I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
Month: October 2020
I can’t remember if it was just before or just after its second album, but I saw Van Halen in concert at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.
It was early in the band’s career, and the show was as loud as you would have expected, and Eddie Van Halen was better than you could have imagined.
How could you not have known, at the time, that this man was taking this band places.
Albums, then, came out annually after Van Halen’s astonishing self-titled debut disc took the world by surprise, or by storm. I believe Rolling Stone magazine described the debut as near perfect. That was when Rolling Stone was still the bible on music; at a time when I read the magazine religiously.
That was more than 40 years ago, in my teenage years.
I wasn’t a huge Van Halen fan — late ‘70s music was about change, and I went another direction — though I appreciated the power and precision behind the music.
With older brother Alex Van Halen on drums, propelling the music forward with bassist Michael Anthony, the four-piece band covered a lot of ground, climbing the charts and making a name for itself with two (actually, three) singers over time.
There were varied eras of the Van Halen — defined by original lead singer David Lee Roth and then veteran rocker Sammy Hagar — still, it was Eddie’s guitar that made it happen.
A lot of great guitarists do, and will, come and go.
Eddie was a keeper, acknowledged by many as one of the greatest. He played like nobody, or nothing, had.
He was impressive. He was memorable.
He died yesterday from throat cancer at age 65.
Too young.
Too sad.
Long live rock and roll.
R.I.P. Edward Van Halen
Posted on October 6, 2020 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
days change
we change
daily
we adapt
accommodate
try to understand
the change
in the days
in our self
in this life
everything changes
nothing is permanent
the days change
from one
to the next
and you adapt
you have to
10/06/2020 j.g.l.
Posted on October 5, 2020 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
Letter from a friend,
appreciated
though not unexpected.
A faraway smile
from the past, once
my hometown.
Distance is lessened.
Communication counts.
Handwriting makes it real.
Printing on the back of
an envelope as heartfelt
as the words within.
Sentiment stands out from
an assortment of
bills, notices, flyers
and junk mail.
I still write letters,
I still receive letters.
Always meaningful.
Always cherished.
10/05/2020 j.g.l.
