Author Archives: Jon Sidel

Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

At my house I’ve got no shackles / You can come and look if you want to / In the halls you’ll see the mantles / Where the light shines dim all around you / And the streets are paved with gold and if / Someone asks you, you can call my name

Staying positive and keeping one foot in front of the other has been my mantra this week.

I have to also stay watching The Yankees hasn’t hurt my old New York “bones” either. I know, I know—The Dodgers are “the Canyon” team of choice, but as a child I grew up rooting for the “pin-stripes” in October. In fact, I’m one of the few folks you’ll meet who stormed Yankee Stadium’s field after the Bronx Bombers won the 1977 World Series.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

I saw a tweet that Connie Hawkins died the other day. Having grown up in New York City on an asphalt basketball court, the news set me back. It seems every week in 2017 has come with some bitter news. Why would a Friday the 13th in 2017 be any different?

Last week’s passing of Icarus Line guitarist Alvin DeGuzman at age 38 was depressing too. This week’s news was not really as sad as it was nostalgic. This week’s Idelic Hour goes out to those of us who played hoop before there were leather Nikes. When it came to the slam dunking on the school yard in New York City, Connie Hawkins was ground zero. My “yard.”

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

So future boy where are you from my time machine crashed over yonder / Syphillis is a bitch but contracting HIV is much worse. / Why are you pushing info into me, / I have no need for it, I’m from the stars. / I thought you’d like to know the scoop / I’m taking babies back with me, yeah. / I’m taking them back home / so they can see there’s a much better place. / I’ve got a sister with an open mind and my friends are all junkies / But there still my friends, as long as they don’t use monkeys, / We enjoy the heat of stolen days in the summer of ’93. / Well the future boy said I’ve got friends but you know sometimes / it all depends on how tall they are against yourself. / I am the future boy / My friends have all gone and left me / so I decided to come here and see myself as a baby, / but it looks like I? stuck here this time, oh shit, /I’m gonna miss my friends. / No you’re still the future boy, / Yes I’m still the future boy / We’ll build you a time machine to get back home. / Still the future boy. / Well I’m still the future boy

Fall has always been a time of new bands and new music. This week’s Idelic Hour plays like a 2017 fall preview from the golden age of college rock. Maybe this weekend some of us will take a night to a see a band or catch a cool flick. I woke up thinking of those dreamy days when friends grabbed electric guitars, got loaded, and had some fun.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

I wandered home though the silent streets / And fell into a fitfull sleep / Escape to realms beyond the night / Dream can’t you show me the light? / I stand atop a spiral stair / An oracle confronts me there / He leads me on light years away / Through astral nights, galactic days / I see the works of gifted hands / That grace this strange and wondrous land / I see the hand of man arise / With hungry mind and open eyes / They left the planet long ago / The elder race still learn and grow / Their power grows with purpose strong / To claim the home where they belong / Oh, to tear the Temples down… / Oh, to change…

Last week I found myself in Montreal, Canada doing my “thing,” visiting a young rock ‘n’ roll group and some friends in the French and French Canadian music biz. At times I found myself among a crossfire of animated French conversations.

Occasionally I would hear someone at the table blare out my name in French, “Jean Sidel!” In those moments I took the time to sit back and soak it all in, snap a photo, and enjoy this stop on my rock ‘n’ roll journey.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

I never felt magic crazy as this / I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea / I never held emotion in the palm of my hand / Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree / But now you’re here / Brighten my northern sky. / I’ve been a long time that I’m waiting / Been a long that I’m blown / I’ve been a long time that I’ve wandered / Through the people I have known / Oh, if you would and you could / Straighten my new mind’s eye.

I saw an article on my Flipboard that some are predicting tomorrow (Saturday) will be the end of the world. (If it’s true, there really won’t be anyone reading my Idelic Hour column!)

Hey man, I’m gonna side with the Jews and say it’s time to ring in a new year. I’m not really sure where we’re all heading, but I for one am going to continue putting out positive vibes. Yep, and the Idelic Hour is where I’m starting my day!

This week I found myself digging through crates for old soul records—some cuts more obscure than others. The goal, to lift hearts in solidarity with folks suffering harsh conditions in Mexico City, down south, and around the world.

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Greetings from Music City, USA!

Last Sunday morning, the sunshine felt like rain / The week before, they all seemed the same / With the help of God and true friends, I’ve come to realize / I still have two strong legs, and even wings to fly / So I, ain’t a-wastin time no more / ‘Cause time goes by like hurricanes, and faster things

By the time the “IH” publishes today I’ll be on the ground in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s my third, maybe fourth, trip to The Nash for The AMAs, an annual gathering of all things music biz flying under the banner of Americana music.

In the past what’s been surprisingly cool about the conference is an awards ceremony held at the legendary Ryman Auditorium. Indeed, The Grand Ole Opry has a dope vibe—the old wooden floor boards and church pews just soak up that gee-tar twang.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

You were my sunny day rain / You were the clouds in the sky / You were the darkest sky / But your lips spoke gold and honey / That’s why I’m happy when it rains / I’m happy when it pours

As I often do, I pulled my most recent column up to take a scan before writing a new one. I gotta say, reading my weekly recap before summer break was a touch unnerving. It was only a couple of summers ago that the world seemed like such a nice place.

Is it me? Where has our world gone? There’s no reason to get angry or “even”—I’m gonna reach deep into my soul and send out some positive vibes and think of all my friends on the Gulf Coast. I hope to see you—warm and dry—next week.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

I got back from NYC last Friday evening to some of the warmest nights I’ve ever experienced in LA. It’s truly been more than a wild Indian summer. To cool down I’m still listening to the sounds of the streets of New York. I’ve always loved the month of October in NYC. The Autumn brings out night owls, and oh how those night owls thrive in the Big Apple.

It comes down to reality / And it’s fine with me cause I’ve let it slide / I don’t care if it’s Chinatown or on Riverside / I don’t have any reasons / I left them all behind / I’m in a New York state of mind…

This week is the annual CMJ music festival in the city. Although the actual CMJ conference is not what it used to be, the lure of a gathering of indie rock tribes is still very appealing.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Last Tuesday was the first day of school which seems ridiculous sending the kids back to class weeks before Labor Day. I have my theories about the Los Angeles School District, but like most public school parents I can’t be bothered by such barbaric timing. All I can say is that summers ago I was entertaining different cocktail conversations—bands, chicks, what happened at the bar, and scoring dope. Now we chat about school districts, homework, and soccer practice.

I have to admit I’m still almost as excited about the first day of school as the last. The smell of anticipation and the stiffness of new shoes and a book bag have never left me. Call it DNA, call it “sense-memory.”

Although it was sad to watch young Jonah’s summer fun and lazy mornings come to a halt, I couldn’t help but pick up his sense of excitement to reconnect with old friends and greet the new.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

We are not like all the rest / You can see us any day of the week. / Come around, sit down, take a sniff, fall asleep / Baby you don’t have to speak. / I’d like to show you where it is / But then it wouldn’t even mean a thing. / Nothing is easy, baby just please me / Who knows what tomorrow may bring. / Well if for just one moment / You could step outside your mind. / And float across the ceiling / I don’t think the folks would mind…

Let’s face it, this week was pretty shitty. Watching the hatred unfold and yesterday’s terror in Spain, I don’t feel like writing.

The good news is the world’s not all bad. There are summer BBQs, backwards three pointers, and even ol’ Randy Newman can still sing his ass off.

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