Mike Crowl's Blog

A night to remember

 First published in Column 8 on 10th July, 1991

Before Christmas I wrote that some of the city’s historic eventsget bypassed in the news. Today I’m under obligation to mention one suchoccasion, though perhaps it should have been forgotten – and quickly!

 As I’ve said previously,I accompany soloists in one of the town’s brass bands – in view of thefollowing I won’t mention its name. One of the perks of the job is beinginvited to their annual dinner, this year held amongst dragon decoration...

A list-full

 First published in Column 8 on the 3rd July,1991. This is the original version of the column – a later rewrite for a nowdefunct revenue share site, Triond,appears elsewhereon this blog.

When the television series, The Story of English,was shown some time ago, I was so enthusiastic about it that I videoed iteach week at a friend’s house – even though we didn’t even own a VCR. The seriesonly confirmed what I think about the English language – that, like Muhammad Ali, it’s TheGreatest.

H...

The value of creativity

 Some yearsago I read Tom Wright’s Surprised by Hope, and found it a great book overall.   

One morningI was reading it in the bath and had a kind of ‘understanding’ about what hewas saying.

He talksall the time about how Jesus’ Resurrection opens the door for us to beresurrected too, but not just that, it enables us to live in the new heaven andnew earth that God will bring about in due course. There is hope both in the future and here inthe now. The now suddenly has much greater impo...

Transcendental Meditation

 First published in Column 8, 26.6.91

Every time I open the paper these days I see something aboutTM, more fully known as Transcendental Meditation.

I note that the same old lines are being trotted out. forinstance, because it so much improves health the Government should seriouslyconsider making TM a part of the health service – it will save us so muchmoney.

None of this is new. It’s been the line TM exponents havetaken since the Beatles became disillusioned with it back in the 1960s.

...

Evil

First published in Column 8, 12.6.91            

In the last week I’ve read two reviews of a film showing inDunedin at present. Apparently overseas critics have raved about the story inwhich, among other things, a character skins his female victims in order tomake a coat out of them.

According to some, The Silence of the Lambs is one ofthe best horror movies ever made. Critics say it portrays its human monsters inan intelligent way.

No doubt the film has been made intelligently. While w...

Phones

 First published in Column 8, 19th June, 1991

One of my readers tells me I forgot to mention personal stereosin the ‘music, music everywhere and not a note to sing’ article.

The difference between the muzak that follows us everywhere wego and a personal stereo wrapped around our ears is that with the latter we canchoose what we listen to. (At least I assume we still can. Hopefully ourlegislators – under urgency with only five members in the House – haven’tpassed a law while I was asleep s...

A bit sinister

 First published in Column 8 on the 29th May,1991

 

My left-handed relative and I (she in her pre-war gumboots,of course), were recently out in the sun sawing up wood.

While we stopped for a cuppa her eye caught a report by aCanadian professor regarding left-handed people in an old newspaper.

Reading it, my relative thought his statements smacked ofLeftism, a form of prejudice at least as old as racism, and possibly older.

“Just look at the words he uses,” she said. “Sinister, and macabre...

Music memories

First published in Column 8 on the 5th June1991

Recently we acquired a record player after having been someyears without one. (The last was picked to pieces when the boys were small andinvestigative and had to see how everything worked.)

Hearing records not played for years brought back some strangememories. There’s something special about the music we first heard when we werevery young and our world was somewhat unexplored.

I put on Imagine and I’m back in an upstairs Londonflat in a r...

Much music

 First published in Column 8 on the 22nd May,1991

 

I was informed after my columnon cycling that I couldn’t be old enough to remember when motorcyclehelmets were first proposed: it was pre-war, seemingly. That proves I wasn’t bornin the total dark ages.

However, is anyone else old enough to remember a time when,unlike the lady who had rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, you didn’thave music wherever you goes?

I’m not just referring to ghetto blasters and their like. They’reusua...

Playing percussioin

First published in Column 8, on the 15.5.91

National brass band competitions are here again. By the timeyou read this, I should be in Christchurch in my capacity as official accompanistfor one of the Dunedin bands.

No Harold, I don’t accompany a whole brass band, just playthe piano for the soloists.

I used to think brass bands were rather at the bottom of themusical barrel before I got involved. Then I heard them play the complex musicthey’re expected to perform for those competitions.

...