Category: music

Sweet Home Alabama

On By Rick McIn gymnastics, music, travelLeave a comment

I spent the Easter weekend in Birmingham, my first visit to the State. For the NCAA Gymnastics Championships.

In Birmingham they love the Governor. (boo boo boo)

Segragationist Democrat Governor George Wallace.

The don’t love judgmental Canadians.

Well, I heard Mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ole Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That’s the classic and controversial hit by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974.

“Sweet Home Alabama” was written as an answer to two songs, “Southern Man” and “Alabama” by Neil Young, which dealt with themes of racism and slavery in the American South. “We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two,” said Ronnie Van Zant at the time …

In 1976, Van Zant and the band supported Jimmy Carter for his presidential candidacy, including fundraising and an appearance at the Gator Bowl benefit concert.

At the peak of their success, three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd died in an airplane crash in 1977, putting an abrupt end to the band’s most popular incarnation.

related – Free Bird was Skynyrd’s greatest song. Perhaps the greatest live rock anthem of all time.

By the way, it turned out that Montgomery, Alabama is a great place. I have not a single complaint.

Bruce McCulloch – REELING IN THE YEARS

On By Rick McIn about Rick, friends, music1 Comment

Bruce Ian McCulloch (born May 12, 1961) is a Canadian actor, writer, comedian, and film director. McCulloch is best known for his work as a member of The Kids in the Hall, a popular Canadian comedy troupe, and as a writer for Saturday Night Live. …

McCulloch was born in Edmonton, Alberta. … a graduate of Mount Royal College located in Calgary, Alberta. …

I’m 4yrs older than Bruce. Grew up right next to Mount Royal College.

Bruce just published a retrospective on his formative years called Growing up weird in Calgary:

BruceThirty years ago there were no wine bars. Only bars. The Shamrock, the Calgarian, the Port o’ Call Inn. …

In Alberta in the ’80s it was easy to be a punk. You just slept in one day and you were labelled. As young punks we drank at the Calgarian. Yep, first we took the natives’ land, and then we took their watering holes. These bars were so crappy, they chained up the toilet paper in the bathroom. …

It’s almost certain that Kate, Barb, Jude, myself and many of our friends drank at the next table to Bruce in the Calgarian. We had the same PUNK phase.

Click PLAY or watch Hüsker Dü at the Calgarian 1981 on YouTube.

Of the many bands I saw there, my sentimental favourites were The Breeders.

One New Years Eve (1978/79?) I got blitzed at the Calgarian, finally crashing into the band’s equipment on stage. Friends rushed me out and into Barb’s Volkswagen Beetle. I threw up in it. Rich was so irked he dumped me unconscious on to the snow boots in a basement apartment closet. Then closed the door.

On regaining consciousness next morning, I had no idea what had happened.

knives not allowed

December 1986 The Calgarian was gutted by fire. And finally torn down. 😦

There wasn’t a lot to do in Calgary 30 years ago. On the weekend, groups of people would “go out for cheesecake.” This actually happened …

We drove to Tom’s House of Pizza, drawn by the resplendent neon sign and the jukebox. We played Nazareth and “Cold Ethel” by Alice Cooper. One of the most exotic things you could do here at that time was order a Hawaiian pizza. And we did. I remember the summer that guacamole came to town. …

… I went to 4th Street Rose, an upscale establishment that served salad in a jar (and, yes, cheesecake) …

4th St Rose

read more – Growing up weird in Calgary

How many Caesar salads in a jar did I enjoy at 4th Street Rose?

HUNDREDS. 🙂

related article on Punk Rock in Canada – weird scenes from the 5 and the TCH: metropolitan structure and rock in Canada

Another article published 2011 – Punk at the Calgarian Hotel

Anything But Country

On By Rick McIn music, product complaintsLeave a comment

When country music critic Grady Smith sat down to write his list of the top 10 Best Country Albums of 2013 he made a startling revelation: All the chart-topping country songs of 2013 sounded exactly the same. …

Truck – check. Dirt road – check. Sugar shaker in painted-on jeans – check.

Proof That Every Country Music Song This Year Was Exactly the Same

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

To me Rap & Country are similarly simplistic doggerel.

Unless you embrace the simplicity, both are embarrassingly juvenile.

Fairytale of New York

On By Rick McIn musicLeave a comment

They got cars big as bars
They got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It´s no place for the old

When you first took my hand on a cold christmas eve
You promised me broadway was waiting for me

You were handsome you were pretty
Queen of new york city

when the band finished playing
they yelled out for more

Sinatra was swinging
all the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

“Fairytale of New York” is a Christmas song by the Celtic punk group The Pogues, released in 1987 and featuring singer Kirsty MacColl. The song is an Irish folk style ballad, written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan, and featured on The Pogues’ album If I Should Fall from Grace with God.