You couldn’t escape the voice of Gordon Lightfoot in Toronto during the 1970s. Believe me, I tried.
Just months into the marriage, I’d suspected that I’d made a mistake, but whenever that recognition descended, I shook it off. I told myself that I had seized control of my life.
Gordon Lightfoot is my teacher of all things Canadian. As I walk the streets of Toronto, his sounds fill my ears.
Gordon Lightfoot is my teacher of all things Canadian. As I walk the streets of Toronto, his sounds fill my ears.
Every now and then there’s a song that comes along at a time in your life when you’re most ready to respond to it.
So, had I ever heard of CSN, he asked? (Wait, what!? Was that a news channel? A law firm?) No, I had not.
Love at first listen. My anthem. Just the call for sanctuary was enough to provide tranquility on some of those crazy mornings. I wasn’t alone.
Simon’s opener was “America”, first recorded with Art Garfunkel for Bookends in 1968. Now, a half century later, this song had seen Simon progress from youth to old age, from folk rock to wildly creative musical experimentation that spanned the globe.
The burial went quickly. Quicker than planned. The weather turned just before the rosary. A localised storm – affectionately recorded for posterity as Hurricane Maureen – came rolling through.
We write to each other. About writing, mostly. Its place in our lives. Its ups and downs. Its twists and turns.