Stand And Deliver

cml387

You may have thought was an Adam and the Ants classic from the eighties.

However our favourite Irish singer Van Morrison and Eric Clapton have joined forces to write an "anti-lockdown" song.

Some flavour of the lyrics:

Stand and deliver
Dick Turpin wore a mask too
Stand and deliver
Dick Turpin wore a mask too
Take a look in the mirror
I got what's happenin' to you

Do you wanna be a free man
Do you wanna be a slave?
Do you wanna be a free man
Do you wanna be a slave?
Do you wanna be a king
Or just remain a knave?

Now it sometimes nice to have your prejudices confirmed. I always thought Van Morrison a bit of an ass.

MrStuffins

Two old men yelling at a cloud!

Strumms

Clapton too... pair of absolute cûnts.

Hate their music, and ‘personalities’...Clapton especially a blandsville borefest of a musician and person. Really only lauded by 55 + year olds, who go to their one gig a year, Clapton, and tell you about it for six months like they are some sort of muso expert.

Ultimately lockdown is costing both artists cash... nobody is buying their records, no gigs where their main sources of income lie these days... can’t even be interviewed, appear on tv, no shots to call... in fact society is calling their shots for them.... not used to it.. ego not being stroked or inflated.. they are now just everyday citizens like the rest of us, just waiting for covid to end, they can’t...

cml387

cml387 wrote: »

I always thought Van Morrison a bit of an ass.

As one of his bigger fans I would tend to agree. Thankfully I can separate the artist from the art or I would probably have hated his music a long time ago.

I think in this case though it's more sympathy I feel for him. Music and specifically live music has been all he has known for 60 years. In almost every interview he talks about his driving need to perform and be on a stage.

This must be a scary and confusing time for him. Like for many other people. In this situation I do not see an ass.

I see a scared and confused - likely scientifically illiterate - and in many ways ineffectual - old man working through change and uncertainty in the only way he knows how. It'd just be a shame if anyone listens to his recent songs on this subject and takes them seriously I suppose.

cml387

And if they were going to to an anti lockdown song, they could have tried harder.

It's not exactly Moondance.

Strumms

Deleted User wrote: »

As one of his bigger fans I would tend to agree. Thankfully I can separate the artist from the art or I would probably have hated his music a long time ago.

I think in this case though it's more sympathy I feel for him. Music and specifically live music has been all he has known for 60 years. In almost every interview he talks about his driving need to perform and be on a stage.

This must be a scary and confusing time for him. Like for many other people. In this situation I do not see an ass.

I see a scared and confused - likely scientifically illiterate - and in many ways ineffectual - old man working through change and uncertainty in the only way he knows how. It'd just be a shame if anyone listens to his recent songs on this subject and takes them seriously I suppose.

It’s too old grumpy auld codgers releasing a shît song and having a bit of a vent.... it’s more shîte riot than White Riot... worse case scenario Maureen and Dave might be inspired to rip up their costa receipts , feck them onto the floor in solidarity and walk out... but come back when they realize they left their umbrella behind.

RayCon

Strumms wrote: »

Clapton too... pair of absolute cûnts.

Hate their music, and ‘personalities’...Clapton especially a blandsville borefest of a musician and person. Really only lauded by 55 + year olds, who go to their one gig a year, Clapton, and tell you about it for six months like they are some sort of muso expert.

Never trust a bloke in an Armani suit singing the Blues.

Church on Tuesday

Deleted User wrote: »

As one of his bigger fans I would tend to agree. Thankfully I can separate the artist from the art or I would probably have hated his music a long time ago.

I think in this case though it's more sympathy I feel for him. Music and specifically live music has been all he has known for 60 years. In almost every interview he talks about his driving need to perform and be on a stage.

This must be a scary and confusing time for him. Like for many other people. In this situation I do not see an ass.

I see a scared and confused - likely scientifically illiterate - and in many ways ineffectual - old man working through change and uncertainty in the only way he knows how. It'd just be a shame if anyone listens to his recent songs on this subject and takes them seriously I suppose.

So a scared and confused asshole then.

That's often the worse kind.

upupup

It's late in the evening
She's wondering what clothes to wear
She puts on her face mask
And brushes her long blonde hair

and then she tells me
"get out of my room,
cause you're an insignificant anti-lockdown loon

Almost surpasses this gem:

The Master

Clapton is a massive racist who made his entire career off the back of black peoples music
The neck of him to be part of a song that equates this lockdown to slavery

irishguitarlad

Clapton's best stuff was with Cream, the rest is old tosh.

EmmetSpiceland

irishguitarlad wrote: »

Clapton's best stuff was with Cream, the rest is old tosh.

Respectfully disagree, Derek and the Dominos was his best work by far. That ‘Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs’ is better than any album he’d been involved in before, and since.

Zaph

Deleted User wrote: »

I think in this case though it's more sympathy I feel for him. Music and specifically live music has been all he has known for 60 years. In almost every interview he talks about his driving need to perform and be on a stage.

Which is kind of ironic when you hear so many stories about him turning up for gigs in a grumpy mood and barely staying on stage for an hour.

silliussoddius

Sounds better than kneel and choke to death.

What is with sneering at people who have an issue with a complete societal lockdown?..

Is it not the more reasonable position?..

cml387

Zaph wrote: »

Which is kind of ironic when you hear so many stories about him turning up for gigs in a grumpy mood and barely staying on stage for an hour.

A friend of mine was a real fan. Went to see "Van Morrison and Friends".

Saw a lot of "Friends" and not so much Van Morrison.

kowloon

Deleted User wrote: »

What is with sneering at people who have an issue with a complete societal lockdown?..

Is it not the more reasonable position?..

I think it has something to do with people considering other people's lives to be less important than their own entertainment.

With disease, things have to be treated as a societal problem, not an individual one.
It's a bit like a war except all people are being asked to do is wear a mask and stay in for the night.
We wouldn't need the lockdowns if people could follow the ****ing rules.
If people refused to follow the rules of the road en masse the roads would be closed and people saying it was an infringement of their human rights to drive in any way they pleased would be told to cop the **** on and follow the rules that we've decided as a society.

85603

Yeah, they're wrong and to reach that conclusion that its all about the man being out to get you by way of a facemask you have to be, lets say 'somewhat illogical'.

Especially is you're someone whos already been vaccinated against measles etc. (basically everyone).

But then again if they want to express an opinion through their art then thats kind of what art is for.

Zaph

Zaph wrote: »

Which is kind of ironic when you hear so many stories about him turning up for gigs in a grumpy mood and barely staying on stage for an hour.

Yeah I have heard of that. I am sure it has happened. 60 years is a long career after all.

Never witnessed anything of it myself in over 100 gigs spread over 25 years though. Never once felt I did not get my money worth. And usually anecdotes to the opposite are second or third hand.

One of the first gigs I ever went to in my life was around 1995 when he played the point theater with Ray Charles. Went over the 3.5 hour mark as I recall. Another wonderful memory was when he showed up as a surprise guest to a Richie Buckley show in Temple Bar. That one hit 3 hours too and he was not even meant to be there at all.

There used to be a shop in Dublin for buying bootlegs of shows called "Rhythm records". Bootleg recordings of shows on old 90 minute cassette tapes. 4 punts a tape as I recall. Van was always one of the more expensive people to buy bootlegs for because most of the shows were so long they went over 2 tapes. Including one of my favorites which was a 1978 show from the Dublin National Stadium.

So yea while I have heard of the grumpy short shows, and I am sure there have been occasions where he let himself down and his fans down, they do not seem to be all that representative of his live career really.

cml387 wrote: »

And if they were going to to an anti lockdown song, they could have tried harder.

It's not exactly Moondance.

Not much of his music of late has been. Since the Days like this album which had a few transcendent moments (and a few turds) he has barely produced a single song that I have liked. And where he has - like the song Philosophers Stone - it turns out they were songs he had lying around for some time and are not exactly "new".

Few do so well after a career that long though. I still get a shiver of horror every time I think of the song "Wiggle Wiggle" on Bob Dylans 1990 album. The Van Morrison song "Ring Worm" posted by a user above was a protest song against his record label. It was _designed_ to be a ****e song. And it was still better than Wiggle Wiggle.

But yea it is back catalog all the way with me with Van these days. Doubt anything new fresh and good is going to come from him any more. But here is hoping.

Eduard Khil

I'm sure if someone put the same words to dubstep you'd all be raving about it ya bunch of hipster wannabes.

o1s1n

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Never witnessed anything of it myself in over 100 gigs spread over 25 years though. Never once felt I did not get my money worth. And usually anecdotes to the opposite are second or third hand.

You've seen Van Morrison over 100 times?

Jesus that's a lot of shows. I've family members I haven't seen over 100 times in the last 25 years. How often were you going to see him?

I spent a couple of years working with one of his bassists, Paul Moore. Lovely fellah.

Your Face

These two two coffin-dodgers would be the first to die if lock-down was lifted.

o1s1n

o1s1n wrote: »

How often were you going to see him?

Quiet often in the 1995-2004 period and it tapered off slowly after that. Mostly in the UK and Ireland. Occasionally outside. Probably seen The Frames and David Gray an equivilant amount of times too.

It sounds like a lot. But over 25 years it is not all that much at all.

Was mostly done in binges in my college years. If Morrison / Frames / Gray did a tour of the UK I would book cheap flights and trains and basically follow the tour around. That adds up.

topper75

kowloon wrote: »

I think it has something to do with people considering other people's lives to be less important than their own entertainment.

People who consider their lives to be in danger are free to stay at home. Nobody will stop them doing so.
High time they let the rest of us get on with it.

Being vulnerable does not grant one dictatorial power over others. At least, it used not until the 2020 mass psychosis.

kowloon

topper75 wrote: »

People who consider their lives to be in danger are free to stay at home. Nobody will stop them doing so.
High time they let the rest of us get on with it.

Being vulnerable does not grant one dictatorial power over others. At least, it used not until the 2020 mass psychosis.

Yeah, I'd hate to let peoples lives put you at such a massive inconvenience. It's not that difficult to put on a mask and skip on the odd pint and drink at home.
The people failing to follow the simple rules are the reason there are lockdowns. Don't spread the disease and there's no need for lockdowns, any moron can get their head around that. But they moan about it and don't follow the rules because they're self-centred cnuts, pure and simple.

Edgware

topper75 wrote: »

People who consider their lives to be in danger are free to stay at home. Nobody will stop them doing so.
High time they let the rest of us get on with it.

Being vulnerable does not grant one dictatorial power over others. At least, it used not until the 2020 mass psychosis.

You didnt say that to your Mammy when she put rubber sheets on your bed

topper75

kowloon wrote: »

Yeah, I'd hate to let peoples lives put you at such a massive inconvenience. It's not that difficult to put on a mask and skip on the odd pint and drink at home.
The people failing to follow the simple rules are the reason there are lockdowns. Don't spread the disease and there's no need for lockdowns, any moron can get their head around that. But they moan about it and don't follow the rules because they're self-centred cnuts, pure and simple.

Small things like masks I won't whinge too loudly over. But we are not talking about that are we. They tried to pause our lives and keep us in some form of suspended animation for sizeable chunks of 2020 and are pointing at doing the same in 2021 despite a supposed vaccine being in the offing.

One day I'll be old and vulnerable myself.

I hope when that day comes that I should never be so self-centered as to demand that for my sake a whole economy shuts down, that young people whose time has come to shine in life can't meet up and enjoy thenselves, that they can't progress in their careers or meet partners, that sports people, arts people, hospitality people stop in their tracks. I hope I should never consider myself that to be 'important'. It is unnatural and twisted.

kowloon

topper75 wrote: »

I hope when that day comes that I should never be so self-centered as to demand that for my sake a whole economy shuts down, that young people whose time has come to shine in life can't meet up and enjoy thenselves, that they can't progress in their careers or meet partners, that sports people, arts people, hospitality people stop in their tracks. I hope I should never consider myself that to be 'important'. It is unnatural and twisted.

The lockdowns are only necessary because people aren't following the other rules. It's really simple. The virus would spread rapidly without any effort at containing it. The people not making an effort are at fault for this, not the people who are most at risk. You know this.
When you can't muster up some empathy for people getting the virus your paragraph about the young suffering because of this just reeks of insincerity.
And nobody is being asked to do all that much, you're not getting drafted or anything.

Montage of Feck

Looks like the lyric to a rage against the machine song.

The first word that came to mind 'Cocaine'.

kowloon

Montage of Feck wrote: »

Looks like the lyric to a rage against the machine song.

If it was RATM it might stand a better chance of being in the top spot for Christmas.

Sardonicat

topper75 wrote: »

Small things like masks I won't whinge too loudly over. But we are not talking about that are we. They tried to pause our lives and keep us in some form of suspended animation for sizeable chunks of 2020 and are pointing at doing the same in 2021 despite a supposed vaccine being in the offing.

One day I'll be old and vulnerable myself.

I hope when that day comes that I should never be so self-centered as to demand that for my sake a whole economy shuts down, that young people whose time has come to shine in life can't meet up and enjoy thenselves, that they can't progress in their careers or meet partners, that sports people, arts people, hospitality people stop in their tracks. I hope I should never consider myself that to be 'important'. It is unnatural and twisted.

Really, I thhink you'll be singing a very different tune when you are old. In fact, I'd be willing to put money on it.

Sardonicat

kowloon wrote: »

If it was RATM it might stand a better chance of being in the top spot for Christmas.

Fukc you, no I won't put the mask on!

take everything

Oh my God, I just looked up Clapton's racist rant at one of his concerts in 1976.

It's terrifying.
How is this guy not beyond the pale with the likes of Gary Glitter.