Cooler Heads Will Prevail
(You may define "cool" in whatever way you choose)
OK, I doubt that Cambridge or Oxford will show us that Johnny Rotten spirit. I’m not even sure if the Sex Pistols ever even played at either town. But right now, in North America, anarchy feels like a pretty good option.
I’m looking at politicians of all stripes who look at global climate change, and the intense and deadly weather that follows, but keep on building oil pipelines and selling gasoline powered cars with one person in each one.
There seems to be an unending list of formerly banished, sometimes deadly diseases, that are spreading through schools, and to adults as well, because some fools have been convinced that vaccines are an evil voodoo thing that will… well, I just can’t be bothered to find out.
I do follow UK politics, as well as Canada, and inevitably, the US. I can’t imagine how anything that Starmer has done in any way fits what I see as “Labour” or left-wing politics. It just baffles me how someone supposedly on the Left, with a massive majority, can instead become so cruel and somehow kowtow to Trump.
In any event, our UK trip is slowly coming together. Our GoFundMe for Susan is collecting donations. (Hint. Hint.) The Vancouver Sun is planning a nice story for next weekend. Exact travel dates are awaiting word of a handful of health things that ideally will be dealt with before we leave.
Once again I’m looking at the contents of our apartment and asking: what do we take, what do we sell, what do we discard, and what do we store?
And of course I’m once again into the whole question of health insurance: what will the NHS cover, even if I’m just a “visitor?” Or should we spend $800-900 US a month for private travel coverage — which excludes the one thing that merits attention - heart issues. Or is it better to just bite the bullet, apply for a full UK visa, and pay the additional amount to jumpstart NHS coverage?
Then there’s mail: postal mail. Whether you like it or not, there’s always some small amount of letter-mail that needs to get into your hands. I just renewed our Liverpool NS to Vancouver BC forwarding for another four months ($91.77 CAD). Once we know what we’re doing, and have a UK address, we’ll need to add a Vancouver to UK forward. (Minimum $283.50 CDN!)
The challenge of all of this is simple: Going to Oxford or Cambridge is extraordinarily expensive. Plus Cambridge is a one-year program, while Oxford is two. When your starting point is £ 40,000 a year in tuition, these things matter very much, as does the success of your fundraising efforts.
And yes, we could just sell the house in Nova Scotia, but that seems a bit extreme. The Mazda and the Steinway piano, though, may be up for grabs.
The next month is going to be incredibly busy, incredibly stressful, and incredibly exciting.
Visa decisions. Housing decisions. Shipping and packing decisions. Medical decisions. All happening while maintaining some kind of regular life, and getting to the gym, and enjoying the occasional bottle of wine.
And to some degree trying to guess whether this is a one or two year move, or something more permanent.
The truth is that what’s keeping me going, aside from the thrill of living in yet another country, and one very, very close to France, is finally getting back into listening to music.
A lot of that revolves around Hamilton. One of my favourite albums of all time is “Kings of Love”, by Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. Somehow the combination of Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing, and Colin Linden transcends the work that any of them has done as solo artists. And whether they’re doing new songs, or covering their own past recordings, it’s just glorious. And yes, they have more albums, but wow, if you can get your hands on this, grab a double CD copy.
Check out this Fred Eaglesmith cover.
Hamilton is also home to producer Daniel Lanois. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Lanois album - either as a producer or performer - that wasn’t a true delight. I wish that my ears were half as magical as his.
One current favorite for me is the album he produced with Emmylou Harris. Don’t just listen to Harris, who is of course divine. Listen to the production, on good speakers or headphones. The drums, the bass, the guitars and everything. I mean, this is real loud, rock and roll mixing, but still Harris’ vocal shine.
And, my favorite.
Well, I work the double shift
In a bookstore on St. Clair
While he pushed the burning ingots
In Dofasco stinking air
Where the truth bites and stings
I remember just what we were
As the noon bell rings for
Blackhawk and the white winged dove.
This is a song that captures a place - Hamilton, Ontario. A fading steeltown, but also a place with heart and soul like few others, a place that leaves people with great, powerful memories.
And from further south, Tom Russell, an American singer-songwriter who, quite simply, knows how to construct a song. Sometimes when you’re surrounded by music theorists and classical music performers you lose sight of that specific glorious talent: words and music, three minutes, telling a tale. And OK, he can sing too.
And, I just discovered, he was hanging out in Vancouver in the 70s. It’s entirely possible I saw him then.
But he can have fun too…. love that Mexican accordion.
“Everything’s gone straight to hell
Since Sinatra played Jaurez.”
At the end of the day I’m rediscovering that it’s music that will get me through all of this, and, in all honestly, it’ll be American music. For whatever reason, these are the singers and songs that hit me right in the heart.
And I love that.