Cracks In Sidewalks

Having been a major Joni Mitchell fan ever since I opened my mouth and realized I could sing, I’ve been playing and listening to Joni Mitchell for years.  She may quite possibly be my biggest musical hero of all!  Besides being an outstanding musician and lyricist, she has a great voice, is beautiful, original, explorative, inventive, does unusual open tunings on her guitar, and she’s a good painter.  In my book Joni is in a class and a league all her own to be admired and awed, and loved from both near and afar.

To begin with I chose a song not from her early career, which most people are familiar with, and not a song that is all that recent either.  The song I chose was the title track to her 1991 album by the same name, “Night Ride Home” and the entire CD, not just this one song is one that I never tire of hearing.  I’m certain over the years I have played it at least one thousand times without exaggeration.  Some times I just get in the mood and have to hear it.  It is great for both late night and early morning listening and the cricket sounds that open the CD always make me feel like I am in the wild, tucked away in a cabin some where and not in some NYC apartment or even driving in a car up or down the California coast.

Mitchell’s awards and honors are too numerous to mention, and her influence on other singers and artists has been likewise widespread.  It would probably be easier to compile a list of artists she hasn’t influenced then a list of ones she has.  This Canadian born singer/songwriter/artist has a discography that spans 40 years and more than 20 albums, beginning with her first LP, “Song to a Seagull,” that was released in 1968, to her most recent album, “Shine,” released in 2007.

To view the music video of Joni Mitchell singing “Night Ride Home,” simply click on the link below or cut and paste it into your browser and enjoy the ride!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xupUGoPEJ8o

A couple of weeks ago I found myself flipping through the channels on my television and saw that “I’m Your Man,” the Leonard Cohen concert documentary of his life, music, and poetry was on PBS again and I decided I needed to see it one more time as it’s such a rich movie.  Not only is it inspiring and beautiful musically, but you hear in Leonard Cohen’s own words about his life, his struggles, his weaknesses, his thoughts, and what drove him to write at different times during his long prestigious career.  You learn about the artist and his artistry

Directed by Lian Lunson with music produced once again by famed music producer Hal Wilner, the concert portion of the film takes place in Sydney, Australia in 2005 at the Sydney Opera House and stars an impressive roster of guest artists performing Leonard Cohen songs.  This included the likes of Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Linda Thompson, Teddy Thompson, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, The Handsome Family, Beth Orton, Antony, with backup singers Peria Batalla and Julie Christensen and a special performance by Leonard Cohen with U2’s Bono and The Edge filmed specifically for the movie.

The story is told by Cohen and is taken from interviews that were filmed in LA.  It is interspersed with old photo’s and home movies from Cohen’s life, spanning from his childhood in Montreal, to life as a monk, the past and present day.  Cohen speaks candidly of his journey, his influences, the twists and turns his life has taken, his spiritual quest including becoming a monk, and it also delves a bit into the rumors of his romantic life and female escapades of which he has also became famous.

“I’m Your Man” is worth seeing on so many levels.  Released in 2006 this award- winning story is incredibly interesting and the music is fantastic!  If at any time over the past 40 years you have found yourself taken by this wonderful musician poet, or if this is the first time you are being introduced to Leonard Cohen, he is someone you will want to know, and this is a movie you will want to see.   Available on DVD, it also plays occasionally on PBS.   If you haven’t already experienced its pleasure, consider taking the time to do so.

Below is a link to the movies trailer.  Get a preview by either clicking on the link below or cutting and pasting it into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPUnexRUD4U

After writing the piece about Café Beaujolais in Mendocino last week, I realized I needed to tell you about my favorite little patisserie in Manhattan, La Bergamote.  Located in what use to be the far reaches of West Chelsea, this little patisserie opened 10 years ago.

At the time the neighborhood wasn’t as developed as it is today.  The art galleries were just moving in, the “hot” Maritime Hotel was still a drug rehab center, the meatpacking district a little further south was just beginning to really thrive, and I wondered if they would make it in that location.  Close to things, but not quite there.

Selfishly I wanted them to be successful because for the first time since I had moved to NYC, there was a bakery near my apartment that had croissants, coffee, and cakes that looked like they should be eaten.  I know that sounds horrible but I couldn’t believe what people considered good, having always had amazing bakeries at my fingertips and I guess having spent a lot of time in France.  Yes of course there was Zabar’s, Balthazar, and others, but if they aren’t within morning coffee walking distance it doesn’t matter, unless you’re visiting that neighborhood.

Anyway this perfect little bakery not only survived, but today has a thriving business.  Luckily the neighborhood transformed a bit and came to them.  Now you never walk in on the weekend and not find a line or the tables filled.  I try to frequent La Bergamote once a week for an almond brioche and a big bowl of coffee with steamed milk and I am always hopeful there will be a place for me to sit, and miraculously there always is.

So if you’re looking for some of the best pastries, cakes, croissant, sandwiches, and delectable offerings to be found in NYC, make a point to stop by this wonderful French bakery.  If you’re going to a party or having a party and you want to serve a special chocolate ganache cake or a beautiful fruit tart, go to La Bergamote.  If you wish you were in Paris but find yourself in New York, visit La Bergamote and partake of their treats.  Located on 9th Avenue and 20th St., you can’t miss it.

La Bergamote
(212) 627-9010
169 9th Ave
New York, NY 10011

With Leonard Cohen’s “I’m Your Man” as this weeks “Weekly Hype,” I decided to choose Antony for today’s “Daily Tune On.”  There were so many moving performances in the movie, it was hard to choose one, but Antony is such an unusual character to me and his performance of  “If It Be Your Will” was so emotional that he is where I ultimately landed for this one entry.

To me Antony has such an unusual sounding voice that it stands out in a crowd and rises above most others.  Watching him perform you feel as if you are being given entry to a very private moment, a glimpse into the man’s soul, and if you move you might disturb the mood or you could be asked to leave.  It is very personal, a bit like watching the face of a guitarist as he takes the most intimate solo of his life, letting out what he’s held inside for so long.  He seems to channel his vocal experience.   At times he can look uncomfortable and even disturbed, moving his hands back and forth, going deep inside himself, but you know what he is touching is very pure and its essence is revealed in the vocal performance you hear on the other end.

For this piece I have chosen the song Antony sang at the concert for “I’m Your Man.”  It’s a Leonard Cohen song entitled “If It Be Your Will.”

Antony, whose full name is Antony Hegarty, plays with a group called Antony and the Johnsons.  You can also see and hear him in the Lou Reed movie, “Berlin,” Steve Buscemi’s movie “Animal Factory” and several others.  He can be heard on the soundtrack to the Dylan inspired movie, “I’m Not There,” as well as many other artistic vehicles.   In 2005 Antony and the Johnsons released the “I Am a Bird Now” LP on the Secretly Canadian label.

To see Antony perform “I’m Your Man,” simply click on the link below or cut and paste it into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MDlMdu2gjw

This past November one of my cats got very sick, and I needed to pill her multiple times a day.  Although very sweet, my hands were getting scratched and bit from shoving pills down her throat for months on end, and I was getting very stressed by all of this.  It was not good for either of us and I didn’t know how I was going to continue.

Then one day I was sharing my concern with one of my closest friends and she asked me if I had ever used pill pockets?  I asked her what they were.  She proceeded to tell me about little pocket kitty treats that hide the pill.  I immediately went out to the pet store and bought some.   All my life I had animals and I never knew they existed so I’m betting some of you don’t either.

When it came time for the trial run I was very nervous and also extremely hopeful.  I could hear the drum roll in the background.  I took the two pills I needed to give my cat that morning and I buried them in the little pocket and closed it shut.  I put the pill pocket with the pill enclosed on the floor and within less then a second, my cat gobbled it down.  Then I put the second pill on the floor and she did the same thing.  I couldn’t believe how I had been struggling unnecessarily for two months when all I needed were some little “Greenies” pill pockets.

This week I realized that I could not have a blog with a section called “My Cats Tail” and not share this hot Cat Tail tip with you.

So now I always have them stocked in my kitchen cupboard.  I buy “Greenies” Pill Pockets for cats.  They come in salmon and chicken flavors.  They also have pill pockets for dogs for all my friends with dogs.  I have to say that they saved my life and probably my cat’s life too, as without them I don’t know if I could have continued the struggle much longer.  Now my cat anxiously awaits her morning and evening treats, and I’m the good guy for giving them to her.

First of all I need to say that Big Sur is my favorite place on the planet!  Having spent years living in Santa Cruz California, yes I know a world a part from Manhattan, I use to think of Big Sur as my backyard and Deetjen’s as the home away from home for many of us.  It was a lot less expensive then, and was a special weekend get away we would take when we could.  Since leaving California, I have returned to Deetjen’s 3 or 4 other times and every time I do I love it as much as the very first time I stayed there.  To me Deetjen’s is what Big Sur represents, “my” Big Sur, nestled in the redwoods, homey, rustic, with wonderful food, the sound of the creek running near by, and the warmth of a fireplace whether lit or not.  That and the fact that it is tucked away in one of the most beautiful places in the world doesn’t hurt.

In the past I have sent several friends and family members to Deetjen’s, and some have even gotten engaged there, but each one came back with the same “Deetjen’s” glow.  They just loved the place and thought it was special, which it is!

Deetjen’s was built in the 1930’s by the man who became known as “Grandpa Deetjen,” and who was supposedly hiding out from the authorities in his native country of Norway.  Somehow he found his way to Big Sur and settled there with his wife Helen.  Soon they bought several acres and Grandpa started to construct a redwood barn made from used materials from Monterey’s Cannery Row.  I should state that when he did this he was still a young man not at all a grandpa, and that the barn today houses the restaurant.

Before long the Deetjen’s, were taking in wayward travelers who happened upon Big Sur, and offering them hospitality and a spare room to sleep in.  Eventually word got around and Grandpa who enjoyed making furniture began to build additional houses and rooms, each of them unique, all in the style of his native Norway becoming what is now Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn.

Over the years I have spent weekends at Deetjen’s with friends, weekends and longer with boyfriends, and every time I go I leave there smiling feeling grateful to have had the opportunity to be someplace that makes my spirit soar, and lucky to have known about a place that is truly one of a kind.

So I’ve just turned you all on to possibly my favorite little “Crack” in all the world!  If you’re planning a trip to California and driving down or up the coast on Hwy 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and you plan on stopping in Big Sur, be sure to make Deetjen’s a destination.  If you don’t stay there at least pay a visit to their restaurant.  Usually when I’m there it’s filled with cars of people obviously staying at the Post Ranch or Ventana, and they are all coming to Deetjen’s for Brunch or Dinner.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, check out the weblink below.  Either click on it or cut and paste it into your browser.  If you make a reservation, tell them I told you to go.

http://www.deetjens.com/home.htm

Before starting “Cracks In Sidewalks,” I made a list of musicians I thought would be fun to talk about, and Bob’s name surfaced.  I really had no idea what he had been up to, but I figured it would be interesting, so I googled him.  (I think YouTube has about 40 Bob Brozman videos on their site.)

I first met Bob many years ago in Santa Cruz, California.  He was working in the same music store as my boyfriend, also a guitarist but more a Wes Montgomery type, and they became friends.  From the beginning we were in awe of Bob and went to see him as often as we could when he had gigs.  He would also come to hear my boyfriend play and they would exchange musical tips.  We’d go to his house in the mountains for dinner, listen to old 78’s because Bob didn’t own anything but an old 78 phonograph.  We’d talk about music, and visit a special room in his house where all sorts of beautiful old string instruments lived and lined the walls, including a number of old “National” guitars, and a 1920’s yuke, that would eventually came home to live with us.  Besides his solo gigs on occasion we would make trips to Berkeley to hear Bob play with his “other” band, the “Cheap Suit Serenaders,” legendary comic book artist, R. Crumb’s, “novelty band.”  And the last time we spoke he told me he had just obtained the world’s second largest collection of Hawaiian 78’s, a fact I’ve never forgotten.  But that was a long time ago and it’s been years now since I’ve seen or spoken to Bob.

Bob Brozman is unique and always has been.  It’s hard to describe him but it’s as if he were born of another era and came out with his guitar in hand ready to wander and play; sort of like Woody Guthrie, only in the body of a skinny wiry haired charismatic New Yorker.  He’s a virtuoso slide guitarist full of energy and humor who also knows all the fun show “tricks” of his trade; how to slap his guitar to sound like a bass or a drum, how to play with his instrument behind his back, and most of all how to make the audience happy with his contagious renditions of whatever it is he is playing.  I really don’t know if there is anyone else quite like him around. He’s what musicians refer to as a “musicians musician,” the highest complement one musician can give another!

From what I read before writing this article, Bob is on the road almost constantly touring the world and has become even more of an ethnomusicologist and world musical expert.  He is someone not known to the mainstream, but has something to offer everyone.  I’ve attached two links below.  The first link will take you directly to Bob’s official website, and the second will take you to one of his many YouTube performances.  Check out a couple while you’re on the site.  You’ll have a lot of fun and you can thank me later for turning you on to this “world” musical treasure.

http://www.bobbrozman.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX–sM5G52U&feature=related