Category Archive: Modern Music
The Lily of the Valley Doesn’t Know
According to those who know these things, Friday’s colour is green which is surprising. I was sure it would be black. Green and I have a troubled relationship. When I was a child I learned that it is bad luck to wear green, or at least too much green, because the fairies consider it to be their colour. No-one wants to upset the fairies. Oh. No. You do NOT want to upset the fairies. So I don’t wear green (olive doesn’t count). You think I go to far? Consider – one of the regular customers of the pharmacy in which I worked while at…
Continue Reading →Lou Reed
(2/3/42 – 27/10/13) “When Lou Reed sings, a child somewhere dies.” This horrible statement, attributed to our good friend Matthew R, has a black truth in it (like all good and unfair epigrams). Reed’s records were not for everyone and definitely not for children. Jewish, polysexual, extremely troubled as a youth (his parents committed him to shock treatment at a psychiatric hospital when he was 17) and artsy, he spurned the comfortable Long Island existence and devoted himself to his trade. With some diversions, that is: incredibly, after the release of the Velvet Underground’s Loaded, he was working as a…
Continue Reading →Bluesfest
(2014) Touted as Australia’s premier blues and roots festival, Bluesfest is really an eclectic gathering of the available great and good. The Varnished Culture only made Monday’s gig and a list of acts enjoyed will give you an inkling of the variety: Joss Stone, Michael Franti & Spearhead, War, KC & the Sunshine Band, Booker T Jones, the Beards, Chain and climactically, Elvis Costello & the Imposters. When Booker T recalled how young he was in 1962 when he wrote ‘Green Onions’, it occurred to the V.C. that he was not only older than most of the crowd but most…
Continue Reading →Bruno Mars
The Today show featured a song by a young fella alleged to be ‘Bruno Mars’. Clearly this is an alias: Michael Jackson, circa Off the Wall (1980) has been removed from cryogenic storage. But Bruno seems pretty cool and inspired The Varnished Culture to attend the local second hand record sale next Sunday afternoon. P bought The Delphonics on ‘Philly Groove’ Records…A cover with 3 sharply dressed dudes! We only realised later they feature heavily in Tarantino‘s Jackie Brown…”they’re pretty good.” And what could be a priceless bonus, subject to verification. ‘E Costello’ signed on the back cover. EC, were…
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