Johnny Cash

I had a quote running through my mind yesterday, meaning that by evening time, I was flicking through my copy of Johnny Cash's autobiography, “Cash,” in a vain attempt to locate the exact words.

It was something along the lines that although he, “may not be the best looking man in the world, but if I'd looked like some I've seen, I wouldn't even go up (on stage).” Although I did not manage to find the quote I was looking for, it was fascinating to revisit a book I have read on a number of times, but not for a little while.

Johnny Cash was a great and influential man to many. So much of what he did, how he lived and what he said, sang and played struck a chord with ordinary people in everyday life. Here are a few noteworthy excerpts that I happened upon at random yesterday:

When describing performing and in reference to the Louisiana Hayride, Johnny Cash writes,

“This business I'm in is different. It's special. The people around me feel like brothers and sisters. We hardly know each other, but we're that close; somehow there's been an immediate bonding between total strangers.”(1)

During the course of the book, Cash also discusses his faith. I find this interesting because a lot of people have faith and believe in God but people express it in different ways. Cash mentions how Billy Graham helped him to deal with his faith as a public person. Graham told him,

“Don't apologize for who you are and what you've done in the past. Be who you are and do what you do.” (2)

Another passage I like and on a similar theme comes towards the end of the book. Cash mentions the strength of his wife, June Carter and how, “she is a prayer warrior and I'm not.” He continues to say,

“Always, though, the first thing I say when I get up in the morning, whether or not June's with me, before my feet hit the floor, is “Good morning, Lord.” Then, by the time I'm on my feet, I say, “Praise God.” I know that's not much – it's not the prayer Jesus taught us – but it's my way of establishing immediate contact with my Creator. At some time during the day I usually manage to recite the Lord's Prayer, if only to myself silently.” (3)

There is so much poignant stuff in these pages. You can even learn something about music! Everyone knows Johnny Cash was not a perfect man, but he was good, honest and true.

Johnny Cash is someone who's example should influence and encourage you to be who you are, do what you do and get the most out of what you have got. Most of all, enjoy it!

♥ Country Music ♥

References:

CASH – The Autobiography of Johnny Cash
with Patrick Carr
First Published in the USA in 1997 by HarperSanFrancisco
(1) pp. 72-73
(2) pp. 226
(3) pp. 252

Communication

My recent little experiment with the web cam was no disaster, so I reckon I will use it from time to time in my blogs, messages, tweets etc.

Today's clip is by way of an introduction, so that my readers can put a face to a name. People are rapidly following and being followed by others on social media sites and it can be difficult to keep track of who people actually are.

Admittedly, that is not necessarily a bad thing and however public people want to be, they are quite rightly still staunchly protective of their privacy. However, as much as I would like to hide behind a carefully selected photograph or logo that I have managed to resurrect from the archives of my life, I do think it is more conducive to open communication if I keep my profile up-to-date.

This is how I like to remember myself!

Consequently, as today's video clip shows, you will have to accept, “the hair on my shoulders and the age in my eyes,” (thanks Waylon) as I am a battler in this world, in the same way as everyone else. Actually, more accurately pertaining to this clip, I ought to apologise for the early-morning sleepiness and the cold hands. Either way, the point is the same.

Anyway, I'll keep it short, as I am sure you are busy and have better things to do. If not, I will only start to bore you, so regardless, I am keeping it brief.

Keep communicating. Look after one another. Help each other out. Any love you give, you will get back.

♥ Country Music ♥


As a Bonus (or perhaps more suffering) here is something I have delved from the archives:

An Experiment with Cheap Web Cam

I have just bought a really cheap Web cam and so thought I would try a liitle experiment.  I borrowed a similar Web cam a while back and frankly, I was amazed at the quality - for the price.

This Web Cam cost £14.99 (reduced from £29.99) from Maplin.

I am playing through a Fender Classic 50's Stratocaster, "Hecho en Mexico" and a Fender 212R amplifier.  I only purchased the amp a week ago, so I am still guessing with the settings.

Anyway, I wondered how good/bad the result could be when simply recording through a basic web cam.  An awful lot of people seem to spend oodles of money on all sorts of gizzmos and gadgets, in order to get the best and highest definition of whatever.  Is it necessary?

Admittedly, I am lazy when it come to technology.  I have little interest and no idea.  I would rather spend my time physically getting better at something, so in this example of music and specifically guitar playing, my mentality is to put my efforts into hitting all the correct notes, cleanly and in the correct timing.  Until I can get that right, why worry about the rest?

This is a simple experiment.  The impatience in me provoked me to make a quick clip before I have really got to grips with things or prepared the stage accordingly.  In hindsight, the slippers are possibly a nice touch.

Anyway, I will be interested to see the outcome and I am assured of avoiding embarassment by the fact that nobody reads my blog!

I Can Tell a Rat!

Have you ever caught a glimpse of a mouse, only for someone to suggest, “perhaps it was a rat?”

The reason I am pondering this is that I have just written up a short-story, that revolves around what turned out to be a shrew, amassing a remarkably impressive winter store of acorns, big enough to bring a Citröen C15 van to its knees.

The essence of my musing is that if you have ever seen a rat, you would not possibly ever confuse it for a mouse. In simple terms, rats are huge!

I have had quite a few dealings with vermin over the years. Living in the sticks makes that par for the course. I have also assembled an impressive body count and have an overall hunting record that would rival any pest controller, outdoorsman or feline.

There are three examples, resulting from personal experience that I will use to support my claim:

Firstly, one sunny, early-evening my father and I were sitting outside when we simultaneously spotted a rat nip past a drainpipe and across the rooftop. Talk about sheer size! Briefly, we were frozen to the spot. When we came to our senses, Dad went in search of rat poison, while I fetched the air rifle and proceeded to stand there, waiting transfixed for the next two hours. You would not do that for a mouse.

Secondly, I was sitting upstairs with the computer, when a mouse scuttled past the doorway and towards the stairs. I leapt to my feet, whipped my shoe off, chased it down the stairs – two, three steps at a time, like in a cartoon – and still had the time to take aim and bring an end to the mouse.

Thirdly and finally, we had an old barn that had been converted into living quarters upstairs with a basic workshop on the ground floor. There were a couple of toilets and a shower next to the workshop. One day, I took a trip to the far cubicle to spend a penny. I did not bother to put the light on, when mid-flow I perceived a great deal of movement and splashing around in the bowl. I do not need to tell you that I was shocked and that was no mouse! I grabbed a metal bar and did the necessary and I thank the Lord to this day that I had not made my way to that cubicle for any serious business.

Perhaps just another random thought, but I am sure there is a message in there for all of us.

Nicknames, Identities, Perceptions

I was just thinking about nicknames that have been allotted to me over the years and was wondering what they say about my identity or the perceptions people make of me.

There is a common theory that everything is mapped out for us and that we are merely passengers on the journey. At the age of thirty-two and still meandering through life with no real idea of the direction in which I am going, I am happy to go along with that.

Some of the nicknames that I have endured provide for a certain degree of amusement and possibly intrigue into their origins. Therefore, I shall name a few:

“Li” (pronounced “Lee,” and short for Liam) has been a common one amongst family and friends. I like it. It is unforced, simple and I take it as a form of endearment.

After “Li,” there are more character-related monikers, such as “Beast,” introduced at a time when I lived, breathed, ate, drank and slept road-race cycling and training. It was used in reference to my incessant work ethic, in a similar fashion to the more explicit term, “Mile-Muncher.”

Subsequent employment in schools has made me fair game for name-calling. Strangely enough, kids have a childish element to them, which has resulted in labels related to my appearance.

“Superman” is a favourite. “Mr Muscle” (from the TV ads) has at times been given a mention. I have even heard “Spiderman” on a number of occasions, presumably from those who confuse their superheroes. A less appreciated doppelgänger has been “Where's Wally.” Admittedly, I was wearing spectacles and a stripy jumper at the time.

When I have allowed the Superman quiff and flick to grow, along with noteworthy sideburns, “Elvis” immediately gets a mention.

Contrastingly, when I was quite into my weight-training, had bulked up a little and shaved my head, I was called, “Jarhead.”

In further contrast, when I was very into my cycling and had got pretty skinny, I was referred to as, “Sherlock.”

Finally, I have even been called a “bum.” No, wait a minute that was not a nickname, but an insult. Thank you brother!

(Ed. Not that kind of "bum!")

Those are the principals so far as I can remember. They all have elements of accuracy and they are all complimentary in their own way - except for “Where's Wally.” I cannot see anything complimentary about that.

Anyway, I have rambled on long enough. I was just wondering, do these names actually say anything about me?

 

Newsprint Nails

You will need scissors, a light-coloured varnish, varnish base, a newspaper, alcohol (like vodka etc) and a top coat.

Varnish your nails by applying a base coat and two coats of varnish.  Put the alcohol in a glass.

Cut small pieces of newspaper large enough to cover your nails.  When your nails are dry, soak them in alcohol.

Cover your nails with the small pieces of newspaper.

Remove the small pieces of newspaper slowly.  Allow them to dry and apply a layer of top coat.


(Instructions translated from http://www.passionnailart.com/tutoriels/print/print.php.  I must confess I have not actually tried it out!)

I hope it is helpful.

This is what I do

I've spent today pretty much like every other day when I am not called in for some mind-numbing boredom that society accepts as work. I got up at 6am, went about by business and settled down for a day with the guitar.

I first started playing the guitar 3 ½ years ago. It is hard to say why I waited so long. A couple of reasons spring to mind - I doubted I would ever have the ability and I also had a serious addiction to road-race cycling for many years, meaning I spent thousands of hours literally riding against the wind.

My Dad bought himself a '60's Telecaster about four years back, which gave me the kick that I needed. I set about learning the art of guitar playing, became obsessed and set myself a five-year project to become good.

Initially, I amazed myself with my progress, but I do have a masochistic way of applying myself to a task. If it is not hurting, time-consuming and at times frustratingly difficult, then it is not good enough. As a result, I spend hours, hours and hours learning and playing.

I have been helped by the ways of this world and the fact that I seem to scare people away from engaging me in meaningful, full-time employment. Consequently, I continue to have plenty of time in order to further my progress.

Today has been freezing cold, dark and wet. I have been working primarily on ZZ Top's 'La Grange,' 'Sharp Dressed Man' and 'Tush,' which have some great, punchy rhythm parts.

It is a good example of what I do. I try to learn something new from every person. It is a great way to learn. I do not want to copy people but I will be influenced by them and my own style will come through.

I have always loved Elvis, then it was 'Country' and Willie, Waylon and the Boys. When learning the guitar, SRV blows my mind. I like Southern Rock. Through tuition, I have discovered Albert Lee, Arlen Roth, Danny Gatton...

I could go on and on... but I won't.

I play my guitar like it it is a part of me. It is a good instrument, it has got some scars, has taken some hits and is ageing a little, but it is solid, trustworthy and pretty sweet.

I am already pretty good. In 18-months time, I could be really good!

Anyway, it's what I do.