The true story of when my friend Brad (Joey Ramone look alike ) and myself headed downtown in a drunken haze hoping to hear the Ramones soundcheck from outside the Commodore ballroom. As we headed behind the club up the alley walks Dee Dee Ramone in full leather jacket regalia. I made a drunken b-line to him and picked him up off his feet high in the air in a full bear hug. I could hear Dee Dee laughing as I held him up in the air when I heard "HEY" as his body guard closed in on me. I put Dee Dee down carefully and before my certain impending death by bodyguard Dee Dee says "he's my friend!"Leave him alone"and smiled at me before walking away. Thanks for saving me Dee Dee! This songs for you!

The Day I Picked Up Dee Dee Ramone

Happy People.

My Mojo Ain´t Working No More

I broke a leg bone (femur) in May of 2022. I wrote the song as I lay in a hospital bed and sedated with a mild dose of morphine. About a week after the operation, a physio nurse had come into my room to go over some exercises. To be honest, she was quite pretty and she seemed a bit suggestive with respect to "if I would be up for some exercise".  Probably just the morphine but it got the lyrical part of my brain turning and from that came most of the verses.  I managed to type them into an email on my phone and send it to myself. I had to make some alterations but this is gave me a solid start.  The music came later, as did the final changes to the verses. The outro just came as an inspiration during the recording.  It might have sounded better if I had done the 3 parts about a dozen times but I left it the way it was on the first takes. 

There were a lot of small events which gave the final direction to this song, including an interesting road sign just south of High River, AB.

Rough Road  (a.k.a. The Broken Femur Blues)
==========

[INTRO]

Ya  it's a shame, too late in the game
To find any thunder in this lightning bolt.
It'd be a nice surprise, but by the look in your eyes
That’d be all she wrote.  Ya, it’s a long, rough road.

Still I remember . . . lying there in pain,
Unable to stand, my face in the dirt.
I just couldn't decide , was it really my pride
Or my hip that was hurt.   Ya, it’s a long, rough road.

[SOLO]

[BRIDGE]
They say there's no gain
Without a little pain
The plan was never to gain a lot.
Just sing me a song and then move on and be happy with what I got.

So I ended up . . . in an ambulance ride
And a surgeon ready to cut in.
Some x-rays pics and sister morphine doing her tricks
A lag bolt and steel pin . . . Ya, it’s a long, rough road.

I walked with 4 wheels then I walked with a cane (asking myself)
Will I ever be the same again?
Well it took me seven months to stand on my own.
If life was easy, it wouldn’t be such a long, rough road.

[OUTRO]
Without the pain . . . without the pain
Without the pain, it wouldn’t be such a long, rough road.

Words and Music copyright Rick Engler
Photo and Reproduction copyright Rick Engler
Mixed in Cuckos Reaper on a PC
Audio Input using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen)
Vocals and Harmonica: Shure SM58
Acoustic Guitar: direct input using amp modelling VST
Keyboards: Casio with Addictive Keys VST

Rough Road

Rough Road (Original)

The year is 2038...
Humanity has now found itself immersed in a reality that blurs the lines between appearance and identity. The advent of "ChromaSkins" has transformed society, granting people the power to shed their natural forms and don the guise of any holographically projected skin they desire. These skins are so exquisitely crafted that they are indistinguishable from reality to the human eye, seamlessly blending in with the world around them.

In this world, the pursuit of individuality and anonymity intertwine in a disconcerting dance. The once-familiar faces become enigmatic canvases, each person a shifting mosaic of personas. The boundaries of trust and authenticity crumble, as ChromaSkin wearers can masquerade as loved ones, friends, or even unsuspecting strangers. Society grapples with the unsettling ambiguity of identity as the line between self and illusion blurs.

Imaginary Skin

The North Sea was the stage for many violent battles, with lots of human losses. What would an orphan think, standing on the cliffs?

Written in French, of course. No other language offers six different meanings to the sound of "on sent la mer d'ici", all of them relevant to the situation.


** MER DU NORD **

Je suis venu de loin pour écouter le vent.
Penché sur les falaises, d'ici je me comprends.
D'ici je me comprends.
Ma mère m'a dit qu'il fallait pas venir,
qu'il vaut mieux oublier.
Ça sert à quoi de vouloir rebatir 
les ombres du passé?
Ma mère a tort. Ma mère a tort. 
Il me fallait venir.
Ici je me comprends. Je sens mon corps frémir.
De ces falaises
on voit la Mer du Nord.
Et je viens aujourdhui
pour contempler les vagues qui déferlent au vent
sous les nuages gris.
La Mer du Nord
La Mer du Nord
On sent la mer d'ici,
les cuirassés qui brulent encore,
coulés au fond des nuits,
les bombardiers touchés par les chasseurs
et piégés dans l'oubli.
La mer des morts.
La mer des morts.
Mon père était parmis
les mariniers partis au nom des forts 
et jamais revenus.
Je suis venu pour boire cet océan
et m'enivrer de lui.

Ma mère m'a dit qu'il fallait pas venir,
qu'il fallait pas venir.
Ma mère a tort. Ma mère a tort.
Ils sont tous bien ici.
La mer des morts.
La mer des morts.
Mon père était parmis
les mariniers partis au nom des forts 
et jamais revenus.
Je suis venu pour boire cet océan
et m'enivrer de lui,
m'enivrer de lui...

Mer Du Nord (based on CreaFlow Warm North Wind)

Mis disculpas por mi castellano afrancesado. Cuando me doy cuenta que calvicie en español es igual que en francés o que un desequilibrio no es un desequilibraje… pues ya es demasiado tarde, y ya no me apetece cambiarlo. Cuando solo hablaba francés me reía de Jean-Claude Van Damme que mezclaba todos los idiomas… Ahora le entiendo, y tanto!!! Digamos que estas faltas que siembro son un homenaje a Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Las Damas

method: baby steps in looping, trying to make minimal offsets bring about thrilling sonic events
narration: on reading
image: copyright jo richter

poem / copyright jo richter:

the open book is not a metaphor
you feel its weight as you hold it
text, texture, eerily gossamer
translucent when properly lit

you flip the pages forth and back
adapting your mental state
inhaling white, deciphering black
creating approaches to recreate

when something strikes you, bold
a perspective that's never been yours
you circle around it, trying to hold
its flight, detect where it moors

stubbornly liminal, elusively real
sheer force to broaden your scope
to include it, allow it to heal
from your onslaught, allow you to cope

catching up on the fine print
concludes your reading session
shivering still from a catching a glint
of mind's light when in transgression

on reading

On Reading

J’AI UN SINGE ACCROCHÉ AUX BRANCHAGES DU DOS
UN CRAPAUD BUFFLE SUR LES PAUPIÈRES
J’AI DU TROP M’ÉMECHER AVEC PAS QUE DE L’EAU
PAS QUE LE DOS DE LA CUILLER

DES GRUES DES VAMPIRES ET DES BANDITS MANCHOTS
POUR SEULS COMPAGNONS DE FORTUNE
SOUS LES FLASHS DES RADARS LES NÉONS DES PEEP-SHOWS
ET L’ŒIL GOGUENARD DE LA LUNE

UNE HACHE PLANTÉE DANS LA BÛCHE DU CRÂNE
DES GRUMEAUX DE MOTS DANS LE CERVEAU OH OH
`ET TANDIS QUE ME POUSSENT DES OREILLES D’ÂNE
VOILA QUE COMME POUR PINOCCHIOOOOO

MON NEZ S’ALLONGE AU GRÉ DE MES MENSONGES
OU POUR DISTINGUER LE VRAI DU FAUX
FAUDRAIT FAIRE LA PART DU RÉEL ET DES SONGES
DE L’ALCOOL ET DU DOUBLE ZÉRO

CHAHUTÉ BALLOTÉ SUR LES FLOTS DE LA FOULE
TOURNEBOULÉ PAR DES VENTS CONTRAIRES 
TELLE UNE MOULE ACCROCHÉE AU ROCHER DANS LA HOULE
UNE PIERRE QUI ROULE DANS LA POUSSIÈRE

DÉJÀ LES VAUTOURS ME RÔDENT AUTOUR
LES MAUVAISES NOUVELLES VONT VITE
JE VOIS ÇA VENIR GROS COMME UN POIDS LOURD
DEMAIN C’EST SÛR JE LÉVITE

NANANI NANANERE EN VEUX-TU EN VOILÀ
DES BITURES DES FLOPS ET DES GALÈRES
DES HALLUS DES MANDALES ET DES SALES MANDALAS
COMME UN PARFUM DE POUDRE DANS L’AIR   

JE ME RESSERS UN VERRE LE FILET SE RESSERRE
POURVU QUE JE PASSE ENTRE LES MAILLES
ET A TRAVERS LES BALLES DE REVOLVER
DANS CE PUTAIN DE CHAMPS DE BATAILLE

MAIS OU EST DONC ORNICAR ET QU’A-T-ON FAIT DE NOS AILES
UNE TONNE DE PLOMB SOUS CHAQUE SEMELLE
ON VOUDRAIT COMME ICARE MONTER VERS LE SOLEIL
LES MORTS SE RAMASSENT À LA PELLE

ET ÇA CANARDE À TOUT VA COMME DANS UN SALE POLAR
SAUF QUE C’EST MARQUÉ DANS LE JOURNAL
ÇA TIRE À TIRE-LARIGOT LE ROUGE VIRE AU NOIR
SAUF QU’ON EST PAS VRAIMENT DANS STENDHAL

ALORS JE VAIS MAUGRÉANT, SONGEUR ET TACITURNE
LE LONG DES TROTTOIRS OMBILICAUX
DIRECTION LE NÉANT LES ANNEAUX DE SATURNE
AVEC MON POTE PÉPÉ LE MOKO

IL NOUS RESTE ENCORE UN BOUT DE ROUTE À FAIRE
AVANT D’ATTEINDRE LE PARADIS
UN WEEK-END AU PURGATOIRE ET UNE SAISON EN ENFER
EN PRENANT TOUS LES SENS INTERDITS

J’AI UN SINGE ACCROCHÉ AUX BRANCHAGES DU DOS
UN CRAPAUD BUFFLE SUR LES PAUPIÈRES
J’AI DU TROP M’ÉMECHER AVEC PAS QUE DE L’EAU
PAS QUE LE DOS DE LA CUILLER

ET GLOU ET GLOU ET RONPATAPON
PIED AU PLANCHER A FOND LA CHIGNOLE
DES ROUES DES ROUES DES BATONS DES BATONS
AH LAISSEZ MOI QUE JE RIGOLE

HURLER AVEC LES LOUPS BÊLER AVEC LES MOUTONS
COMME DES RATS DANS LA SOURICIÈRE
L’INFO NOUS POUSSE A BOUT ET LE POGNON NOUS TOND
A MOINS QUE ÇA NE SOIT LE CONTRAIRE

PINOCCHIO STENDHAL & CO (Lyrics)

Hyuza - Take U Out

01 - NI - STRAYLIGHT - Exquisite Pulse
02 - SA - HCT - Earth Rumbles [Grid] - Industrial Grit
03 - SA - HCT - In The Light [Grid]

In The Light

rosE mE is the project of Sophie Mercier, Belgian woman of the X generation (1974). Living in Spain (Altea) since 2005. All the lyrics are… obviously or not, inspired by real life events. If I sing that there is a horse in the living room, this is because there is a horse in the living room. “Belgian accent” songs, melancholic with a touch of hope, made for you if you’re not obsessed with performance or technicity and are able to recognize humour of fourth degree and self-derision. Since 2021, I discovered the world of virtual instruments and I started to do all by myself with the Studio One DAW and the Komplete Kontrol. Sometimes, I play real instruments like Chelo, sax, clarinet and whatever I find in my littlemountain home studio. May be if you like #Francoizbreut #dominiqueA #miossec #francoisehardy #cristinarosenvinge #tindersticks #josepharthur, we should have something in common. May be it’s music to listen to, unprejudiced, driving a camper, a truck or lying in the sofa, in full consciousness (would be the best), interested in giving a second chance to words and sounds. Seeing Jean-Luc Godart's Adieu au Langage (Ah Dieux, Oh Langage) on Filmin recently, I smiled and thought: poorly edited, horrible soundtrack, the truth of which is incomprehensible to the common human being (except what is said about dogs), a bit like my songs!!!

PD: Sorry if I'm not used to let comments to your songs. I'm listening to your music when driving a truck and Android Auto doesn't let me write at the same time, I can only put Hearts!!!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhuUlO8NOGS7YufCl3QTzYJc00L-z7ceX

https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/artist/55alI1SdsspIFwMcc9CFWd?si=Pk0FVzOSSnuI7SV5yRbU2A

https://www.instagram.com/littlemountainaltea/

Las Damas

rosE mE

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