Whistle and Fish

John Prine

monkweiss — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:14:36 +0000

"He ain't much to look at, just a free-ramblin' man"

Given that the title for this blog is lifted from one of his songs, it was fitting that Haley and I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Prine live in concert at the Merriam Theater in Philadelphia last Friday night. It was my second time seeing John live and Haley’s first and while he’s ten years older (and at least ten pounds heavier) the man can still put on a hell of a show. In my opinion one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Prine’s songs ring with a truth and honesty that is hard to fake and nearly impossible to imitate. His low-key, “aw shucks” delivery belies a deep understanding of the human condition and his masterful intonation can speak volumes with just a single word.

The show was a veritable greatest hits of Prine’s work but the highlight for me came early with a stirring rendition of the song “6 O’clock News”. At first listen, a soulful love song, the lyrics of the tune actually tell a mournful and dark tale of loss. Hearing this song almost always gives me goose-bumps, but hearing it live on Friday night sent shivers up my spine.

Far from a simple singer-songwriter showcase, John’s stellar band kicked it up a notch and laid down some rollicking country-blues jams later in the evening. True to his catalog of music, there was laughing and there was crying and a little of everything in between. Thanks for a great show, John.

The Haiku Project

monkweiss — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:57:06 +0000

This is something I decided I wanted to do about a year back but only put into action two days ago. Such is life. As you may or may not know, Haiku is an ancient form of Japanese poetry consisting of 17 moras (syllables) in three lines of 5-7-5 respectively. Of course, it looks a little different in Japanese, but this is the contemporary, English language style.

The “project”, as it were, came about when I inherited this classic Smith Corona “Coronet Super 12″ electric typewriter (pictured above) from my Grandparents. Granted, it looks pretty cool but I wanted to do something with it, find an excuse to use it on a regular basis. And so, I am planning to type a Haiku on it everyday. I couldn’t tell you exactly why I chose Haiku, other than it will provide some discipline and a creative outlet, which are two things I suppose my life is lacking. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll bind it all together in a book.

The subject of the Haikus will be varied. Traditionally, the poems contained a kigo or, seasonal reference and a kireji (verbal pause); however the modern trend has adapted the form to include almost any topic. Given the sheer volume of this undertaking, I am positive I will take great liberties with my subject matter.

In many ways, I find this a fitting post to kick-off my first blog, which will, in turn, be a labor of equal parts discipline and creativity. Wish me luck!