That StripedSunlight Sound...or not

So nice to have a day off drudgery today, in the sun. Spent much of the day not running, some nice power hills and a late ploddle with the dog.
Some of the day tending to the cabernet sauvignon grape vine that may never produce wine, most of the day listening and digitising old music...remembered Grant McLennan.


Behind my back is a curtain In my eyes there is love Two sides to this story The great divide makes it tough There are those that despise me Lead me round on a ring But I've always been a target Too Much Of One Thing
This is a statement from Amanda Brown, a former Go-Between and former partner of Grant McLennan "I would like to say some true things about Grant. As a musician and songwriter, he was articulate, thoughtful, emotional and poetic. His songs are distinguished by beautiful, yearning melodies and lyrics which were literate and free from cliche. The esteem in which he was held by people like R.E.M. and Franz Ferdinand reflect the high calibre of his artistic output. Grant's songs captured an Australia that was influenced by his love for contemporary American writers like Cormac Macarthy, Richard Ford and Raymond Carver and songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith. These writers inform his images of Australia, which range from the landscapes tinged with nostalgia and loss (Cattle and Cane and Bye Bye Pride), suburban life (Streets of Your Town), epic narratives (The Wrong Road, Black Mule) and of course, exquisite love songs like Quiet Heart, Stones for You, and Bachelor Kisses. Grant was gentle and even tempered, intelligent and quixotic. Sometimes his bravado could mask an private inner life that was marked by melancholy and loss. His father died when he was very young, and he was sent to boarding school in Brisbane at a young age. Grant and I were lovers and friends, sharing a world of music, travelling, books, film and art. We influenced each other in a mutually profound and creatively vibrant way, and we lived intensely and happily together for several years. We met recently at the Amp Awards in Sydney, after a prolonged absence from each others lives. It meant a lot to me to be reunited again, and seems particularly precious now. I will miss him more than I can say. Amanda Brown 7th May, 2006
In these demon days We’re pulling our pay The lights on the hill Are freezing us still The fingers of fate Stretch out and take Us to a night But something’s not right Something’s gone wrong
”Demon Days,” co-written with McLennan shortly before he died, is an all too telling spine tingling journey into oblivion.