View of Lower Sabino Canyon and the Tucson Basin from Phoneline Trail — Panorama by kenne
On a clear day Rise and look around you And you’ll see who you are. On a clear day How it will astound you That the glow of your being outshines ev’ry star.
You’ll feel part of ev’ry mountain sea and shore. You can hear, from far and near, A world you’ve never heard before. And on a clear day… On that clear day… You can see forever and ever more!
— from On A Clear Day You Can See Forever by Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner
‘Drove My Chevy To The Levee’ (Bisbee, May 18, 2012) — Image by kenne
I started singin’ bye-bye, Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye And singin’ “This’ll be the day that I die This’ll be the day that I die”
The November 13th posting, “Chevy Bel Air Taillight Art” took me back to a June 1, 2009 posting, “We Have Lost Another Piece of The Pie.”
We Have Lost Another Piece of The Pie
“. . . bye-bye, Miss American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levee, But the levee was dry. And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye Singin’, ‘this’ll be the day that I die. “this’ll be the day that I die.'”
In the Don McLean song, “American Pie,” he wrote about “the day the music died,” referencing the 1959 plane crash causing the deaths of Budd Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. Now it’s the Chevy’s (GM) turn to test destiny.
These were also the days when “See the USA in your Chevrolet” rang through the head of many a young boy, such as I. The first car that made me aware that I was hooked on cars was my grandfather’s 1945 Chevy. My first car was a 1950 Chevy, followed by a 1953. Emotions are the makings of the human experience. What would life be without feelings, without passions, whether short-lived, or life-long?
A part of me has always been a “car guy,” struggling with the other me (like a marriage), resulting in an intense love affair to this day. As with all relationships, the thrill of driving is about closing the gap. Connecting with a car is not about becoming one but about maintaining identity while always seeking to close the gap. Even though the evidence that GM would file for bankruptcy has been apparent for some time, today’s formal filing still came as a shock. Chevy and GM will live on, but an age has died – another piece of the American pie. Now we are singing:
“. . . bye-bye, Miss American Pie GM drove to the Feds But the Feds exposed their lie. And them good old boys were still Drinkin’ whiskey and rye Singin’, “this’ll be the day that I die. “This’ll be the day that I die.”
We Have Lost Another Piece of The Pie. As Michael Moore recently wrote, “It is with sad irony that the company which invented “planned obsolescence” — the decision to build cars that would fall apart after a few years so that the customer would then have to buy a new one — has now made itself obsolete.” For the “car guy” in me, I experienced a real blow to my psyche. The pragmatic me is saying, “it’s about time!”
The “car guy” would now like to share a couple of blog posts over the last couple of years:
Soul of a Car
Signs of age Tell the story Miles on the gauge Count the glory
Now at rest In the shade Once the best Of the fifties decade
There is a key Only to a past Now rest free At long last
A rusty door A broken fan blade Longing for more Feeling only frayed
Having a heart A few remaining horses Seeking a start From special forces
Old cars can rust But never the soul Covered with dust Stuck in cruise control
Moving On…
How do you measure the worth of a “driving machine?” Miles? Miles per hour? Drive-ability? Reliability? Attractiveness? Safety? Maybe all these.
But the real worth of the 318i that I bought, September 1983, and sold, September 2007 can only be measured by those intangibles by which we measure passion.
It is not my nature to dwell on the past, but parting with something that was an extension of my very being was not easy. If there is one image that reflects more than a third of my life, it was this little BMW.
… A long, long time ago I can still remember how that music Used to make me smile And I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And maybe they’d be happy for a while
… But February made me shiver With every paper I’d deliver Bad news on the doorstep I couldn’t take one more step I can’t remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride Something touched me deep inside The day the music died
… So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry And them good ol’ boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die This’ll be the day that I die”
You know that old trees just grow stronger And old rivers grow wilder every day Old people just grow lonesome Waiting for someone to say, “Hello in there, hello”
So if you’re walking down the street sometime And spot some hollow ancient eyes Please don’t just pass ’em by and stare As if you didn’t care, say, “Hello in there, hello”
— from Hello In There by John Prine
As a Veteran and an old person in general, I’m trying hard not just to fade away — “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” Like many people my age, we are familiar with the line in General Douglas MacArthur April 19, 1951 farewell address to the U.S. Congress. A great line for a General but not for older people. I, for one, am not ready to just fade away.
As older people, we experience daily the looks of people we may come in contact with, and in their eyes, we have already faded away — they stare straight through us. In the last decade, I have seen more doctors than in the total of my eighty years, and just once, I would like, “Hello in there, hello.”
Hey hey, my my Rock and roll can never die There’s more to the picture Than meets the eye
Hey, hey, my, my Out of the blue and into the black You pay for this, but they give you that And once you’re gone, you can’t come back When you’re out of the blue and into the black
Just like the white-winged dove Sings a song, sounds like she’s singing Ooh, ooh, ooh Just like the white-winged dove Sings a song, sounds like she’s singing Ooh, baby, ooh, said ooh
And the days go by, like a strand in the wind In the web that is my own, I begin again Said to my friend, baby (everything stopped) Nothin’ else mattered
He was no more than a baby then Well, he seemed broken-hearted Something within him But the moment that I first laid Eyes on him, all alone On the edge of seventeen
Just like the white-winged dove Sings a song, sounds like she’s singing I said ooh, baby, ooh, said ooh Just like the white-winged dove Sings a song, sounds like she’s singing I said ooh, baby, ooh, said ooh
‘Hold Tight’ — Oil Painting in Black and White by kenne
Hold tight Hold tight If you wanna make this feeling stay Hold tight Hold tight Don’t let this moment fade away Hold tight Now tears gonna stay Everybody gets the chance someday Call it once it last you think you’ve got it made Not a word that anyone can say That can change the way you feel Cause you know that love is real You can choose within you fall in love Anybody any moment any way ‘Cause no matter who you chose There’s a chance that you might loose Gonna the best that I can do Hold tight
— from Hold Tight by David Romani / Davide Romani / Mauro Malavasi / Paul Adrian Slade
He had a blue wing tattooed on his shoulder Well, it might have been a bluebird, I don’t know but he’d get stone drunk and talk about Alaska The salmon boats and 45 below
Well, he got that blue wing up in Walla Walla and his cellmate there was a Little Willy John and Willie, he was once a great blues singer so Wing & Willie wrote him up a song
Let’s dance Let’s dance For fear your grace should fall Let’s dance For fear tonight is all Let’s sway You could look into my eyes Let’s sway Under the moonlight, this serious moonlight
Kae Tempest (formerly Kate Tempest) — Source: scenestr.com
I’m a new fan of Kae Tempest, an English spoken word performer, poet, recording artist, novelist, and playwright — a great performer by any measure.
— kenne
People’s Faces
[Verse 1] It’s coming to pass, my country’s coming apart The whole thing’s becoming such a bumbling farce Was that a pivotal historical moment we just went stumbling past? Well, here we are, dancing in the rumbling dark So come a little closer, give me something to grasp Give me your beautiful, crumbling heart Another disaster, catharsis Another half-discarded mirage Another mask slips I face off with the physical My head’s ringing from the love of the stars There is too much pretense here Too much depends on the fragile wages And extortionate rents here We’re working every dread day that is given us Feeling like the person people meet really isn’t us Like we’re gonna buckle underneath the trouble Like any minute now, the struggle’s going to finish us And then we smile at all our friends (Click Here for all Verses)
Kenne & Joy In New Orleans (12/26/07) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Decatur Street, New Orleans (12/26/07) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Heart Within A Heart
Ther is a heart within your heart A place go when all the trouble starts When your world spins upside down and falls apart There is a heart within your heart
There is a soul within your soul A secret room only angels know Come on baby, leave your fear, rise up and go To the soul within the soul
Rainbow In The Catalina Foothills — Image by kenne
I still believe that someday we’ll find the Rainbow Connection.
Rainbow Connection
Why are there so many Songs about rainbows And what’s on the other side Rainbows are visions They’re only illusions And rainbows have nothing to hide So we’ve been told and some chose to Believe it But I know they’re wrong wait and see
Someday we’ll find it The Rainbow Connection The lovers, the dreamers and me
Who said that every wish Would be heard and answered When wished on the morning star Somebody thought of that And someone believed it And look what it’s done so far What’s so amazing That keeps us star gazing What so we think we might see
Someday we’ll find it That Rainbow Connection The lovers the dreamers and me
Have you been fast asleep And have you heard voices, I’ve heard them calling my name, Is this the sweet sound that calls The young sailors, The voice might be one and the same. I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it It’s something that i’m supposed to be,
Someday we’ll find it The rainbow connection… The lovers, the dreamers and me La lala la lala la la la lala la la la
Kenne & Joy In New Orleans (12/26/07) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Decatur Street, New Orleans (12/26/07) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Rainbow In The Catalina Foothills — Image by kenne
