Where Did The Time Go…? A playlist for the next 70 years!
[. Ed. Note – rex turns 70 years old today!
In recognition of this historic day, he has provided a “self- interview” in conjunction with curating a definitive 70 song playlist entitled “OPUS 70 by gwilliamrex” Here we go!]
rex: It has been 46 crazy years since indie and post- punk music crashed into my life and took up permanent residence I intend to touch on some of my favourite/ memorable songs since that time. There will be more from the ‘early days’ to provide a sense of what took me by storm, but I am going to try and hit on music that relates to records/ experiences I have had from as many of these glorious years as I can. Some of the songs are well known “ indie hits.” Others are lesser known but had an outsized impact on me.
Let’s get started. [Note- as I send this I note there are a few touchups to follow…]
I am going to attach the SPOTIFY playlist here in case you want to listen to the music, but not read the minutiae.
1979- I was introduced to punk and post punk music while Sports editor for the University Of Western Ontario Gazette student paper in London, Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 in my final year of law school. This was done on the recommendation of MIKE and BRAD, the Enyettainmeny family
A band from the (other) London 🇬🇧 were named WIRE. Their 3rd LP was titled “154”. It was one of the first two post- punk LP’s I purchased . I had never heard anything that impacted me so immediately. WIRE became my second favourite band ever it turns out. Here is the opening track “I Should Have Known Better”- a dissolving romance expressed in legal phrases. Brilliant …
1979- The 2nd LP was “Drums and Wires” by Swindon 🇬🇧 outfit XTC. The most well- known tune was “Making Plans For Nigel.” The video looks like an homage to STANLEY KUBRICK’S classic film “A Clockwork Orange.”
1980. It all started going haywire for me in February 1980. I got to see the punk/ ska band the SPECIALS from Coventry 🇬🇧While they were playing, audience members were climbing on stage and wildly dancing in and around the band. The football player sized bouncers started grabbing them and literally tossing them off the stage! Chaos.After about 5 songs, the band stopped and walked off. I was furious thinking these guys had messed up this amazing gig. What I hadn’t yet absorbed was the proper punk attitude, because when the band returned, lead singer TERRY HALL (who later became “famous” for co-writing the song “Our Lips Are Sealed” by THE GO- GO’S) went to the mic and stated in his thick Midlands accent, “The bouncers are ruining the fookin’ gig! If the people wanna dance, let em fookin’ dance.” They started up again and within 10 seconds I was cheek to cheek on stage with Terry singing and dancing! After the song, everybody returned to their seats and the set proceeded smoothly. Ironically, my pass stated “No Stage!” LOL. My life was forever changed. This was the scene for me. The video below is of their song “Gangster” from 1980 and gives you a sense of the beautiful chaos.
1980- I finished law school on May 3, 1980. A couple of weeks later, I travelled to Port Huron to buy music by an up and coming band from Manchester called JOY DIVISION 🇬🇧. I had been given a cassette with a few of their songs and was stunned how dark and moving the music was. When I entered Full Moon Records I saw this cover on theNME on the newsstand:I was gobsmacked as I had been so keen on this new band. I bought this, their debut and, at that time, only LP, “Unknown Pleasures” I bought a 7” record as well- “Transmission b/w Novelty”. To this day it remains my favourite song.JOY DIVISION – “Unknown Pleasures” Factory Records (FAC 10) (1979)
1980- One could argue that JOHNNY ROTTEN put punk music on the map and JOHN LYDON did the same for post-punk. This is one and the same person. The SEX PISTOLS made punk rock known with their bombastic singles and single LP- “Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols.” After the PISTOLS imploded, lead singer LYDON took on his legal name and form forms for formed PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED 🇬🇧 (also known as P.I.L.) For their second LP the band mad it extra long and sold it in a metal film canister. This forced the user to extricate the vinyl from the very tight canister. The LP was strange but intoxicating. Ironically, on the same day IAN CURTIS passed, May 18, 1980, PIL appeared on and destroyed the weekly American music show “AMERICAN BANDSTAND.” Here is a video of that insane 2 song appearance leaving host DICK CLARK in a state of toxic shock. The songs are “Poptones” and “Careering” from the “Metal Box”1980- GANG OF FOUR were from Leeds 🇬🇧 I first saw them at BOOKIES on 6 Mile in Detroit in early May. The tiny place was packed and the stage was just one set of risers. I was at the front and could have touched ANDY GILL’S (RIP) guitar or vocalist JON KING’S (no relation) mic. Here is “Damaged Goods” where the band speaks of romance in terms of a grocery store transaction.
1980- One of the seminal punk bands were THE BUZZCOCKS 🇬🇧 While I loved that outfit I qas more partial to the band MAGAZINE, founded by the departed HOWARD DEVOTO. My favourite track comes from their 3rd LP- “The Correct Use Of Soap” entitled “Song From Under The Floorboards.” Rumour has it that the song is channeling the novel “Metamorphosis” by FRANZ KAFKA
1980- THE CURE- “Seventeen Seconds” (Fiction Records 1980) Some of the bands I collected actually became commercially successful. I saw U2 live at two smaller venues in Detroit. This was before they became huge and Paul Hewson’s head got so big he thought it gave him the right and obligation to tell me what to think and how I should behave. One outlier band that I still love and that has had huge commercial success is THE CURE. In 1980, they evolved from a new wave band to a sound that was dark but comforting. My favourite CURE song from the moment I heard this LP to today is “A Forest.”.
1981- Not all of my favourite bands achieved commercial glory. Many of the songs on this list are not well known- even to other indie keeners. One such band/ song was from an outfit from Lancashire called TV21. The song is “Snakes and Ladders from their 1981 LP entitled “A Thin Red Line.” It would be 28 years before the next release by this amazing outfit.
1981- It would be 18 months from the death of IAN CURTIS until I got to see successor band NEW ORDER live. I posted about this recently with “In A Lonely Place” (SONG #1251.) Here is a version of debit single “Ceremony” (actually a JOY DIVISION tune) performed live in New York City just 4 days before I saw them in Toronto. Daughter Meghan’s favourite NEW ORDER tune.
1982- THE SOUND- “From The Lions Mouth” (Korova, 1981) This LP was released in late 1981, but was first heard by me in early 1982 just before my call to the Ontario Bar. It is one of my all- time favourite LPs. “Sense Of Purpose” is one of my favourite tracks, along with the monumental “New Dark Age”. The latter was one of the most astonishing songs on first listen ever for me. The lyric “from the safest places come the bravest words” has become part of my everyday lexicon over these many years. Listen to it and let it sink in.
1983- On one my all time favourite artists is MATT JOHNSON, the core of he band THE THE. “Soul Mining” is among my top 10 all time faves. I could pick any sing from this LP, but am going to choose “Uncertain Smile” as it contains my favourite keyboards on ANY record I have ever heard compliments of JOOLS HOLLAND, the current host of “Late Night with SOOLS HOLLAND.”
1983- Many have stated that the LP “Ocean Rain” by Liverpudlians ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN is a “perfect” album. I am among them. In fact, I would submit that the first four ECHO LPs were a good as the first four records from any post/ punk band. However, it is a track from their third LP “Porcupine” that is my favourite Bunnymen song. Here is “Back of Love.”
1984- The mid- 80’s indie world was dominated by sounds emanating from Manchester 🇬🇧. THE SMITHS were incredibly creative and productive for consecutive years before imploding. My favourite SMITHS song is one of my all-time champs. “How Soon Is Now” is sounds unlike all other SMITH tunes in my respectful opinion.
1984- One of the most enigmatic characters I indie music these many years is simply know as LAWRENCE. (I actually had to look up his surname – Hayward). Here he is pictured with my friend and Group Member JOHN ROBB of the MEMBRANES. LAWRENCE’S first and most enduring band was FELT. They put out 10 records in 10 years and then disbanded. The song “Primitive Painters from 3rd LP still gets regular play by me. It it noteworthy because of the shimmering guitars AND features vocal from LIZ FRASER of COCTEAU TWINS” fame.
1985- it was late 1985 that that these upstart Scots 🏴 entered my life and took up residency in one of the premier suites. I was fortunate to see them in Toronto that year almost as a fluke. In these early days JAMC gigs were short, shambolic and chaotic events lasting less than 30 minutes. To see WILLIAM REID facing the speakers for maximum feedback over brother JIM’s vocals with the soon to be much more famous BOBBY GILLESPIE standing while playing the snare drums is an image I have never forgotten. Here is the closest video I can find that demonstrates this. The song, “Never Understand” ranks in my all- time favourite 10 songs. It is like a BEACH BOYS song played while someone is taking a c chain saw to the equipment… [P.S. I just noticed this week that Paste Magazine ranked “Psychocandy” as the 6th best record of 1985. Of the 30 listed, I own 13.]
1985- One of the founding of XTC was BARRY ANDREWS (keyboards) and DAVE ALLEN was the original bass player for GANG OF FOUR, They left their respective bands and joined up with CARL MARSH to form SHRIEKBACK. They recorded a short LP called “Tench.” It was supposed to be a one- off but in various shapes and permutations, SHRIEKBACK are still recording today! The track that most influence me (among many) is “Nemesis.”An anti- war cry, the video included a clip of MARLON BRANDO speaking of “horror” as Colonel Kurtz in “APOCALYPSE NOW.” The only song out of the 145,000 plus in my collection that speaks of “parthenogenesis” btw.
1986- How could I have ever projected out to the photo above when I walked into MATT’S little indie record store in 1986 and he handed me a 12” double a sided EP by a Manchester band named B.F.G 🏴. He said it had just arrived and he was as saving a copy for me because he knew I would love it. “Paris / Amelia” was the record . Matt was correct. Both songs are amazing. They are both best described as if they weee the SISTERS OF MERCY playing with the sensibility of NEW ORDER. Many years later I made a connection with MIKE SIMKINS, a founding member of B.F.G. After the band ended MIKE became a commercial airline pilot. He has written a 3 volume book about his airline industry safety issues. I was honoured to be asked by MIKE to write one of two Forwards to the 1st volume. (The late MARK LANEGAN wrote the other.) KIMBERLY and I spent a day in London with MIKE and his wife, the wonderful LISA (SIMKINS) DUNN, in 2018. Then, in July of this year, I was their houseguest in Shropshire for 3 glorious days of music and friendship. The picture above is of the 3 of us on July 12, 2025 at a music festival in LLANGOLLEN, WALES. Here is “Amelia” performed live in Germany in 2018. An all- time fave of mine not known by many. Spread the word.
1987- One of the great psych bands of the indie era, this band from Rugby 🇬🇧 was known as SPACEMEN 3. PETE KEMBER (SONIC BOOM) (in the sunglasses) and JASON PIERCE (J Spaceman) (in the black) eventually had a personal breakdown and eventually split into SPECTRUM/ SONIC BOOM and JASON has had a remarkable career as the founder the band SPIRITUALIZED. Here is a SPACEMEN 3 track “Mary-Anne”
1988- WARNING – THIS SONG CONTAINS LYRICS THAT MIGHT BE DISTURBING TO SOME. McCARTHY 🇬🇧 were a classic indies band. They took their name from that of the U.S. Senator that went after Communists in the 1950’s. Avowed Marxists they wrote seemingly simple, jangly indie pop with saccharine sounding but devastatingly pointed lyrics. And so it is with this track I have loved for nearly 40 years. It is entitled “Should The Bible Be Banned?” Unlike many indie songs the lyrics are easy to make out. I will let the song speak for itself.
1989- GEORGE ANDREW TANNER KING (D.O.B. AUGUST 19, 1989) is not to as “ANDREW” for nothing. SISTERS OF MERCY 🇬🇧 and lead singer ANDREW ELDRITCH were prominent in my listening throughout the late 80’s. This song, “This Corrosion” is, somewhat ironically, one of his favourite songs. It was a thrill to take him to see them live for his first time two years ago
1989- THE PIXIES were one of the American bands that was among my faves. They were an outfit out of Boston 🇺🇸 that arrived in the late 80’s. Their sound was both unique and compelling. One of my favourites (as well as a mess of others) was this track “Monkey’s Gone To Heaven.” Like a nova shooting across my indie sky, the departure of KIM DEAL (listed as “Mrs. John Murphy” after a few memorable LPs dealt the band a colossal artistic blow.
1990- The 90’s brought about some new trends in indie music. One of those monickers was “Grunge” of which NIRVANA were the most successful. I gravitated more to another style of music that took hold around this time that is referred to as “Shoegaze”. One of the bands that has carried the flag for this feedback different style of music has been THE TELESCOPES. They are still recording today with STEPHEN LAWRIE being a sole constant. The 30th anniversary of their debut LP “Taste” (FUZZ CLUB LABEL) describes their music as “30 Years Of Sonic Imbalance.” Their song “Everso” is offered as an exhibit in this respect.
1991- Another less prominent style of 90’s indie found its’ genesis when CLARE WADD and MATT HAYNES founded SARAH RECORDS. Over 100 7” singles (each including a bit of ephemera related to the City of Bristol) along with a clutch of LPs and 10” records championed what many today call “dreampop.” One of the early “SARAH”bands was called THE FIELD MICE. The mainstay was BOBBY WRATTEN. He wrote songs that looked at the sadness and imperfections of love. One of the band’s early “hits” was called “Sensitive”. It has been in regular rotation ever since.
1991- No band is more universally referred with the “shoegaze” label than this group. Originating in Ireland 🇮🇪 and 🇬🇧, MY BLOODY VALENTINE have released limited, but highly influential, shoegaze music. Since their epoch defining 1991 LP, “Loveless” they have only released one other full length since. The absence of lead Valentine KEVIN SHIELDS over this many years became the stuff of legends. The band P.S. I LOVE YOU recorded an excellent track in 2001 entitled “Where The F&$k is Kevin Shields. Finally, the MBV silence was broken 2013. The MBV release was not telegraphed and once word got out the traffic trying to acquire the LP crashed the site. If you feel disoriented after listening to “Only Shallow” – perfect. That is what the music is designed to do.
1992- One of the most transformative bands for me has been PRIMAL SCREAM 🏴 From drumming for the JESUS & MARY CHAIN and being in Factory Records band THE WAKE, BOBBY GILLESPIE transported this outfit from indie pop to dance gods with this truly transformational LP. I could have selected any track from this era defining record but I have selected “Loaded” I trust you will approve.
1992- The most prolific band in my collection are Mancunian THE FALL 🇬🇧 MARK E. SMITH (above) was the only constant member from its’ founding in 1976 until his death 66 different band members later in 2018. Here is my favourite of the nearly 500 FALL songs in my collection- “Free Range.”
1992- Another shoegaze legend rolled out of Oxford 🇬🇧 in the late 80’s. RIDE’S first few singles knocked me off my feet with the soaring sound. However, for this interview, my first (of two) selections by RIDE is this soaring masterpiece from their 2nd LP “Going Blank Again” on Creation Records.
1993- There was so much good music being released at this time. My CD player was literally being stuff with music I have enjoyed forever. For a while, this band, THE BOO RADLEYS actually occupied the poll position. This was mostly on the strength of this LP entitled “Giant Steps” (also on Creation Records). Here is “Lazarus”
1993- LOU BARLOW, rex. No, this photo is not from 1993. It is from August, 2023 when LOU played at METEOR here in Wïndsor. Back in the day, LOU BARLOW 🇺🇸 was a member of DINOSAUR JR. Friction between he and J. MASCIS led to a split and BARLOW has recorded in a number of outfits since. He founded the band SEBADOH and also has recorded as SENTRIDOH, FOLK IMPLOSION and as a solo artist. My favourite track from any of his highly artistic vehicles is this one. It is an achingly beautiful song called “Brand New Love.” I never tire of it and never will. LOU was kind enough to play it when I saw him for the first time as pictured above. I showed the video of that at song 1187 on August 24, 2025. Here is the studio video. Remember these words as I have for over 30 years now: “Follow what you feel, because you alone decide what’s real”
1994- When KIM DEAL departed the PIXIES 🇺🇸, I was devastated. It seemed like that band would never be the same. In many respects that was true. Kim formed THE BREEDERS with her sister KELLEY DEAL (guitar), JIM MACPHERSON (drums) and Brit JOSEPHINE WIGGS (bass) from THE PERFECT DISASTER 🇬🇧 Their 2nd LP, “Last Splash” (30th anniversary vinyl pictured above) was released in the fall of 1993 and had serious play by me well into 1994. The centrepiece of this 4AD record is the 2nd track, “Cannonball.” Brace yourself. This is one powerful tune.
1995- Enter a band that today has one of the largest discographies in my collection and a great name to boot! The name BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE is derived from an amalgam of the names of original ROLLING STONES band member BRIAN JONES and the terrible Kool Aid poison massacre of faithful in Jonestown, Guyana in 1981. The band has had one constant member, ANTON NEWCOMBE over their turbulent history. See the movie “Dig” if you want proof. My first (of many) BJM songs is this one – “Wisdom.”
1996- Scotland again. I am introduced to one of my all- time faves ARAB STRAP (look it up.) AIDAN MOFFAT and MALCOLM MIDDLETON make off-kilter music with lyrics about everyday life in their hometown of Falkirk. I am enthralled from the get go. Here is “The First Big Weekend Of Summer” – a treatise on drinking, clubbing, ex-girlfriends and hanging about.
1997- Throughout these busy 17-18 years I was always waiting for the next NEW ORDER release. There had been 4-5 choice LPs and then some side acts appeared. I didn’t know it then but it was a foreshadowing of the eventual cracks and the end of NEW ORDER. Bass player PETER HOOK put out some great stuff as REVENGE, apparently a response to BERNARD SUMMNER’S outfit “ELECTRONIC”. Then in 1997 HOOK established MONACO with guitarist DAVID POTTS. Here is the track “What Do You Want From Me” joining the list. A Hall Of Fame song for me.
1998- One of my top LPs of 1998 was this one. It is entitled “Mezzanine” by MASSIVE ATTACK out of Bristol 🇬🇧. This is an astonishing slice of delight. My favourite track is “Teardrop” that (like Primitive Painters above) features LIZ FRASER of COCTEAU TWINS with haunting vocals.
1999- There are certainly a disproportionate number of my favourite bands that come from Scotland 🏴. I could probably have done a 70 track playlist limited to Scottish outfits and been totally satisfied. One of the titans has been BELLE & SEBASTIAN from Glasgow. They released an LP in 1998 entitled “The Boy With The Arab Strap.” They named it after their friends in the band ARAB STRAP who were none too happy having their band name used as the title to someone else’s track. Ironically, B & S leader STUART MURDOCH was unaware what an arab strap was, making the whole thing hilarious. Over the years the band plays the song live by adding members of the audience to the stage. Here is a version frimnGKAATINBURY in 2015 to give you a sense. I wonder how many Joe many of them know what they are dancing to…
1999- For me, the best all-girl fronted band is SLEATER- KINNEY. Formed in Olympia, Washington 🇺🇸 in the mid 90’s, CORIN TUCKER, CARRIE BROWNSTEIN (Later of Portlandia fame) and JANET WEISS made nearly 10 searing LPs before drummer WEISS departed. In 1998 I was literally obsessed with this gem entitled “Burn, Don’t Freeze” off their LP “The Hot Rock”. The interplay of the jealous lover’s lyrics to the unfaithful partner are unparalleled. I hope you agree.The Box Set
1999- An American band that wormed their way into my psyche in 1999 was WHEAT, from Massachusetts. My favourite track is from their second LP, “Hope and Adams.” It was produced by the legendary DAVE FRIDMANN. The song is “No One Ever Told Me”.
2000– A photo of indie legend POLLY- JEAN HARVEY (better known P. J. HARVEY) 🇬🇧. One of the towers of indie, P.J. Has been making raw, sensual and incredibly powerful music for more than 30 years. Here she is with “Is This Love” from her highly successful 1999 LP entitled “Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea.”
2004- MARK LANEGAN USA 🇺🇸 and PJ HARVEY 🇬🇧 blended their immense talents in 2004 to record “Hit The City” on the LP “Bubblegum.” In the year before he sadly died in 2022, MARK actually penned a Forward the book “Pulling Wings From Butterflies” by CAPTAIN MIKE SIMKINS of BFG. The other was written by yours truly.
2005- LOW 🇺🇸 were slo-core legends from Minnesota. Primarily the husband and wife couple of MIMI PARKER and ALAN SPARHAWK, LOW released 13 studio LPs from 1994 to 2021. Sadly, MIMI died of cancer in 2022. One of my favourite LOW tracks is “California” from this LP- “The Great Destroyer” produced by DAVE FRIDMANN.
2006 literally running a few minutes into 2007- For many years Kimberly and I would travel to Chicago after Christmas over New Years. In December 31, 2006 it was very mild. We decided to go see this movie at 10pm. If you haven’t seen it, do so. “Children Of Men” is a dystopian story set in 2027. There have been no children born anywhere in the world in 20 years and things are getting frantic. I will say no more other than to say it was my favourite movie of 2006! As the credits rolled in this not-to busy theatre it was just about midnight. I usually stay to watch all of the credits. They started to run and a song was playing. As it ended I started to move to join Kim who was halfway out. A second song started to play with the credits. A few seconds in I stopped in my tracks in this now-empty theatre upon hearing a voice well- known to me say “Well, did you hear there is a natural order? Those most deserving will end up with the most…” I shouted “THAT’S JARVIS COCKER!” I listened to the end to hear the full song as the calendar clicked into 2007. Walking 15 minutes back to our hotel in shirt sleeves we had much to discuss about the ALFONSO CUARÔN movie. Turns out that in his debut solo release “Jarvis” from 2005, PULP singer JARVIS COCKER had slipped this song in the CD version following 25 min of silence after what I thought was the last track of the album. “Running The World” is both shocking for its message and repeated use of a word I won’t but if I told you how many times I have listened to this song (rated the greatest protest song ever by NME) you might question my sanity. When I told JARVIS the impact this song has had on my life when I met him in July this year, his wife, also Kim, told me I was about to make her cry. First a picture with Jarvis and then the song. Again with a LANGUAGE WARNING.
2007- One of my favourite electronic artist is ULRICH SCHNAUSS 🇩🇪 🇬🇧. I have all his releases and was thrilled to see him in a smaller room at ROYAL ALBERT HALL, London in 2013. My favourite of many is this one “Stars”2007- LCD SOUNDSYSTEM release the LP “The Sound Of Silver.” Frontman JAMES MURPHY and his partner NANCY WHANG (above) hit the mark (again) with the legendary track “North American Scum” – Listen carefully as the song fades out as MURPHY opines, “…don’t blame the Canadians”. That line makes me laugh every time I hear Scum this song, including live in Detroit earlier this year.
2008- Another brilliant Scottish 🏴 outfit was FRIGHTENED RABBIT. Lead singer SCOTT HUTCHINSON (1981- 2018.) is pictured above. I loved this band. I took my 4 oldest kids to see this band on Detroit I loved them so much. I saw a random ad on Twitter a year or so later offering a single ticket for their gig in Toronto the next to a good home. I arranged for the ticket from JAMIE who lives in Vancouver for daughter Courtney who lives in Toronto to attend. Then, when I next trip to Vancouver returned the favour with a beer and a bite and a wonderful music friendship started. Group member JAMIE is originally from Scotland and had a connection to this band. I consider this song to be the most romantic ever. Life is not all roses and sweet nothings. You will likely disagree or be very confused about that statement but it masters not. Here it is- “Modern Leper”
2008- Of the 200O or so artists I have collected these many years there are a few outliers. They are outliers because they have not obtained widespread recognition even in the smaller indie circles I generally travel. A number of those artists are featured in this interview. SECRET SHINE are one of them. Their total output these many years would not exceed 70 songs, maybe less if I take the time to count. However, I love every single song they have recorded. There must be something in their arrangements that resonates with certain of my brain cells. When I learned SECRET SHINE were releasing a new LP in 2008, I was ecstatic. I knew it was being released just before we were travelling to Napa Valley and could not bear the thought of having to wait to arrive home to listen. The solution? Have the CD shipped from the mail order shop in OREGON to the inn we would be staying at in Napa. All of the stars aligned and “All OF The Stars” by SECRET SHINE was waiting for me on arrival! (Excuse my bad pun.) Maybe it was the situation and cruising down the quieter back roads of the Silverado Trail in the Stag’s Leap District all week with this gem blasting in the rental convertible Mustang, but to this day, first song “Voice Of The Sea” remains one of my all-time favourite opening tracks. Here it is in the studio version and then a live version on a rare trip to North America by the band in 2013.
2009- After the breakup (tentatively as it worked out) of ARAB STRAP, both MALCOLM MIDDLETON and AIDAN MOFFAT performed under different menus. Here is the single by MALCOLM entitled “A Brighter Beat” to make the case..
BOB MOULD again, time we encounter the brilliant guitarist BOB MOULD from his LP with the most depressing song. The song is “Again and Again” from his scintillating Spinsirshi “2009 2010- The randomness of life can be both tragic, and, when things go well, one of its true pleasures. This wonderful random bit of my life started in 2006. While waiting to switch flights from Phoenix AZ. to Santa Barbara, CA to join my family, I purchased a “Paste” magazine at the airport. This monthly magazine always had a sampler CD attached as a means of bands promoting their music. On arriving in SB, I picked up a rental vehicle and on the way into town popped in the CD. As strange and random as it might seem, Track 3 altered the course of my life. The song was by a British singer/ songwriter named DAVID FORD 🇬🇧. The track was called “I Don’t Care What You Call Me.” It is an incredible tune capturing the dying days of a relationship in a way that would make French author MARCEL PROUST (1871- 1922) proud if we’re ever to hear it. Later in LA on that I found FORD’S debut LP “I Sincerely Apologize For All The Trouble I Have Caused” at the incredible Amoeba Records Store. We played it in the car. Now, KIMBERLY likes some of “my music” but not all. (See NICK CAVE, TINDERSTICKS and BELLE & SEBASTIAN to name a few.) We listened to this LP and she too loved the music of DAVID FORD. Fast forward to 2010. I travel to London, Ontario on a week night to see DAVID play there. I invite he and his pal Stu to stay in Windsor at my place that night while en route through Windsor to the next gig in Chicago. (Kimberly and the kids were in Florida for March break that week.) That night became a chapter in DAVID’s book (Copies of the chapter available on request.) We visit he and his wife EMMA In London Uk that October. In 2013 and 2016 Kim and I hold and promote gigs with David in Wïndsor as you can see above. At a second private show at our residence in 2013, DAVID tells the assembled friends of ours there that “George has a passion for music that borders on a disability.” (This website and this post is probably proof of that statement and I hope it is my epitaph someday a long time from now. ) Here is that initial song which became the seed of a life- long friendship as sung in our house the next morning.
2010- There was a period during 2009 to 2011 when I was calling the band JOY FORMIDABLE 🏴 my favourite new band. We happened to on vacay with the kids in SF in August of 2010 when I was able to catch them on tour. You can see proof of this if you check out the personal signed special edition CD from “A Balloon Called Moaning.” (2009- Pure Groove)
2010- October to be specific. I work in excess of 70 hours over 5 days, including the last 28 straight to assist a client negotiate 4 collective agreements with a strike deadline that Saturday morning. I leave the hotel around noon and Kimberly and I are on a plane that evening overnight to LONDON UK. Kim gave me an over- the- counter sleep aide pill. 💊 It was the first and last time in my life I have ever taken anything to sleep. I was unbelievably fidgety on the plane. All I could do was listen to this new song over and over the entire flight. The song is “Desire Lines.” BRADFORD COX is the frontman for Atlanta based DEERHUNTER 🇺🇸 (He was later in the movie “Dallas Buyer’s Club”) Their new LP, “Halcyon Days” had just been released 3 weeks earlier. I was obsessed with this song then and still am listening to it often now- 25 years later. Guitarist LOCKETT PUNDT actually sings the lyrics in this song instead of COX. (Bradford is on the left side of the screen in the video,)
2011- ERIKA MICHELLE ANDERSON performs as EMA. In the period around 2011 she was among my most listened to artists. Here is the devastating song “California” from the LP “Past Life Martyred Saints”
2012- O. CHILDREN 🇬🇧 were named after a song by NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS on their 2004 opus 2x LP entitled “Abattoir Blues/ The Lyre Of Orpheus. They released 2 LPs before British Immigration determined that towering lead vocalist, TOBIAS, was in the UK illegally. My fav track is called “Ruins” from their self- titled debut LP. I went one day with DANIEL VICTOR of the ace Wïndsor recording artist NEVERENDINGWHITELIGHTS to check out a new club. I can still picture the look on the owner’s face when he looked to see this late 5o’s something as playing this growler on the sound system. Priceless.
2012- qThe single best MOVIE I saw in 2012 was the 10 minute video for the song “HEY JANE” by one of my top 20 bands ever- SPIRITUALIZED 🇬🇧. The vehicle of J. SPACEMAN from SPACEMEN 3, there are probably 50 of their songs I could have seamlessly chosen for this interview. I selected this track because the video is a complete movie with a HUGELY impactful story. I DO URGE CAUTION HOWEVER. THE VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC SEXUAL SCENES AND SCENES OF VIOLENCE THAT COULD TRIGGER SOME, INCLUDING, BUT LIMITED TO, VICTIMS OF SEXUAL AND/OR VIOLENCE.
2013. Another of my favourite NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS songs is from their 2013 LP “Push The Sky Away’. Small warning. This song is not for the faint of heart, as this song tells the story of a sex worker’s plight. I am amazed at the track that describes the woman “as having a history but no past.” In addition to the video I have added a live version
2014- OMG. Kim and I are on vacation I our favourite city- London. This is one of the many reasons why. I find out that long lost shoegazers and faves SLOWDIVE have reformed after 20 years and are playing their debut gig at the Village Underground. I manage to scalp a ticket (barely) and get in to see the show!! C’est magnifique. I am so thrilled I write a review of the gig for my pal and Group member BOBBY TOWNSEND’S website- somethingyousaid.com. Here is a video of “Avalyn” live that night, followed by a video of the song “Star Roving” from their return to recoded music in 2027. My gig review follows.
2016- LET’S EAT GRANDMA. When I first heard of the debut LP by these then 16 year old girls from Norwich, England 🏴 I almost thought it was a joke. The name is a play on pronunciation demonstrating how the failure to add a comma ,,,, can change the meaning of words. Then I purchased the CD and I had my punctuation corrected! ROSA WALTON and JENNY HOLLINGWORTH had made an impressive and impressionable record. I was hooked from first listen . They self-describe their music perfectly as “experimental sludge pop.” Here comes “Deep Six Textbook” from their debut LP “I, Gemini”
2019- Halloween night. It doesn’t get any better than this for First, my pal PETER HOOK of JOY DIVISION/ NEW ORDER fame invites me to introduce his band, PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT at St. Andrew’s Hall, Detroit!
I later join the band onstage for a rousing rendition of “World In I still pinch myself whenever I think about it- which is often. After the gig, DJ DREW, PETER HOOK and rex take it all in.
2020- I walked into Dearborn Music one day and my in-house curator, KELLY told me she was addicted to listening to this LA artist named RIKI 🇺🇸 on the incredible DAÏS label. Then, she played “Earth Song” for me. i can’t tell you how many times I listened to this giant Alan synth-pop magnificence since. Each listen would compel yet another.
2020- My favourite song and remix of 2020 was provided by these Irish punks. Meet FONTAINES D.C 🇮🇪. The song is “Televised Mind”. The remix is by DAVE CLARKE 🇬🇧
2021- rex- How can a song by a band that has only recorded 3 songs make a prestigious list like this? The answer- “Because it is that good. Probably my favourite track of 2021: “True North” is that song. The band contains members from a few Scottish outfits, including most prominently, THERE WILL BE FIREWORKS. . I believe the song is about SCOTT HUTCHINSON, the former singer of FRIGHTENED RABBIT who tragically took his own life. No matter, I am addicted to this song even if there is no video.
2021- The first gig I attended after the pandemic was by one of my favourite Canadian artists – NO JOY 🇨🇦 from Montreal. They played at our fabulous Meteor Club in late November, 2021 and it was great to not only experience live music again, but music by a personal fave. As you can see, lead singer and soul of the band, JASAMINE WHITE- GLUZ was kind enough to sign my copy of their most recent release “Motherhood” (2020 Joyful Noise Recording). Here is “Four.”
2023- A wonderful trip to England to visit daughter HANNAH doing her 3rd year of fine art studies in Southampton. At a special event in Brighton I get to meet the legendary BETH ARZY playing that night with TREASURES OF MEXICO. They recorded my fave song of the year “Halo” and Beth gives me a shout out on the song!
2023- The next day we travel to Bristol and I meet up with KATHRYN SMITH of SARAH LABEL legends SECRET SHINE 🇬🇧 at ROUGH TRADE BRISTOL before we go to lunch. SECRET SHINE have recorded on an ad hoc basis for over 30 years. They are one of my all time favourite indie bands despite their rather modest discography. Selecting just one song is tough but here is “Hit The Ground.” I adore this track and especially love the line “You’re Breaking Up and You’re Breaking Down.”
2024 – STU MAC, res Meet Stu @stumacprosound. I met Stu at a RIDE/ CHARLATANS co/headlining gig in Detroit in February 2023. He was kind enough to get me a setlist signed by RIDE and mail it to me from San Francisco at the end of the tour. He does sound work for many of my favourite outfits including RIDE, SLOWDIVE, BIG SPECIAL and MY BLOODY VALENTINE. (More on STU coming up in December.) At that gig RIDE played a new song for just the second time live. That song became my favourite off their later, 7th LP “Interplay”. See a picture of my signed copy of the LP below and then here is “Monaco”
2024- Meet DANA MARGOLIN of the now discontinued outfit PORRIDGE RADIO from Brighton 🇬🇧 . I met DANA after a solo gig she performed in May, 2024 at The Cave in Edinburgh, Scotland. DANA is an incredible lyricist, vocalist and visual artist. My favourite PORRIDGE RADIO song, of many, is “Back To The Radio” from their 2022 LP entitled “Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky. The artwork on the LP is by DANA.PORRIDGE RADIO- “Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky” (2022- Secretly Canadian)
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