Longing for the day ...

As long as WWII? That's too long

I read yesterday and this morning that today marks the day that the US has spent as long in the War in Iraq as it did in World War II. That's a tragedy for all concerned.

Of course, Michael Moore is all over it, but the King of Jordan has also made some pointed statements about the issue. There was also a very revealing article in the Weekend Australian about a former SAS planner who reveals that teh planning for teh aftermath of the invasion was almost non-existent.

I'm on record on this blog as opposing the war because I didn't believe the US was culturally equipped to leave Iraq a better place than it was under Saddam. Subsequent events are showing that I migh have been right but - worse - that that consideration was not even part of the US's thinking. That's unconscionable and immoral.

I hope we have all learned from this you cannot bring freedom and democracy to another country at the point of a gun - they have to want it and create it for themselves. Only then can you help them by lending them some military muscle - if they ask for it.

The Show must go on

Sir Elton, well done. That performance demonstrates well and truly that the show can always go on - especially when you have Davey Johnstone on your side. I would have loved to have seen that show but ... well ... family.

Sir Elton is an absolute legend of the form - songwriter, flamboyant performer and guardian of the musician's creed. Immense respect in his direction.

Also, good to see Idol is over, with Damien Leith emerging at the top. I didn't get to see that show, either, but I'm sure it was worth the price of admission. Damien's immediate future looks bright and Jessica's should be stretching out before her, too ...

I did manage to catch most of Shannon Noll's song, and he just gets better ...

Opportunity and power

This one came up in a conversation today. Dr Terry Flew and I were discussing the future appointment of a colleague to QUT and I was interested in how negotiations had panned out over a couple of sticking points in negoatiations. Terry told me this:

"You are never so powerful as when you've been offered a contract but have not yet signed it."

I thought that was great advice for young people considering their future in the music industry and also for old farts considering theirs in any other industry ...

So, Dean Geyer's gone ...

And there's just Damien Leith and Jessica Mauboy left. Well, they're both fine performers so it really doesn't matter who wins - the world is a better place for having heard these two. That said, I'm cheering loudest for Jessica because I think she has slightly more to offer and a little more potential to be ... interesting. I gotta say, it's great to see two awesome voices get through to the final.

Dean will be fine. He is, as Kyle noted earlier in the series, the "million dollar package". He'll go away and work on finding the best voice he can and will emerge as a bona fide pop star and sell a heap of records. It's also great to see the record companies have learned their lesson and signed up some of the extremely talented non-winners to emerge from Idol.

Bring on the final ...

Lullabye

I started writing this in Alameida, CA (USA) in 1994 when I learned of the creation of my first son. This was a truly moving experience and an unusually emotional time for me. I got to put my own desires and obsessions aside and think about what the future held for another life just beginning. I was filled with all the well-wishing thoughts, fears, hopes and expectations of, I suppose, very new parent and drafted this to put it down.

Here's a rough version (MP3, 1.8MB) in which I play everything. The finished version will have a cello, violin (thanks Focksy) and female voice (TBA) added. But you get the idea from this MP3 (streaming version):'

Update: If you feel generous you can now buy the version of this song released on The Genre Benders' debut CD "I am leaving! I am leaving!" from iTunes, or GroupieTunes, or Payplay.FM. If you have a different favourite online store, search for it there and if it's not there, let me know so I can put it there.

Lullabye

G C
You rest my heart, clear my mind.
D
Worlds of wonder, yours to find
Em
Tell me where your dreams may be
D
So many futures I can see

C D
And when I think of you asleep
C
My troubles simply cease
D
You are a debt I can't repay
Tiny person at peace

Softly, slowly dream away
Find your destiny some day
May all your dreams come true
That would mean so much to you

And when I think of you asleep
My troubles simply cease
You are a debt I can't repay
Tiny person at peace

Rpt

********************************

Please note: This song is APRA registered: Work Id GW09004962; ISWC T-060210554-3. You can copy, reproduce and distribute any part of these lyrics and chords for any non-commercial purpose as long as you acknowledge its source. I'm interested in your feedback, comments, suggestions. If you make something good out of it, let me know and I'll consider adding it to the site.

If you perform it or broadcast it for any purpose, please let APRA know.





License this music for commercial use through Pump Audio









This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License

Coming second

Played in the Pan Pacific Masters Games touch football tournament at Southport last week. Came second out of six teams in our division. Considering that we're a ragtag bunch who play together only occasionally, that's a pretty good effort.

I was horrified when I went to play the final, looked up at the oppositino starting line and every one of them was a State or National Repersentative player from Touch Football Australia. Those guys are hard-core. They live, eat, sleep, drink and breathe touch football, train very seriously and are fantastically good at what they do. We played them twice and got beaten 5-2 (2-2 in the second half) and 5-0. I reckon that's not bad for a bunch of part-timers.

Happy with that - now if only the soreness would leave my ageing body ... :-)

All that way for nothing ...

Yesterady wa supposed to be the start of the Pan Pacific Masters Games touch competition 2006. I drove all the way to Southport in the rain. The traffic was horrendous and when I was almost there I got a call to say there was no point because the registration tents had been flooded in the big storms and the games were cancelled due to floded fields.

Still, I went down there to catch up with the boys and we had a stake after taking about an hour to drive a couple of Kms to the pub ... and not the pub we originally intended.

Anyway, hopefully it's all back on today with shortened matches and more of them. Tomorrow, hopefully more matches and on Saturday, hopefully a little party.

Enough said ...

http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/73821-print.shtml

Saddam must face justice, not a judicial farce that subjects him to the very punishment for which he was reviled. In supporting this sentence we reveal ourselves to be no morally better than the accused.

What next?

Well, since I last posted about Australian Idol, Ricky's gone and now Chris has gone, leaving Jessica, Dean and Damien. So, who's going to the final? No idea, but my head says Dean and Jessica ... I think.

Those two just seem to be the most complete from a marketing point of view. Damien has a certain something but it doesn't seem to stack up beside the pure pop appeal of the other two. But I've been very wrong before ... :-)

So who will win? Even less idea, but I hope it's Jessica - only because she has the best voice in the place (along with Lavina) and also has the most to gain from winning, being the youngest.

Will she have a long career in entertainment? That's even harder, given the high-profile failures of the past. She certainly has the talent and everything else she needs, but sometimes she comes across as a little too nice and naive ... and she may get tired of the whole thing and fall in a heap. Wouldn't be the first and won't be the last in that situation ...

We got bubby possum!

I was in the studio yesterday afternoon when the female possum who lives in my garage wandered down to introduce me to her baby ... very cute. Now I understand why she's been so touchy lately. The baby is about half-grown and eating apples ...

More company for me to sing to!