Let me start with this version.. there are so many, but I think that this is one of the two really great versions of an old blues classic! Of course the Holy Modal Rounders were from NYC in te 60s and as batshit crazy as they come. Youtube has a lot of their stuff; it's pretty memorable, if not always musical...
I guess this blog comes somewhere under 'soundtrack of my life' though with 500 GB of music on my computer it is impossible to really articulate other than I listen to music nearly 18 hours a day and I rotate through classical western and classical eastern music, jazz, old rock, new alternative rock, and so on. What catches my ear, mind or heart is a tight and well-rehearsed bit of music (usually) with good or at least potent vocals--and usually a message or an observation.. Lately I've been listening to the likes of Daughter, Azure Ray, Neko Case, Jenny Lewis and Aimee Mann... and their grandmother, Hope Sandoval. So... where am I going with this? well, I think that seeking inspiration and continuously exploring the world of art and artists is a fundamental ... responsibility? dharma? gift? of life...
I am an astrologer and I deal with a lot of heavy situations day in and day out--suicides, assisted suicides, missing children, terminal diagnoses, etc. I also teach very advanced classes in Hinduism (Advaita Vedanta and Samkhya), NeoPlatonism, and Chinese philosophy. Not exactly toe-tapping stuff. I draw a great deal of wisdom and strength from these deep and enduring philosophies which I find often more insightful and accurate in giving guidance to those in severe trauma, tragedy or mere bewilderment. So the contrast with more or less contemporary music keeps me.. balanced? going? nourished.. certainly that, and energized, and refreshed... So... I find that this little blog is really a thank you to the musicians and artists of this world -- so very few of whom have easy lives, and so many of whom battle so many demons and naysayers most of the days of their lives... so.. thank you, songmakers, thank you, band members, thank you muses for your inspiration!
oh, and here's the other version:
