Musitorial – Wait for the sign

musitorial n a mashup of music, musings and editorials, music and song that evokes thought and commentary.

As familiar as that phrase (“wait for the sign”) seems, and as often as I’ve used it in jest, I was surprised that Google provided very few referent uses of it. For me, it recalls a terrific (1997-2000) comedy series on CBC Radio One called The Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour. The link below will have information on that, so suffice to say that one of the writers was Thomas King, whose writing I greatly admire and respect. At the end of each episode of the Cafe, the two key characters would invoke the following: “Stay calm, be brave, wait for the sign.” It was a kind of a “keep your stick on the ice” thing, which was used by Red Green, the fictional host of that hilarious and inventive Canadian comedy, The Red Green Show. <Link below>

“Wait for the sign” is also associated with the 1984 film Ghostbusters (Columbia-Delphi Ivan Reitman, producer). <Link below>

Remember Carol Burnett (1933-)?[1] You do if you are a TV Child of a certain vintage. At the very end of every episode of The Carol Burnett Show (CBS Television, 1967-1978, Bob Banner & Joe Hamilton, producers), Carol gave a little tug to her left ear after singing her trademark closing song (“I’m so glad we had this time together…”). That little tug, a secret sign for her grandmother, became her trademark, one used her entire stage career. If you are indeed of that vintage, that song is probably playing in your head right now. <See footnote for an explanation of her ear tug.>

“Wait for the sign” sounds/reads like it might be biblical, but that exact phrasing is not found therein.

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So, where am I going with this? How about a little road trip?

We are big on signs in Nova Scotia, especially when it comes to elections and erections (of highway signs, that is). Both the two- and three-dimensional variety of highway signs are omnipresent in our motoring lives.

Conical fluorescent warnings sprout willy-nilly across the province’s ‘roadscapes’ as signs of our government’s concern for keeping on the straight and narrow, to keep us from falling into any number of road hazards. It’s been my observation that the sprinkling of those warning cones grows like a well-watered garden (or is that ‘guardin’?), or even a forest, when an election is nigh.

But I especially want everyone to take note of a new hazard warning sign that appeared just this year (new to my eyes, at least): water hazards. Not just for golfers anymore, water hazards in our paths have become as frequent as rain in many areas; so frequent that they require signage. Signage, not solutions.

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For today’s musitorial, I have of course drawn once again from Canada’s Five Man Electrical Band’s oeuvre for its 1970 hit, “Signs” (album, Good-byes and Butterflies, written by Les Emmerson, Sony/atv Acuff Rose Music).

Sign, sign, everywhere, a sign

Blockin' out the scenery

Breakin' my mind

“Do this,” “Don't do that”

Can't you read the sign?

Stay calm, be brave, look for the signs. Maybe keep swim trunks in your trunk.

 

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Link to Wikipedia entry on The Dead DSog Café Comedy Hour: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dead_Dog_Caf%C3%A9_Comedy_Hour

Link to Wikipedia entry on The Red Green Show: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Green_Show

Link to Wikipedia entry on Ghostbusters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters

Link to Wikipedia entry on The Carol Burnett Show:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Carol_Burnett_Show

Link to Good Housekeeping magazine article with Carol Burnett. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a25748420/carol-burnett-ear-pull/

Link to Genius.com listing and play link for “Signs” by Five Man Electrical Band: https://genius.com/Five-man-electrical-band-signs-lyrics

Signs image taken from Making Trails, NS: https://makingtracksinnovascotia.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/traffic-signs/

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[1] During its 11-year run, comedic legend Carol Burnett ended her show, The Carol Burnett Show, with a lyrical farewell and a tug of her left ear. While her closing song became recognized as one of the best in television history and later inspired her 2010 bestseller This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection, her ear tug became a trademark move.

n fact, this small gesture started way before the 85-year-old had her own show: She first tugged at her ear in her television debut on The Paul Winchell Show in 1955 as a nod to her grandmother Mabel.

"My grandmother (Nanny) raised me out here in Hollywood. When I got my first job back in New York, I called her and I said 'Nanny, I'm going to be on television Saturday morning.' She said, 'Well, you gotta say hello to me.' We figured this out — to pull my ear — and that was my signal to her," she revealed while accepting The Colleagues Champion of Children Award. "It always meant 'Hi Nanny. I'm fine. I love you.' Later it meant, 'Hi Nanny. I'm fine. I love you. Your check's on the way.'"

The young actress knew of a dance troupe that would "say hello" to their children by tugging on their ears, so she decided to do the same for her grandmother. Even though her grandmother passed away while the show was still on air, Burnett continued the ear-tugging tradition.

In fact, even decades after her show went off the air in 1978, the actress continued to send a message to her grandmother in interviews, award show appearances, and red carpet events. It even sparked a viral moment at at the 2018 Golden Globes when she let Jennifer Aniston (awkwardly) pull at her ear, prompting her to joke that Aniston has "kinky" tendencies. That's why she's a legend, folks.

 

Musitorial – Walk on By

musitorial n a mashup of music, musings and editorials, music and song that evokes thought and commentary.

Today’s musitorial is inspired by a CBC Ideas segment (Jan. 20, 2025) titled, “Polarizing times for Friedrick Nietzsche’s[1] practice of ‘passing by’.”

The Ideas segment centres around Shalini Satkunanandan’s rethinking of that German philosopher Nietzsche’s line, “Where one can no longer love, there one should pass by.”

Satkunanandan is an associate professor of political science at University of California, Davis. She is working on a book about the practice of 'passing by,' and suggests that “we are almost talking too much. There's this constant need to correct, refute, criticize.”

She explains that “[i]t's not clear that our constant need to engage is helping us move forward in any way. If anything, it is making partisan divides even more pronounced.”

“It was no surprise that the Merriam-Webster dictionary crowned ‘polarization’ as its word of the year in 2024,” she said.

Satkunanandan argues that Nietzsche offers us a method that can help us navigate the highly polarizing discourse that's afflicting our democracies today. 

I’ve written a bit about polarization in the context of polemics, and of politicians who foment disharmony in order to divide us – to their own advantage and/or swaying public opinion in the pursuit of political power. Heaven knows why anyone would want to enter the supposedly noble field of public service in this day and age of uncertainty.

“I would say that we are almost talking too much. There’s this constant need to correct, refute, criticize,” said Satkunanandan.

“It's not clear that our constant need to engage is helping us move forward in any way. If anything it is making partisan divides even more pronounced.”

Maybe I’m overworking it, but it seems to me that to follow Satkunanandan’s plea amounts to giving up on the hope that things can be better. I for one think that we too often ‘walk by’ troubled times, circumstances and people, thus leaving the task of examination or correction up to ‘somebody else.’ It seems to me that to ‘walk by,’ we basically encourage the rampant ignorance, bigotry, misogyny and violence so widely evident.

Google AI says that, for Nietzsche, walking symbolizes life as an individual path and the act of “walking on” represents the courageous, continuous self-creation and transcendence of the Übermensch (overman). Transcend, not ignore or avoid.

I’ll leave it there, save to leave you with the musical selections that brought all this to my mind.

First up is Neil Young’s “Walk On,” the lyrics of which seem to fit this musitorial, including:

I hear some people been talking me down
Bring up my name, pass it 'round
They don't mention the happy times
They do their thing, I do mine

My second selection is perhaps more familiar. It’s Burt Bacharach’s “Walk On By” recorded by the great Dionne Warwick” (Make Way For Dionne Warwick, 1964, Scepter) the lyrics of which include:

If you see me walking down the street
And I start to cry, each time we meet
Walk on by
Walk on by
Make believe that you don't see the tears
Just let me grieve
In private, 'cause each time I see you, I break down and cry

Walk on by

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Link to the CBC Ideas article in question: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/nietzsche-passing-by-healthy-discourse-1.7434781

Link to Wikipedia article on Nietzsche (see also below footnote on Nietzsche) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche

Link to Genius.com recording and lyrics of “Walk On” by Neil Young: https://genius.com/Neil-young-walk-on-lyrics

Link to Wikipedia article on the song, “Walk On By” by Burt Bacharach and Hal David (1964) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_On_By

Link to Genius.com recording and lyrics of “Walk On By” (Dionne Warwick): https://genius.com/Dionne-warwick-walk-on-by-lyrics

Link to Wikipedia article on Dionne Warwick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionne_Warwick

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[1] On Nietzsche, Google AI summarizes thusly: [He] connected walking with a process of active and creative thinking, believing that the best ideas are born from physical movement. He viewed walking as a way to sustain his philosophy and life affirmation, contrasting it with a sedentary life, which he called a “sin against the Holy Spirit.” This philosophy is central to his work, where walking symbolizes life as an individual path and the act of “walking on” represents the courageous, continuous self-creation and transcendence of the Übermensch (overman).

Google AI summarizes “overman” as describing an ideal human being who has overcome traditional morality and limitations to create their own values and meaning. P.s., quite different from our ironic term of or “overman,” who Google AI summarizes as a senior underground supervisor or foreman in a coal mine, responsible for managing a section of the mine and ensuring safety and daily operations.

 

Musitorial – Whose Rules?

musitorial n a mashup of music, musings and editorials, music and song that evokes thought and commentary. 

Gosh it sometimes seems like I do a lot of reminiscing. A word or a phrase or a song will come to mind out of nowhere, though prompted by a current event or conversation which triggers something. Sometimes the rememberings are comical, sometimes tragic, but always worth remembering, if only for a moment (short-term memory being what it is). Now, where was I?

Oh yes, remembering. Readers will know that many of these musitorials recall events, current and past, and sets them to music. It must be said that sometimes a piece of music will mysteriously align itself with a memory or an opinion.

What seems like many years ago, my late friend John Eyking (1932-2021), a very successful post-war immigrant Dutch farmer in Cape Breton, made a “toast to the ladies” at an annual ladies night dinner of the Rotary Club of North Sydney. In those days, Rotary clubs were exclusively male (for no other reason than female partners and female professionals were afterthoughts, and John's partner Jean was never, ever, an afterthought). It was just “the way of the world,” in those days, to quote Max Q <see links below>.

Anyway, John’s words drew from a 1988 poem by William Ross Wallace: “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Is the Hand That Rules the World” <enjoy the information linked below>. John’s point was that the idiom (and it is by now an idiom) cannot be true, for if it was, it would be a much kinder, gentler world. After a few more gentlemanly words about the nurturing of family, the innate sensibilities of “the fairer sex,” etc., Rotarians drank a toast to their ladies.

My point (and pun) in just a moment, but my choice of recording of a song by the same name is by Glenn Campbell (1936-2017), a crossover crooner popular in the 1970s-to 1980s especially <YouTube posted recording linked below).

It’s quite a leap, but as I reflected on that adage (the hand that rocks, etc.) I couldn’t help but allow moral politics to disrupt my thoughts, and to reframe it as: “the hand that ROBS the cradle rules the world.” How sad. I leave readers to make a connection with current events.

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Link to Wikipedia article on the poem, “The Hand, etc.”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hand_That_Rocks_the_Cradle_(poem)

Link to a recording of “The Way of the World” by Max Q on Genius: https://genius.com/Max-q-way-of-the-world-lyrics

Link to Wikipedia article on poet William Wallace and his “The Hand, etc.”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ross_Wallace

Link to YouTube recording of Glen Campbell’s song “The Hand, etc.”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2DtEHMJRP8

Link to article on John Eyking (19321-2021): https://www.dal.ca/diff/aahf/inductees/john-eyking-.html

 

Musitorial – What Was That?

musitorial n a mashup of music, musings and editorials, music and song that evokes thought and commentary.

Years ago I encountered a marvelous exhibit staged in “The Rooms,” that very special arts and culture centre overlooking St. John’s (NL) harbour. The exhibit was titled, Forty-Part Motet,[1] by Canadian artist Janet Cardiff (b. 1957) which consisted of a set of forty stereo speakers standing in a perfect circle in the assigned exhibit space.

Forty-Part Motet is a recording of an 18-minute choral performance of Thomas Tallis’s (1505-1585) 1570 composition, “Spem in Alium” (Latin for "Hope in any other").

When you stand on the centre of the array you hear the piece in its entirety – it’s lovely. Then (if you’re curious), when you walk around the inner circumference of the circle you learn that each speaker stands in for a single performer. Here and there (or is that hear and there), one or more choir members is silent, awaiting their particular part. You can hear (at least I did) each of those “silent” performers in that moment of the piece: here a sniff, there a little cough or an intake of breath. It’s stunning. Really. (Link below)

I was deeply moved by the work (and the music and performance, of course) because of the way it called my attention to the role of silence. Even the sniffing and throat-clearing were part of the whole. Everyone present for the recording of the piece had an important role to play – even momentary silence.

Remember that opening line in “Desiderata,” “Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence” <links below>. Boy, I wish I’d learned that bit of advice in grade school, I might have learned more and had more friends, instead of always trying to be the centre of attention.

ANYway, I’m reminded of the group parlour game I know as, “Gossip.” It’s used in every kind of setting – from grade school to boardroom trust-building exercises. One person whispers something to the next person in a circle, who whispers it to the next and so on. Then, the last person is asked to repeat the secret passage as they know it – with hilarious results caused by mishearing and/or misunderstanding, or even malicious intent. The lesson – an important one – is about the importance of active listening.

It often seems that the more we hear, the less we listen. There’s a difference.

This is somewhat related to essays I wrote a few years ago <links below> in which I made light of my tendency to mishear lyrics, sometimes on purpose for the sake of humour. Sometimes we repeat things that others may not find amusing or appropriate – often things that shouldn’t be repeated without a pause for consideration.

Hearing is easy – no offence to anyone whose hearing is difficult. Listening is more difficult.

The title of today’s musitorial might easily have been, “Faint Hope of Clarity,” a play on the tenet “Faith, Hope and Charity.” Regardless, my music selection for this piece is “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” a 1965 song recorded by Nina Simone that has been covered by more contemporary performers than I can count.

Enjoy!

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Link to Wikipedia article on the 1964 song, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” by Bennie Benjamin, Horace Ott and Sol Marcus (Phillips Records): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Let_Me_Be_Misunderstood

Link to Wikipedia article on Nina Simone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Simone

Link to lyrics of the song “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”: https://tinyurl.com/2s8p9cr5

Link to a YouTube recording of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtgJjYvv0dU

Link to Wikipedia article on Janet Cardiff, Winner of the 2001 Millennium Prize: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Cardiff

Link to Wikipedia article on “sound art” and the installation, Forty-Part Motet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_art

Link to Wikipedia article on Thomas Tallis (1505-1585): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Tallis

Link to Wikipedia article on “Spem in Alium” (1570): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spem_in_alium

Link to Wikipedia article on Desiderata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiderata

Link to an essay and misunderstanding lyrics: https://mike-r-hunter.blogspot.com/2020/03/music-lessons.html

Link to another essay and misunderstanding lyrics: https://mike-r-hunter.blogspot.com/2023/09/rant-aliens-are-nigh.html

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[1] Janet Cardiff's (b. 1957) "The Forty Part Motet" is an audio installation that reworks Thomas Tallis's 16th-century choral piece, "The installation features 40 separately recorded choir voices played through 40 individual speakers, allowing viewers to walk through the space to hear individual voices or the complete, unified choir. The speakers are arranged in eight groups of five, representing the eight choirs within Tallis's original composition (Google A.I.)

 

Musitorial – Bonfire of Vanity

 

(With apologies to Tom Wolfe)[1]

musitorial n a mashup of music, musings and editorials, music and song that evokes thought and commentary.

I wish I had something clever to say about contemporary Hallowe’en, but it’s likely that everything’s been said. But I’ll keep thinking.

Close on the heels of Hallowe’en and All Saints Day comes No Saints Day, November 4. You may know it as Election Day in the United States, not to be confused with their new holiday “No Kings Day,” observed on October 18, 2025.[2] I will ignore my natural tendency to elaborate, save to note how ironic it is that in a nation founded on rejection (and subsequent revolution against and independence from) its monarchical founding, to now be acting in much the same way. I mean, golden ballroom? C’mon!

Anyway, instead of going on about that, today I’m going to shift a few days into November. I’ve long enjoyed the juxtaposition of November 4, election day in the [formerly united] States, and Guy Fawkes Day, November 5.[3] How fitting that on one day each year citizens celebrate their democracy by casting ballots, and on the next day commemorate a destructive protest against the “Establishment.” I’m taking liberties, I know, but enjoy the juxtaposition, nonetheless.

With the Republican president’s words burned into my brain (I know, he said ‘drill baby, drill,’ but I heard: burn baby, burn’, but that’s just me), today’s musitorial celebrates the cusp of November 5 and 6 with the 1974 song: “Burn,” by Deep Purple.

Warning came, no one cared

Earth was shakin', we stood and stared

When it came, no one was spared

Still I hear, "Burn"

 

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Link to lyrics of “Burn,” by Deep Purple, 1974 album of the same name, songwriters David Coverdale / Glenn William Hughes / Ian Anderson Paice / Jon Lord / Ritchie Blackmore; Sony, https://tinyurl.com/bd3h4crh

Link to Wikipedia article on the film, Bonfire of the Vanities: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bonfire_of_the_Vanities_(film)

Link to https://www.nokings.org/

Link to Wikipedia article on Guy Fawkes Night: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night

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[1] Bonfire of the Vanities is the title of Tom Wolfe’s 1987 novel, and the eponymous 1990 Warner Bros film directed by Brian De Palma. Link provided above.

[2]  On October 18 [2025], more than 7 million [people] rose up at more than 2,700 events in all 50 states, DC, and cities worldwide to say: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people. Now, [the] task is to stay vigilant, stay united, and continue to push back. “No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.” Link provided above.

[3]  The Wikipedia entry for Guy Faulkes Day: an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain, involving bonfires and fireworks displays. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605 O.S., when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. The Catholic plotters had intended to assassinate Protestant King James I and his parliament. Celebrating that the king had survived, people lit bonfires around London. Months later, the Observance of 5th November Act mandated an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure. Link provided above.