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Week 474: The Quest; Five Stars; Little Lists

ireneallison12

Quest

No one calls in requests to radio stations anymore. No one there to answer the phone if they did. Even if you could, I really doubt that “I dunno what it is called, but I saw a Lexus shaking to it at a stop sign this morning” would jog many happy memories. Besides, no need. It’s all there for the picking and would have to be awfully damn obscure if it isn’t found someplace online. I miss doing my own detective work. I miss it the same way I miss the death of off seasons and the way nothing used to happen on Sunday–before the world acquired a similarity to supermax prison cells, in which the lights are on 24 hours a day.

Although the information age is obviously useful, I recall spending at least ten years searching record stores for a copy of the Badfinger album Straight Up, which contained Day After Day and Baby Blue. This was not an important search for me, but one I often conducted when I was about to leave the store, a bit stronger than a lark, a strange hobby that developed into a small quest. I had to find it on my own–ordering it would be cheating. On the magic day I finally located Straight Up at a second hand record store in Seattle, I felt as though I had accomplished something–but that was short lived and soon gave over to a vague sadness because the quest was over.

It is the hunt not the gain.

Same goes for books–before Googlezon took over I remembered a book I had read in High School that featured the life of a young black kid in New York City circa the 1940’s-50’s. His experiences with poverty, crime, jazz and heroin. I couldn’t recall the writer’s name or the title of the book; yet something inside told me that the instant I saw it I would recognize it. Of course I could have described it to well read people or librarians, but a quest is a quest damn it. And this one must have been at least twenty years old when I found myself eye to spine with Manchild in the Promised Land by Claude Brown at a Goodwill Store in Silverdale, Washington, USA.

Google has robbed us of the quest and brief satisfaction and strange lassitude that follows such an activity. A forgotten name can give the old brain a great workout. Instantly googling the item carves away at your IQ. It‘s said that machines will free up humankind. Free up for what? Googling the middle names of the Backstreet Boys?

So I have decided to embark on a new quest. I will observe one day a week without googling something. I will do that because the instant I thought it up a little computerized sounding voice in my head asked “What, are you Amish?” Who knows when and how Google got that chip into my brain, but I will stand bravely against it. I have discovered that I somewhat miss asking a person a question about the world and hearing “Beats me.” Still, I don’t miss hearing “look it up” when I ask for a spelling. My craving of the ignorance of yore extends only so far.

The Stars of the Week

Five stars came out this week. Two for a third shine, three for their first time in the LS Universe. The topics ranged from lifestyle choice, insanity via passive language, putting on a brave act and a pair of tales that have been on the road.

Karen Uttien made her third entry with Overtime. For me it explores just how much of our lives we waste assuming what other lives are like. It reminds you to go and catch your own wave, and that little in the world is as it seems. Stay tuned for more from Karen in the future.

Anna Elin Kristiansen debuted on Tuesday with The Arrival. It has wit and underscores that time in life when we are too old to sit at the kid’s table but the family doesn’t understand that yet. The MC is hardly thrilled to be “Fed-Exed” to a destination full of mystery; and there’s the nagging question about being wanted.

Mary Ann Dimand met Wednesday with her well observed flash, Merely Semantic. It takes on race, gender equality and the plain miserable fact that the world will be happy to drive you insane if you give it a chance.

Nina Welch’s third site story What’s Your Opening Line? shows the value of humour in life. Without it we are just another species breeding until something better comes along. There’s truth in humour–not always, but more so than there is an ounce of humour to be located in any of our strident holy books. Pain in humour as well–of course, what’s truth without pain. Nina’s story covers the subject of “status” in a very clever manner.

The week closed with An Overnight Train to Minnesota by A.R. Carrasco. Dogs are the best traveling companions, whether it is a head out the window ride to the grocery store or a life quest across the open plains. It’s all the same to a Dog. Plus they don’t repeat the same boring stories. This one is a little bit sad, yet charming. And although the poor sighted Coolidge was wagered in a card game, I’m certain the Wolf didn’t take it personally.

We look forward to future contributions from this week’s esteem panel of stars. All of us have arrived safely at the end of another week. And what better way to mark it than to read tales you may have missed this week and perhaps even tell the writer a few good things about her/himself. There’s been an uptick in comments lately, which we appreciate and hope is indicative of a lasting trend. And don’t forget about the Sunday Features, which are doing quite well themselves.

I close this week with the following

Two Little Musical Lists

First Five Albums Purchased With Own money (All vinyl LPs)

  • Let it Be-Beatles
  • Goodnight Vienna-Ringo Starr
  • K-tel Super Hits of the 70’s-”Various Artists” (I recall Bread, Lobo, Neil Sedaka, Carole King, Dr. Hook, Paper Lace and the genius of Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas among the various artists). Also the first of many mail order record purchases.
  • Best of the Moody Blues–Would be damn odd if not by the Moodies, wouldn’t it?
  • Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy-Elton John

First Five Concerts I attended (All were in Seattle, Washington)

  • Boston (Sammy Hagar opened–hair dyed green–1977)
  • Foghat and Ram Jam (either 1977 or early ‘78)
  • Queen (Winter 1978/79)
  • Eric Clapton (w/Muddy Waters–whose hair was not dyed green, 1979)
  • Chuck Berry (Bumbershoot Festival circa 1980)

You are, as always, invited to share.

Leila

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Published by ireneallison12

21 thoughts on “Week 474: The Quest; Five Stars; Little Lists”

  1. I so agree about Sundays. Here in France there is still a quietening on the first or last day of the week, depending on your attitude and neighbours apologise for using noisy machinery – they still use it but they apologise. The shops are generally closed in the afternoon. I hanker after roast beef and yorkshire pudding like my gran made but you can’t have everything. I like the idea of eschewing googling (oh that’s quite nice to say – try it). We do sometimes make ourselves try to remember with the old grey matter but probably not as often as we should.

    The first record I really remember was Cathy’s Clown by The Everly Brothers but I’m not sure I bought it – I think we borrowed it along with the record player for a party. The hubby has an original Elvis LP from when he was unknown – it says that on the sleeve – can’t remember which one it is – No point googling that – might ask Alexa – it’s in a box in the basement. I bought Cliff Richards stuff in those days and then Freddy and the Dreamers. I came late to Dr Hook but still hang on there. I never did go to any concerts the best I could manage were the school discos. Mind you I did go to The Cavern so that’s should count for something. I envy you seeing Queen.

    Great post as always.

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    1. Thank you Diane

      I recall most grocery stores and all department stores closed on Sundays; but sometime during the 70’s the all day/all night stuff began to take hold. 7-11 stores began that in my town.

      Can’t do better than the Cavern Club!

      Leila

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  2. Excellent insight presented with wit as always. Good luck to Leila with her once weekly Google abstinence. (Does Alexa count?) The first vinyl record I bought was Working In A Coal Mine. It was a 45, and Google can say who made it. My most memorable concert was The Rolling Stones during their Let It Bleed tour.

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    1. Thank you David!

      I fear that the Google fast will be like one of my weight loss plans. Every time I vowed to diet (which I am too old to give a damn about anymore), someone would bring donuts to work. Only so much a person can take before folding.

      Leila

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  3. My ancient bone fides have been well established –
    First record? Duane Eddy I think. What happened to him? Have to google. A fictional Eddy appeared in the “Eagle” part of “Vernonia Trilogy”
    Concerts Elvis 1957 Portland, 1972 Macon GA. Wanted to go every 15 years, but the fool crossed over.
    Fats D – Atlanta circa 1971
    Ike & Tina Atlanta area circa 1971
    Rolling Stones circa 1977 North Of Denver – Guests (?) Elton John, Chaka Khan, Beach Boys
    Ones I should have – Chuck Berry, Little Richard
    Not sure if I did – James Brown
    How long until future old farts yearn for the 2020s?
    Stones songs not heard enough – Last Time, Hand Of Fate, Tell Me, Live With Me.
    Not Mr. Mirth today, reverting to Rocking Doug

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      1. The Stones and Animals played the part of counterpoint to the cute Beatles. Saw the Animals (Eric Burdon + whoever) at the Oregon State Fair a few years back. Animals had some good stuff. Like their “Bring It On Home” better than Sam Cooke version (yeah).

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Hello Doug and happy spring

      Now that is an impressive music list. I liked those late fifties early sixties guitar songs, including Dick Dale…I think that was his name. Eddy played Rabble rouser…I think

      See how ignorant I am without Google. Damn “jetpack” intrusion perpetrated by WordPress is requiring me to log back in for every little comment and even “like.” Could Google the solution, but I enjoy pointless rage.

      Thank you

      Leila

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  5. . Great lists. My hometown didn’t have a concert venue when I was a kid. The gaumont cinema used to host smaller tours and my first was Bo Diddley (+ The Duchess & Jerome) in 1963. Years later, my brother told me that the warm-up band had been The Rolling Stones: I had no recollection of them at all. They certainly ratcheted up their act after 1963.

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  6. I like the idea of not googling for a day. I might even go for a day where all electronics were abandoned, but I fear our overlords would not care for that. Plus, now that I know the word “doomscrolling” how can I not engage my brooding nature thusly? Elric of Melnibone would, I dare say, be a multi-doomscroller.

    Sunday, here in the states, is a hodgepodge of rules and regulations. When I was a child in Texas, only “necessities” could be sold on Sundays. I remember how well it impressed me that my mother’s pantyhose were among those, but only if she told the store manager that she could not possibly go to church without pantyhose.

    Alcohol is a big bone of contention. New Mexico did not allow the sale of alcohol on Sundays, so those of us who partied until Monday morning drove many drunken miles to cross the state line for a bottle of whisky and a case of beer. My teen years were spent in a dry county, where drive-in beer stores lie on every road that crossed that invisible demarcation. The City of Lubbock decreed that no packaged alcohol could be sold within its city limits, leading to the creation of “The Strip” which was a two mile long stretch along the frontage of highway eighty-seven where at least two dozen drive in liquor stores hired extra runners to carry liquor to cars waiting in line for hours on Fridays.

    I think the first two albums I ever bought were Aerosmith’s eponymous first release and Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin. The latter was banned by my mother because of the profanity clearly spoken in the background. I don’t remember what concerts were first, but there was a very memorable trip to the Texas Jam in 1986 where my brother fought with security over the hairbrush in his back pocket and I cracked the block on my beloved 1968 Bel Aire. And the non-story of displaying how much cheap booze I could drink in the parking lot so that I heard only the first chords of Joan Jett and the last fading encore of ZZ Top.

    Thanks for what you do here. It’s one of my favorite virtual spots.

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    1. Hello Thurman

      I hear there are still dry counties in the belt–my brother found one in Oklahoma when he was in the army in the 70’s. And it seemed to me (even in the Pacific Northwest) you had a hell of a time buying beer on Sundays until 1968 or so. My grandfather just bought more on Saturday.
      ZZ and Joan Jett! I’m envious.

      Thank you for stopping by!
      Leila

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  7. Hi Leila,

    It saddens me that I don’t spend the amount of hours that I used to in record and book stores.

    This site has taken away my ability to concentrate on a novel but on the other-hand, I now have such a respect for the art of the short!

    I wonder what is worse, the way it used to be when you had someone asking all the way through a film, ‘What have I seen him in before’ or now-a-days someone read out an actors full IMDb history before saying, ‘That’s not who I was thinking of.’??

    My first five albums that I bought myself was when I was on my last ever holiday with my mum and dad around 1980:

    Rumours. (Fleetwood Mac)

    If You Can’t Stand The Heat. (StatusQuo)

    Parallel Lines. (Blondie)

    Down To Earth. (Rainbow)

    Jailbreak. (Thin Lizzy)

    The concerts are a bit naff but what the fuck – I have a soft spot for all of them:

    Showaddywaddy.

    The Glitter Band.

    Showaddywaddy.

    The Drifters.

    The Rockin’ Berries

    Excellent as always.

    Hugh

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  8. Hugh

    Parallel Lines is one of the greatest driving tapes to listen to. I do miss the old book stores, the ones that all seemed to have an obese Orange Cat named “Oliver” living on the premises. I recall thinking that the Video Stores somehow killed them off, but now the Blockbusters and Hollywoods of yore are also in nostalgia land.

    Leila

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  9. Some serious prestige with some of the record purchases and gigs seen above! My first ever album was when I was around seven and was a compilation of Disney songs. The first record I bought for myself was Ant Rap by Adam and the Ants in 1981. My first gig was a good number of years later to see The Cult in Leeds.

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    1. Hello Paul
      I remember Adam and the Ants. I thought he was “Atom” Ant like the cartoon for a long time.
      Your Disney record reminds me that I had a copy of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer by Gene Autry
      when I was five or six.

      Thank you!
      Leila

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