It's a Miracle

Do you have a list of desert island discs? The idea comes from a BBC radio show, aptly titled Desert Island Discs. The programme first began broadcasting in 1942, and it has continued to the present day. For the few who are unaware, it's premise is simple - you are stranded on a desert island, and can only have 8 pieces of music with you.

What songs would you find so essential that you could not survive without them?

Well, I'm not going to bore you with all 8 of my choices. I only need one. One song that could sustain me through searing heat, gnawing hunger, dehydrating dehydration, and separation from my loved ones.

Those who know me well, will already know the answer.

Have a listen.


That song, is a slightly obscure 1980's CanCon Classic, Miracle, written and recorded by a Winnipeg band known as Orphan in 1983. More than any other song, this simple, 3 chord ballad hits me like no other.

It's got a steady driving beat, a lush layering of synthesizers, and a couple of explosive guitar chords that make it impossible to keep from pumping your fist in the air. Add to that the main synth melody that evokes Big Ben's hourly chimes, and you've got a winner. Also, have a listen to the background vocals that finish off the song - it's the part I like to call the "heavenly choir of angels". It's beautiful.

This masterpiece exemplifies everything that I need in a good song. A catchy beat. A memorable chorus. Musicians who would rather serve the song than treat it as a showcase for their flashy talents.

When I hear this song, I'm reminded of a quote by one of my favourite photographers, Stephen Shore that I had up on my office wall when I was doing my Fine Arts Thesis at the U of M.

"Chinese poetry rarely trespasses beyond the bounds of actuality. Whereas Western poets will take actualities as points of departure for exaggeration of fantasy, or else as shadows of contrast against dreams of unreality, the great Chinese poets accept the world exactly as they find it in all its terms, and with profound simplicity find therein sufficient solace. Even in phraseology they seldom talk about the things in terms of another, but are able enough and sure enough as artists to make the ultimately exact terms become the beautiful terms."
-Stephen Shore

I don't know Chinese poetry from Adam, but I think I think his meaning is clear. Miracle stays away from exaggerated metaphors and hokey analogies. In it's first verse, it immediately flirts with the tried and true cliches of sunshine, rain and clouds, but only to pose a question. Following that is a chorus that has no need for hyperbole to get it's point across. It does so in the simplest, yet most effective manner.

If the sun don't shine
If the rain don't fall
Is there anyone who would notice
the world at all?

If the clouds don't roll
Who would never know
The thing we take for granted
Ain't so sure

You don't know
the way I feel
It's a mixed up bit of emotion
but it's something real

Oh Oh... It's a miracle
Oh Oh... It's a miracle

There's a place I've been
No one's ever seen
'cause it's way inside my head
and it can't be seen

You don't know
It's the way I feel
It's a mixed up bit of emotion
but it's something real

Oh Oh... It's a miracle
Oh Oh... It's a miracle

It's the way I feel

Oh Oh... It's a miracle
Oh Oh... It's a miracle

Miracle succeeds because it's honest, direct, and to the point. It's repetitious at times, but only because there is no need to clutter the chorus up with frivolous meanderings. I'm proud to say that it's my favourite song - if my life was a television show, this would be my theme. (Do TV shows even HAVE theme songs any more?)

The song can currently be found on It's a Miracle (they're still alive) - The Very Best of The Pumps/Orphan. Do yourself a favour, and check out this great Winnipeg band.

More info on the band itself can be found by visiting The Pumps/Orphan official website.

Who needs 8 songs on a desert island? I'll settle for one.

Currently playing - Queen City Kids - Excitement of Love
Now entering my two-hundred and fifty-second Cola free day!

Happy 14th Annual International Robin and Donovan Friendship Day!

It's December 20th. Today we celebrate the 14th Annual International Robin and Donovan Friendship Day! Technically, Robin Kowal (see photo to the right) and I have been best friends for over a quarter of a century, but it was 14 years ago today when the "incident" occurred that turned us into blood brothers.

It was a dark and stormy night. One of the craziest blizzards Dauphin had ever seen. We'd really only had our drivers license for a year or so, so cruising Main Street (over and over and over and over and over and over again) in Robin's parent's Honda Accord was still considered thrilling, and in reality, it was the only bit of excitement the town could offer us.

Well, on this stormy freezing December night, the two of us decided we'd switch up the route a little bit and go cruising on the backroads.

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So in short - we decided to go driving the unplowed gravel roads surrounding Dauphin, on one of the coldest, windiest, darkest, blizzardiest nights in memory with visibility at 100 meters and dropping.

We'd had a slight moment of hesitation before rushing headlong into the unlit Dauphin backwoods. Could the Honda make it through the rapidly piling snow? There was only one way to find out, and listening to common sense wasn't it. Robin put the pedal to the metal and entered the Danger Zone.

It went well at first. The roads were clearly visible and snow free. Well, for the first 90 seconds or so - until we saw a tiny, 10 foot long snow drift.

The Honda slammed into the drift like a bat out of hell, but escaped unscathed through the other side. Having conquered our first snowdrift, our naive cockiness and machismo increased exponentially, or fears of getting stuck were alleviated.

That is, until we got stuck.

The next snow drift came into view of the headlights. Looking to get a second snowdrift notch on our belts, Robin poured on the speed as we approached.

However, this snow drift was a bit bigger than 10 feet. Quite a bit bigger. We must have driven a good 50-60 feet into it, thinking that at ANY moment, we were going to see the road again, but it never came.

The car's front headlights and most of the hood were now solidly under 4 feet of snow. The lights from the highway were far behind us in the blackness, tiny pinpricks in the night that may only have existed as hope in my imagination.

Let me remind everyone at this point that this was in 1992, an age when cell phones weighed 200 pounds and had to be carted around on the backs of rented mules. And if you've ever been in a Honda Accord, you know darn well you can't fit a mule in there. Why couldn't we have been driving an El Camino instead?

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Well, like any good friendship, we made a good team. With our only pair of mitts, I got out and dug the snow out from around the car, while Robin stayed inside and made sure that the heat still worked. The car had plowed so far into the snow, that I had to dig it out of the engine compartment.

After digging and chiseling, and pushing, we made it out far enough that the car could move on it's own. I got back into the car (which was still warm, thanks to Robin's hard work!), at which point we had to rely on Robin's excellent driving skills to get us back to the highway, driving in reverse, in a blizzard, in low visibility, and at a breakneck speed to ensure that we didn't get stuck in any of the new drifts that had popped up behind us in the 30 minutes it took us to free the car. This was the most harrowing part of our self-rescue, and Robin handled the car like a pro.

We made it back on to the highway. Already friends for 12 years, we realized that, through our teamwork and determination, along with the threat of severe frostbite and death, we had solidified our friendship for an eternity.

And that my friends, is why every December 20th, we celebrate Annual Robin and Donovan International Friendship Day.

On a related note, today is also my Mom's birthday! Happy 34th birthday mom!

Currently playing - Burton Cummings - Stand Tall
Now entering my two-hundred and fifty-first Cola free day!

Un-un-unfortunate spelling mistakes

This is one of the most unfortunate newspaper headline typos I've ever seen

Currently playing - Prism - Cover Girl

Currently colouring: Chronicles of Conan Volume 11 Now entering my ninetieth Cola free day!

A bizarre case of Life imitating Art

I came across a old comic book story that displayed an astounding amount of prescience and foresight. Let me share with you it's story!

Panel 1: A feller named "Jim" is participating in a rodeo, while his fiancee cheers on.

Panel 2: Whoops-a-daisy. Seems Jim has lost the fight and has been unceremoniously been bucked from his horse.
Panel 3: Things aren't looking too good for "Jim" here.
Panel 4: Turns out that poor "Jim" has been crippled for life, never again will he ride horses let alone marry Ms. Selwyn.
Okay, so it's not your a typical rock-em sock-em 1960's era comic book. Heck, judging by these four panels, it's not even a very interesting story - until you consider who "Jim" really is!

The above panels are from a book called Superman in the Sixties, which I did colour reconstruction work on back in my Digital Chameleon days. I remember quite a few of my fellow colourists being quite stunned when they came across the page that contained these images.

The story revolves around Superman, who for whatever reason, has lost his powers and memory, and now lives life as a normal man named "Jim". A normal man, who falls off of a horse, breaks his neck, and ends up in a wheelchair. Again, not the most exciting story written about Superman, until you consider the following.

Thirty years later, Christopher Reeve, the actor who played Superman in the eighties movie franchise, was to be involved in an eerily similar accident while involved in an equestrian tournament. (If you were unaware of this fact, then please tell me - How long was the flight from Mars, and how big was the rock there, under which you lived!).

It's unfortunate that the foreshadowing seen in the images above stopped where it did. Superman eventually got better (didn't see that one coming). Reeves was left him permanently paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life. Superman is a ridiculous fantasy character, while Reeves became an exemplary real-life hero, displaying a seemingly unlimited amount of courage and bravery after the accident.

Either way, the coincidences between fantasy and reality depicted in the pages mentioned above are pretty remarkable.

Currently playing - Kim Mitchell - All We Are
Now entering my two-hundred and thirty-fourth Cola free day!