NO, THIS IS NOT AN OBITUARY BLOG, IT'S JUST A SAD COINCIDENCE

THIRTY YEARS AGO, 5TH DEC 1977, RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK DIED.
HE WAS MY ALL TIME MUSICAL HERO. I FIRST HEARD HIM IN 1965, AND HE TURNED ME ON TO JAZZ. I SAW HIM LIVE AT 3 CONCERTS HE DID AT SYDNEY TOWN HALL, IN 1974. I WILL NEVER FORGET HIS GENIUS.

BRIGHT MOMENTS TO ALL MY FRIENDS

TIME TO REMEMBER

I DON'T REMEMBER WHEN JFK DIED, OR WHERE I WAS WHEN ELVIS PACKED IT IN, BUT EVERY YEAR ABOUT THIS TIME, I CAST MY MIND BACK TO 1980, DECEMBER 8TH, THE DAY JOHN LENNON DIED, IN NEW YORK, AGED 40, AT THE HANDS OF A LUNATIC.
I WAS IN LOS ANGELES AT THE TIME, STAYING IN VENICE BEACH, I WAS IN THE CAR WITH A MATE, ON OUR WAY TO A RESTAURANT, AND HEARD THE NEWS REPORT ON THE RADIO. WE WERE SHOCKED. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE VENUE, I TOLD A WAITRESS THE NEWS. SHE SAID, "YEH...THAT SORT OF THING HAPPENS ALL THE TIME." THOSE WORDS HAVE HAUNTED ME TO THIS DAY, AS THEY SAY A LOT ABOUT SOME PEOPLE.

LILY OH LILY!

IT'S A FUNNY OLD WORLD. SO MANY OF YESTERYEAR'S ROCKERS, ROSE TATOO, GUNS N ROSES BITS AND PIECES, BRIAN WILSON, ELTON JOHN AND ON AND ON AND ON, STILL TOURING, RSL CLUBS FULL OF ERIC BURDONS, PLATTERS, ETC, NOT TO MENTION TRIBUTE BANDS OF EVERYONE FROM THE BEATLES, MEATLOAF, ABBA, COLD CHISEL ETC. ALL SCRAPING OUT A LIVING, THREATS FROM THE JACKSON FIVE TO REFORM, (HOW COULD MICHAEL REFORM?) AND NEWS COMES OUT THIS WEEK THAT LILY ALLEN AGED 22, WHO JUST SOLD A COUPLE OF MILLION ALBUMS, THINKS SHE WILL RETIRE WHEN SHE'S 25!

TINY TIM DIED ON THIS DAY IN 1996

THE ABOVE PIC IS TINY'S WEDDING DAY, ON THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW, PHYLLIS DILLER WAS ONE OF THE GUESTS. HERE TINY AND HIS 17YO WIFE MISS VICKY ENJOY A GLASS OF MILK AND HONEY.
TINY SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK WHILST PERFORMING FOR A LADIES CLUB IN MINNEAPOLIS. HE WAS SINGING HIS BIG HIT, TIP TOE THROUGH THE TULIPS.

ANOTHER ONE FROM MR GARD

STEPHEN GARD JUST SENT ME THIS!

THIS IS PROBABLY WHY THERE'S A BIG MOVE AWAY, TO FACEBOOK. GREAT STUFF!

IT'S A VERY SMALL WORLD

I'M INVOLVED FROM TIME TO TIME HELPING A YOUNG MAN LEARN TO USE A WIND SYNTH. IT TURNS OUT, HIS UNCLE IS ROD JEFFREY, A BLUES/JAZZ SINGER WHO IS ABOUT MY AGE, BUT OUR PATHS HAVEN'T CROSSED, ALTHOUGH WE ARE NOW IN TOUCH. WE LIVED PARALLEL LIVES, HERE IS A PIC OF ROD WITH JAZZ LEGEND, THE LATE JOE LANE. JOE AND I SHARED DIGS IN THE EARLY 70'S. I JAMMED WITH JOE, JUDY BAILEY, JOHN POCHEE, BERNIE MCGANN, EDWIN DUFF, PLUS MORE AND MORE.....ROD ALSO PLAYED WITH MANY OF THEM.

THE MEMBER FOR WENTWORTH PARK

THEY SAY IN RACING CIRCLES, IF YOU DON'T LIKE SOMEONE, GIVE THEM A GREYHOUND, BECAUSE THEY WILL BE OUT IN ALL WEATHERS WALKING IT, PAYING FOR IT'S FEED AND VET'S BILLS, AND IN THE END, IT MAY NOT WIN A RACE. WELL, WITH COSTELLO REJECTING THE POISON CHALICE, I THINK MALCOLM TURNBULL IS ABOUT TO BE GIVEN A GREYHOUND. I PROMISE, THAT'S THE LAST I WILL SAY ABOUT IT.

OK, KEEP YOUR PANTS ON, ALL OF YOU BRUTALLY OFFENDED BY MY POLITICAL POSTINGS! BACK TO MUSIC

AS I MENTIONED RECENTLY, I AM PUTTING SOME MUSICIANS TOGETHER TO RECORD SOME ORIGINAL MATERIAL BY STEVE MAHER AND OTHERS. ON THE VIDEO OF THE WEEK, TO THE RH SIDE OF THIS POST, IS A YOU TUBE OF "PAYBACK" A DEMO RECORDING BY STEVE , I WOULD LIKE TO RECORD. YOUR COMMENTS ARE MOST WELCOME. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE LINK WITH THIS POST.

COSTELLO CAN MANAGE A GHETTO BLASTER

I GUESS THAT SAYS IT ALL REALLY. APART FROM ALEXANDER'S EXOTIC DANCING, THE BEST THE LIBS CAN MANAGE IS COSTELLO PLAYING A CD.
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, I THINK KEV WILL GET THE CHAIR WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS.

AT LAST, I FOUND A CONSERVATIVE POLITICIAN WHO CAN PLAY MUSIC.

BUT ALAS, SHE'S AMERICAN. HERE IS CONDOLEEZZA RICE WITH A STRING QUARTET. I ALWAYS THOUGHT SHE WAS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF POLITICS.

EVEN THE LIBS THINK LABOR ARE MUSICAL

THIS IS A DOWNLOADABLE WALLPAPER FROM THE LIBERAL PARTY WEBSITE. IT'S WORTH A LOOK. TALK ABOUT NEGATIVE ADVERTISING! ALL YOU SEE ARE POPUPS OF LABOUR FIGURES AND ANTI LABOR ADS. IT LOOKS MORE LIKE JOE HOCKEY'S NIGHTMARES INTERPRETED FOR COMPUTER. I DON'T KNOW WHO THEIR ADVERTISING AGENT OR CREATIVE PEOPLE ARE, BUT YOU WOULDN'T FEED THEM.

YES, GOOD BYE JOHN, AND THANKS FOR THE LAUGHS

THE PM STILL FITS INTO MANY OF HIS SKYHOOKS FAN CLUB OUTFITS.

I CAN'T THINK OF A MUSICIAN IN THE LIBERAL PARTY, BUT THEY DO HAVE A BURLESQUE ARTISTE!

FOREIGN MINISTER, Mme A DOWNER. HE ALSO DOES A VERY GOOD IMPRESSION OF SOMEONE WHO CARES, IN SCHOOLBOY FRENCH. VERY USEFUL IN HIS DEALINGS WITH THE CHINESE.

ANOTHER MUSIC LOVER OF THE TIME

ALTHOUGH BORIS YELTSIN'S FINGERS WERE TOO FAT FOR A DECENT SOLO ON A BALALAIKA, HE DID ENJOY A DANCE.