The Endless Road to Stardom

Isn’t funny when you think no one’s taking any notice of what you’re doing and then suddenly some one does.
So here I was to actually wanting to pull the plug, now I’m not so sure.
Ok, I’ll think about it while I’m painting at my sister’s place.
I haven’t got a lot to blog about, though there’s much going on in my brain cell, but don’t know what to do with it as yet.
Time will tell I guess.
Enjoy!

John the Builder.

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It had to happen I guess. Being exposed to music played at very high levels on a daily basis you’d expect some sort of bonus really. As I turn my head slightly to the right, people automatically turn their mouths to the left.
There for I nod politely to their faces as if to say that I’ve understood every word spoken in our little galaxy just created speaking so closely to one’s ear.

But nothing could be further from the truth. I’d have to say of course, when in crowded places where everyone has something to say to one and other which undoubtedly is of utmost importance, one would have to try and speak above the noise of the intoxicated conversationists. Partaking in peoples happiness to verbally jollywolly about, I get the feeling that also these people don’t quite get what’s being said. Even with ears working in pairs.

So I guess looking on the bright side, thus my ‘ bonus’ is, that at least I have one good reason to block out all nonsense being spilled out into my universe like space junk. While I just float about on the inside of my self, waiting for the next amazing revelation coming from the undisputed experts, I wonder which ear it is that’s going to do the job filtering out this overflow of useless information in drib drab dribble form.

Not only my ear has packed it in but my studio monitor ( also the right one ) has died as well. Luckily with that I didn’t have to go to the doctor’s to have it checked to see if something more sinister was going on inside. It’s just given up. Instead of a trip to the hospital, I went to the shop and bought my self another pair of speakers.

Amazing what a difference.
Even for the “ mono” listener like me there’s definitely a world of difference.
I feel I can hear again. So who knows maybe in a few years time I can do the same with my ear and have a good one fitted without too much drama. For now I’m happy my studio is up and running and strange as it may sound, I can hear everything again. I’ll just sit sideways and hear two speakers talking to me into one ear. The difference here of course is there no piss talk needing to be filtered out.
I just sit here and face the music.

A friend of mine once said that it was easier to keep track of me, and know my where abouts when I was still living in Sydney
then right now living in Holland. But anyway these people at Radio Veluwe FM looking for me did got a hold of me eventually and had already done a profile on me playing my music by the time we made contact.

Not only the album but also a lot of earlier stuff which didn’t go further than just being a demo was being played. Don’t get me wrong often I think that what went down the first time is very difficult to capture a second time.
Even my Dutch songs were aired.That being one of the best kept secrets I was pleasantly surprised.

So there was a e-mail asking if it was ‘me’ they were mailing and if so, would I like to come in personally and do a spot on radio talking about my music and perhaps play a few songs live unplugged.
Of course I would.
Can I bring my brother?
Great idea!
So we did.

We talked about what inspired me to become a musician, the music, the people behind it, in front of it, and why I wanted to be in on it…..
Creating!!!
What else would you want to do when the whole world is making music. You just want to become one of them. That’s how it started. And that’s how it is today still.
Some people made a shit load of money with it not even trying, others have spent a shit load of money on it trying.
I guess for some it’s just a bad habit.

It was nice though to be able to talk about what inspires me and what it is that wants me to get out of bed in the morning other than needing to go to the bathroom.
So we played a few ditties of our own, played some the songs I grew up with, talked a lot, fell of the chair laughing cause things happen when I’m around. Lucky there was no web cam to haunt me for the rest of my life with what ever happened in the studio that made us having to redo the introduction of the program.
I had a great time.
We’ll do it again on the 2 cnd of June cause there was too much to talk about and not enough time.

If you want to listen to it, you can find it on the web somewhere and on Radio Veluwe FM or Omroep Sjouk.
I’m sure you’ll find it.
Mind you there’s a lot of Jabberjawing going on in Dutch peppered with a bit of English so for the not Dutch speaking peoples you would have to just look at the pictures.

Cheers folks.
LoveYouseHeaps.
JZ

Hi folks,…..anybody out there still?
Has been a long time.
Have done without my macbook for almost a year.
But it’s back.
Thank you , thank you, thank you!
So who knows……….
Might even get a blurb from me now and then.
Cheers
JZ

G’day blogheads, hope you guys are happy, healthy and bursting with love. I for one am happy that I can put my socks and shoes on all by my self. It has been an interesting week and a half. As many of you might know when one does its back in, and I’m sure we all know how painful that can be and how demolishing it can be for one’s self esteem. Like losing by one point or having all the questions right except the last one and being told that if you had that one right you would have gone through to the next level.
.

Being home bound or bed struck, or in any case not being able to do more than just rest and take painkillers, one might find one self resigned to the fact that there is always “telly “. This thing called ‘the box’ with its moving images, and clever speak by talking heads about matters that seem to matter seemingly to all of us that seem to take great interests in things that matter. I feel rather ‘mattered’ don’t you? We all know of course that what comes out of the box is of great value and above all is “the truth” for each and all of us but !!!!…..(Finger now pointing and shaking vigorously at innocent bystanders)… we could miss out on our daily valuable vitamins called ‘useless information’ if we don’t stay glued to the box.

So here I am, in bed, in pain, incredibly board and inundated with phone calls from friends and people who want to know how I’m doing. So the remote will help me find relieve, amazement and above all distraction. I must admit, on the box I’ve got in the bedroom I have not all of the channels. Mr. Cable has given me plenty in the lounge room but somehow the old spare TV is just a snag short of a barbeque and with only a hand full of stations one tries to keep entertained yet creative.

Not being a true blue watcher of ‘the box’ I was amazed at the shear value of the programs offered to me as a viewer. Had I not seen the program in its full, richness filled with valuable fullness and info, no problem, there was yet another chance for me to see it again. Wow!!
They would play me (the TV people I guess) the entire program again no worries. So, had I missed something important, the whole thing would fly by me again, and again if I would so desire, no extra charge. I didn’t even have to pay attention, you know, sometimes I would just dose off and wake up at the same spot hours later. Brilliant!

But then the effects of the painkillers would slightly diminish and I get somewhat grumpy and started to realize that this repeat mode on TV was happening on every station and every channel. Soon it dawned on me that I had no choice in what I wanted to watch. They tricked me in believing there was so much to choose from, yet the same segments and edits, the same commercials, especially them, the same emptiness was filling me up with absolutely nothing.
I felt stupid and contagious! (thank you Kurt Cobain)

Which brings us to something wacky and wonderful.
YOU wonderful TUBE!
How wonderful it is to be loved by you.
Now this has really saved me from going completely bonkers. Call me square-eyed Johnny. Maybe one could complain about the quality of pictures being “tubed out “, maybe one might have something to say about the sound not being what it should be, but you certainly can not get around the fact that you have choices. One can look up just about anything you want without being bullshitted to by beautiful looking (even that’s a matter of taste) dames, talking heads, sensational sounding teasers promising you the story of the decade only to find out they’ve shot their ammo already in the teasers and commercials.
No more “ we’ll be back right after this “, or “ more in a moment”.
I can’t believe people watching a movie that is half way through being interrupted by a completely different program with people talking a whole lot of nonsense about nonsense people in a nonsense world looking so incredibly involved, interested and sincere. Both programs they beam out have become events that have nothing to do with each other. They’re just fragments on the loose.
Yet we do feel quite happy to be camping out on the couch watching a James Bond movie being interrupted by a panel of geezers blabbing on about absolutely nothing at all.
Well if that’s entertainment I might as well be sitting in a tree shouting abuse to people passing by.
I stick to what I can find on YOU-TUBE. It’s hours of fun whether I want to watch old Beatle stuff or Not The Nine o’clock News series or the latest vids.
I get a lot of value out of finding new and unknown artists and if I don’t know where to look, plenty of my music students enlighten and inspire me with what they them selves have found.
And in that I do have a choice. Sure, just about anybody can put their stuff on the “innerned” but it is “ I “ who has the choice what to do with it. If I think its crap I’ll happily move on to the next thing, No commercials, no “ more after this” no more make believe no more feeding Mr. TV’s ego.
Just me and my laptop looking forward to be inspired, to be entertained, to be left alone just to be amazed by it all.

John Z