burtoncummings

Archive for December, 2011

WHEN I’M SIXTY-FOUR

WELL, TOMORROW I SHALL TURN 64. I SUPPOSE IT’S TIME TO REFLECT A BIT. I RECALL VIVIDLY FIRST HEARING THE BEATLES’ “WHEN I’M SIXTY-FOUR” WHEN THE SGT. PEPPER ALBUM CAME OUT AND THINKING HOW THAT WAS LIGHT YEARS AND LIFETIMES AWAY…AND NOW HERE IT IS. BANG…
I THINK SOMETIMES THAT SERENDIPITY CAN BE “LINED UP”…ALMOST “READY TO GO”…HARD TO EXPLAIN IN TYPING.
EVEN THAT…THE DETAILS. I HAPPENED TO CHECK OFF “TYPING” AS AN OPTION FOR MY GRADE 10 AT ST. JOHN’S, WHEN WE WERE GIVEN THOSE FORMS AT LUXTON THAT DAY IN GRADE 9. MY FRIENDS BURRELL AND ISRAEL AND ALLAN AND MARTIN WERE ALL CHECKING OFF SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS COURSES, STUFF THAT WOULD BE USED IN CARVING OUT A CAREER IN LAW OR MEDICINE PERHAPS…I JUST WENT FOR TYPING BECAUSE I FIGURED I COULD ACE IT WITH THE HELP OF BEING A PIANO PLAYER. HIGH MARKS FOR EASY STUFF, I COULD SEE THAT… WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ALL THOSE DECADES AGO THAT TYPING WOULD BE THE THREAD CONNECTING US ALL ON THE NET…?
I TYPE FASTER THAN MOST PEOPLE SO MY INPUT AND OUTPUT ON LINE CAN BE MORE VOLUMINOUS AT TIMES THAN MANY. WHETHER THAT’S A GOOD OR BAD THING REMAINS LARGELY UNDECIDED AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
STILL LOVE THE MUSIC. ALWAYS HAVE A PLAYLIST OR JUST RANDOM SELECTION GOING WHEN I DRIVE. AND I TEND TO DRIVE A LOT. THE MUSIC IS THE SOUNDTRACK. THE I PODS AND I POD FRIENDLY CARS HAVE ALLOWED ALL OF US TO HAVE OUR RECORD COLLECTIONS AND MUCH MUCH MORE WITH US AT ALL TIMES…SOMETHING I COULD ONLY HAVE DREAMED ABOUT IN THE SIXTIES.
SAME WITH THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AND VIEWS…NEVER DID WE THINK IN THE HIPPIE DAYS THAT THERE WOULD EXIST A FORUM WHERE ANY HUMAN COULD JUST TAP IN NIGHT AND DAY, NOWADAYS FROM ANYWHERE. EVEN ON COMMERCIAL AIRLINES YOU CAN NOW TAP IN. THE LATEST HAND HELD PHONES ARE NO LONGER JUST PHONES. YOU NOW HAVE THE WORLD IN YOUR HAND. THE NUMBER OF APPS IS STAGGERING, AND IT MUSHROOMS ON A DAILY AND WEEKLY BASIS.
SEEMS LIKE AN HOUR AGO SEVERAL OF US GATHERED AT COLLEEN SAVAGE’S MOM’S PLACE LATE ON CHRISTMAS EVE 1965. I REMEMBER IT CLEARLY CAUSE RUBBER SOUL HAD JUST COME OUT IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS AND IT’S ALL WE COULD TALK ABOUT. ALL THOSE GREAT SONGS. I WAS SEVENTEEN AND THAT WAS THE FIRST CHRISTMAS EVE THAT I EVER WENT OUT, LEAVING MY MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER AT HOME.
AND THAT WAS A MERE 46 YEARS AGO…STILL PRETTY CLEAR FOR ALL THOSE DECADES AGO…
I KNOW I MENTIONED THIS THE OTHER NIGHT, BUT I MISS THAT SMELL OF WOOD BURNING IN THAT OLD STOVE IN THAT OLD SHACK AT LUXTON AND ST. CROSS…ALL THOSE CHILDHOOD WINTERS, WE SKATED ON THAT RINK OUR WHOLE GROWING UP TIME. THE SAME RINK. MOSTLY THE SAME KIDS. I REALIZE IN RETROSPECT HOW LUCKY THAT WAS FOR ME AS A KID. STABILITY. ONLY EVER WENT TO 2 SCHOOLS…I SPEAK WITH PEOPLE WHO NEVER HAD THAT STABILITY. HAD TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS OR ACQUAINTANCES EVERY SCHOOL YEAR OR SO. NOT SO FOR US IN THE NORTH END. MANY OF THE KIDS I KNEW IN KINDERGARTEN, I STILL KNEW AT ST. JOHN’S HIGH…THAT’S STABILITY.
WELL AS THE ZEPS ONCE SAID …”RAMBLE ON”…
HERE’S ANOTHER BIRTHDAY. WOW. ONE MORE AFTER THIS ONE AND I’M A SENIOR CITIZEN. OH WELL, I JUST SPENT TIME WITH STEVE MILLER AND HE’S OLDER THAN I AM AND IT HASN’T HURT HIM IN THE LEAST…HE’S AN INSPIRATION…
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR. A GUY FROM WAY BEFORE THE MTV ERA WHO STILL KNOCKS THE CROWDS ON THEIR ASS…GREAT SONGS PERFORMED HONESTLY.
TOMORROW I’M 64. FUNNY, FOR A WRITER I’VE REALLY GOT NOTHING EVEN REMOTELY PROFOUND TO UTTER. PAST WHILE I’VE BEEN LEAVING THE ANTENNA CHANNEL ON A LOT AND EVERY DAY THERE’S FATHER KNOWS BEST, BURNS AND ALLEN, JACK BENNY AND ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S HALF HOUR CLASSICS. I TEND TO LIKE TO HAVE THE JACK BENNY ONES ON WHENEVER THEY SHOW UP. LAST NIGHT MEL BLANC WAS ON AGAIN. HE WAS SORT OF A REGULAR ON JACK’S SHOW. HE WAS ALREADY A LIVING LEGEND, HAVING CREATED OVER A DOZEN LEGENDARY CARTOON VOICES AND IT WAS ALWAYS A TREAT TO SEE HIM IN PERSON DOING THOSE OLD VAUDEVILLE BITS WITH JACK. LAST NIGHT WAS THE ONE ABOUT GETTING JACK’S AUTOGRAPH. HIS NAME WAS HERMAN FDUXAFLKSJRK…AND OF COURSE JACK WANTS TO KNOW HOW HE GOT A NAME LIKE THAT. HIS FATHER MANUFACTURED EYE EXAM CHARTS…
OH BROTHER ! THERE’S ANOTHER ANCIENT BIT JACK DOES WITH MEL BLANC WHEREIN MEL IS MEXICAN AND JACK ASKS HIM AN ENDLESS SERIES OF QUESTIONS, THE ANSWER TO EACH BEING A ONE SYLLABLE UTTERANCE…
SI, SEE, SY, SO, SEW, SUE, SAY…ETC. LOOKS TIRED AND STUPID WHEN I TYPE IT HERE, BUT WATCHING JACK BENNY AND MEL BLANC DO THE BIT IS HILARIOUS. THOSE OLD VAUDEVILLE GUYS WHO SURVIVED INTO RADIO AND THEN MOVIES AND THEN TELEVISION WERE MASTERS OF TIMING…AND LOOKS…JACK WOULD GIVE THE CAMERA THAT SIDEWAYS LOOK OF HIS, FOR WHICH HE BECAME FAMOUS…JUST THAT LOOK.
SOMETHING VERY COMFORTING ABOUT THOSE OLD SHOWS RUNNING ALL THE TIME IN THE BACKGROUND…ESCAPE TO CHILDREN’S DAYS…WE ALWAYS THOUGHT THEY’D GO ON FOREVER. THEY OBVIOUSLY DON’T, AND THAT’S ONE MAJOR REASON TO CHERISH YOUR MEMORIES, AND POLISH THEM AS BRIGHTLY AS YOU CAN. AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME, THEY’RE ALMOST AS GOOD AS BEING THERE AGAIN…
SUNSET TIME, DEC. 30. TOMORROW THIS TIME I WAS BORN. JUST ABOUT FIVE THIRTY PM.
GETTING FAR TOO REFLECTIVE NOW TO CONTINUE TYPING…
BE WELL ALL, WITH THIS NEW YEAR COMING…
BLC

No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature

  • Posted By: Burton Cummings
  • On: December 17th, 2011
  • 7 Comments »

No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature LIVE at The Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, WI on November 29, 2011

Tags:

Next Page »