Petit homenatge a Gaillimh/Galway (the hooker and the girl)

Tornar trobar gent tan digne, agradable i amable com la que he trobat aquest cap de setmana de Saint Patrick a Gaillimh/Galway amb el meu amic David Andreu (membre de La Medusa) no serà gens fàcil!

Valgui idò un humil homenatge des d´Orphans Of Waits a tan entranyable localitat:

THE GALWAY HOOKER AND THE GALWAY GIRL

A la costa atlàntica d´Irlanda una "hooker" no té res a veure amb la meretriu de la postal de Minneàpolis del Blue Valentine de Tom Waits...

Se tracta d´una embarcació preciosa (vídeo il.lustratiu a continuació) que té com a únic defecte compartir els colors del Real Mallorca:

Així mateix l´embarcació ha donat nom a una amarga i deliciosa cervessa de no molt alta graduació, que se pot disfrutar als pubs com alternativa a la tòpica guiness.

I precisament a les parets d´un dels pubs amb més solera de Galway, regit per l´entranyable Cóilí, hi podeu trobar, entre moltes altres fotos, una del nostre "amic" Steve Earle flirtejant amb una al.lota vilatana.

 interior del pub Tig Cóilí, situat al cèntric Latin Quarter

Cóilí me va explicar (mentrés li comprava una camiseta del pub amb el rostre de sa seva padrina fumant en pipa) que aquella al.lota de la foto era la famosa "The Galway Girl" a qui Earle va dedicar una cançó pel seu disc Trascendental Blues, publicat l´any 2000.

Com saben bé els lectors regulars d´aquest bloc, els Orphans estam una mica emprenyats amb Steve Earle pel seu "desplante" al Waiting For Waits 2009.

Així que enlloc d´adjuntar-vos un vídeo de la cançó original, ho faré d´una versió dels molt més simpatics The Kilkennys:

NOTA: si no veus el vídeo que hi ha a continuació, és que estàs llegint això amb un aypad (o i-paddy que supòs diuen a Irlanda). Blame it on Steve Jobbs!

 "The Galway Girl"

Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
Of a fine soft day -I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then I'd be takin' a whirl
'Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl
We were halfway there when the rain came down
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
And she asked me up to her flat downtown
Of a fine soft day -I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl
When I woke up I was all alone
With a broken heart and a ticket home
And I ask you now, tell me what would you do
If her hair was black and her eyes were blue
I've traveled around I've been all over this world
Boys I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl

És també molt recomenable  allunyar-se del bulliciós centre i anar a disfrutar de la màgica experiència d´escoltar un concert al primer pis de The Crane Bar, on la "house band" deixa participar lliurament  (no sé si "folk jam session" seria un terme massa ortodox...) a qualsevol violinista amb ganes de lliurar-se espontàneament al seu amor per la música tradicional irlandesa. 

The Crane Bar, Galway Ireland, Oils, 100 x 50cm (Roy Lyndsay)

Els músics (percusió, flauta, banjo, violins, acordions,...) seuen en torn a una taula , i els seus rostres denoten una vocació pura i dura per tocar. No sembla importar-lis gens ni mica si a les taules del voltant hi ha 6 ó 60 persones escoltant-los.

Vos assegur que observant els seus rostres hi havia moments on vaig haver de fer esforços per reprimir les llàgrimes...

Go raibh maith agat,
Gaillimh.

Gràcies,

Galway.

Sylvie Simmons: TVZ 70th anniversary / aniversari

english / català

"Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that" (Steve Earle)

"TVZ és el millor songwriter del món, i ho diria damunt sa taula de cafè d´en Bob Dylan amb ses meves botes cowboy posades"

"I've met Bob Dylan and his bodyguards, and I don't think Steve could get anywhere near his coffee table." (Townes Van Zandt)

"Jo he conegut a n´en Bob Dylan i als seus guardaespatlles, i no crec que n´Steve es pogués apropar mai a la seva taula de cafè"

 Welcome to Orphans of Waits , Sylvie!

I was honoured to meet Sylvie Simmons in the Autumm 2000 while working at The Borderline´s ticket-office (best said "freezing ticket-cage"). Ryan Adams had sold out for his first solo career UK show.

Sylvie came with her boyfriend Neil, but she did not have "plus one" on the list.

So I begged the bouncer to let both of them in (risking my shitjob I assumed). His name was Ishmael (amateur boxer as well) and he made a wisely sarcastic smile while he whispered: "you want to make big contacts for your shows in Mallorca, eh, little bastard, he-he".

So in came Neil and Sylvie to enjoy Ryan´s Heartbreaker...so glad that they did, because unfortunately Neil is no longer with us (rest in peace that extremely cool guy; as cool as Sylvie).

Vaig conéixer Sylvie Simmons la tardor de l´any 2000 quan treballava a la taquilla de The Borderline (sala de concerts del soho londinenc). Recordo que va venir a actuar Ryan Adams per presentar el seu nou projecte en solitari (disc Heartbreaker) després d´haver tancat l´etapa Whiskeytown. Es va crear un gran rebonbori mediàtic i fou un d´aquells vespres de sold-out cantat. Sylvie era a la llista de convidats, però no tenia "plus one" . Va venir amb la seva parella, i com el "segurata" no podia deixar passar ningú que no estés a la llista, ni li podíem vendre cap entrada, na Sylvie va donar mitja volta per anar-se´n. En un impuls de fan (era un autèntic goig llegir les seves ressenyes a la revista MOJO) li vaig demanar per favor a Ishmael (boxejador amateur a més de guarda de seguretat) que la parella de Simmons fos el meu "guest".

Recordo perfectament el seu somriure de "selfmade man" i com em va susurrar sarcàsticament "you want to make big contacts for your shows in Mallorca, eh little bastard?, he-he".

I cap endins entraren Sylvie i Neil per disfrutar dels temes del Heartbreaker de Ryan Adams.

Desgraciadament Neil ja no és entre nosaltres (en pau descansi), així que estic realment orgullós de que ella pogués disfrutar amb ell d´aquella especial vetlada de música en directe, enlloc d´haver-se anat a fer pintes pel Soho...

With her worlwide recognised subtle English sense of humour, the prestigious music journalist (MOJO magazine and the wonderful Too Weird For Ziggy stories) and author of indispensable biographies of Serge Gainsbourg (click www), Neil Young (click www) and Leonard Cohen (click www)...

... has made an effort to remember her introduction 10 years ago to the Darkness On The Edge Of Townes - tribute show to the one and only Townes Van Zandt, promoted by Waiting for Waits.

Amb el seu característic humor fi (100% anglés a pesar dels molts anys que du visquent a San Francisco), na Sylvie ha fet un esforç per recordar l´introducció que va fer del concert "Darkness On The Edge Of Townes" fa 10 anys al Centre de Cultura "Sa Nostra" de Palma...

Townes for Tomeu

[NOTA: si vols una traducció al català o al castellà d´aquest text de Sylvie Simmons, envia un correu a orphans.of.waits@gmail.com]

His life reads like a Tennessee Williams story or like one of those great American ballads - a man born in Texas to a wealthy, high-class oil-family, who sent him to military school and later, when it all went bad, to a mental hospital. When he finally checked out he took to the road with his guitar and a pen and never looked back; Townes, so his best friend Guy Clark said, was "a rambling kind of guy".    Along the way he met Lightnin' Hopkins, who inspired him to play, Mickey Newbury, who encouraged him to write, Jack Clement, who got him his first record deal, and Roky Erickson, whose house and girlfriend he shared. And everywhere he went - which, being a rambling kind of guy, was everywhere - he played riveting performances of his songs.

Maybe he rambled to Majorca too - I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past him; he was still flying to England to perform towards the end of his too-short life. Townes, his friends all say, was about as much concerned with looking after his physical as he was his  'music career'. His last-ever show was in December 1996 in London, at a basement Americana music club called the Borderline.

Which, by coincidence, was where I first met Tomeu, who told me about the show he was going to put on in Majorca of singer-songwriters - British and Spanish - paying tribute to Townes' songs.

Tomeu emailed me from Majorca recently to ask if I would write my memories of the event for him to use in his upcoming celebration of Townes' 70th birthday. But all I can remember are glimpses... a beautiful but chilly villa in the orange groves, where we all stayed, drinking into the early hours and fighting over who would get the extra blanket; hearing Nacho Vegas for the first time; watching an old man in the audience slowly drift off to sleep when I spoke and Tomeu translated; the dusty delicacy with which the great Neil Halstead sang Townes' songs....

So instead Tomeu asked me if I would write a little about Townes and what makes him special. 

Hey, Townes was so special I could probably write a book - but, having just recently completed a huge book on Leonard Cohen, for now I'll just contribute these few words. Townes Van Zandt wrote unique, unflinching songs that both tear your heart inside out and show you what it is to be alive. He captured the crazy beauty and the deep melancholy of being alive like no-one else.

Sylvie Simmons, March 2014 
http:sylviesimmons.com

 
Many thanks Sylvie!. And best of luck in Frisco with your almost to be launched ukelele debut album!.

ANÈCDOTA/ANECDOTE WFW:

Simmons va entrevistar Tom Waits l´any 2004 amb motiu del llençament del disc Real Gone. Off-the-record li va comentar l´existència del nostre festival d´espera. Quan vaig tornar veure na Sylvie per The Borderline me va entregar una postal signada per Tom Waits on deia "stay green"...

Sylvie interviewed TW in 2004 and told him off-the-record about our Waiting for Him festival. When she came back to The Borderline, she handed me a postcard signed by Tom. It said "stay green"...

 

Idò avui, amb motiu del 70 aniversari del dia del seu naixement, toca una miqueta de "brightness on the edge of Townes"...

So today, a little bit of "brightness on the edge of Townes" to celebrate TVZ 70th anniversary ...

video-audio: 

TVZ "Fare thee well, Miss Carousel"

The drunken clown's still hanging round

but it plain the laughter's all died down

the tears you tried so hard to hide

are flowin'

A blind man with his knife in hand

has convinced himself that he understands

I wish him well, Miss Carousel

but I gotta be a-goin'

CHORUS:

Won't you come and get me when

you're sure that you don't need me then

I'll stand outside your window

and proudly call your name

The lady's been told that all of gold

is worth so much it can't be sold

No time to weep she'll need her sleep

tomorrow

When she carries her face to the market place

and bets it on the opening race

she can ring her bells, Miss Carousel,

but her singing brings me sorrow

(Repeat Chorus)

It's always done every mother's son

is shown that grown men never run

and so they fight with all the might

inside them

When the battle's been fought and they all been taught

that the trick is just not being caught

Will you give them hell, Miss Carousel,

when they're begging you to hide them

(Repeat Chorus)

When the need arose your eyes fell closed

you clamped your fingers round your nose

Would you say that's any way

to judge him

You haven't got the authority

to kill him in the first degree

but would you feel compelled, Miss Carousel,

if you had something to begrudge him

(Repeat Chorus)

On a velvet beach far beneath the reach

of those that come to pray and preach

The natural man who tries to stand

is fallin'

How long will it be before he sees

you own his legs but his mind is free

Only you can tell, Miss Carousel,

how long will he be crawling?

(Repeat Chorus)

The castle wall has grown so tall

it seems there ain't no hope at all

to reach the top even though you stop

for breathin'

But I ain't gonna try to make you cry

the tear drops couldn't find your eyes

It's all been swell, Miss Carousel,

but the time has come for leavin'

(Repeat Chorus)

Per escoltar la versió que va fer Nacho Vegas d´aquesta superlativa cançó, podeu clicar AQUÍ

If you want to listen Nacho Vegas (the most respected Spanish songwriter of the last decade) cover "Que te vaya bien, miss carrusel" you can click HERE

r.i.p. The late & great TVZ

Balada d´una dona major: cinc anys sense "Our John" Martyn

ANÈCDOTA: Quan a principis de l´any 2009 cercava un cap de cartell per la novena edició del Waiting For Waits, els primers noms que em van venir al cap per un concert acústic al Teatre Principal de Palma foren Steve Earle i Richard Thompson.

En les negociacions amb l´agent (els dos teníen el mateix), semblava que Steve Earle era una opció (clickant AQUÍ comprovareu que ens va acabar donant carabassots) però Thompson aquell any estava als EUA sense plans per Europa, i finalment fou cap de cartell al 2010, en format duo amb Danny Thompson.

Per si d´acàs, i tornat a l´edició del 2009, havia de cercar una altra opció interessant. I si bé conscient de les dificultats (tan econòmiques per catxé, com logístiques pel tema de la mitja cama amputada i la cadira de rodes) vaig tenir l´impuls de contactar amb el booking agent ni més ni manco que de John Martyn.

Som a dia 29 de gener de l´any 2009, avui fa cinc anys justs, i em fico a la web oficial del geni escocés per cercar la secció "contact". Però ja no té sentit perque el que apareix és el següent texte escrit per John Hillarby (encarregat durant anys i anys de tota la "memorabilia"):

"With heavy heart and an unbearable sense of loss we must announce that John died this morning."

John Martyn (dreta) amb Danny Thompson (esquerra); 
dibuix de Brian Rylance

Ja vos podeu imaginar com em vaig quedar.

Els que estaveu a l´e-mailing-list dels concerts WFW tal vegada recordeu que aquell mateix dia, un pic llegida la tràgica notícia, vareu rebre aquest sentit correu:

en pau descansi l´immens john martyn

"Now woman, don't you feel sad when you see your life go round
And you realise that you've been drinking all of your years like wine?
You're gambling with time and you know you just can't win
But still you feel that somehow you've just got to keep on trying
And woman, it's your heart, I hear crying"


avui és un dels dies més tristos des que waiting for waits va començar a promoure
concerts l´any 2001.

john martyn era un (difícil) objectiu que duiem al cor.
però des d´avui ballad of an elder woman ja no es podrà escoltar sense llàgrimes
als ulls

ens ha deixat un dels més grans...el darrer rei d´escòcia

Idò vos deix un vídeo on podeu escoltar sa  "balada d´una dona major", del primer àlbum de Martyn: London Conversation (1967).

sub-anècdota: al novembre del 2008 havia de triar entre anar a Londres a veure el que acabaria sent darrer concert en vida de John Martyn o anar a veure Jolie Holland (dins les tasques de contractació del cartell WFW 2009).

I així em vaig quedar sense veure mai en directe a un dels més grans...

Avui el missatge que s´ha penjat a la web de Martyn és el següent:

"5 years ago today (29th January 2009) the world lost the most innovative singer-songwriter and guitarist it had ever seen. We all miss ‘Our John’, in our own personal way, we miss our friend, but we are fortunate to have the wonderful legacy of music that John left us. An insight on the man himself, John shared his life with us through his music. Our hearts reach out to John’s loved ones and family, for their loss is so much greater than ours. So raise a glass to ‘Our John’, put your favourite album on and celebrate “the cool bit” – the music."

Feis-ne cas: anit ompliu una copeta de vi negre o de brandy i alçau-la escoltant, per exemple, Solid Air!

 
 

Bonus Track (caiguda d´en Deleuze) plus Hidden Track (on s´amaga el bon Jesus?)

A la fi es tanca el playlist Capricorni...

...i quina feinada ha duit.

I tots els que m´he deixat: 
Bowie & Elvis (08/01); 
Joan Baez (09/01);
Clarence Clemmons (11/01), en pau descansis Big Man:

Més un indeterminat etcétera que vos convido a afagir als comentaris...

I també tenim els dos "castigats": Steve Earle i Will Oldham/Bonnie ´Prince´ Billy (del segón demà en xerram).

Bad Boys!

Principito Billy

 Esteve no-vull-tocar-a-ciutats-petites Earle

En qualsevol cas , tot un honor pel meu fill i servidor compartir signe del zodíac amb tans noms il.lustres com han passat aquest mes pel bloc Orphans Of Waits 
(anècdota egomaníaca: Jonathan Wilson i el meu fill fan els anys el mateix dia; i Jonathan Wilson i servidor vam néixer el mateix any => quin gran tio deu ser en Jonathan Wilson!)

Demà plantejarem les bases d´un SORTEIG DE CD-CAPRICORNI.

Però abans afageixo dos temes al playlist per dues suggerències que m´han arribat per correu electrònic:

1)suggerit pel també capricorni José Vidal Valicourt (ben orgullós vaig estar quan fa anys em va dir que el seu interessant i entretingut llibre El hombre que vio caer a Deleuze  duia inclòs un relat,  "Hospital Miguel Lombarda", inspirat en el cicle Waiting For Waits!):

BONUS CAPRITrack #2 - "In A Capricorn Way"

(autor: Woody Shaw; 24/12/1944 North Carolina - 10/05/1989 New York)

NOTA: Ho sento, Pepe: no he trobat cap vídeo a youtube!. 

Així que convidam als lectors -tan els d´ay pad com els normals- a que es comprin aquest disc per disfrutar-la en una versió en directe (que és com els que enteneu de jazz deis que s´ha de disfrutar el jazz):

2)suggerit per Biel Ferriol, un tema d´un no-capricorni (Kris KRISTO-fferson) sobre un capricorni de la "Ancient history" (CRISTO) i dedicada/debuda al gran John Prine (de qui tard o d´hora també xerrarem al bloc):

HIDDEN(*) CAPRITrack - "Jesus Was A Capricorn (Owed To John Prine)"
(del disc del mateix nom que va publicar Kris Kristofferson al 1972)

(si no veus el vídeo , pots fer click AQUÍ)

Jesus was a Capricorn, he ate organic foods.
He believed in love and peace and never wore no shoes.
Long hair, beard and sandals and a funky bunch of friends.
Reckon they'd just nail him up if He come down again.

'Cos everybody's got to have somebody to look down on.
Who they can feel better than at anytime they please.
Someone doin' somethin' dirty, decent folks can frown on.
If you can't find nobody else, then help yourself to me.

Get back, John!

Egg Head's cousin Red Neck's cussin' hippies for their hair.
Others laugh at straights who laugh at freaks who laugh at squares.
Some folks hate the whites who hate the blacks who hate the clan.
Most of us hate anything that we don't understand.

'Cos everybody's got to have somebody to look down on.
Who they can feel better than at anytime they please.
Someone doin' somethin' dirty, decent folks can frown on.
If you can't find nobody else, then help yourself to me.

Help yourself, brother.
Help yourself, Gentlemen.
Help yourself Reverend.

VISCA S´OUTLAW-COUNTRY, COLLONS!

(*) "Hidden" perque trob que el bon Jesús ja dú massa temps amagat, i potser és bon moment per a que ens torni fer una visita...llevat que la ressaca post-gatera del seu Pare vagi més enllà del dia de Sant Antoni!

El poeta coent, el trobador texà, les carabasses de n´Steve i el Mercedes-Benz de na Janis (Capricorni track #15)

(entrada dedicada al Pirata Melis, d´origen suís al seu pesar, que avui fa els anys)

We are ugly but we have the music

Tenia reticèncias "morals" a l´hora d´incloure na Janis Joplin al playlist capricorni (va néixer el 19 de gener de 1943 a Texas), ja que a pesar de la seva gran veu el meu coneixement de la seva música es limita a un recopilatori que rara vegada escolt...

Però així em servirà d´excusa per reivindicar la figura (ja reivindicada al seu dia en un concert homenatge al cicle Waiting For Waits) d´un altre texà que per mi tenia una "poesia" molt més interessant que la de l´ultravalorat Leonard Cohen (a.k.a. Coent, Pep Toni Olivetti dixit)

Townes Van Zandt també té una cançó escrita amb na Janis Joplin in mente, i des d´aquest bloc defenso a mort que és millor cançó que "Chelsea Hotel"; a banda de que en Townes era molt guapo...

...enlloc d´ugly com el canadenc coent (uy: sa meva amiga Rubia Ginart me matarà quan llegeixi això!).

Per fer-vos una comparació futbolera (avui que duc el subidón de que el Baleares torna ser líder): Townes seria en Maradona de la poesia musical, capaç de guanyar totsolet un scudetto o un mundial... Mentres Leonard seria en Leo (Messi), que si no té el suport d´un Andresín o un Xavi, que voleu que vos digui...(amb Argentina no s´ha menjat un torrat, no?).

Però jutjau voltros mateixos escoltant i llegint la lletra de "You Are Not Needed Now"

(inclosa a l´àlbum High, Low and In Between, on també trobareu una de les millors cançons de Van Zandt: "To Live Is To Fly")

(recorda que si tens un ay pad, segurament no veus el video, 

així que cercau per google perque m´han dit que amb la tableta-manzanita ni tan sols funcionen els enllaços a youtube...i no tardis més en posar una denùncia a Apple (Pomot?) per estafadors que no vos deixen disfrutar al 100% del maravellós orfanatge waitsià)

Well, the birds were talking all at once

and the old man mowing down his lawn

he didn't look like much too bad a guy

And I was thinkin' Hang on, man, something's wrong

your blues seems to be gone

heaven ain't bad but you don't get nothing done.

Lay down your head a while

you are not needed now

you are not needed now

Well, Allison laid a hex on me

and every time I turn around

it's swimming through the air above my bed

I told Miss Higgs and she said fine

as long as you're back in your room on time

I keep you clean and the girls will keep you fed

Lay down your head with mine

you are not needed now

and we got things to do

Between the blankets made of wool

the trains roll by every half an hour

and the body can get no restin' done, that's true

so I do my best, as best I can

thinkin' big and making plans

and wondering where them trains are rolling to

Lay down your head poor boy

and feel how the ground does move

and hear how them drivers sing

Well, goodbye friends, it's time to close

everybody knows that's the way it goes

where was it you lived in case I'm ever there

Well, three doors down and two behind

and it gets a little bit out of hand sometimes

don't let it fool you into thinkin you down care

Lay down your head and fly

I'll quietly pass you by

you won't even see me go

If I thought about it long enough

I just might make some kind of move

watchful lies are too hard on the soul

With the smoke house just across the way

and it's fog upon the light of day

that would be hard comin' up with where to go

Lay down your head poor boy

feel how the ground does move

hear how them drivers sing

What now, my darling one

go find a little fun

you are not needed now

Steve Earle, que va néixer un 17 de gener però que deliberadement he exclòs del playlist capricorni amb la pueril excusa de que va donar carabasses al WFW2009 quan ja duia setmanes anunciat com a cap de cartell... 

... va batejar el seu fill (també capricorni!) Justin TOWNES en honor a Van Zandt. I és célebre la seva frase on deia "En T.V.Z. és el millor escritor de cançons del món, i me pujaria damunt sa taula on pren café en Dylan amb ses meves botes de cowboy per dir-ho ben alt!".

Feta aquesta petita reivindicació, me´n vaig a escoltar Death Of A Ladies´ Man (discarro on Leonard ens demostrava que se pot lligar molt siguent fei, poeta i canadenc) i vos deix amb la cançó més sarcàstica de la capricorni del dia:

CAPRITrack #15 - Mercedes Benz
(disc Pearl - Janis Joplin, que com sabeu pertany al Club dels 27 com en Tòfol del Cosmos)