It's been a bad week for me – sick
(again!!), which is very unusual for my normally vibrant and healthy
self. Guess i've been lucky. But then i just didn't feel 100%, ya
know?, and that progressed to out and out lousy, and bedridden, even.
My first line of defence is always sleep, so i gave in, and boy, did
i sleep a lot. All day and all night too. Sometimes i think this is
how life should be – I tend to agree with Fran Lebowitz, who said
that life is something you do when you can't sleep.
But seriously, folks, it's been a trip;
one i hope is over soon.
And in the meantime, i've gotten so far
behind in my reporting...
I did attend the illustrious Maple
Blues Awards, January 21 - Canada's premier blues awards show (i
think it's the only one), and it was, in fact, illustrious. A great
show with a lot of great performers, and a slick, but not too slick,
presentation. I could have done without the reminder of the
environmentally unconscious, and
social-program-and-arts-funds-cutting person who runs our federal
government, but the wife seems ok, even if she has the misfortune of
her marriage. As long as no one starts to meddle with the music, or
worse, suck up to the wrong 'powers'. OK, that's probably cryptic
enough, for anyone who doesn't know the facts, and i'll leave my
ranting at that. Because it was fun to mingle and
schmooze, and bop to the blues, and to top that, for me personally, i
had some lovely comments on my fashion sense (They should have seen
me this week, in my jammies and big fat sweater and hoser's hat). But
i digress. Three – not one, not two, but three of the reigning
blues divas of Canada all said to me individually that they loved my
hat. (Why, this old thing?). And I know, it's just a hat, (stop!!
it'll go to my head!), but I rather enjoyed it, and accepted it
gratefully, even though it will never take the place of actually
being up there on stage and singing some of my songs, or maybe once,
just once, getting -- oh oh, i'm ranting again. Sorry. Back to the
hat, which you can see for yourselves in the photos
here. some of the famous many who attended –
Chris Whiteley's
partner, singer Diana Braithwaite, and his son Jesse, with yours truly;
John
Valentyne (winner of the Blues Booster of the Year Award) and his
wife Brenda
above:
Raoul Bhaneja, host of the event with a
couple of fans
Suzie Vinnick, best female vocalist,
acoustic act
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Matt Minglewood, (Blues with a Feeling
Award)
 
Steve Strongman (best guitarist, best
recording, best songwriter) and me, still with that – what's so
great about that hat anyway? No doubt it was just the charming
little trinkets with which I adorned the hat – so singular, so
unique, you know? And it was the overall package, I'm sure, that led
a fourth very trendy and attractive blues lady to say to me “You
look great, as always. You're one of the most stylish people i
know”. That's why I was so “shocked and awed”. Hey, I didn't
say it; but I'll take it, - humbly, of course, since now, being so
struck down with disease, it seems like the pride before the fall.
And I'll leave it to you to judge. Here's me with my back to the wall
of Koerner Hall.
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It's probably where I picked up all the people germs.......
