Author Archives: Jon Sidel

Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

What will I do then? / How did I sleep at night / With you far from my side? / Hold me darling, make no sound / Silence speaks for me

Love be brave / No one will say it but you / And that has not yet been / The easy thing for you to do

It’s a glorious spring morning in the canyon. People have been saying that “[email protected]” has animals coming back into the open. I gotta say the theory rings true around our canyon. Birds are chirping, a squirrel just ran past with an orange, and our family of raccoons were out last night looking for what’s left from our precious avocado tree.

Workwise, this week has been busy. I’ve been in touch with many of the songwriters in my circle. I’m convinced this Corona period will breed the next generation of both sound and song. One of the bands I work with is Mystic Braves. Their name got me thinking about bravery, and to be honest there are not nearly enough songs about the subject.

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#LOVERECORDSTORES

Through the windless wells of wonder / By the throbbing light machine / In the tea leaf trance or under / Orders from the king and queen

Songs, to aging children come / (Songs, to aging children come) / Aging children, I am one (I am one)

People hurry by so quickly / Don’t they hear the melodies / In the chiming and the clicking / And the laughing harmonies

There hasn’t been a day this week that I haven’t heard of a friend who tested positive for the Coronavirus. It feels like it’s really spreading fast in Los Angeles.

Wherever we are, let’s share our strength, courage, and whatever we can. In my case I’m gonna stick with trying to do it through songs. Thank you for letting me share. This Idelic Hour has all of the kids, sons, daughters, mothers and fathers in mind.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

There’s a world where I can go and tell my secrets to / In my room, in my room / In this world I lock out all my worries and my fears / In my room, in my room

Do my dreaming and my scheming / Lie awake and pray / Do my crying and my sighing / Laugh at yesterday

Now it’s dark and I’m alone / But I won’t be afraid / In my room, in my room / In my room, in my room / In my room, in my room

God knows we’re all learning real fast not to take the little things for granted. Hopefully you are reading this safe, healthy, and not too bored in a pad you can dig into. May the groovy spirits of music calm your soul and let your spirits soar.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

The woman from the supermarket / Ran to call the cops / “He must be high on something, ” someone said / Though it never made The New York Times / In The Daily News, the caption read, / “Save the life of my child!” / Cried the desperate mother…

Yesterday was pretty stressful. How do we handle Corona protocol? Even Presidents, movie stars, and pro-hoopers get it. I hear we need to try to stay calm, keep extra clean, and for now keep your distance.

In the meantime, The Idelic Hour is here to provide a touch of comfort for those who need an hour of great curated tunes to free their mind. I find old songs are sometimes better friends than people.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

I miss the innocence I’ve known / Playing KISS covers, beautiful and stoned / Unlock my body and move myself to dance / Moving warm liquid, flowing blowing glass / Classical music blasting masks the ringing in my ears / I sincerely miss those heavy metal bands / I used to go see on the landing in the summer…

Different day, new week.

The combo of Tuesday’s primary and the spread of Corona was intense, but so far it feels like many Californians are trying to take it as it comes. We’re kinda like “banging away” with caution.

Seems we all need something to bang on?

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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…

Okay, this week I needed to calm my soul. I mean this Coronavirus news is unbuttoning nerves.

Meanwhile, warmer winds swirled in the canyon blowing up tons of pollen. The results are dry throats and itchy eyes. Ugh! God get us through this one! In the meantime I stacked a few classic sides to calm the nerves.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Too many people are there / It’s noisy and bright, no one cares / But I’m happy in my rose colored corner / No hurry to go anywhere

People they stop and they stare / Disgusted what really isn’t there / But I’m happy in my rose colored corner / No hurry to go anywhere

The people they keep all their secrets / Awaiting each new break of dawn / I’m daunted by days coming gone

For the first time since I’ve been putting together The Idelic Hour, I missed a Valentine’s Day. My routine for many years is to spend Thursday nights listening to records, surfing online, and compiling and building the show to post on Friday.

Being not the most computer savvy rocker, I’ve figured out how to create and send off the show to TVD in DC, but in all honesty the “bones” of The Idelic Hour have been hacked together weekly by a battle hardened 2010 MacBook.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Snow started falling, / I could hear the angel calling / We rolled on the ground, he stretched out his wings. / The boy flew away and he started to sing. / He sang, “Break it up, oh, I don’t understand. / Break it up, I can’t comprehend. / Break it up, oh, I want to feel you. / Break it up, don’t look at me.

The sky was raging, the boy disappeared, / I fell on my knee / Atmosphere broke up, the boy reappeared. / I cried, “Take me please!”

Good Friday—yep, that’s where we’re at. Being what I call a “Schmohawk” (a smart mix of Jewish and spiritual Native American Indian) what the fuck do I know?” So, today is good. OK…I will try and make that happen. Why not? It’s spring break for the kids in Canyon, so I’ll give myself a break too.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Aim for the country fair, you read it in the paper / The worst happens any week a scandal on the front page / See the happy pair smiling close like they are monkeys / They wouldn’t think so but they’re holding themselves down / (Hold themselves down) / I found that essence rare, it’s what I looked for / I knew I’d get what I asked for

Keeping this week simple is likely the easiest way to keep my head straight. Flipping through the car radio channels, I stumble onto tune from Rubber Soul. Even the name of the album is brilliant comfort food.

So I’m saying “the word.” Well, for The Beatles it was “LOVE.” For this week’s Idelic playlist, it’s “NEW.” Because there really isn’t anything like hearing a great new song for the first time. Think about the process—your brain connects listening with thoughts and the magic of “taste.” Oh, new is yummy when it’s yummy.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

If this world were mine, I’d place at your feet / All that I own; you’ve been so good to me / If this world were mine / I’d give you the flowers, the birds and the bees / For with your love inside me, that would be all I need / If this world were mine / I’d give you anything

24

It’s been a sad week in our “City of Angels.” The Kobe crash is weird and sad karma, and many are now asking why this is effecting us Los Angelenos so deeply. Of course I spent much of the early days of the week listening to sad songs. Today’s playlist muse, “Sadsong Street,” was penned by Richard Swift, another brilliant soul who met his end way too early. I used to tease Richard about his sad songs. Adored by many, somber tunes don’t often lead to fame and fortune in the record biz. Yet for my Idelic heart, I reach for these tunes in times of healing.

This week I couldn’t be help but think about basketball. I’ve long since stopped trying to explain the game’s significance to my upbringing in New York City. At a young age (ironically about the same age as my son Jonah) I wandered out to Central Park to play hoop. What I found was a world, community, a group of friends, heroes and villains, apart from my family and school.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Let’s drink to the hard working people / Let’s drink to the lowly of birth / Raise your glass to the good and the evil / Let’s drink to the salt of the earth

Say a prayer for the common foot soldier / Spare a thought for his back breaking work / Say a prayer for his wife and his children / Who burn the fires and who still till the earth

Anyone catch the first episode of the new Larry David?

It’s Grammy weekend in LA, Impeachment week in DC, and there are a shitload of koala bears and kangaroos who need our help.

I hear there are people who actually wear those red “Donald” baseball caps, but they’re as rare as “roos” around this canyon. I say let’s make planet Earth great—call it “Earth justice.”

On a LA Grammy week note, we do have pop music here. It’s kind of a “corruption” in the universe of music. Many call them artists? I guess there is an art to claiming your star on Hollywood Boulevard. In my old neighborhood in NYC, you would just get your ass kicked for listening to Peter Lemongello.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

We found a new kind of dance in a magazine / Tried it out, it’s like nothing you ever seen / You sweet talk like a cop and you know it / You bought a new bag of pot, said, “let’s make a new start” / And that’s the way to my heart / The way to my heart / That’s the way we get by / The way we get by

Not sure what to lead off the new year /new decade with. “Howdy y’all,” or “What the fuck am I gonna do?” So of course I’ve taken the question to the godz of rock ‘n’ roll and song and came up with an Idelic muse. Oh yeah, it’s this week’s Idelic Hour playlist muse: “Anything I can get, I’ll fucking take it!”

Over this past month of “holiday hibernation” two things came to mind while listening to music. First one, of course, my obsession with new bands, artists and songs. What sound will be next and who and where are the next rock stars?

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

And if you turn up the dream to cure yourself free from searching for a new afterlife / The purpose of life, you know there’s still time to tune into the right side / Well I assumed that we were lovers yesterday / The turning tide that that love us to pray / You know what I would do if I were you

As The Idelic Hour says hello to 2019, I’m blasting into the year like a rocket to Russia. ’18 is gone and I haven’t met a soul who’s missed those recent days.—although it’s fairly pathetic how much Mr. Donald is trying ruin everyone’s new year.

Fuck it, fuck him, and anyone with a sour word or note. If it’s cold, let’s turn the heat up, swing and shake it up until the punch is sweet.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

What can I say on this Friday the 13th?

It’s the final Idelic Hour of the decade and my birthday! I’m so old—my number looks too weird to write. Another bookmark in my rock ‘n’ roll journey. It’s been weird and truly wonderful. Let’s carry on into this second decade of the this new millennium. What a trip it will be.

Thank god for all the musicians and songs that made “the teens” sometimes cool and sometimes bearable. Also thank to all who have checked in and listened. And of course Jon Meyers, props my friend rockkkk!

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Goin’ back to the time when I didn’t need a thing / Just the tappin’ of my foot and a little song to sing / That’ll do just fine / Yeah that’ll do just fine / And maybe? / Tell me where I go, tell me where I come / Take me anytime you like hon’ / Take me as I am or as who I might become / Never ever ever goin’ back / Never ever ever goin’ back…

In a meeting this week, my music biz boss mentioned that “December is a weird month.” Tyler was referring to how the holidays effect the ebb and flow of the our business in the lead up to them.

In truth, everything I’m doing has been effected by the practical and emotional understanding that the year—and in fact the decade—is coming to a close. I often wake up feeling like a marathon runner coming to the end of a tough race. I seem to wage an internal struggle between hope and remorse. As 2019 draws the decade to a close, hope is winning—thanks to music. Its sounds literally inject my DNA with love and compassion.

These last few weeks I’ve been listening intensely to all the of the songs that have helped me make it through 2019. In fact, many of them are songs from the last ten years. And, in my 50s, I often ask my myself questions.

Where has it all gone?

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