Creedence Clearwater Revival officially ends my C’s. As you may be aware, I have been counting down my 678 vinyl records here on this blog before I succumb to a fatal degenerative brain disease.
I’ve been counting them down alphabetically, more or less. I’m not super strict on that. On the menu at the right you can, for example, click on A-Music and see all of the reviews I’ve done for bands or individual artists whose names start with ‘A’ — first, letter last name for individuals. So Hoyt Axton would be in the ‘A’s, (if I had any Hoyt Axton.) The Beatles would be in ‘B’ (I do have some Beatles.)
I started this blog in late September, 2017 with 678 records to do. I made the pledge to finish, so I’m going toe-to-toe with this brain disease, Lewy body dementia, while I do this. All the while promoting awareness of LBD, which most people don’t know is the second leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. The average life span for an LBD patient is 5 to 7 years after diagnosis. I’m about 18 months from my diagnosis.
Record-wise, I am at 552 (those numbers which you will find adjacent to each title indicate how far down that particular album is in the count.) So I have completed 126. (678-552=126)
As regulars know, a lot of my posts are not ‘countdown’ posts, or music related at all. Intermixed with my vinyl record reviews are ruminations on life, love, and the proper way to remove a pinto bean from a child’s nose.
I repeat, the goal here is to raise awareness of this godawful disease I have. Some things I write may be offensive to some people, for example I did a post where I create a stand-up comedy act which pokes fun of my disease.
Quick background: The disease is named after Frederic Lewy, doctor who noticed upon death that certain people presenting with dementia had an oversupply of a type of protein that doctors figure is killing brain cells; it is the same protein associated with Parkinson’s disease, only the proteins seemed to set up a larger camp, thus affecting both mental and physical faculties. (Yes Dr. Lewy had to open the lid to look at these dead folks’ brains.)
I guess he was proud of his work and I’m glad he learned something. But would you want your name associated with this this brain dissolving protein? Sure, I know his findings provide a starting place. Did he know I wonder that the disease was given his name? Did they have a little ceremony? |
Master of ceremonies: And we officially decree the name of this degenerative fatal brain disease to be Lewy. (clap clap) …And our next award tonight goes to Dr. Cancer …
Weird if you ask me.
But Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases are named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer and Dr. James Parkinson, respectively.
QUICK: Musical interlude from the super handsome Robert Palmer.
Doctor Doctor, we just gotta be sure
I got a bad need for Dr. Cure
No pill’s gonna cure my ill
Which will only get worse when I see the bill
All right fun’s over. Sit back and enjoy my blog. I’ve been averaging about five posts a week, but they come at all times and sometimes I miss a day or two.
If you’ve seen the latest post, explore the rest of the blog. Lots of stuff. Listen to the music.
The more I talk to people, the more I realize that knowledge or awareness of a certain type of music or singer or group doesn’t match mine. Surprise surprise, I’m a 58-year-old man going through vinyl records I bought when I was in my teens or 20s — in the 1970 and 1980s mostly. (CDs got big, then digital, shareable, files, then programmable Internet radio. I’ve used them all. But the vinyl is still closest to my heart and it conjures special memories.
Young people tell me about musical genres I know little about, trip-hop, folk metal, shoegaze, different mashed jazz types. I’ve been too busy hunting my Apple ID number to pay attention, it seems.
But I think I have a lot of music people have missed; that they would like. That’s what this is about. When I hear someone say, ‘I’ve never heard of Tonio K, I want to play a few songs for them. Or David Lindley’s solo stuff and his first group Kaleidescope. Or Leonard Cohen or Randall Bramblett. Or Cream or King Sunny Ade or the Plimsouls. Or Easybeats or Rockpile or the Swimming Pool Q’s or Bud Powell or Eddie Hinton.
Most of the time I have a video at the end of the post, watch ’em.
My 80-year-old plus mother said she actually likes some of the songs.
I think ‘How Do You Do’ is one. Me too, mom.
But i don’t like that I like it.