Siren Tides

I grew up on music, while I played under the house in the redback infested cubby house that opened up to Dad’s little covered in barbecue area the wireless was always on, be it from the house upstairs or the downstairs garage or the barbecue area itself. There has been a wireless in most rooms of Nan’s house longer than I can remember, even in the loo.

The music that has influenced me most would have to be country music, that of John Williamson, Slim Dusty and probably Jim Haynes, too. People are often quick to put down country music, if you say you like it you get the look that tells you in approximately three seconds that you’ve been demoted to the level of a goanna and that they may never think you have good taste again. But country music isn’t all depressing nor is it boring or badly sung, no more than any other genre, at least.

I grew up listening to the stories of the Bush Balladeers and I’m glad for it, they teach you a lot more than S Club 7 did. I still remember asking for the “truckie tape” when in Nan’s car, I loved the songs about the truckies and their adventures – particularly Toots, or When Cheryl Went Feral which used to absolutely horrify my great aunt and uncle when I sang it (I was five or six…). I reckon this is probably why:

Chorus:
Since Cheryl went feral
Everything’s pierced
Rings through me nose and rings through me ears
I haven’t been this pierced for years
Since Cheryl went feral

I began to change me tune
As soon as we joined that big commune
And everyone took their clothes off straight away
Their cosmic philosophy appealed to me
It’s multiple serial polygamy
And I think the feral lifestyle’s here to stay

Chorus:
Since Cheryl went feral
There’s a real traffic jam
Of naked women in our wigwam
And I’m pretty happy right where I am
Since Cheryl went feral

Since Cheryl Went Feral Lyrics.

Then there was Old Man Emu^[i] , Mallee Boy and Just a Dog. (which sadly doesn’t have lyrics online that I know of). Not all of the songs were serious, but they often told me something, the love story of Wrinkles has been known to bring a tear to my eye and it showed a very young me how deeply love could go.

My point? I guess it’s what we grow up shapes us, country music isn’t awful… and that I need a blogpost for today and I’m not feeling overly coherent…

Notes

1. if you say it E-Moo, I may just come after you with something sharp and heavy. You have been warned. [↩]

Some information for a really strange, bad and memorable month.

• If I EVER see a bushfire notice again, it will be too soon. Sadly, it’s also somewhat inevitable. Oh for a stable environment.
• The bushfires in Victoria are getting under control, fingers crossed they go out sooner rather than later, because it rained and for those who live elsewhere, you should know that we’ve been in a drought for a long, long time and the rain could dry rather quickly. Which would such. So the fires need to end before we go all tinder box-y again. Please, God?
• I have the itch to see a John Williamson concert. Come back here, John! WE MISS YOU.
• Still need to go to the library. Getting the urge to borrow crafting books. And borrow the pagan books I’ve borrowed 124533533 times, again. They need more. I wonder if any one else here borrows them. Maybe theres other pagans hiding themselves out here somewhere, hmm?
• I hate reinstalling software. I really, really do. I had to get Vista reinstalled because it, you know. DIED. It didn’t even recognise it’s own sound abilities. Sigh. At least they saved my files, though I’m $132 dollars poorer.
• Someone should buy me a mac. Please? Pretty please? I want Scrivener something desperate, damn you Mac-Only developers.
• While I’m chatting about software, any suggestions? Writing software you like? Anything at all, I need to amuse myself.
• I’m wearing one of my scarves as a bandana/headscarf type thing. I look like some weird Gypsy. I should find my gypsy skirts. I need a top to go with, though.
• Jason demands more pictures of moi. I might even listen to him for once. Huh, fancy that? Wouldn’t that be a novel concept, listening to a male?
• Deciding on a way of displaying my fiction in one place thats satisfactory to my OCD tendancies. Am up for suggestions, though.
• Working on bringing an old RPG back, still. The bushfires postponed it something awful, considering it was supposed to be up by Valentines day.
• iTunes loves me. I love it. I missed my iTunes.
• Will be working on updating here more and keeping up with my blogroll (see sidebar) more often. Sorry, folks! Didn’t meant to be lax in that department.
• Mums still not well, I’m a bit worried but she should be okay. I think. I hope. She’s going to the specialist soon, hopefully this time he actually does something.
• Need to go rewrite a support ticket to my host now. New WP installations are playing silly buggers if you put in custom permalinks.