The virtuosity and versatility of Jeff Beck was unique among rock guitarists. One of the best!

February 12, 2023

Guitarist Jeff Beck’s unexpected passing earlier this year took the rock world by surprise. He died suddenly of bacterial meningitis. He was 78. R.I.P. (June 24, 1944–January 10, 2023)

A guitar player’s guitar player, Jeff Beck was considered one of the top five of all time. An eight-time Grammy winner, he was inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—as a member of the Yardbirds, and for his own Jeff Beck Group.

Jeff was a humble person, admired and liked by all. Read Jeff Beck, Rock’s Quiet Guitar Virtuoso, Dead at 78. It includes loving quotes from members of Rock and Roll royalty.

Once news of his sudden passing came out, many of us searched his music online. I was impressed by his amazing virtuosity and versatility. Equally at home in different musical genres, he had his own unique style of playing that defied categorization. Jeff never sang; his guitar did.

Part of Gene’s comment explains: “He is a fusion of blues, soul & progressive rock. He could manipulate the strings, whammy bar, volume & tone knobs simultaneously, with technical mastery, to seamless & absolutely dazzling effect. He had voice on the guitar that was exceedingly rare and distinct.”

Here are a few videos that will give us an idea of his range and talent. They cover R & B, Rock, Pop, Jazz-Rock Fusion, Classical, Opera, and Celtic, respectively: Drown In My Own Tears on Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra (Dec 2002); Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers from Live at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London (Nov 2007), and at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago Southland (July 2007), which contain Tal’s impressive bass solos; Superstition with Stevie Wonder at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary (Oct 2009); Blue Wind and Star Cycle with Jan Hammer, Live at the Hollywood Bowl (Aug 2016); Adagietto from Gustav Mahler’s 5th Symphony (2005); Nessun Dorma (No One Sleeps) at Royal Albert Hall (2010); Mna Na Hereann (Women of Ireland) with Sharon Corr (Aug 2011); and Davy Spillane‘s haunting Midnight Walker at The Woodlands, TX (Sep 2022).

Also enjoy Jeff Beck – Performing This Week… Live at Ronnie Scott’s.

Accompanying Jeff were Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Tal Wilkenfeld on bass guitar, and Jason Rebello on keyboards. Amazing musicians in their own right, they produced an exciting cohesive sound. The joy they shared making great music together showed on their smiling faces. One highlight was Jeff using a glass bottleneck slide to delicately tap out high notes at the lowest position on the strings in Angel (Footsteps), which drew a standing ovation from the audience, and a pleasing smile from Jeff. The evening’s 21 performances included a few surprise guest appearances, like Joss Stone and Eric Clapton. But the one that stood out for me was Imogen Heap. She sang and riffed her way through a jazzy-bluesy performance of Blanket, weaving her magic, enthralling the lucky attendees. The band grooved, and Jeff deftly, tastefully, contributed two short sublime solos (1 & 2). The camera caught a few famous musicians in the crowd, among them lifelong friend Jimmy Page beaming after A Day in the Life. Jeff concluded the night with the hauntingly beautiful Where Were You, from his 1989 album Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop. Jeff was interviewed on the success of the 5-night run at Ronnie Scott’s. He talked about each musician and every song on the set list. The show was edited into a 1-hour program for broadcast on the BBC. In 2009, it was released on DVD, Blu-ray, Multi-Format, and Prime Video. In 2015, a Deluxe Edition came out with all 28 songs on 2 CDs (1h 54m), including the Extra 7-song Rockabilly set with Beck and the Big Town Playboys, available on Spotify.

I embedded those previously listed videos for your enjoyment, plus one.

Jeff Beck beautifully played all of Women of Ireland, Live in Moscow at Crocus City 2010, and with violinist Lizzie Ball Live at Madison Square Garden 2013. “Mná na hÉireann” (Women of Ireland), a poem written by Ulster poet Peadar Ó Doirnín (1704–1796), became famous as a song.

Midnight Walker was recorded for his album ‘18‘ with Johnny Depp. A spoken word poem by Imelda May written at Beck’s suggestion and approval was later added, but was sadly first performed live to track at his funeral: Jeff Beck ft. Imelda May – Midnight Walker Lament (2023).

It seems appropriate to conclude with Jeff Beck playing Elegy for Dunkirk featuring classical singer Olivia Safe, the 10th and final number on his album Emotion & Commotion (2010). The album was nominated for 5 Grammy awards and won two.

Elegy for Dunkirk is part of the OST composed by Dario Marianelli for the film Atonement (2007). It was performed by the English Chamber Orchestra featuring pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and cellist Caroline Dale. In 2008, it won the Academy Award for Original Music Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. Marianelli also received three awards for Film Score of the Year, Best Original Score, and Film Music Composition of the Year for “Elegy for Dunkirk” in the International Film Music Critics Association Awards.

Here is a live performance of Elegy for Dunkirk featuring Jeff Beck and Olivia Safe with the English Chamber Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall (October 26, 2010). See this complete brighter wider view with extras.

Enjoy this excellent earlier retrospective interview at Abbey Road Studios, Jeff Beck Talks Music (2013), where Jeff also demonstrates musical selections on his guitar. See this Jeff Beck Tribute RAH 23.05.2023: film about Jeff and Elegy For Dunkirk (Olivia Safe, R. Randolph). Eric Clapton – 23 May 2023, London, Tribute To Jeff Beck – Multicam – COMPLETE.

See setlist.fm (The Setlist Wiki): Jeff Beck Concert Setlists & Tour Dates.

Jeff Beck’s last words before he died was a poem by African-American writer Langston Hughes.

Life is for the living.
Death is for the dead.
Let life be like music.
And death a note unsaid.
― Langston Hughes, The Collected Poems

Also see: JEFF BECK – Still on the Run 2018 (official documentary). Singer Beth Hart says, “He’s the most innovative guitarist of all time.” Guitarist Jennifer Batten says, “There’s a difference between playing music and being music … and that’s how he is set apart because he IS music.”

Also listen to this comprehensive The “I’m In Love With That Song” Podcast on Jeff Beck – A Retrospective posted March 1, 2024.

A year later I discovered a wonderfully insightful interview with one of Jeff’s bassists posted January 9, 2024—a Lex Fridman Podcast (#408): Tal Wilkenfeld: Music, Guitar, Bass, Jeff Beck, Prince, and Leonard Cohen.

Another great musician left us unexpectedly a few months earlier. See Rock’s Songbird—Christine McVie—has flown free.

I added this two and a half years later: Enjoy my favorite Jeff Beck pieces from Live at Ronnie Scott’s: Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers, Blanket featuring Imogen Heap, Where Were You.

Check out more amazing musicians in the Archive ‘Music’ Category of The Uncarved Blog.

— Written and compiled (citing sources) by Ken Chawkin for The Uncarved Blog.

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Funny cartoons make us laugh ‘cuz they’re true.

February 9, 2023

This is a very funny cartoon with a Jewish New Yorker sense of humor! Emily Carey posted it on her Instagram as Confrontation therapy — imagined by Bob Mankoff. To learn more about this celebrated cartoonist and humorist, visit bobmankoff.com.

In response, Selena Palmer posted a joke, but with this self-deprecating ethnic twist: How many Jewish mothers needed to change a lightbulb?…None…I’ll suffer here, in the dark.

Speaking of suffering, cartoons by David Sipress: thinking one was a writer and the frustration of being one (added at the bottom of that post) both cracked me up.

And when it comes to worrying too much, David Sipress reminds us that things are not as bad as they seem in a funny instructive cartoon.

The antidote to worrying is to learn to live in the moment, which is brilliantly illustrated in a New Yorker cartoon by Karl Stevens.

Speaking of living in the moment, William Haefeli uses humor to deal with memory loss in old age in this New Yorker cartoon.

New Yorker cartoonist Alex Gregory uses humor to show how social media changed the ways we communicate and what that does to us.

Here are some funny cartoons and videos on how cellphones and social media can destroy not build personal relationships.

This hilarious short video from CBC Comedy’s 22 Minutes shows how too many different dietary restrictions at a Christmas dinner can go awry.

Another brilliant cartoonist is Dave Coverly @speedbumpcomic. Here are some funny cartoons: about an old wolf that any senior can relate to; what a young wolf tells another will happen if they play nice with humans; what your dog is up to wondering when you’ll be back home; the frustrations of a wannabe author; and contemplating the central question in the Directory at the Institute of Philosophy, which complements an earlier one about the Center for Reincarnation Studies.

Later added: Gary Larson’s cartoons are funny because they make us see the unexpected humor in things. Then followed up with Cartoonists show us the pressure some people put on their pets and how they try to deal with it. And more recently, More brilliant cartoons from Dave Coverly as he anthropomorphizes a dog and a crash test dummy.

Coming back to Bob Mankoff, his most famous cartoon still makes me laugh. Drawn in 1993, a business executive on the phone looks at his appointment calendar and asks the caller a question.

He would later use that as the title of his memoir. See his March 27, 2014 New Yorker article: The Story of “How About Never”. He concluded the article with a P.S. mentioning his appearance on a CBS show. New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff lets 60 Minutes cameras into the weekly process of picking the magazine’s famous cartoons. The segment in S46 E26 aired the previous Sunday, March 23, 2014.

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This simple poem—Once in the 40’s by William Stafford—might quietly surprise you at the end

January 6, 2023

The more I read this poem—Once in the 40’s by William Stafford—the more I love it. It may seem simple, but it quietly surprised me at the end. I subscribe to the Academy of American Poets newsletter and it appeared in a list of poets whose birthdays are in January. Stafford’s is the 17th. 

Once in the 40’s
We were alone one night on a long
road in Montana. This was in winter, a big
night, far to the stars. We had hitched,
my wife and I, and left our ride at
a crossing to go on. Tired and cold—but
brave—we trudged along. This, we said,
was our life, watched over, allowed to go
where we wanted. We said we’d come back some time
when we got rich. We’d leave the others and find
a night like this, whatever we had to give,
and no matter how far, to be so happy again.

—William Stafford (1914-1993)

From The Way It Is by William Stafford. Copyright © 1982, 1998 by the Estate of William Stafford. Shared via Poets.org. Reprinted with the permission of Graywolf Press, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Bill had married Dorothy Hope Franz in 1944. He must have been 30 at the time, and she 28. Although, Dorothy’s obituary (1916-2013) says they married in 1943. In any case, this poem recalls an event that must’ve taken place once in the 40’s, in the early years of their marriage when they were very much in love and carefree, before they settled down to raise a family. The nostalgia factor makes a lot of sense. It’s relatable.

It also reminds me of being surprised with a nostalgic feeling when reading the last line in Mary Oliver’s poem, Coming Home.

Enjoy more wonderful poems by William Stafford posted here.

— Written and compiled (citing sources) by Ken Chawkin for The Uncarved Blog.

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Something sweet to close out the old year with

December 31, 2022

I love this sweet and rare interaction between this girl and a bird. It’s as if Snow White and The Sound of Music collaborated to create “a golden hour miracle.” The description below explained what had happened. A bird had crashed into their window and was dazed. We see their delighted daughter holding the bird and singing Edelweiss to it while compassionately caressing it. You can hear the bird chirp feebly. This must have helped to get it back on its feet, or in this case, off, since “she flew away fit as a fiddle.” What a magical moment!

Gable Swanlund’s mother posted this video of her and the bird on her Instagram account. The video has hundreds of thousands of likes and over ten thousand comments! It’s bound to put a smile on your face.

Sander from the Netherlands posted a close-up of the video on Twitter.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

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This funny and wise cartoon from David Sipress reminds us that things are not as bad as we think

December 31, 2022

Originally tweeted by DavidSipress (@dsipress) on December 30, 2022.

Enjoy other funny cartoons by David Sipress at the top and bottom of this post: Good cartoons teach us a lot if we’re willing to learn and laugh at our little foibles and neuroses. Included are links to interviews and articles about him, as well as funny cartoons by others and a short video.

A friend sent me this poem, I Worried by Mary Oliver, which fits perfectly with the sentiment of the cartoon!

I later posted: Funny cartoons make us laugh ‘cuz they’re true, which features a really funny one by Bob Mankoff, and links to others.

I later added: Gary Larson’s cartoons are funny because they make us see the unexpected humor in things.

Click the humor category for more funny cartoons on The Uncarved Blog.

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‘Along the Potomac’ by watercolorist Margaret Pearson beautifully portrays a stark winter scene

December 31, 2022

I saw this beautiful watercolor painting online and was so impressed with its zen-like quality I had to post it. Along the Potomac by Margaret Pearson seems appropriate for this time of year. The different textures in the sky and on the river along with the various shades of black and white contribute to the gloomy atmosphere in this stark winter scene. But the sun must be shining through the clouds since we see the picnic table casting its shadow onto the brightly colored sandy beach at the bottom.

“Along the Potomac” by Margaret Pearson, member of the Potomac Valley Watercolorists, a juried society of watercolor painters based in the Maryland/Virginia/D.C. area.

John Ford and the horizon line

I am reminded of what John Ford, played by David Lynch, said to a young Steven Spielberg at the end of The Fabelmans, the semi-autobiographical film about his life. Ford asks Spielberg what he knows about art and tells him to look at different paintings in his office and describe them. Spielberg’s descriptions miss the main point. It’s all about where the horizon line is placed in a picture. Ford tells him if it’s at the top or at the bottom, it’s interesting, but if it’s in the middle, it’s boring. The horizon line in Margaret Pearson’s painting is in the lower half—another reason for it being interesting.

I added that clip in this recent blog post on Steven Spielberg, where he tells Martin Scorsese how he was able to get David Lynch to play John Ford. He also reveals that he and his wife had learned TM 3 years ago from Bob Roth at DLF, and had mentioned it to David Lynch in the hopes of softening him up to take the role. Visit that post to get the full story.

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A 17-year landmark study @maharishiuni found group meditation decreased US national stress

December 25, 2022

World Journal of Social Science publishes study showing that group practice of the TM and TM-Sidhi techniques by √1% of a population decreased multiple stress indicators in the U.S.. Scientists call for a group to create world peace.

During a five-year demonstration period, a group of 1725 meditators practiced the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi techniques twice daily to create coherence in US collective consciousness. Murders, rapes, aggravated assaults, robberies, infant mortality, drug-related deaths, vehicle fatalities, and child deaths by injuries all decreased, by 6% to 21% compared to the seven previous years. When the size of the group decreased over the next five years, stress began to increase again on all indicators. (Summary for EurekAlert! Press Release.)

Every year during 2000 to 2006 there were tens of thousands of stress-related tragedies in the U.S.. Official statistics from the FBI and Centers for Disease Control indicate that there were 15,440 murders, 93,438 rapes, and 86,348 child and adolescent deaths from accidents each year to give a few examples. This current study, published in the World Journal of Social Science, is the longest and most comprehensive of 50 studies to demonstrate what has been named the Maharishi Effect, in honor of Transcendental Meditation (TM) and Maharishi International University (MIU) founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

The results can be seen in the chart below. The blue line indicates that during the Baseline period of 2000 to 2006 the size of the TM and TM-Sidhi group located at Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa increased to reach the √1% of the U.S. population (1725 people) and stayed there for five years during the Demonstration period from 2007 to 2011. All stress indicators immediately started decreasing. In the Post period when the size of the group size began to decline the rate of decrease in stress slowed and then it reversed and began to increase.

Indicators of Stress in the United States

The size of the MIU TM and TM-Sidhi Group is indicated by the blue line, the eight indices of stress in the United States are represented by the lines in different colors, and the US stress index—the mean of all eight variables—is indicated by the red line. The figure shows a phase transition to a global reduction of negativity in the U.S. when the critical threshold of the √1% of the U.S. population was practicing the TM and TM-Sidhi program together in a group. When the Group size dropped significantly, the trend was reversed.

Lead author Dr. David Orme-Johnson said: “What is unique about this study is that the results are so visually striking and on such a large scale. We see reduced stress on multiple indicators at the predicted time for the entire United States over a five-year period. And when the size of the group declined, national stress began increasing again. Clearly, the group was causing the effect.”

“What is unique about this study is that the results are so visually striking and on such a large scale. We see reduced stress on multiple indicators at the predicted time for the entire United States over a five-year period. And when the size of the group declined, national stress began increasing again. Clearly, the group was causing the effect.”

Lead author Dr. David Orme-Johnson

Co-author Dr. Kenneth Cavanaugh commented: “This study used state-of-the-art methods of time series regression analysis for eliminating potential alternative explanations due to intrinsic pre-existing trends and fluctuations in the data. We carefully studied potential alternative explanations in terms of changes in economic conditions, political leadership, population demographics, and policing strategies. None of these factors could account for the results.”

The fact that all variables started decreasing only after the square root of one percent of the U.S. was reached indicates a phase transition. Like when water does not turn to ice until 32◦ F is reached, national stress did not start decreasing until the U.S. √1% transition threshold was achieved.

The fact that all variables started decreasing only after the square root of one percent of the U.S. was reached indicates a phase transition. Like when water does not turn to ice until 32◦ F is reached, national stress did not start decreasing until the U.S. √1% transition threshold was achieved.

The chart shows that in 2013 when the size of the TM and TM-Sidhi group quickly dropped all stress indicators abruptly increased. Apparently, the rapid drop in national coherence shook the nation.

The scientists used regression analysis to estimate how many deaths and events were reduced by the meditator group. For example, image 2 shows the red dotted line representing the Baseline trend projected into the Demonstration and Post periods. During the Demonstration period drug-related deaths (the black line) fell to 14% below their Baseline trend and were another 15 % lower during the Post period, for a total of 79,941 fewer drug deaths. The chart also shows that in the absence of the coherence creating group drug deaths eventually returned to their Baseline level.

Drug-Induced Deaths in the U.S.

IMAGE 2: The red dotted line is the number of Drug Deaths forecasted from the Baseline trend. The black line is the actual number of Drug Deaths. Similar analyses were conducted for all variables and the results are displayed in the Table.

TABLE: RESULTS OF REGRESSION ANALYSES. The first column shows the number of events per year during the Baseline period (Intercept). The second column shows the change per year during the Baseline (Slope). The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth columns show the thousands of events averted during the Demonstration, during the Post periods, the total events averted, and percent change, respectively. The last column shows the estimated total events averted by each individual participant in the MIU TM and TM-Sidhi group.

The unified field level of natural law

The finding that the effect was holistic, causing all variables to move up and down together, supports the theory expressed by both Maharishi from the Vedic perspective and by quantum physicist and MIU president Dr. John Hagelin from quantum field theory that the TM and TM-Sidhi groups are creating coherence in collective consciousness from the unified field level of natural law. This is big. It is evidence of the existence of the unified field from a completely different approach than using particle accelerators and detecting gravity waves.

This discovery of the unified field is more than just an intellectual knowledge. It is arguably the most immediately highly practical technological discovery in the history of science. The invention of the wheel mobilized humanity. The printing press, radio, the telephone, the internet, and satellites increased our ability to communicate with each other across vast distances and time. The discovery of DNA opened our minds to the subtle mechanics of natural law underlying the evolution and growth of all life forms. These are among the greatest scientific discoveries of all time. But what discovery can reduce human suffering as comprehensively as group meditation?

Relationship between individual and collective consciousness

The paper reviews the many concepts of collective consciousness as they have occurred throughout history in the sciences and humanities. None have practical applications as Maharishi’s does and none have been so empirically verified.

The paper discusses Maharishi’s theory, which holds that every individual automatically contributes to collective consciousness and reciprocally, collective consciousness influences every individual. This is universally true whatever the form of government—democracy, republic, monarchy, communism, or dictatorship.

It is essential for every individual to use evidence-based technologies to reduce their own stress and at the same time, the responsibility of every government to provide these technologies to everyone.

The paper summarizes the hundreds of studies showing that practice of TM increases coherence in the individual, as indicated by such measures as increased brain coherence, decreased anxiety, depression, and anger, increased creativity, increased IQ and emotional and social intelligence, and decreased PTSD symptoms, prison recidivism, drug and alcohol addictions, and sickness rates in all categories of disease. More coherent individuals form a more coherent society.

The Howard and Alice Settle Foundation

A grant for 75 million dollars from the Howard and Alice Settle Foundation provided stipends for participants to be in the group and provided funding to bring several hundred visiting TM-Sidhi experts from India to further augment the MIU group. Dr. Orme-Johnson commented: “This is a lot of money, but the savings from the 10% reduction in crimes would save over 200 billion dollars, not to mention all the other savings from reducing other sources of stress in the country.”

Scientists call for a group to create world peace

The paper concludes with a call to create a permanent √1% group for the whole world, 8,000 participants practicing the TM and TM-Sidhi program together in one place. And as an engineering safety factor, a √1% group on every continent is needed. The world is so interconnected, no one is safe until everyone is safe, all living in harmony. This is easily within reach of any government or the world’s wealthiest citizens. The person who does it will be remembered as the greatest leader in history.

IMAGE 3: GROUP MEDITATION AT MAHARISHI INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY. Since 1979 twice daily group meditations have been held at MIU in Fairfield, Iowa for the purpose of creating coherence in the U.S. and world collective consciousness.

. . . . .

JOURNAL: World Journal of Social Science. ARTICLE TITLE: Field-Effects of Consciousness: A Seventeen-Year Study of the Effects of Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programs on Reducing National Stress in the United States. PUBLISHED: Dec 14, 2022. DOI:10.5430/wjss.v9n2p1 METHOD OF RESEARCH: Data/statistical analysis. SUBJECT OF RESEARCH: People. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The published article contains 5 Tables and 10 Figures (Graphs).

News coverage

Besides the regular science news coverage so far, one mainstream article stands out—an excellent report by Brooke Kato in the New York Post: Group meditation curbs stress, whether you do it or not: study.

Thrive Global invited Dr. Orme-Johnson to submit an article on his study. They published it Wed Jan 25, 2023: A Seventeen-Year Landmark Study Finds that Group Meditation Decreases U.S. National Stress.

It was later reproduced in other news sites around the world including OpEdNews: Evidence-Based Technique to End War.

— Written and compiled (citing sources) by Ken Chawkin for The Uncarved Blog.

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Steven Spielberg tells Martin Scorsese that he learned TM 3 years ago, and how he got David Lynch to be in his new film, The Fabelmans

December 15, 2022

Martin Scorsese recently interviewed Steven Spielberg following an NYC screening of The Fabelmans at the Directors Guild of America Theater.

Photo by Waldemar Dalenogare

Deadline posted this article about it: Steven Spielberg Tells Martin Scorsese Why A Very Private Director Made ‘The Fabelmans’ & How Laura Dern Convinced David Lynch To Play John Ford.

In it, Spielberg mentions how he and his wife had learned TM, Transcendental Meditation, 3 years ago through the David Lynch Foundation. He also revealed how the idea came up to ask David Lynch to play the role of John Ford in the film, how he pulled it off, and how David Lynch prepared for his cameo role. Apparently, David was unrecognizable as he took on the persona of the late, great filmmaker.

Entertainment writer Tomris Laffly was at the Q&A and posted several video clips of that conversation on Twitter, for which we are grateful.

And here is a part of that movie clip they talked about, especially the cigar-lighting scene, which Amanda Dugan just tweeted of David Lynch as John Ford in The Fabelmans. She later sent me the full YouTube clip of David Lynch as John Ford, which I’ve embedded here.

David Lynch playing John Ford being directed by Steven Spielberg in a semi-autobiographical film about his life.

Later added: On Jan 5, 2023, Jimmy Kimmel asked Laura Dern to share the story of how Steven Spielberg asked her to get David Lynch to play the role of John Ford in his film. She was the catalyst in bringing both of these master film directors together to “pay homage” to the master filmmaker they both admired. It’s from 4:36-6:40 and is cued up below.

These articles are worth reading: ScreenRant: David Lynch’s Cameo In Spielberg’s The Fabelmans Explained, Vulture: The Fabelmans’ Brilliant David Lynch Cameo Is All About Perspective, and The Film Stage: Watch Steven Spielberg Talk to Martin Scorsese About How David Lynch Became John Ford.

At the bottom of The Film Stage article, they embed a video from 11 years ago — Spielberg/Grazer/Howard – “John Ford” — of Spielberg recounting in detail the real-life story, when he was 15, of meeting John Ford, which, decades later, would became the ending for The Fabelmans.

In this later video by The Back Focus: David Lynch’s Strange & Surprising Acting Career, Brandon Hardesty quotes Spielberg at 21:23 saying: “I got to know David when he played John Ford in The Fabelmans. Here was one of my heroes — David Lynch — playing one of my heroes. It was surreal and seemed like a scene out of one of David’s own movies.”

Interestingly, Bob Roth @meditationbob had taught TM to both the Scorseses and the Spielbergs. CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, Bob is one of the most sought-after TM teachers around. He has taught thousands of people from all walks of life, including many of today’s top celebrities, like Lady Gaga and Oprah, Ellen, Katy Perry, Sheryl Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Liv Tyler, among others.

— Written and compiled (citing sources) by Ken Chawkin for The Uncarved Blog.

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Rock’s Songbird—Christine McVie—has flown free

December 8, 2022

The Rock world has been reeling from the news of the unexpected death of Christine McVie, the longtime co-lead vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter for Fleetwood Mac. She died Wednesday, November 30, 2022, after a short illness. She was 79. Christine was surrounded by family members at a London hospital when she passed.

Many condolences and remembrances have been pouring in this past week, especially from members of the band attesting to how much she was loved and appreciated as a person and, of course, as one of their foundational musicians. This E News! video contains several quotes from both band and family members alike. Good Morning America aired Celebrating the life and legacy of Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie. 

You can read more in some of the many articles published about her life. Here are a few: Rolling Stone: Christine McVie, Keyboardist and Singer for Fleetwood Mac, Dead at 79; The Guardian: Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie dies at age 79; and NME’s Mark Beaumont’s excellent piece: Christine McVie, 1943-2022: an eternal songbird.

The Guardian also posted photos and quotes: Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie – a life in pictures, and Christine McVie: a look back at the Fleetwood Mac star’s greatest hits – video obituary.

Christine McVie on writing ‘Songbird’

One of the things that came up in my Instagram feed was this post from Far Out Magazine: Christine McVie on Writing Songbird. They included the audio portion from a Dec 17, 2017 BBC Desert Island Discs interview with Christine McVie that dealt with how she came to write her famous song. They also transcribed that part of the conversation in the Instagram post. Raised on Radio also posted the interview on YouTube. The Songbird section starts at 3:18. You can click CC to see their words.

In a recent post, I quoted Brendan Graham, who said, “the truly special songs write us; we don’t write them. We don’t find them; they find us.” Christine McVie described exactly that kind of magical experience.

She couldn’t sleep, and an unknown song was in her head. “I had to play this song. It was as if I’d been channeled or something!” It came to her at 3 in the morning. “The whole song, complete, chords, words, everything within half an hour,” she explained. Fortunately, she had a piano in her room, but no tape recorder. So she kept playing it without sleeping for fear of forgetting it, until she went into the studio at 9 o’clock the next day to record it on a two-track tape. “I just felt as if it was a universal kind of prayer or something. I just don’t know where it came from. This never happened to me since or before.”

‘Songbird’ would arguably become McVie’s signature song. Originally released as the B-side to ‘Dreams’ in 1977, it ended up on Fleetwood Mac’s world-conquering Rumours album. It wasn’t her biggest hit for the group, but the ballad was a frequent closer at Fleetwood Mac concerts, especially after McVie rejoined in 2014.

McVie later recorded an orchestral version of the song, composed and arranged by multi-Grammy winner Vince Mendoza. It was part of her first-ever compilation highlighting songs from her solo career: ‘Songbird ~ A Solo Collection,’ which came out this year.

Enjoy this beautiful photo collage by CK WOOD Music Productions to Songbird (Fleetwood Mac and Christine McVie).

At 2:03 there’s a photo of Christine wearing a top with the words, Nobody’s Perfekt. This is doubly funny, not only because of the misspelling of the word, perfect, but also because it’s her family name! She was born Christine Anne Perfect. She told Peter Robinson of The Guardian: “I used to joke that I was perfect until I married John.”

Two decades after it first aired, the world discovered Eva Cassidy’s amazing voice singing ‘Songbird’. It was published 2 years after her untimely death at 33. Mick Fleetwood knew Eva and said this about her: “She was brilliant. She had the magic. And I call it, It. She had It!” To find out more about her, see The hauntingly beautiful voice of Eva Cassidy.

Christine’s Family, Early Background, and Later Recognition

Christine Anne Perfect was born on July 12, 1943 to Cyril Percy Absell Perfect and Beatrice Edith Maud Perfect. They also have a son named John. Christine’s family contributed considerably to her development. Her grandfather was the organist at Westminster Abbey. Her father was a concert violinist and music lecturer at St. Peters College of Education at Saltley in Birmingham. Her mother was a medium, psychic, and faith healer. After her brother brought home a Fats Domino songbook, she switched from playing classical piano to blues-based rock and roll.

She studied sculpture at school with the intention of becoming an art teacher and met blues musicians who invited her to join a band. She later left a window-dressing job in London to become a full-time musician. She would soon be invited to join an early version of Fleetwood Mac who would go on, through various iterations, to become one of the top-selling bands of all time.

An introvert by nature, McVie’s creative and spiritual influences informed her musical career and kind personality. She impacted her bandmates in positive ways, at times, the quieter center holding them together as they spun out of control due to the excessive drug-fueled lifestyles and rocky romantic relationships of that era. But they turned their melodramas into musical hits. McVie would be honored with many awards, and in 1998, was inducted with Fleetwood Mac into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

MOJO’s Tribute to Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter Christine McVie

Christine McVie: Her 20 Greatest Songs. In tribute to Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter Christine McVie, who passed away this week, MOJO selects the best tracks from across her career. They also included Christine McVie Remembered. In memory of Christine McVie, who has sadly passed away aged 79, MOJO revisits our 2017 interview with Fleetwood Mac’s singer-songwriter.

Leland Roberts published in Medium: In Memoriam: Christine McVie is Britain’s Greatest Female Popular Music Artist.

LATER ADDED

Another Rock legend left us in early January 2023: The virtuosity and versatility of Jeff Beck was unique among rock guitarists. One of the best!

Other amazing artists I’ve been inspired by and written about are also available in the Archive of the ‘Music’ Category on The Uncarved Blog.

— Written and compiled (citing sources) by Ken Chawkin for The Uncarved Blog.

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Nadja Dornik performs her beautiful transcription of Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu Op.66 for a harp

November 14, 2022

I discovered this amazing musician—Serbian harpist and pianist Nadja Dornik. She transcribed and performed a stunningly beautiful version of Frédéric Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu (C♯minor, Op. posth. 66, WN 46) on the harp. It was recorded on August 30, 2022 at the Belgrade Philharmonic Concert Hall.

Almost a year later, Nadja Dornik performed the same piece on piano, F.Chopin : Fantaisie-Impromptu Op.66, on July 29, 2023, “Les Arènes Lyriques 2023”, Arènes de Montmartre, Paris, France.

Check out her impressive bio, and see more videos on her YouTube channel and those featured at onepoint.fm.

For another beautiful classic piece of music, listen to Kristan Toczko, one of Canada’s premier harpists, perform Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune.

Later added: Harpist Nadja Dornik beautifully performs Claude Debussy’s romantic composition Clair de Lune

August 4, 2024: Nadja Dornik posted this interesting Interview at the “Festival International de Colmar » Interview with Olivier Erouart and Johny Royer after my piano recital at the Festival International de Colmar.

Norman McLaren’s 1968 NFB film ‘Pas de deux’ creates a spellbinding aesthetic experience

— Written and compiled (citing sources) by Ken Chawkin for The Uncarved Blog.

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