Podcast of a radio show I presented on KSFM, a community radio station in Parys, The Free State, South Africa. A genre of music I affectionately call swamp rock – the purists might argue that I might have strayed from the specific confines of this genre, but that is after all my poetic licence 🙂 … enjoy the tunes. If you want me to post the detailed playlists for the shows please let me know.
Daily thoughts
The Road oft Travelled
travelling into my space that road oft travelled neither visitor or tenant be just passing by stopping to stare donning spectacles of perspective discovering what lies beneath as I a passer-by be dream or dead space? haunted by conversations of those who reside on yonder neighbours they not be in transit, not overnighting reading what lies beneath obligated to document that others might believe
© 2017 michael d emmerich
A Dystopian Landscape
A series of pictures I took last week, whilst out on my mountain bike in The DRC (Africa), reminded me of a barren wind swept post apocalypse, dystopian landscape. The pictures are of a mine waste dump, so the soil is lifeless, the water is questionable at best, and the wind whips up the waste product into dust clouds that hang in the air, and distort the horizon.
These images have nudged my mind to craft a short story – what do they do for you? what emotions do they evoke?
What are your favourite Dystopian Novels?
Here are a few of mine: (in no particular order – and I know I have left out so many more)
- 1984 (1949) – George Orwell
- Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? (1968) – Philip K. Dick
- Brave New World (1932) – Aldous Huxley
- Farenheit 451 (1953) – Ray Bradbury
- Logan’s Run (1967) – William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson
- Neuromancer (1984) – William Gibson
- The Running Man (1982) – Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
- The Drowned World (1962) – J.G. Ballard
- The Road (2006) – Cormac McCarthy
- The Postman (1985) – David Brin
- The White Plague (1982) – Frank Herbert
- The Children of Men (1992) – P. D. James
- A Canticle for Leibowitz (1960) – Walter M. Miller Jr.
Feel free to add to this list 🙂 – hopefully you will mention some that I have not yet encountered.
Creative Playlists
This post rises from the ashes of an article I penned sometime back; On the Celebration of Creativity, at that time, one of my avid followers Juandre Hayton requested that I share my (creative) playlists, the music I listen to when I want to be inspired. Sorry its taken so long Juandre and thanks for the reminder – mate 🙂
I have at least 5 playlists that I plug into, and they are mainly dominated by Bob, Bruce and David. The lyrics of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen always come to the fore – my Bob&Bruce playlist, which is collectively all their music that I have, over a 1,000 songs, even keeps me company on long runs, MTB rides and gym workouts (lexiebrookeblog) Within the playlist, Bruce’s 3 raw acoustic albums Nebraska, Devils and Dust and The Ghost of Tom Joad dominate, at times I just let an album play out, in its entirety ….. in my trusty headphones.
These, the are the music playlists, that keep me flitting on the edges of deep dark thoughtful emotions.
“A great deal of poetic work has arisen from various despairs.”
Lou Andreas-Salomé, the First Woman Psychoanalyst, on Depression and Creativity in Letters to Rilke
Play List Titles
Each list serves a different inspirational purpose – and it really just depends on my mood on the day, at times I start with one playlist and then switch to another.
Bob&Bruce: collectively all their music that I have, about 1,000 plus songs. These two articles discuss my Fav Bob albums and songs, the songs/albums that inspire me: My Top 10 Bob Dylan Songs and My Top 10 Bob Dylan Love Songs
Prog Rock Rules: I love the melodic, synth, orchestral sounds of (Classic) Progressive Rock; here you will find Wendy Carlos, Rick Wakeman, Iron Butterfly, ELP, Tonoto’s Expanding Headband, King Crimson, Tangerine Dream, Alan Parsons and Strawbs.
Obscured at the Rainbow: includes my favourite Pink Floyd Albums (Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, Momentary Lapse, Endless River, Division Bell, Zabriskie Point) and the 4 solo albums of David Gilmour. read about my love of Gilmour here: The Solace in the Silence
The Boss: Just Bruce, but then I do play some albums on their own, the three I mentioned above, plus Magic, The Rising, We Shall Overcome … and others 🙂 Check out this article to read my perspective on the songs of Bruce: The Bard of New Jersey
Ulver: I have a preference for their more recent experimental albums; THEMES FROM WILLIAM BLAKE’S THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL , The Assassination of Julius Caesar, Wars of the Roses, Blood Inside and Shadows of the Sun. Check them out at: Ulver
These songs/music help me step back and detach, or at times just drag me right into their maw. I hope you enjoy the journey when you dive into them, and I would love to hear about your inspirational music.
FYI: I was listening to Bruce’s Devils and Dust album while penning this post 🙂
“It’s by writing… by stepping back a bit from the real thing to look at it, that we are most present.”
Alison Bechdel on Writing, Therapy, Self-Doubt, and How the Messiness of Life Feeds the Creative Conscience
Happy Birthday Bruce
A day late, but Happy Birthday The Boss, 68 yesterday. Thanks for all the great music, memories and reflections that your music continues to deliver. In refection, on those memories, I am posting a link to an article I penned earlier this year.
Some of his greatest work, in my opinion, are his three acoustic albums, they are stark, dark and raw. They claw at the very fabric of society, lifting the covers and showing the dark underbelly, that exists right in front of us, but we are at times, to blind to see.
So Happy Birthday to a great musician, artist and writer … may you continue to bless us with heartfelt and soul searching lyrics. Strength to you and love and peace to all …
Ambulance Today – Autumn Edition
The Autumn Edition has hit the shelves, its live now in Ambulance Today. Click on the link below to download and read the magazine and my article on page 37, An Introduction into the Aero-medical Evacuation Industry in Africa – ‘From the Africa Desk’ by the Africa Editor, Michael Emmerich.
Ambulance Today Autumn Edition 2017
To all the followers of this page, if you want to see an article written about any specific aspect of Emergency Care on the African continent, or get me to interview a key role player, drop me a mail. Equally, if you have any news items you would like us to run either in our magazine or on our daily-updated global ambulance news website please make contact.
To my fellow passionate EMS friends across the world, I trust you are enjoying the start of this journey, as we continue to explore this fascinating continent. Till then be safe out there and stay passionate.
My Poetry is …..
neither a shout or a scream not a whimper or a whisper …..... but an eruption of emotion from within …....... once released it plots its own path and passion towards darkness or light ...
© 2017 michael d emmerich
Alive, but?
duty calls conflicting with the heart which is more important what do we know? does not knowing burden the weary traveller sadness presses down but we are alive beaten down by the weight of fate alone we stand shoulder to shoulder how cautious can we be? stand up and be free whilst continuously coming up for air
© 2017 michael d emmerich
Obligations of Life
outward bound battered suitcase by my side backpack slung over shoulder closing door pushes me out taxi, plane and bus awaits on the road again wife and lover left behind mama don’t cry for me as I go down that lonesome road again not to live just to work off to work I go obligations, complexity …. perspective still it sucks
© 2017 michael d emmerich
#micropoetry No. 10
Continuing the challenge to keep writing poems of 144 characters or less. Here are a few more #micropoems. Poetry for twitter
1. fact becomes fiction reality becomes life alternate is the new the norm drink and feast for tomorrow you die 2. travelling into my space the road less travelled dipping in and out just visiting a scary process discovering what lies beneath at my place 3. poets, dreamers & writers who do you talk to and where do you go? to those who live in strange places dead spaces and dream places?
© 2017 michael d emmerich
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