While I got an amazing laugh out of the video mash up of this Tom Waits song with Cookie Monster when I actually took a look at the lyrics I realized that Mr. Waits has kind of summed up the state of the Western World right now. At least, from my perspective.

I’d sell your heart to the junkman baby
For a buck, for a buck
If you’re looking for someone to pull you out of that ditch
You’re out of luck, you’re out of luck

Ship is sinking
The ship is sinking
The ship is sinking

There’s a leak, there’s a leak in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves and lawyers

God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business
God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business

Digging up the dead with a shovel and a pick
It’s a job, it’s a job
Bloody moon rising with a plague and a flood
Join the mob, join the mob
It’s all over, it’s all over
It’s all over

There’s a leak, there’s a leak in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves and lawyers

God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business
God’s away, God’s away on business, business

Godddamn there’s always such a big temptation
To be good, to be good
There’s always free cheddar in a mousetrap, baby
It’s a deal, it’s a deal

God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business
God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business

I narrow my eyes like a coin slot baby
Let her ring, let her ring

God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business
God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business

Since 2004 Montreal has been without and therefore I have been without a Major League Baseball Team. As a result of numerous tragedies that slowly destroyed the team, I sat with my friend Geoff on September 25, 2004 at the last Montreal Expos home game and bid farewell to our Expos.

I have to admit that I wasn’t the most diehard fan but I was sad that the team was leaving. I played baseball and a kid, went to lots of games with my dad and followed the team until I hit my teenage years and discovered what teenagers discover; sex drugs and rock and roll. Once I set down my Strat-O-Matic game cards for good, I followed the team a little bit but never felt a connection to them like I did during the Carter – Dawson – Raines years. Although the arrival of Vlad did change that.

Not long after the baseball seasons wore on without the Expos Geoff asked me what team I was going to follow? What team was I going to call my own? With Vlad off to the Angels and family in California, I considered following them for a while. I saw a couple of games in Washington and with them being what was once the Expos, I considered them as well but it just didn’t feel right.

On a trip to Chicago one summer I spent a magical afternoon taking in a Cubs game and I was almost turned but I never had a soft spot for them. Who then? The Blue Jays? As a Montrealer, I just couldn’t do it.

For years I’ve been swearing that I would never follow the Yankees or Red Sox no matter how close geographically they are to Montreal since in my mind they are the rich-corporate teams that could buy their way into the World Series.

But I had to reconsider again this weekend when I discovered a picture of myself wearing a certain baseball hat at 17, it became clear.

I must follow the Red Sox. And here are the reasons why.

• I did always like the Red Sox 2^nd best when I was growing up (See hat story)
• My co-worker and friend Sarah is called Big Papi by her boyfriend and that’s damn funny
• Geoff’s grandmother use to shake her first and say “those damn Yankees” in honest disgust! Oh and she got her photo taken with the World Series trophy when she was in her 90’s. That’s a fan!
• The Red Sox are geographically the closest baseball team to Montreal at 5 hour 11 minutes, Toronto is 6 hour 15 minutes
• Pedro Martinez played for Boston
• Bill Lee played for Boston
• Jeff Reardon was a Red Sox
• The last person to hit .400 was Ted Williams, a Red Sox

So Boston, you now have one more fan. I promise to come and see you guys play soon and regularly. The only thing you have to promise me if is somehow, in some alternate universe Montreal gets Major League Baseball back, you’ll let me return to Nos Amours.

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and co-operation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and travelled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun, and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater co-operation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the spectre of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honour them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men, and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have travelled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"'Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].’”

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

In the mid-90’s I was in a band called Thelma. Of all the bands that I have been in Thelma was the one that I was proudest of, therefore the first one I’m going to post about. In hindsight it was clearly the most original, inventive and successful vs. any of the others that I was in. We played some good shows, met some great people and created a little bit of drama. There was something just special about it and I still wonder if we really wanted to push it, how far it could have gone.

Thelma was Avrum Nadigel, Alan Beacom, myself and at first Eric Cohen on drums and then Dan Cyr.

In digging through my computer’s archives I managed to dig up a lot of fun stuff about Thelma.

So, if you remember the band or just want to see what was going on in one little, moderately/locally popular band from Montreal from the mid-90’s that no one would remember, enjoy some of the info & mp3’s posted below.

MP3’s (more to come as I encode them!):
Stuck in Snow
Pretty Pink Spots
Crack Bitch [Early Demo Version]
The Devil Song
Three Chords [rough mix]
Talents [Live at Isart]
Sunny Days [with some really bad audio glitches, i think I've had some data corruption, i'll re-encode]. It’s also a very, very rough mix.
I don’t like it
In A Town: Scratch Mix

Shows Played:

11.12.95 @ Purple Haze Showbar w/Dark Cave
11.23.95 @ Annie’s Pub w/Goldfish
12.14.95 @ Purple Haze Showbar w/Willow
01.06.96 @ Stornaway Art Gallery w/Mischima, Mobius Strip & Tiny Green Specks. Invincible Ink Launch
01.13.96 @ Bar Voltaire w/ Slowly Going Deaf
01.27.96 @ Reggie’s Pub w/ Marlowe & Rosebuddy
03.23.96 @ Cafe Bistro 4, Acoustic @ YAWP! @ Bistro 4
03.30.96 @ Cafe Beenz, Acoustic show
04.20.96 @ Isart Art Gallery w/AdamtoZoe, Grime, Beverly, Frog Machine, Mischima, Cheesecake Circus, Stony, Madison Drive & Joyful Road
04.24.96 @ Bar Foufounes Electrique w/Bandit Queen
05.11.96 @ Cafe Bistro 4 w/Martha Wainright, Khan Saad Zia, Zofin, Christine Deita & Colin MacKenzie
05.22.96 @ Cafe Choas w/Grime & Bless This Mess
09.26.96 @ Mea Culpa Loft w/Mea Culpa
11.14.96 @ Cabaret Show Bar w/John S. Hall, Sofa, Knurl, Lee Gotham & Rick Trembles, Steve Godin, Heather O’Neill, Jonny Goldstein, She-Man, Los Infernos, Alison Katz, Colin MacKenzie and the Hostess of the Grossest, Jake Brown
11.24.96 @ Theatre Rique
11.27.96 @ Dawson College Cafeteria
11.30.96 @ Kali Gallery
12.06.96 @ Jailhouse Show Bar
12.13.96 @ Bar Foufounes Electrique
01.25.97 @ Reggie’s Pub w/William

From my mid-teens until my late 20’s I was always in bands. At 14 I got my first Bass, a $250.00 Black and White Ibanez beauty, well, at least to an in bloom pubescent teen. Two weeks later, I had my first of hundred and hundreds of jam sessions.

None of the bands ended up being anything remarkable although we played a few great shows, got some decent local press (well, one of the 6 bands I was in) and wrote some good songs. I had a lot of fun and by the end I was a pretty decent bass player, thank you very much. I still run into people who tell me that they every so often throw on one of our cassettes.

Early on the bands mainly veered towards Classic and Pop rock and towards the end were a lot louder, more obnoxious and edgier. In 10 years we had gone from playing Go-Go’s covers to getting banned from Foufounes Electrique and trying to start a fight with a now well-known musician. Good times.

I have QUITE a few mp3’s to anchor some future posts with select nuggets. If you are interested I have some recordings, live shows and some other assorted recordings of other great bands from the Montreal scene in the 90’s.

Why all the reminiscing?

After an almost 10 year hiatus of playing music almost exclusively on my couch I have decided that I am going to be working at building back up those calluses and get playing again. The creative juices at Plank have satisfied me but it’s time to reawaken the Old Beast of Rock!

At La Sala Rossa w/ Bon Iver. 8:30 p.m. I’ll be there, how about you?

A few years ago I was searching the Internet aimlessly (I have a habit of doing that) and I stumbled onto information about the Newfoundland Tartan. Little did i know the history of it. Seems that a member of my family was responsible for designing the Tartan.

I have a few friends from the Isles and I have always been impressed that they have a tartan, a coat of arms or some other family heirloom that reaches back into the annals of history. I like history and I appreciate when someone can say “I can track my heritage back to the Mayflower” or “My great-great-great-grand father was killed for treason against the Lower Canada government”. I love it.

Kilt-less and tartan-less, I’ve always envied them. Except…

For a North American urban-Jewish guy, I can say, without a doubt that I’m as close to having my own tartan by claiming the Newfoundland Tartan!

Thanks to Nancy I have a scarf that she picked up for me the last time she went home to St. John’s.

I now own the Wilansky family colours.

Being a skeptic of the whole institution of marriage (I know it works for many but I’ve always had trouble seeing myself wear it well) the rare time that I know that the 2 people are made for each other it’s a pleasure to watch. This was one of those times.

As the wedding was ending one of Gen’s friends walked up to me and said she was surprised that I didn’t say something about the bride and groom. Now, I have no problem with public speaking but I’m pretty careful about my role in an event and I usually lean towards restraint.

I can be loud and opinionated with close friends but at a public event I carefully study my place. The shyness rears its head.

But now I wonder, maybe she was right. Maybe I should have said something. If I would have, I would have thanked my friend Christiane for introducing me to both Gen and Geoff. I would have discussed how I probably have seen Geoff about as much as Gen has over the past two years (since he works with me). I would have mentioned all the great times we’ve all had together. I would have fawned all over them about how smart and uber talented they both are. And finally, I would told them how when I look at their relationship, it falls into my category of unconditional love. Real unconditional love is so rare that I can count one my hand the amount of times I’ve seen it live and in person.

Geoff and Gen, all my best.

Arrivedercci, frog.

• The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution, formally certified by President Richard Nixon, lowers the voting age from 21 to 18.
• There was a riot at a Led Zeppelin show in Milan at the Vigorelli Velodrome
• Zappa & Mothers Of Invention played in my hometown, Montreal @ CKGM-FM Studios
• Daniel Ellsberg was on the cover of Time Magazine

Not a bad day.