A love song, or a moritat, for a stray cat

Bragging about being tough and dangerous has a long tradition in music. There is the moritat- a murder ballad of a dangerous character and his amazing misdeeds- Stagalee, Staggerlee, Tom Dooley, Magali, or one of the most famous examples, the Moritat vom Mackie Messer- Mac The Knife from Brecht and Weil's Threepenny Opera. But at what point did the "I'm so tough," rather than "he's so bad" version of the moritat come to dominate popular song?

When I was young, and even more lost than I am now, I heard a rumor that Bo Diddley is Jesus. He would never have said that of himself, but he did spend a lot of time explaining his fighting skills, his gunslinging ways, and even if he didn't originate the art of bragging about one's toughness, Diddley took it to a whole new level, when he bragged about having a chimney made from a human skull. In Bo Diddley, the murder ballad became something new; when Bo posed as a gunslinger for the album of the same name, an entire alter ego of danger was born. Hank Williams also transformed the murder ballad from mere song into a way of being, and resorted to recording under the pen name Luke the Drifter to release the spiritual songs that clashed with the popular image of a man adrift on the lost highway.

But whether it's Luke the Drifter or Bo Diddley the Gunslinger, cries of "get away, I'm dangerous" often have a tinge of 'wounded cat' about them. You know that cat- it very slowly moves into your house, into your heart, and one night you wake up to find it peacefully sleeping on your chest.

Here is a little tribute I wrote to wounded cats. Holly and I performed it as a twosome the other night at the Gladstone, at the Blocks Recording Club night:

"Suitcase Full of Trouble"

After our set, dreamy Michelle McAdorey played with a band that included Eric Chenaux and Ryan Driver, then The Phonemes took the stage. Magali was backed by John Tielli on kick drum, guitar and theremin, and Stephanie Markowitz on vocals and keys. Magali's new songs are amazing, and the Stephanie and John lineup brings out the other worldly quality, as well as the beat, in Magali's songs. I'm looking forward to the next Phonemes record with anticipation.

Now I'm off to see if that old stray cat is on the front steps again.

Free show with Betty and Brian Joseph Davis at This Aint The Rosedale Library

On Wednesday, April 29th at 8pm there will be a special FREE show with Betty Burke and author/artist Brian Joseph Davis at This Ain't The Rosedale Library. This Ain't The Rosedale Library is a Toronto institution, run by father and son team Charlie and Jesse Huisken. Now in a new location in Canada's flaneur capital, Kensington Market, the UK's Guardian newspaper listed This Ain't as one of the top ten best bookstores in the world!

Brian Joseph Davis is an author and artist we admire for his work on paper, on stage, and at the DJ booth. He is involved in the venerable Blocks Recording Club, and ran a Parkdale gallery out of his home with Emily Shultz. One of our more memorable encounters with Brian was at a Republic of Safety show, at which he read from his book Portable Altamont, delighting us with a comedy poem constructed entirely from Canadian band names. This indulged the band's latent MC5 fantasies, hearkening back to the days when oratory and rock and roll went hand in hand to drive people to a frenzy.

Not long ago, Brian released an album version of Theodor Adorno's Minima Moralia (Reflections from Damaged Life). While the album is not easy to find, many Frankfurt School titles are available at This Ain't The Rosedale Library, along with independent books, art books, GLBT books, poetry collections, magazines (including some fun hard-to-find art magazines), and an amazing selection of books on music.

We hope to see you there on April 29th. Doors are at 8pm, thought the shop is open all day at 86 Nassau Street, next to Ideal Coffee.

XoXo,
BB

PS Today is Holly Andruchuk's birthday! Happy Birthday, Holly!

Talkin' bout last night

We had a great time at the Tranzac last night. I want to extend special thanks to Magali for organizing the show, and to Gentleman Reg, the Metal Kites and The Youngest for being great.

The Youngest is Amy, solo on her guitar, singing tender songs. She has a great voice.

The Metal Kites are harder to describe, and that is a complement. Mysterious lyrics, haunted guitars, creature harmonies and Magali on bass- if that's not enough to make you listen, you are immune to persuasion.

We are planning to do a show soon at a very special spot in Toronto, so I will post more information about that when we firm up details.

Thanks for reading, and have a happy Thursday.

xoxo
Betty