Another Incredibly Old Bugger dies.
He's the beautiful one, with the pink scarf, playing guitar like a fallen angel, making Bob Dylan look good. He won't be staying Forever Young - no-one gets out of here alive, or so I'm told. Robbie Robertson, July 5th 1943 to August 9th 2023, was a Canadian musician of Mohawk descent, lead guitarist for Bob Dylan in the mid-Sixties to the early Seventies, guitarist and songwriter with the Band from their formation until 1978 and a solo artist. He worked with Martin Scorsese, initially in his 1978 documentary of The Last Waltz - the last concert of The Band, in which Scorsese's camera adores Robbie, and thereafter on soundtracks for Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), Casino (1995), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), The Irishman (2019) and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). He wrote The Weight, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Up on Cripple Creek, Broken Arrow and Somewhere Down the Crazy River. If you haven't seen The Last Waltz - you really, really should.
When I was first starting my addiction to Radio 4, I never knew who the General Go-Lightly Jock-Straps and Sir Humphrey Bufton-Tuftons were, enriching us with their appalling music choices on Desert Island Discs. These days, I've heard of all the interviewees and think they are far too young to be sharing their life's musical choices. Same with the obituaries of folk in their seventies and eighties dropping off the twig. Worse, though, are the elderly still strutting their withered stuff on rock music stages. Best to avert one's eyes and remember them when they were young and beautiful.
I have to report to Ishmaelia the passing, on the 18th July, of Mr. Harris of Lanarkshire, the BlogDog and dear companion of mr ishmael and my own dear little warm brown friend. My heart is broken and the house is empty without him.
On a lighter note, you may remember that mr ishmael always knew where his car keys were - in the ignition of his unlocked car. The Orcadian newspaper reported last Thursday the dastardly introduction to Orkney of taking ways from South. " You just don't think it happens here" were the surprised and indignant words of a young Orcadian woman, whose red Ford Focus car was stolen from outside her King Harald Kloss home in the centre of Kirkwall, Orkney's capital city, the theft being facilitated by the car having been left unlocked, with the keys nice and handy in the ignition. Rather than report the theft to the police, the lieges were enlisted, through social media, to find the car, which they very quickly did, less than 9 miles away, parked and locked. Over the next couple of days, two further cars were stolen, but soon recovered. It has been blamed on "unruly youths". The police have suggested that it might be a good idea for people to lock their cars and homes. Such an idea! Don't suppose it will catch on.
The taking and unsolicited sending of dick pics remains a popular pastime in Orkney, and, I daresay, elsewhere - The Orcadian recently reported that a care worker had been struck off for sending a photo of his engorged member to a female acquaintance. So I thought you might enjoy the following response by British writer Sarah-Louise Jordan who received, from a stranger, in June 2016, an unsolicited photograph of his penis:
13 comments:
Very sorry to hear about Mr. Harris, Mrs I.
Thank you, mr bungalow bill. I can't write any more about it at present, as it is too sad. He was such a good boy.
My your grief not be too heavy, Mrs. Ishmael. I lost my 17-year-old cat a few weeks ago. It's painful, but I'm glad to have given her an easy and pleasant life. You undoubtedly feel the same about your late little friend.
--Tennessee Budd
Condolences, Mrs I, on your sad loss.
Thank you, mr tennessee budd and condolences on the loss of your little old cat. Seventeen is a grand old age and I'm sure she achieved such an age because of your loving care. Harris was only 12 - a mere boy in comparison - but he had pancreatitis, was an insulin-dependent diabetic, had a heart condition and a tumour on his liver. His suffering is over now. A dear little soul, and, if there are any Elysian fields, I hope he's running through them with his beloved Mister ishmael.
Thank you, mr mike, for your kind thought.
So sorry to hear about your little four legged friend: I have your entry "Harris has some friends round for dinner" in my bookmarks. I think it's time to read it again. Johnny.
Sorry to hear about Mr harris, mrs i.
Thank you, mr johnny - I just re-read Harris has some friends.... and saw your kind comment on that post. Lord, he was a big character back in the day and he's much missed now.
Thankyou, mr mongoose. At least Harry got to star on the cover of the last anthology, lifting his leg against the Viking totem pole down on the Barrier beach. That's how we shall remember him- a brave warrior in his adopted county of Orkney.
I had an old mate in town at the w/e, mrs i. He'd been driving from France and was unaware of Robbie's passing. We sank a couple and put The Last Waltz on - "One more time!" I am surprised that The Band has not been cancelled btw. Perhaps they have got away with it because of all those Canadians wandering about the place. Levon was easily as important to the project as RR though. Robbie was content and performance and Levon was the soul of it all. the others too, a unique combination of very fine musicians of a like mind. And they decided not to push their luck and who can blame them?
St Joni delivered a tour de force live 'Coyote' btw and perhaps only Robbie on that show played the guitar better than she did. She gave him a look or two as he was off twanging and riffing on his own planet Robinson while she zapped it out in her newly discovered non-folky, worldly and aghast way. As you say, if you have not seen it...
That's a nice story, mr mongoose - you and your mate raising a glass to Robbie. I last saw it with mr ishmael - a long time ago, now. I have a clear memory of Scorsese showcasing Robbie - he's in shot, looking beautiful, whenever he's on stage - must have had a pash on him. My understanding was that the Band's demise was driven by Robbie and imposed on the others rather than a mutual decision - and certainly, Robbie had other fish to fry.
Formidably ugly woman, Joni Mitchell, with a truly weird voice. Anything she did, Judy Collins did it better.
That, I'll have you know, mrs i, is a hate crime. Pretty shaming St Joni is the same as spitting on a chap's mutton pie, so it is. And jst vecause she has enough teeth for three mouths. You wouldn't have dared if herself was still in charge up there.
BTW, my lady, is she in jail yet?
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