Around the World in 57 1/2 Gigs

Zusatztext This man was made for touring. Dave Bidini's willingness to see the unusual, to listen out for the noteworthy, even after months of dragging himself and his instrument of choice into far places previously untouched by Canadian rock and roll, makes this book a real treat. Bidini's enthusiasm, his love of the music and the world, hop off the page. I loved this book. Roddy Doyle Informationen zum Autor Dave Bidini Klappentext The strengths of Bidini's two best-loved books! On a Cold Road and Tropic of Hockey ! music and travel to unlikely places! come together in this account of his search for rock 'n' roll. When it looks as if the Rheostatics are breaking up after more than twenty years together! Dave Bidini is left feeling adrift from his moorings and decides to go on a very long road trip! playing solo and finding out about the state of rock 'n' roll around the world. Accompanied much of the way by his friend Al! who also has a solo act! Bidini sets out for London! England! his springboard for travel to Finland! Russia! China! Sierra Leone! and Ghana! punctuated by trips to Newfoundland and Gananoque in Canada! and to New York City. What Bidini finds is that the rock 'n' roll machine has not yet flattened the globe! as each place has taken what suits it from the West's dominant music and ignored the rest. Metal may have had its heyday in North America! but it still suits the quiet Finns just fine as a soundtrack for suicidal thoughts. In China! where Bidini plays with the Rheos-Not-Rheos as part of the Maple Rhythm Festival! he has to coach the crowd sitting quietly in plastic chairs how to clap rhythmically. In Russia! where live rock still lurks in hard-to-find places! the British band Smokie is far more popular than even the Rolling Stones! and the first Western band Mongolian audiences wanted to hear live was Boney M. In Africa! Bidini finds out just how far rock has wandered from its roots! and in Newfoundland! just how true it has stayed. Peopled with hosers! the über-hip! and the profoundly baffled! and brimming with tales of playing in strange venues to bemused locals and the odd drunk! Around the World takes readers on an unforgettable! ear-opening swing through the world of rock 'n' roll. Leseprobe I started playing my first song Little Bird, Little Bird, a folk elegy about a Second World War soldier. I stood at the front of the stage but stepped down on the floor after sensing that the lyrics couldn't be heard at the back of the hall. Before I got too deeply into the song, however, I borrowed a trick from our old drummer, Dave Clark, and divided the audience in half, getting the right side of the room to whisper Zzzzzz-Zzzzzz-Zzzzzzz on the first three beats, and the left side to shout Ha! on the fourth. After I demonstrated this to the audience, Wilfred bounded out of his chair and began conducting the crowd on my behalf, swinging out both arms and counting in the air to show them where the beat fell. The Finns and the Chinese with the exception of crowds in Joensuu and the Hunan had been perplexed by this kind of razzmatazz, but the Liberians grabbed it by the neck. Soon their chanting had grown louder than my vocal, polyrhythmically transforming the song. The hall rang with voices, and I was free to take it all in, experiencing one of those rare instances when the musician feels both inside and outside the performance, as conscious of how the song is being perceived as it is being played. Then I played Horses. I went over to where the drummers were sitting and repeated the song's opening riff until they started thumping along. I sang a verse, then a chorus, and Wilfred sprang to his feet once again, waving his arms through the Holy Mackinaw, Joes! and getting the crowd to sing along as the King's Jubilee had done the day before. My eyes fell on Stephen f...

Autorentext

Dave Bidini

Klappentext

The strengths of Bidini's two best-loved books, On a Cold Road and Tropic of Hockey, music and travel to unlikely places, come together in this account of his search for rock 'n' roll.

When it looks as if the Rheostatics are breaking up after more than twenty years together, Dave Bidini is left feeling adrift from his moorings and decides to go on a very long road trip, playing solo and finding out about the state of rock 'n' roll around the world. Accompanied much of the way by his friend Al, who also has a solo act, Bidini sets out for London, England, his springboard for travel to Finland, Russia, China, Sierra Leone, and Ghana, punctuated by trips to Newfoundland and Gananoque in Canada, and to New York City.

What Bidini finds is that the rock 'n' roll machine has not yet flattened the globe, as each place has taken what suits it from the West's dominant music and ignored the rest. Metal may have had its heyday in North America, but it still suits the quiet Finns just fine as a soundtrack for suicidal thoughts. In China, where Bidini plays with the Rheos-Not-Rheos as part of the Maple Rhythm Festival, he has to coach the crowd sitting quietly in plastic chairs how to clap rhythmically. In Russia, where live rock still lurks in hard-to-find places, the British band Smokie is far more popular than even the Rolling Stones, and the first Western band Mongolian audiences wanted to hear live was Boney M. In Africa, Bidini finds out just how far rock has wandered from its roots, and in Newfoundland, just how true it has stayed.

Peopled with hosers, the über-hip, and the profoundly baffled, and brimming with tales of playing in strange venues to bemused locals and the odd drunk, Around the World takes readers on an unforgettable, ear-opening swing through the world of rock 'n' roll.

Zusammenfassung
The strengths of Bidini’s two best-loved books, On a Cold Road and Tropic of Hockey, music and travel to unlikely places, come together in this account of his search for rock ‘n’ roll.

When it looks as if the Rheostatics are breaking up after more than twenty years together, Dave Bidini is left feeling adrift from his moorings and decides to go on a very long road trip, playing solo and finding out about the state of rock ’n’ roll around the world. Accompanied much of the way by his friend Al, who also has a solo act, Bidini sets out for London, England, his springboard for travel to Finland, Russia, China, Sierra Leone, and Ghana, punctuated by trips to Newfoundland and Gananoque in Canada, and to New York City.

What Bidini finds is that the rock ’n’ roll machine has not yet flattened the globe, as each place has taken what suits it from the West’s dominant music and ignored the rest. Metal may have had its heyday in North America, but it still suits the quiet Finns just fine as a soundtrack for suicidal thoughts. In China, where Bidini plays with the Rheos-Not-Rheos as part of the Maple Rhythm Festival, he has to coach the crowd sitting quietly in plastic chairs how to clap rhythmically. In Russia, where live rock still lurks in hard-to-find places, the British band Smokie is far more popular than even the Rolling Stones, and the first Western band Mongolian audiences wanted to hear live was Boney M. In Africa, Bidini finds out just how far rock has wandered from its roots, and in Newfoundland, just how true it has stayed.

Peopled with hosers, the über-hip, and the profoundly baffled, and brimming with tales of playing in strange venues to bemused locals and the odd drunk, Around the World takes readers on an unforgettable, ear-opening swing through the world of rock ’n’ roll.

Leseprobe
I started playing my first song — “Little Bird, Little Bird,” a folk elegy about a Second World War soldier. I stood at the front of the stage but stepped down on the floor after sensing that the lyrics couldn’t be heard at the back of the hall. Before I got too deeply i…