Karaoke Nights: Finding Connection Through Music

Clocks went back by an hour over the weekend so its now gone 10pm instead off 11pm on Monday night. It feels more like a Sunday night as I had the day off today. I went out to a city called Plymouth to a bar called Walkabout to sing Karaoke with some friends on Sunday. I hope we all had a good night and got up and sang our little hearts out.

Some of my favourite songs that I sing relate to a connection between my head and heart in the songs concerning such unspoken matters such as unrequited love, past lovers no longer with us and love lost as well as other other things that are also important to me such as the loss of my father and brother or what will happen to us all on this planet in the future (all good deep and meaningful issues on my mind of coure).

I got to sing three songs last night – the first was ‘the Blowers Daughter’ by Damien Rice. The next song I sung I was ‘Fields of Gold’ by Sting and finally I sang a song by the killers called ‘All the things I have done’. I bit of drunken crowd participation took place too which was aq lot of fun and also late night out as the bar shut about 1:30am and I got home just after 2:30am so lucky to have the day off really as  a means of recovering from such a late night.

It’s a big venue with a big stage but does not really get that full so feels quite intimate to sing there and there are lots of other really good singers that also get up and give it their best. Since lock down back at the beginning of the 2020’s I have met so many good and new friends due to singing at Karaoke bars and it really has brought so many great opportunities too and a new lease of life for me.

I really do enjoy meeting new people and getting to know who they are and what makes them tick. I don’t know if this is a natural curious state of mind or brought on even more due to having lost people through them passing away and so searching for ways to meet other new and lovely people as a means to try and compensate for those that have been lost. This will be my first Christmas without my Dad which is strange and even though it’s still nearly 2 months away it is nonetheless a though on my mind.     

The Blower’s Daughter · Damien Rice

Fascism has never been slain it has only been sleeping

Modern fascism, is a post-WWII far-right, ultranationalist ideology that adapts classic fascist characteristics like authoritarianism, a cult of the leader, and aggressive nationalism to modern contexts, incorporating contemporary tools such as social media and identity politics to promote xenophobia, racial nationalism, and often a perception of national decline. While rejecting the overt totalitarianism of historical fascism, neo-fascism shares a fundamental distrust of democracy, liberalism, and pluralism, aiming to create a unified, ethnically homogenous nation-state through populism and the suppression of opposition. 

How Far Is It From Here to Nuremberg? By David Rovics

Key Characteristics of Modern Fascism (Neo-Fascism)

  • Populist Ultranationalism:A central focus on a fervent, exclusionary form of nationalism that emphasizes the nation’s identity and perceived victimhood, often tied to ethnic or racial superiority. 
  • Authoritarianism:Support for a strong, centralized government headed by a cult-like leader who claims infallibility and suppresses dissent. 
  • Identity Politics:The use of immigration, ethnicity, race, and gender to create an “us vs. them” narrative, identifying scapegoats for societal problems. 
  • Modern Tools:The use of new technologies like social media and AI to spread propaganda, organize, and recruit members. 
  • Nativism and Xenophobia:Strong opposition to immigration, globalization, and multiculturalism, fostering a belief that these elements threaten national culture and identity. 
  • Opposition to Democracy:A rejection of liberalism, democracy, pluralism, and social democracy, seeing them as weak or divisive. 
  • Disdain for Human Rights:A focus on national “purity” and a willingness to disregard or suppress human rights for the perceived good of the nation

When we start to dehumanise an individual we risk dehumanising everyone and to what end that could lead is as yet unclear. Sadly the politics of hate and difference continue to grow heavy on my mind. I have a number of social media accounts that I sit and watch when wanting to unwind and unplug and this weekend for the first time ever, there were a lot of pro English, White pride and hate to others content seeping onto the pages that I scroll through, being promoted on social media posts underlined with the view I have my right to hate and not care what you thing. Ignorance is their weapon of mass media manipulation.

The bullshit is easy to spread across fields of social media accounts and watch the seeds of hate grow across across the pages which they then harvested likes and further their spread of opinions of ignorance and hate. I believe with all my heart there is more that unites humanity than divides it but that seems a tough sell at present.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_(human_categorization)#:~:text=Race%20is%20a%20categorization%20of,characterized%20by%20close%20kinship%20relations.

On Wikipedia in relation to ‘Race (Human) stated the following:- Modern science regards race as a social construct, an identity which is assigned based on rules made by society. While partly based on physical similarities within groups, race does not have an inherent physical or biological meaning. The concept of race is foundational to racism, the belief that humans can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another.

Little clip of Karaoke Huw

I was out at my local bar in Exeter on Friday and I asked a friend to take a photo of me singing and she also caught a small clip of me singing a song for a few seconds and I thought I would post that clip up here as a memento of that night I was singing the Blowers Daughter by Damien Rice.

Huw Edwards – The Singing Series!

I don’t know if you have seen these action figure designs yet anywhere on the internet or more specifically Facebook but people have been using AI to design there own action figures I had a go with Chat GPT. I used a template to fill out a description of what I wanted and then after a few minutes the design was created, very clever and lots of fun. The face does not look like me but I think my character definitely comes across in the image.

Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars – a favourite song to sing

Sláinte & Happy Paddy’s Day Dad

This time last year me and Dad were on holiday in Ireland for St Patricks day, thanks to a bet that I won on the horse the day after Christmas 2023. It was an unexpected win for a number of reasons and so when the bet paid out I shared some of the money with my mum and dad as the money did not really feel like mine anyway.

Dad said that rather than have the cash he wanted to go on holiday to Ireland and so that is exactly what we did. I paid for the accommodation and flights and we shared the costs of the meals and drinks. It was so much fun and went to some new places that I had not visited before as well as some tried and tested places. We initially got a ferry over from south Wales, which very nearly did not happen to County Wexford, then stayed in lovely hotel there and then travelled to Cork where dads Nan was from. We then went up to Limerick and onto Galway where we spent a weekend and was in St Patricks day for the Sunday. Finally we headed back to Dublin for a few days and then caught a flight back home. I love Ireland; I love my family and feel like although I am missing my Dad now that he is no longer with us I am very grateful for the time we shared together.

I feel like I am counting my blessings at present rather than counting my curses and there are many blessings. Though I hoped and thought he would live longer the time we all shared with him was special and I feel honoured to have known him and had him as part of my life.  

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Tyrant Trump an evil President in waiting

When a political leader boasts of his plans to expand his own nations land by acquiring through military or economic means against the will of the people who already live or own it in the name of ‘the protection of the free world’ – well your world is no longer going to be free.

Donald Trump is threatening and warning other nations not to stand in his way as he moves to acquire Canada as the 51st state, Greenland as an island of national interest and the panama canal becoming owned by the US.

Trump talks a lot of hostile nonsense as fact and he does it so often it risks becoming fact. If Britain turned around and said that Ireland should now become a nation of the UK or vice-versa there would be uproar and outrage quite rightly but Trump announces which parts of the world he has decided to govern and the world does not blink an eye.

The man is dangerous and for someone that does not use the word evil lightly I would also describe him as a bad and evil man this is not trash talk, this is fact. Based on words, actions and deeds. I don’t know why someone can have the gall to call themselves a Christian either Catholic or other and support, defend or rally around the policies of this president elect. He has a one way ticket to hell when his maker calls time on his life and I hope he does not drag many others there through his strength of will and convictions to.

Chris Rea – The Road To Hell 1989 Full Version

A picture of Christmas 2024

Our family get together for Christmas 2024 with my Mum, my Dad and my Dad’s partner Shamen – we always try and get together for a Christmas meal as close to Christmas day as possible and this year we all turned up at my mums for a festive meal enjoyed by us all on Christmas day.

It’s strange I started writing this at 4:42am on the Monday 30th December after not much sleep thinking about what Christmas means to me and what the future might hold in 2025. Christmas means different things to different people. Whether it’s a religious festival for the birth of the son of god and your messiah, a chance to have a holiday and relax at a cold and bleak time of the year, a chance to reflect on what just happened in the year that has just taken place and plan or prepare for what might happen in 2025. Or a chance to catch up and spend time with family, for me it’s a mixture of many of those listed above.

I’m thinking alot about the time at the moment, the time we have, times that are special, times that change and when there is no time left at all.

Well its new years eve already tomorrow, doesn’t time just fly

Auld Lang Syne by Robert Hecht and Betsy Phillips

💕Goodnight sweetheart 💕

Back from Ireland now after a wonderful holiday, I heard some news about a former partner that passed away while I was on a train in Ireland from Galway to Dublin. Her name is Marianne Morgans or Max and she died at the young age of 43. We were close and I last heard from her on the 29th February 2024 when she sent me a lovely message telling me to take care of myself. She would always think of others before herself and had such a loving and good spirit.  

Below is a partial cut of her last message she posted to me through messenger on the 29th February 2024, it shows a great deal about her spirit and love for others I don’t know if she was trying to help and guide me before she passed, talking about my mental health, my brother and the love and support she appreaicated from my family.

Part of Max’s last message sent to is below sent on 29th February 2024 at 1:39am:-

“I remember when you were in Wales, calling me in the middle of the night extremely unwell, confused and scared. And I remember feeling honoured it was me you called. So I knew you were still in there somewhere, trying to get out) You’ve come so far since then. I know you’ve had relapses, and I know you fight every day to keep level. That’s bloody brave! Don’t forget that. The easy way is to not bother with your meds, and let it take over you. But you don’t… you do all you can to stay well! Be proud of yourself! I remember after we broke up, and I was a little heartbroken still, bumping into Andy in the Wheelers, and him saying how impressed he was with you. How it couldn’t be easy as you couldn’t do all the shit he did at your age ( hello recreational party drugs or Colombian marching powder lol) But most of all, how adult and matter of fact you were about it. Or at least that’s what you showed on the outside. He had allot of love for you. Like you did him. I think he looked up to you just as much as you looked up to him. I was a little jealous that you had such an amazing relationship with your sibling and your mum and dad. You’re so much like them both, as caring as your mum, and as funny as your dad. Plus lots of other good things. I actually don’t think you have a bad bone in your body! Unlike me….. you’d be hard pressed to find anything in me that isn’t an asshole lol. I don’t mind, I quite like being an asshole. It means the people who aren’t worth it, or are users piss off fast, and the people who see though my assholeness and stick around, are the best sort of people. There aren’t many, and you’re definitely one of them . You don’t tolerate my bullshit and can see the real me…… which is vulnerable in some aspects. I don’t like people seeing that, as they try to take advantage… some manage it. I just wish you’d bloody tell me when you’re struggling. Because you told me years ago what sort of things happen to you when you’re spiralling , and when you’re in full blown psychosis. It doesn’t frighten me, or makes me think less of you. In fact, I think more of you because you’re reaching out… that means you’re asking for help even if you don’t realise it at the time. Please send my love to Mr E. your parents were the first parents to not look at me like trash. Treat me well even though I was poor as fuck. They didn’t care. I’ve tried to be a bit like Mrs E. poverty is the normal down here. Allot of parents numb themselves on the money they get for their kids …..( and that’s not a judgement… it’s a sad reality and it isn’t their fault. Being poor and not knowing how you’re going to feed everyone takes its toll. So they think … fuck it. And spend it on drink and drugs: use the food bank to feel the family and then numb themselves) ….. The amount of other people’s teenagers clothes I’ve washed and dried… I’ve lost count. All their clothes and bedding so dirty they’re crusty and solid. Them being so ashamed they don’t come to the house. Just help Lauren or Tom carry it all up, and run away because they don’t want to see how disgusted I might be. And … I’m never disgusted. It isn’t their fault. My reward is when the kids tell me how happy they are, wearing clothes that aren’t stiff with dirt. Clean knickers and bras. Fresh bedding … often the first good nights sleep in months. I think I probably look like how Mrs E would look when I ate 3 meals a day at a normal time lol. She’s such a material person just she 🙂basically….. when I was with you and your family, it’s the safest I’d ever really felt. Before or since. You all had a positive impact on my life. I think you all should know that. People don’t say thank you enough in my opinion. Anyhoo… ill stop rambling at you now. Please stay in touch, even when you’re well and life is good ( which you absolutely deserve) Sending you big hugs. And I’m here whenever you need me, or just want to say hello and a quick update. Much love my sweet. Xxxx

Damien Rice – the Blower’s daughter