2005-06-22 - 12:00 p.m.
What I'm listening to: DJ Spooky-Reactive Switching Strategies.
Wow. I've never heard this disc before. I burned it off of a friend a couple of years ago, but it's been shelved like so many others in my collection. "Ahh, I'll get to listening to it eventually". I guess that's one of the many nice things about grad school. Because you're sitting for long periods of time, trying to be literate and stuff, it give you the chance to play a disc from start to finish.
This disc is incredible. I've never consciously listened to DJ Spooky before. This experience reminds me of the first time I heard Frank Zappa. My life changed instantly, and forever. At the time I identified FZ with the other classic rock repertoire: Jimi Hendrix, The Animals, Led Zeppelin, The Yardbirds (one of the first cds I ever owned, and still one of my favourite bands-more later). But he was different. I was amazed at the directions he was going in, and hey, when you're 14, the songs "Montana", "Dinah-Moe Humm" and "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" are fucking hilarious.
Back to the Yardbirds. I had seen a video promo of the song "Heartful of Soul" on some kind of Casey Kasem special (he's Palestinian by the way). MuchMusic and MusiquePlus had just become available on regular cable in Ottawa. I think I was about 12 or so. I saw who I thought was Jimmy Page on guitar. Then I found out later that Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton had some connection to that band. I was sold. How can you go wrong with such a star persona?
On the same Casey Kasem special (he's Palestinian by the way) he also had a song by Traffic. Hey, wait a minute, that sounds like Steve Winwood. It was. Being only familiar with his solo career, I wasn't aware of his former stardom.
So I'm just getting into Traffic, and myself and my cousins are on our way to the Rideau Centre in Ottawa, doing the music store run and some errands. We walk into Sam's (no longer in existence, I think there's a Jacob there now in that space) and start to look around. I was around 14-15 or so. One of my cousins says: "hey, look at this". He presents me the cd. I look at the back...."Blind Faith...who the hell are they? But hey, how can you go wrong with such a start persona? I think I'll buy it....it's got Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and more importantly my idol Ginger Baker playing on this disc. Oh yeah and there's some other guy, but he's not important...."
Brought the disc home, ripped open the celophane, pressed play. Clapton's complex but minimalist guitar riff started, then Winwood started bellowing out. That was it. That combination was so overpowering I even forgot to listen to the percussion, or that other guy.
