jungleland, but in the feverish, pedal-to-the-metal rush of a life that refuses to stand still.

The following was extracted from the Wikipedia article below:
The song was not immediately played during the 1975 portions of the Born to Run Tour, but later became a frequent set-opener, especially during the 1976 and 1977 legs. It was still sometimes being used as an opening song decades later during the 2007–2008 Magic Tour.

For the protagonist, the only freedom and joy comes when he is on the highway, and he lives for the nights and weekends when he can escape work. Like a couple of other songs on Born to Run, “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and “She’s the One“, the story of the relationship is told in a flashback.

[Verse 1]
You get up every morning at the sound of the bell
You get to work late and the boss man’s giving you hell
‘Til you’re out on a midnight run
Losing your heart to a beautiful one, and it feels right
As you lock up the house, turn out the lights
And step out into the night

[Chorus 1]
And the world is busting at its seams
And you’re just a prisoner of your dreams, holding on for your life
‘Cause you work all day
To blow ’em away in the night

[Verse 2]
The rat traps filled with soul crusaders
The circuit’s lined and jammed with chromed invaders
And she’s so pretty that you’re lost in the stars
As you jockey your way through the cars and sit at the light
As it changes to green, with your faith in your machine
Off you scream into the night

[Chorus 2]
And you’re in love with all the wonder it brings
And every muscle in your body sings as the highway ignites
You work nine to five
And somehow you survive ’til the night

[Bridge]
Well, all day they’re busting you up on the outside
But tonight you’re gonna break on through to the inside
And it’ll be right, it’ll be right
And it’ll be tonight

[Chorus 3]
And you know she will be waiting there
And you’ll find her somehow, you swear, somewhere tonight
You run sad and free
Until all you can see is the night

References:
1. Night (Bruce Springsteen song) – Wikipedia

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24/3/25 – 30/3/25 – Trump and Musk, Radiohead & The Godfather

Posted on March 31, 2025 by observationblogger — 6 Comments
news on the march

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

Claire Lehmann: The threat to free speech from the Right
Video Interview by Freddie Sayers at UnHerd

This interview is such a salient and informative critique about Trump’s first 100 days in office (excluding economic policies ie tariffs). As someone who supported Trump’s reelection (albeit as an outsider) and given the chaos since his inauguration, I see this interview as a valuable opportunity to pause, take a deep breath, and reflect on the changes in his administration – particularly the legitimacy and due process (or lack thereof) behind his appointments, directives, and policies.

Both UnHerd and Quillette (which Claire Lehmann is founder) have long been critics of woke-culture and draconian policies and authoritarianism from the Left. As such they been labelled as far-right by some and not being as ‘independent’ as they might claim. Well here we have them discussing concerns regarding ‘undue process’ and authoritarianism in Trump’s presidency so far with particular focus on the legitimacy of Elon Musk’s appointment as DOGE leader and key adviser. This interview takes a while to get going, so if you want to get to the ‘nitty-gritty’, I point you to 9:30 and beyond.

Join Freddie Sayers on UnHerd as he sits down with Claire Lehmann, founder of Quillette, the Sydney-based magazine launched in 2015 that’s become a global force for reason and free expression. With Trump powering through his first 100 days and Right-wing populism surging across the West, the free speech landscape is shifting. Are journalism and open debate now under threat from the Right? Has the Left’s ‘woke’ orthodoxy given way to a new ‘woke Right’ menace?

Radiohead: A Job That Slowly Kills You
Documentary at hund

This is the first time that UK English rock band Radiohead have featured on my blog. I had always been intrigued why their reputation procedes them for being such an influential and innovative band. I had heard and enjoyed their breakout hit Creep and read how their album OK Computer was hailed by some as one of the greatest of all time. So I wanted to know what it is I had been missing out on. Or at least get a sense of it. So this documentary – being my first foray into the group and its turbulent history was quite absorbing and compelling. It features excerpts of many songs from the group, which I need to explore further on my music exploration journey. May be there are Radiohead fans here who can point me to what they most like in their vast discography.

The Godfather – Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola
Audio commentary with visuals at M.B. Archives

It took me many years to appreciate the grandeur and magnificence of The Godfather movies (Part 1&2) despite having seen the first film at least 5 times. I saw Part 2 recently for the second time and I also found myself in wonder. Often after I have seen such movie marvels, I like to view the documentaries about their making which are on some occasions as fascinating as the movie experience itself. That was certainly true of another Coppola film – Apocalypse Now when I watched the accompanying documentary – Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. Also the documentary of the making of Citizen Kane called – The Battle Over Citizen Kane is regarded like Hearts of Darkness as one of the greatest movie-making documentaries.
So this all leads us neatly to today’s featured Francis Ford Coppola commentary of his Godfather movie. I cannot begin to tell you just how many sweet little offerings for the curious cinefile are on the smorgasbord here including the following:
– an ‘extra’ reentering a shot to get a glimpse of Brando (and it staying in the movie),
– when Coppola was coerced to change the music at the wedding which his father had created,
– when he fired his assistant director preempting his own demise by the studio, and
– how the gruesome head of the horse scene came to be and differed significantly from Mario Puzo’s version. The list goes on…..Please enjoy.

That is all. Thank you for reading.

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Posted in Movies and TV, Music, News, politics

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