Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

I know it was magic:  it was my first concert.  The year was 1965 and it was Carnegie Hall and Peter, Paul & Mary and they were great.

Mary Travers died last year of leukemia.  I loved Peter, Paul & Mary.  My wife fell in love with them again when she listened over and over to the ninety minute cassette I had made of the group.

Every once in awhile I listen to the first album they made (titled Peter, Paul & Mary) (1962).  It is still my favorite one of theirs.  Every time I play it I have to sing along.

Listening to that album again is still like a spiritual experience to me.  It is still magic.  I have no regrets.  I saw them in concert when I wanted to.  I will miss Mary Travers and Peter, Paul & Mary although they left behind a fine musical legacy.

Tags: 1965, Carnegie Hall, first album 1962, it was magic, leukemia, LP, Mary Travers, music, music cassette, musical legacy, my first concert, my wife, no regrets, Peter Paul & Mary, sing along, spiritual experience
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I had an unexpected pleasure.  My daughter came over for New Years Eve and spent the night.  Her plans had fallen through and I suggested she come over and spend New Years with my wife and me.

We had fun.  And more than enough food.  The table was full of goodies from shrimp to cold cuts and a vegetable tray and that was only a partial list.

In fact, we still had plenty of food for the next day and still had some food left over.

We watched a Marx Brothers’ film, “A Night at The Opera”.  I laughed my head off at many of the scenes particularly the one liners of Groucho.  His comments were so silly and absurd that I roared.

My wife did not think the film was that funny but my daughter also laughed.  I do not think she ever saw the film before.  It was of course released before her time (and mine).

My wife really enjoyed the scenes of one of the brothers playing piano and of course the obligatory scene of Chico playing harp.  They must have been quite a musical family.  It was harmless slapstick.  I had not seen the movie in a long time.

My New Year I spent with my wife and daughter was quite pleasant.  We of course watched the New Year’s show on TV and the apple go down on the stroke of midnight at Times Square.  Finally I went to sleep 1:30AM.

Tags: "A Night at The Opera", Chico Marx, cold cuts, comedy, funny movie, Groucho Marx, Marx Brothers movie, midnight, musical family, my daughter, my wife, New Years apple drop, New Years Eve, play harp, play piano, shrimp, slapstick comedy, Times Square, TV, vegetable tray
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I can’t compare myself to anyone.  I have to till the soil that is mine.  God has given me certain gifts.  And has wired me a certain way.  And all I can do is follow that tiny voice only I can hear.

It does me no good to even consider if I will have any kind of legacy.  That is not up to me.  Every person created is different.  There have been billions of people on this earth and each is is unique–a snowflake.

No one can really tell me what to do, what is most important to me, what drives me.  Certainly life is full of others who are too quick to tell you this.

Your conscience is really your ultimate guide.  Your time here is finite and all you can do is unravel the path set out for you, which only you know.  I have to till the soil that is only mine.

Some people’s destiny is grand and others are on a smaller scale –most people for that matter.  You have to accept the place given to you.  We are all part of a whole.  And ripples go forth into the universe when you are following the path only set for you.

Tags: accept your place, billions of people created, do not compare yourself, every person is different, follow the tiny voice, follow your path, gifts from God, God, my legacy, only I can hear, ripples into the universe, snowflake, till the soil, unravel your path, we are part of a whole, you are unique, your conscience is your guide, your destiny, your time is finite here
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I have lost touch with the current musical scene.  “Mojo” magazine, an English musical magazine I get, listed the top fifty releases of 2009:  I had only bought one.  A lot of the names of the groups I never heard.  At best, they were names of groups I had come across and usually was not familiar with their music.  I had become almost completely unaware of “what was out there”.  The thing is I really do not care although my antenna is always up for artists I have never heard of yet are very good.  Most of the time, though, they are not in the “mainstream”.

Tags: 2009, England, mainstream music, Mojo magazine, music, music groups, music magazine, music scene, musical artists
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Never be afraid of contradicting yourself:  words are always one-sided.  There is always another side–another point of view.  Your words can only state one point of view.  That may seem obvious but it is true.

Someone who reads what you have written may say, “What about this or that.  That is not true all the time?!”

Don’t get upset.  Just be aware there is always another side.  Just try to state your point of view as honestly and as accurately as possible.  That all you can do.  And do not be dismayed when someone challenges you.

Tags: accurate, always another side, another point of view, contradict yourself, honest, one-sided, writers, writing, your words
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Music is mathematics.  A beautiful piece of music is composed of empty spaces and notes of various intensity and pitch and somehow they all fit together and become a composition.  I can not tell you how to get it there but I can tell you when it works.

I can tell you when I string together on a cassette, let us say forty minutes of music, composed, maybe, of thirteen songs, it somehow fits together.  It is done intuitively and is based on forty years of listening ten of thousands of hours (???).

An anthology of music I put together that way contains the “best” of what is out there and fits together.  Ultimately taste in the quality of music is a gift.  Music is mathematics and my experience in listening enables me to separate the mediocre from the very good and also know what music blends together.

The best songs from the “Stones” and “The Beatles” to name two familiar groups hold up well because the musicianship is impeccable and holds up well to repeated listening.  The composers had a superb ear and the ability to get it “right”.  Music is always mathematics.

Tags: a good ear for music, Beatles, beautiful piece of music, best songs, cassette, composers, composition, empty spaces, music, music anthology, music is mathematics, musical notes, musicians, musicianship, pitch, quality of music, Rolling Stones, years of listening to music
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Suddenly it struck me viewing the discounted book “501 Must Sights Of The World”.  I had no interest in exploring any of these places.  I quickly glanced at some of the magnificent sights in glorious color.

I tried to figure out why I had no desire to travel to any of these exotic places some of which I had never heard.  I was balking at even opening the book to glance through it.

Despite my reservations I bought the beautiful book anyway.  I know my wife will like leafing through it.

I could never let myself dream of traveling.  I never had the funds to travel abroad so I just did not let my mind and curiosity roam.

I knew I never would be able to.  I am the same person who told my wife never to use the word “never”.

All that quickly ran through my head as I deliberated buying the book for a Christmas gift.  There were other issues why I did not desire to travel very much but I will explore them in other blogs.

Tags: beauty, blog, book, Christmas gift, exotic places, explore, money, my wife, nature, never say never, travel, travel abroad, world
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WELCOME! I hope you will enjoy reading my blurbs.

In addition to the Blogs, I hope to encourage and inform poets and writers at Siggy’s Cafe For Writers & Poets, www.siggyscafe.com.  Here you will find many pages of articles, poems, suggested reading, and more, plus a special section devoted to my love of music.  Siggy

Tags: articles, encourage others, God, love of music, poems, reading, Siggy's Blurbs, Siggy's Cafe for Writers & Poets, suggested reading, tiny voice, welcome, writers, writing
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Again, I can’t answer that question.  Only you can.  I can suggest some questions that may provide clues for you how to respond to that question.  Can others predict what you are going to say, do?  In my life others can’t for a simple reason:  I can’t tell you exactly what I am going to say, do when.

Every person is different.  Every person has different talents and not only that and maybe this factor is even more important than your gifts:  what is truly in your heart and soul, how are you really wired?

If you have some idea, you may at least know how you are driven to explore your creativity and how you share it.  Every one is different.  What occupies your time, your efforts, your thoughts, what are your driven to do more than anything else?

Now try answering some of those questions I posed and maybe you might be able to answer my question a little bit better.  Are you creative?  To what extent?  Only you truly know.  Others around you can only give you an inkling to what degree this may be:  Are you creative?  Only you know to what extent this might be true.  There (???) really no paths to follow, only your own.

Tags: creative, creativity, every person is different, follow your own path, God, no paths to follow, talents, what are you driven to do
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