The latest episode of The Agency Podcast is up! We’re very excited about our feature interview with Chicago-based musician Scott Free, and we decided to make it available early. Scott’s new album THE LAST REVOLUTION drops this week on July 3. You can find out all about Scott’s music available at: thescottfree.bandcamp.com or scottfree.net. Listen here or find us in the usual places.
Vallenato!
Vox had his best evening of go since January last night, defeating me 5 games in a row. I felt I had a good chance in the first two of the games, but he really dominated the others.
Game 2 was the closest last evening. I got off to a good start, making a decent corner by killing 6 of Vox’s stones. However, it was my only corner and it wasn’t as big as the corner/side combination beside it. Is last night’s result an omen of things to come or will I be able to continue to successfully offer Vox the 2-stone handicap.
I felt that Vox was able to use his handicap stones more effectively last night and he was able to keep my stones under some pressure, and as a result he got to some of the bigger places before me.
The King of Zydeco.
Taj Mahal…
I can’t stop watching these guys reacting to music…
Vox had his best evening of Go at least since we started playing online due to the virus, rather than over the board. He won 3 of 5 games. We each won two games decisively, and in the first game Vox managed a .5 point victory.
I wish had had our first game to play over again. Vox’s group in the top left survived barely with 2 eyes. However, It was attackable. I could have reduced him to one eye and at very least could have made great profit by chasing the group, but I might have also killed the group. It would have sealed a win. However, in the heat of the game I misunderstood the area and thought he could easily make life anytime. Sometimes the obvious doesn’t seem obvious when you’re in the midst of it. Incidentally, this was the first game since we changed komi from 6.5 to .5 that komi came into play in counting the games.
The new episode of The Agency Podcast is now available. Listen here or find us at the usual places.
The Comfort Food Diner, COVID dieting, old folkies, cloistered nuns and spies. And….Issue 4 of the Squeeze Box Man graphic novel is at the printer.
In the coming days we’re going to see quite a few patios opening up in the Toronto area. I have some mixed feelings about this. On the one hand I want those businesses to succeed and I want to see some return to activities that were normal prior to COVID-19. On the other hand, I have no idea if the timing on this is reasonable or not. Are we going to see new cases shoot up or have our health officials and politicians got it right?
For us, going out to a restaurant is an occasional treat and it isn’t something I’ve been really yearning to do here. I will say I have enjoyed getting take-out once every week or two just for a change. I know that hanging out on a patio drinking and socializing is a popular activity, but I can’t even remember the last time I’ve done that, so I won’t be rushing out to my nearest patio anytime soon, virus or not.
Still, I’m sure there are a lot of people who have felt cooped up laying low in their homes and I’m betting patios that open will be filled to whatever the social distancing capacity turns out to be. It seems to me a song about drinking wine is appropriate for the occasion. Drinkin Wine Spo-dee-o-dee was written by Sticks McGhee and J. Mayo Williams during the second world war. The original version featured a good deal of profanity…
Drinkin’ that mess is our delight,
And when we get drunk, start fightin’ all night.
Knockin’ out windows and tearin’ down doors,
Drinkin’ half-gallons and callin’ for more.
Drinkin’ wine motherfucker, drinkin’ wine!
Goddam!
Drinkin’ wine motherfucker, drinkin’ wine!
Goddam!
Drinkin’ wine motherfucker, drinkin’ wine!
Goddam!
Pass that bottle to me!
Sticks McGhee got his name because he was known as a kid to be pushing around his brother, who had contracted polio, in a wagon. His brother had a nickname as well. He was known as Brownie. Sticks and Brownie wrote a new cleaned up version of the song, which was released in 1949. Along with Rocket 88 by Ike Turner, it’s one of the songs we identify as a prototype for rock ‘n’ roll.
Here are Brownie McGhee and his musical partner Sonny Terry performing Drinkin Wine.
Here is the original….
Here’s the late great Sharon Jones with her mighty band, The Dap Kings….
27th Street 