Since you posted about ‘City of New Orleans’ a while ago I’ve spent a lot of time – remember I’m retired – searching out and listening to different versions of that song.
Steve Goodman was definitely a musical genius.
And now another of his great songs.
This is most definitely the most satisfying ‘blog I read.
Please keep ‘em coming Neo!
Tuvea:
Glad you’re enjoying these posts. I certainly have enjoyed music lately – and although I always have enjoyed it, I’ve been much more into it lately since the stresses of 2021 began.
Steve Goodman – someone I’d never heard of before the last few months – is indeed a musical genius. Also a lyrics genius, a guitar genius, and I really like his voice and delivery too. In this particular song he sings with such beautifully understated emotion and gentleness that I’m really in awe.
I just had to break up a nasty fight between two Violet Green Swallows. They were fighting over nest site 5. They were rolling around on the deck in a tussle. I had to stomp on the deck next to them to make them stop. The Tree Swallows returned on Friday. The Violet Greens today. The Barn Swallows in a few days. Lots of fights over nest sites and sometimes they do kill each other.
When I hear the name Steve Goodman what first flashes into my mind is this song he wrote which I have on an old David Allen Coe album.
I mostly identify him with, “A Dying Cub’s Fans Last Request.” Along with “Spirit of New Orleans,” but primarily the former. In the Chicago of my childhood it was played rather regularly on the radio, but sort-of seasonal, usually near opening day. It wasn’t overplayed. I’d sort-of forget about it until next season rolled around and a DJ or two dusted it off, then I’d enjoy it again, as if hearing it for the first time.
His “Spirit of New Orleans” did get airplay in Chicago, but Guthrie’s was played most often. If I remember correctly, one of the major, AM radio station news/talk hosts would open his early morning show with Guthrie’s rendition every weekday. When I’d hear it, doing the paper route, I’d imagine the train pulling out of nearby Union Station, similarly starting its day, and I’d think about where it, and I, would end up by sundown.
The other, regular Guthrie song (which is very Goodman-esque, to me) was the annual playing of, “Alice’s Restaurant” around Thanksgiving. Or the “Massacre in Three Part Harmony,” or whatever its actual title is.
Hi Neo, here is the Felice and Boudleaux Bryant song “Love Hurts”, covered by many artists. Harmonies really enhance this song, and the best were the Everly Brothers and Gram Parsons with Emmylou Harris.
That recording really launched Emmylou to prominence for the first time.
Ed:
I like the Everly version of that song, the one with which I’m familiar.
Somewhere I have a draft of a post about the Bryants. They have an amazing story.
Chases Eagles, is there something especially special about nest site 5 that would make it worth such a fight? How many sites do you have there?
Check out Goodman’s last (non-posthumous) album: “Affordable Art” for the novelty songs: “Vegematic,” “Talk Backwards,” and “Watching Joey Glow.” Lots of fun!
This information is just so that people can add it to their information when they decide about vaccines.
Three weeks ago I commented here that my brother (70) and I (72 last week) had both been vaccinated on March 16th, with J&J.
We’re entering the 4th week today—with a 28-day full immunity—and I can report that the first 2 weeks were asymptomatic, and the past week (the 3rd) was filled with an exhaustion that is still here, and a little bit of mind-fog.
The pharmacist says that’s normal, and will end soon. (Boy, do I hope so!!!!!!)
Other than that, no problem.
When I had Covid last year, I was exhausted, couldn’t smell or taste, and ached for a couple weeks. My brother didn’t notice any loss of taste or smell, but was exhausted and ached. We both have several medical problems that count as co-morbidities now, and my brother had non-paralytic-polio when he was a child, and his immune system is shot.
I hope this helps someone.
Good Luck!!
In the comment above, I forgot. When I had Covid a year ago I had a fever, but now with the J&J vaccine reaction, neither my brother or I have any fever whatever. Just extreme fatigue and a bit of mental fog.
We take our temperature a couple times a day. No problem so far.
Philip Sells ,
The number of nests vary from year to year but last year we had 14. Site 5 is a Violet Green nest box that I put up 5-6 years ago to discourage them from flying down the chimney of my wood stove. They never used it until last year so this is the first time that I have seen them fight over it. Last year, I think I had the same stupid bird get stuck in the woodstove on consecutive days. My dog alerts me. The first time it flew out the nearest door. The second time it flew around inside for about four hours. I Was Not Happy! We have an open floor plan with the ceiling around 22ft above the floor. It spent a lot of time sitting on the blades of the ceiling fans until I turned them on.
Most of the nests are occupied by Barn Swallows. They are really messy but I gave up trying stop them. Site 2 is the premo spot and there are many battles over possession of it. They kind of wrestle around on the ground like school kids. I knock down the nests every fall but we live on a tidal estuary and there is unlimited mud 100 feet away.
The upside is they eat a lot of flying bugs. Each pair normally has four chicks per brood and two to four broods per season. First year parents sometimes only have one or two chicks. They stagger their broods so in a few weeks there will be new first-time flyers pretty much every week until fall. Sitting outside watching the show you might become an involuntary participant when some fledgling crashes into you or lands on you. With so many of them and the inevitable means constant policing of the dead.
For the first week or so the new flyers have early morning, late morning, early afternoon and evening practice sessions with rest intervals while parents feed them all. By the second week they are following their parents in a conga line. But still being fed in the nest. After they can feed themselves, they fly off and join the roaming group of juveniles. The nest is relined with new feathers. Sometimes we throw downy feathers up in the air and the swallows will snatch them in flight.
The roamers come by from time to time and by the end of the year there are quite a large number them. It is kind of like sitting in a snow globe. They are also little bullies harassing other birds with their superior flying skills. Once, I saw a Kingfisher dive in the water repeatedly trying to escape the harassment of the little juvies.
The last few years we have had Robins building nests on the gutter downspouts. Apparently, we have a lot of Earthworms because at times like today (we mowed yesterday) there about a dozen in the yard and they seem to eat nothing but Earthworms
Leave a Reply
HTML tags allowed in your
comment: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>
Since you posted about ‘City of New Orleans’ a while ago I’ve spent a lot of time – remember I’m retired – searching out and listening to different versions of that song.
Steve Goodman was definitely a musical genius.
And now another of his great songs.
This is most definitely the most satisfying ‘blog I read.
Please keep ‘em coming Neo!
Tuvea:
Glad you’re enjoying these posts. I certainly have enjoyed music lately – and although I always have enjoyed it, I’ve been much more into it lately since the stresses of 2021 began.
Steve Goodman – someone I’d never heard of before the last few months – is indeed a musical genius. Also a lyrics genius, a guitar genius, and I really like his voice and delivery too. In this particular song he sings with such beautifully understated emotion and gentleness that I’m really in awe.
I just had to break up a nasty fight between two Violet Green Swallows. They were fighting over nest site 5. They were rolling around on the deck in a tussle. I had to stomp on the deck next to them to make them stop. The Tree Swallows returned on Friday. The Violet Greens today. The Barn Swallows in a few days. Lots of fights over nest sites and sometimes they do kill each other.
When I hear the name Steve Goodman what first flashes into my mind is this song he wrote which I have on an old David Allen Coe album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYIrs1Dx4Ck
geoff+b,
I mostly identify him with, “A Dying Cub’s Fans Last Request.” Along with “Spirit of New Orleans,” but primarily the former. In the Chicago of my childhood it was played rather regularly on the radio, but sort-of seasonal, usually near opening day. It wasn’t overplayed. I’d sort-of forget about it until next season rolled around and a DJ or two dusted it off, then I’d enjoy it again, as if hearing it for the first time.
His “Spirit of New Orleans” did get airplay in Chicago, but Guthrie’s was played most often. If I remember correctly, one of the major, AM radio station news/talk hosts would open his early morning show with Guthrie’s rendition every weekday. When I’d hear it, doing the paper route, I’d imagine the train pulling out of nearby Union Station, similarly starting its day, and I’d think about where it, and I, would end up by sundown.
The other, regular Guthrie song (which is very Goodman-esque, to me) was the annual playing of, “Alice’s Restaurant” around Thanksgiving. Or the “Massacre in Three Part Harmony,” or whatever its actual title is.
Hi Neo, here is the Felice and Boudleaux Bryant song “Love Hurts”, covered by many artists. Harmonies really enhance this song, and the best were the Everly Brothers and Gram Parsons with Emmylou Harris.
Everly Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFE2SnliiV0
Gram and Emmylou
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ivVJzGgcq0
That recording really launched Emmylou to prominence for the first time.
Ed:
I like the Everly version of that song, the one with which I’m familiar.
Somewhere I have a draft of a post about the Bryants. They have an amazing story.
Chases Eagles, is there something especially special about nest site 5 that would make it worth such a fight? How many sites do you have there?
Check out Goodman’s last (non-posthumous) album: “Affordable Art” for the novelty songs: “Vegematic,” “Talk Backwards,” and “Watching Joey Glow.” Lots of fun!
This information is just so that people can add it to their information when they decide about vaccines.
Three weeks ago I commented here that my brother (70) and I (72 last week) had both been vaccinated on March 16th, with J&J.
We’re entering the 4th week today—with a 28-day full immunity—and I can report that the first 2 weeks were asymptomatic, and the past week (the 3rd) was filled with an exhaustion that is still here, and a little bit of mind-fog.
The pharmacist says that’s normal, and will end soon. (Boy, do I hope so!!!!!!)
Other than that, no problem.
When I had Covid last year, I was exhausted, couldn’t smell or taste, and ached for a couple weeks. My brother didn’t notice any loss of taste or smell, but was exhausted and ached. We both have several medical problems that count as co-morbidities now, and my brother had non-paralytic-polio when he was a child, and his immune system is shot.
I hope this helps someone.
Good Luck!!
In the comment above, I forgot. When I had Covid a year ago I had a fever, but now with the J&J vaccine reaction, neither my brother or I have any fever whatever. Just extreme fatigue and a bit of mental fog.
We take our temperature a couple times a day. No problem so far.
Philip Sells ,
The number of nests vary from year to year but last year we had 14. Site 5 is a Violet Green nest box that I put up 5-6 years ago to discourage them from flying down the chimney of my wood stove. They never used it until last year so this is the first time that I have seen them fight over it. Last year, I think I had the same stupid bird get stuck in the woodstove on consecutive days. My dog alerts me. The first time it flew out the nearest door. The second time it flew around inside for about four hours. I Was Not Happy! We have an open floor plan with the ceiling around 22ft above the floor. It spent a lot of time sitting on the blades of the ceiling fans until I turned them on.
Most of the nests are occupied by Barn Swallows. They are really messy but I gave up trying stop them. Site 2 is the premo spot and there are many battles over possession of it. They kind of wrestle around on the ground like school kids. I knock down the nests every fall but we live on a tidal estuary and there is unlimited mud 100 feet away.
The upside is they eat a lot of flying bugs. Each pair normally has four chicks per brood and two to four broods per season. First year parents sometimes only have one or two chicks. They stagger their broods so in a few weeks there will be new first-time flyers pretty much every week until fall. Sitting outside watching the show you might become an involuntary participant when some fledgling crashes into you or lands on you. With so many of them and the inevitable means constant policing of the dead.
For the first week or so the new flyers have early morning, late morning, early afternoon and evening practice sessions with rest intervals while parents feed them all. By the second week they are following their parents in a conga line. But still being fed in the nest. After they can feed themselves, they fly off and join the roaming group of juveniles. The nest is relined with new feathers. Sometimes we throw downy feathers up in the air and the swallows will snatch them in flight.
The roamers come by from time to time and by the end of the year there are quite a large number them. It is kind of like sitting in a snow globe. They are also little bullies harassing other birds with their superior flying skills. Once, I saw a Kingfisher dive in the water repeatedly trying to escape the harassment of the little juvies.
The last few years we have had Robins building nests on the gutter downspouts. Apparently, we have a lot of Earthworms because at times like today (we mowed yesterday) there about a dozen in the yard and they seem to eat nothing but Earthworms