O, Canada

Five former prime ministers of Canada, Joe Clark, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper have called on all Canadians to fly the flag as a sign of national unity on Flag Day during the 2025 United States trade war with Canada and Mexico.

I have cousins in Canada, but irrespective of that fact I see no reason why everyone shouldn't show solidarity and stand up to such blatant bullying - do you?

Let's hear from one of that country's greatest exports...

Paul Anka - Black Hole Sun

Times are gone
For honest men
Sometimes, far too long for snakes

Black hole sun
Won't you come
And wash away the rain?

Indeed.

Tubers, black holes and Itt

If any flower screams "Spring", it's the wallflower...

It's been absolutely beautiful today, and I have made the most of it in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers, potting-up our fabulous Dahlia "Bishop's Children" into a trough and a big pot. We've had them for several years now, and every year there are more and more tubers to store over the winter - and they require bigger and bigger pots each summer. However, they repay all the effort in spades; they will be in flower from around the middle of May till the frosts of October/November!

Here's a jolly little choon to accompany proceedings:

Paul Anka - Black Hole Sun

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PS

RIP, Cousin Itt...

Felix Silla (11th January 1937 - 16th April 2021)

Hoorah...

...it's a Leap Year!

Here's an appropriate number, methinks:

Paul Anka - Jump (Van Halen cover)

Indeed.

Our little group has always been, and always will until the end

Our gang gathered in force for the annual Birthday Picnic in the lovely setting of Regent's Park, by the lake.

This time bereft of music at the bandstand ("because of the Olympics" apparently!), we dodged the goose shit, spread out our garguntuan feast (and copious quantities of booze) and had a great laugh, basking in the sunshine for hours. Bliss!







Here's something that is appropriate on all levels for both our gathering of oddballs friends, and also for this sunny hangover Sunday - Paul Anka's big band take on that Nirvana classic Smells Like Teen Spirit:

Paul Anka - Smells Like Teen Spirit

I'm worse at what I do best
And for this gift I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end

Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello

With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us!

We entertained ourselves, actually...

And more, much more than this

Paul Anka, whose 68th birthday it is today, is one of those "mixed bag" types in musical history. On the one hand, his back catalogue includes some really cheesy pap such as the massive teenybopper anthem of the 50s Diana and the godawful You're Having My Baby. On the other, he has written some enduring standards. In a similar vein to artists like Neil Sedaka, Barry Manilow, George Harrison and even Bruce Springsteen, however, his songs are often best when sung by other people.

How many people realise that Mr Anka wrote the English version of My Way, for example, or that he wrote She's A Lady (the Tom Jones hit), Buddy Holly's It Doesn't Matter Anymore, Puppy Love (Donny Osmond's biggest hit), and the much-covered Eso Beso (That Kiss)?

Today, after six decades of writing and recording, stage and TV appearances, Mr Anka has turned his canny attention to parody - his brilliant album Rock Swings gives the big band swing treatment to modern artists' songs such as those by Nirvana and Oasis. I love it! Happy birthday to a musical legend...

Paul Anka - Wonderwall

Paul Anka - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Here is a medley of some of his own hits:

Paul Anka - Medley - Big Hits 2007

And of course, his classic - My Way:

Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti - My Way

Paul Albert Anka (born 30th July 1941)

Stupid and contagious

Apparently fifteen years ago this week some drug addict in Seattle blew his head off, and a cult was born.

So much so, in fact, that many artists since have chosen to do some weird and wonderful covers of the man's greatest hit...

Big Band version:

Paul Anka - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Ukulele version:

Ukulele Orchestra - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Lullaby version:

Rockabye Baby! - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Electro version:

Happy Feathers - Smells Like Electro

And, of course, my favourite version - by Kiki and Herb...

Kiki and Herb - People Die

Hello! Hello!

The end of the world?

As the news breaks today that our galaxy is in fact swirling around a massive black hole - a news item that will be a feast for the tabloids, no doubt, despite the fact that it is 158 thousand, million, million miles from the Earth - I thought I'd pluck some items from the bizarre world that is my brain...

Paul Anka - Black Hole Sun

Amanda Lear - Black Holes

Skeeter Davis - End of the World

Black Hole discovered