Bob Findlay Blog

Death Of A Friend

2012-02-07T12:17:00.002+11:00

Image via Wikipedia

Yesterday one of my closest friends passed away after a 10-year battle with cancer. His name is Dale.

Dale was my first friend when my family first moved to Stanley, on Tasmania's far North-West Coast in 1979. We shared an interest in Australian Rules football, cricket and tennis. Dale was a big guy. Very strong and agile but shunned accolades. Dale was the ultimate 'quiet achiever' despite the fact that he excelled at most sports. The only sport that I could get the upper hand on Dale was soccer. Having said this, soccer was the only game that I played prior to arriving in Australia, so I should have got the upper hand.

Dale first caught my attention with his dark yet subtle humour. Not many picked up on it but I'm so

pleased that I did. There were occasions on the school bus or passing each other in the corridors of the nearby Smithton High School that we couldn't look at each other for fear of bursting into hysterical laughter. Dale was a year ahead of me at High School and we deliberately avoided each other as much as possible due to the aforementioned hysterical (and possibly inappropriate) laughter.

Not once did Dale and I have anything remotely like an argument. The closest was a humorous about Bruce Springsteen. Dale was a fan. I wasn't. Dale would often say the he really was "The Boss" as portrayed in the press. I questioned this. "What's he the boss of, Dale?" His response? "The Boss of everything." Typically, the laughter started....again. Dale and I had no secrets. He wasn't the sort to have secrets. Dale was as honest as the day is long.

When I started Matriculation College in Burnie, an hours drive West of Stanley, Dale and I would usually hook up at some point over the weekend. One such occasion put both of us off cider forever. We bought three bottles between us and found a secluded spot on one of Stanleys beaches. Things were going fine until we were half way through the second bottle. It was decidedly warm. We persevered through it but with that third hot bottle looming, our thumping headaches put paid to any chance of it being opened. We moved to a large bush for shade and actually fell asleep for about an hour.

Dales parents welcomed me to their home in the warmest possible way. They truly are great people.

Once I moved up the coast (almost) permanently in 1986 to begin nursing, we lost contact until 2007. By this stage I was a divorced father of two and recovering alcoholic. Dale was now married to an outstanding wife and had three great children. He was working in his family's shop. I had only heard about his battle with cancer a few weeks before finally catching up with Dale. On entering the shop, both our faces lit up. We went to his office and basically told society what we thought of it. No-one was spared but not once did Dale and I ever make fun of individuals. It was all very generalised humour, applicable to any town in the world.

As the months went by, I could see Dale's condition fluctuate. These fluctuations began to be more frequent and more severe.

Two days ago I took my children to the pool in Smithton. Some time around 3.30pm I said to my

children that it was time to head home. I was driving out from the pool and had an 'urge' to see Dale, who's house is about three minutes away. I arrived at his home where his Mother-In-Law was just about to leave. There were no other cars in the driveway. After introducing myself, Dale's Mother-In-Law told me that he was in hospital.

I rang Dale's wife and she said that it would be fine to visit. On arrival, Dale was very drowsy so I didn't want to rouse him too much for fear of causing pain. It was Dale's wife who said to Dale that I was there. He said my name, smiled and reached out his left arm to me. I took his hand, stroked his arm and whispered to him to rest.

As a retired State Registered Nurse of some 20+ years, I have never lost my composure. I did on this occasion as I didn't want to upset Dale, his wife and his parents who were maintaining a vigil. I left the room briefly and returned for another minute or two. Dale held his arm out again and I took his hand again. I could feel my composure slipping again. I told Dale that I had to go and that I'd see him soon enough in a place that only him and I know about. On my way out of the room, tears were running down my face. I could only manage a wave to Dale's wife and parents.

Something made me look back at Dale. He was smiling. That smile will be in my mind forever.

Dale passed away less than 24 hours later. He was 45.

Related articles

Vodka Credit Card

2012-01-05T09:04:00.001+11:00

Image via WikipediaOn January 4th, 2012, I made my final payment on an outrageously high credit card account that I first acquired late in 2002. It came as something of a surprise as I rarely check mail from the company that arrive every fortnight for nine years. After I got sober in early 2007, one of the first of things that I focused on was making fortnightly payments.

Why did I let my credit card totally out of control? Simple. I was totally out of control.

My marriage ended in March, 2002 and I returned to live with my parents. Towards the end of the year a former Nursing colleague rang me and asked if I wanted to be a house-sitter for three months while she was on extended leave in Perth, Western Australia. I jumped at the opportunity. All I needed were my clothes and my recording equipment. I moved into the house the next day while she flew out later that day. Within hours, I began drinking....heavily (again).

For the first few weeks, with the exception of the times my children were staying with me, I was in an alcoholics heaven. I decided that I wasn't in a rush to return to Nursing. I did decide, however, that I'd have to find a financial supplement to the money that I had called upon from my superannuation fund. It came to me during a mid-morning drinking session. It was the same day that one of my closest friends rang to tell me that Joe Strummer from 'The Clash' had died unexpectedly. I had a few drinks using his death as an excuse.

I then took it upon myself to inquire about a credit card. Fifteen minutes later I had a sum of money that I remain too embarrassed to mention deposited in my bank account. I called a taxi and withdrew the lot. I hadn't even signed a piece of paper! On the way home, I got the taxi driver to drop by the bottleshop (liquor store) where I gingerly purchased a box of twelve bottles of vodka. This was to become a dangerous practise. More of that later.

Within a few weeks, my vodka habit reached over a bottle a day....every day. The only exception at this point, was when my children were staying with me.

My Nursing friend arrived home a few weeks earlier than expected. She arrived at 11.30pm on a Friday. I immediately told her that I wasn't long home from the pub. She bought this lie and ended up having quite a few glasses of wine herself. The following morning I awoke around 5.30am and took my first cup of vodka. By the time my friend awoke, I was half-way through a bottle of vodka. I'm not a person who handles guilt well. I sat her down, explained my situation with alcohol and that I would vacate her house by the following Monday. She said that this wasn't necessary but by the time Monday morning arrived she witnessed the extent of my alcohol abuse over the remainder of the weekend and voiced her concern.

I made sure that I was sober on Monday morning and called a Real Estate agent who knew me personally. To cut a long story short, by mid-day on that Monday I had moved completely into my own two bedroom house. It was perfect. Plenty of room for my children plenty of nearby amenities for them.

As things panned out, my children wouldn't be staying at me 'new' house until the following Monday. This meant that I could drink to my hearts content until the night before they arrived. So I did. It was during this one week that my vodka habit reached two bottles a day.

The only time that I didn't drink was when I had an upcoming acoustic gig (which I eventually gave away due to the urge to drink) and again, when my children were staying with me. Having said this, I had previously suffered a few alcoholic seizures. I was generally given a 30 minute warning, or 'aura.' This occurred twice when my children were with me. I had to sneak through to my bedroom & have a cup of vodka as a preventative. Fortunately, due to my extremely high tolerance, my children were unaware of my intake or effects. Now that they are older, my children have told me that they were never aware of my alcohol intake directly but were aware of it as being the cause of my marriage breakdown.

From that time on, I got set in a relatively predictable path to the outsider; namely that I was an alcoholic. To me, however, I was initially having a great time. I never missed a second of cricket on the television, watched the news when I remembered and so forth. My favourite pastime was putting on the television, turning the sound down and putting on my favourite music, namely The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Warren Zevon, The Faces and Free.

It was during this period that I started losing my grip on reality. Forgetting what day it was, not knowing if it was dusk or dawn, numerous bumps and bruises by falling over or bumping into objects....all without leaving the house.

On my visits into town, which were usually spurned by one of those drunken, "it seemed like a good idea at the time." I would always wear a hat and sunglasses in a poor attempt at disguising myself. People who 'knew' me or had worked with me would cross the road to avoid me. I know this for a fact as my ex-wife told me some years later. This didn't bother me as I had nothing to say to them. Even to this day I have nothing to say to many of them as rumours began surfacing that I was on drugs, namely heroin. Anyone who knows the first thing about me know my views on illicit drugs. I could have been drug tested at any given time during my 5-year bender and there would have been no drugs, illicit or otherwise, would have shown up.

My final wake-up call came at 11.30am on April, 27th, 2007. I was driving back from the bottleshop with two bottles of vodka. I was pulled over as part of a random breath test. I blew 0.28%. I had not consumed alcohol since approximately 11pm the previous evening. I was astounded, as were the Police. Once I was 'processed' at the Police Station, they were kind enough to stop at my car in order for me to obtain the two bottles of vodka and driving me home.

On arriving home, I drank the first bottle of vodka in approximately 15 minutes. I then had a moment of 'drunken clarity.' I couldn't go on living like this. I had been hospitalised on numerous occasions due to seizures, my anxiety levels were through the roof and I really didn't enjoy drinking for the past twelve months.
I rang my parents who lived an hour away. In the hour that it took them to arrive at my house, I had made my way comfortably through the second bottle of vodka.

On arriving back in Stanley, Tasmania, I slept for the best part of three days and suffered what would be my last alcoholic seizure. I spent one night in hospital. Two days later I made my first repayment to my credit card....and yesterday was my final one.

Today I am sober.

Mean Business by Bob Findlay

Xmas Beckons

2011-12-23T13:06:00.000+11:00

Image via Wikipedia

I'll make this entry a brief one as I know you're no-doubt busy preparing for Xmas.

It's been somewhat of a frenzy since my last entry. Let me re-word that. There's been a frenzy surrounding me since my last entry, all in the name of Xmas. I managed to restrict my Xmas blitz to just under two hours. On the flip-side of this, my Mum has been running around shops for this, that and the other.

I had my plan pretty-well sorted until earlier this week. There was a massive grocery shopping trip on Tuesday. I was under the impression that the massive shopping trip the week earlier was the end of that side of things. Obviously I was wrong. I had to go with my Mum shopping due to an extremely bad back injury that she she suffered many years ago. I was given twenty minutes notice. Anyway, three hours later we arrived home with enough groceries to last until next Xmas.

There have also been several mini-trips for what I view as 'pointless' items. My children will be here but they are now at an age where they are well aware that the 'Santa gig' is fake. Spending ages on deciding what sort of wrapping paper would be best, what sort of nail polish would go best with the nail polish that I had bought for my daughter, what sort of deodorant would complement the deodorant that I had bought for my son. The list goes on.

Fortunately, things are turning out for the better. I've had a few days away helping a friend with an album and cooking anything to do with Xmas is not my realm. Enough said.

Now all I have to do is wait. I suspect that it will pan out pretty well. Aside from their 'big presents' my children will spend quite a bit of time unwrapping their other presents before opening 'the big one.' After this I suspect my daughter will be glued to her nano-touch-iphone thingie while my son rides around Stanley on his new mountain bike. Pretty good, really.

How lucky am I?

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported me and made me laugh in 2011.

Xmas Blitz

2011-12-15T10:32:00.002+11:00

Image via Wikipedia
For the first time in many years I was afforded the opportunity of Xmas shopping by myself. Prior to this, I was restricted by either having no drivers license or being married. Both of these factors are now obsolete. I set my day and time. So, last Thursday at 9am I arrived in Burnie after an hours drive. Burnie is the closest city to where I live; namely Stanley in Tasmania.

As both of my children are old enough to know that Santa is actually their parents wallets/purses my -ex wife and I can ask 'roughly' what they might like. Well....our children were very specific as to what they wanted. I viewed this as an extra bonus. My -ex wife and I sorted who was buying what, so it was pretty-well a no-brainer.

My son wanted a 'real' mountain bike. Very logical decision I thought as he lives in Burnie &

it's a pretty hilly place. I hit the bike shop first and after regaining consciousness at the prices, I asked to see the manager. I put it to him; "How much for the 'display' bike if I pay cash?" $249 down to $99.00. A great start. I then pushed the bike back to where I was parked & wrestled it into the back of the car with great angst and gnashing of teeth. I must have looked like something out of 'Fawlty Towers,' but I got it in there.

Next on my list was my daughter's gift. I'm not kidding you here, dear reader, but I had to write down what it was. I still can't recall what it is as it's now wrapped up but it's one of those i-touch-pad-phone things. She also made a point of wanting a purple one, her favourite colour. So....I went to Dick Smiths. The only purple one was the shell of a phone. I asked the young lad how much it would take to replace the insides with one of the countless black ones. He went to see the manager who came out and did it in a matter of 2-3 minutes. He dropped $50.00 from the price and threw in a $20.00 iTunes card.

After this I sprinted to the shops that sold plain black or grey T-shirts for my son. For my

daughter I grabbed a knee length casual dress with a separate black sparkly top to wear over the dress.

I rounded of my Xmas blitz with stocking-filler type things. Books and an optical illusion sets and of course chocolatey things that never get eaten.

My entire Xmaz blitz took less than two hours. I sit here and look at the advertisements on television and people bemoaning what they can get their kids for Xmas. As I sit here I laugh at them. "Ha Ha Haaa!!!" I go.

Everything's wrapped and sitting under and around the tree. All there is to do now is wait.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and those close to you a fantastic festive season.

Related articles

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Mean Business by Bob Findlay&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Nurses In Tasmania Face The Axe

2011-11-27T13:05:00.000+11:00

Image via WikipediaIt was reported in Saturdays edition of 'The Examiner Newspaper' that about 37 nurses will lose their jobs at the Launceston General Hospital when their contracts expire at the end of December. The nurses in question were alerted when the rosters for January were released on Friday.

John Kirwan, Northern Area Health Service Chief Executive stated that not all positions involved were full-time. In a somewhat 'odd' statement, he said that, "....some were leaving...." due to a budget of $28 million budget cut. I find it ludicrous to suggest that even a few of the nurses involved would be leaving of their own volition. He then had the audacity to suggest that some nurses were "....finishing up for personal reasons."

Back in the late 1980's when I was a Student Nurse, the concept of 'Career Structure' was

instigated. Most of us saw this for what it was....even before it started. I won't bore you with all of the gory details but one example was taking the rostering and other administration duties being taken away from Charge Nurses. The responsibility went to three Registered Nurses who probably weren't the safest nurses to have on the ward. Their wages were doubled and the rosters were a disaster. This mentality went on to affect every other aspect of nursing with the same shambolic administration results. Basically, positions that didn't exist were being created for nurses who weren't up to scratch on the ward. This has resulted in an almost unbelievable 'bulge' in middle-management.

For over a decade it has been common practise to employ nurses, be they newly-trained

University Graduates or from interstate or overseas, on three month contracts and verbally reassured that their future was solid. This is all very well but the University Graduates have their H.E.C.S. fees to pay off. Added to this is the fact that banks won't give nurses on a three month contract a housing loan. This happened to a friend of mine who had been strung along for five years like this. He returned to the U.K. in understandable disgust.

Nerolli Ellis, the state secretary for the Australian Nurses Federation described the situation as "....absolutely devastating." This is the same rhetoric that Ms. Elllis has been serving up to nurses for way too long and they are now seeing her in a different light; namely in that she is seeking a career in politics having stood for pre-selection to the Liberal Party at the last election.

The Labor and Green Parties are yet to comment. This entire fiasco has simply just happened despite well-attended protests; a first for the state. Interestingly, Ms. Ellis did not attend the meeting in Burnie on Tasmanias North-West coast, unlike Mr. Will Hodgman, the only politician that I have heard speak with real and genuine vigor, facts and empathy. Ms. Ellis did have an excuse but it was so lame that I can't recall it word for word

As if to rub salt into this gaping wound, nurses in Victoria are protesting for wage increases while Tasmanian nurses are fighting to maintain a wage!

If you care at all about this debacle, post your thoughts on Twitter with hashtags #politas and #nursingcuts. If you wish to contact relevant politicians, inbox me on Twitter @scotsbob

Facebook and Google Plus

2011-11-16T13:35:00.036+11:00

Image via CrunchBaseDon't worry, readers, I'm not going to launch into a mind-numbing rundown of Facebook and Google Plus or, indeed, Facebook versus Google Plus. I can't because I simply don't know about them at that sort of level. I shall simply be commenting on my experiences over the last week or so.

Just over a week or so, I gently stepped into the world that IS Google Plus. Before I knew it, I had over 200 people in my various 'circles' and had been added to just over this number in other peoples circles. This initial influx seemed, on the surface, to be great for a self-confessed computer idiot.

After a few days, I decided to delve further but was disappointed to discover that 'this is it.' You have your profile and can share whatever content that you wish. The trouble is, that you soon vanish into the realm of 'me and everybody else.' There is nothing that you can share that hasn't been shared before or can be shared elsewhere. I did, however, find that Twitter was the most successful way of drawing attention to Google Plus.

After spending some time flitting between Facebook and Google Plus, it struck me.

The only major differences between Google Plus and Facebook, the only difference is that Google Plus seems to have a lot more articles of 'substance' as opposed to Facebook where people can share anything from a flying ant to a fuzzy, framed quote from someone that they probably haven't heard of.

I then discovered that you can have a Google Plus Business Page. I should have done it the other way around but I didn't so I'll be onto promoting my business page in the upcoming week.

So....I have no beef with Facebook or Google Plus. I would, however, take this opportunity to weigh up

what Facebook and Google Plus offer and don't offer. The biggest advantage that I've found is that if you have a purpose outside of socialising, Google Plus is not for you. If you're looking at sharing and receiving more purposeful and long-lasting media, then Google Plus IS for you.

At the end of the day, it is not a time-consuming task to operate both Facebook and Google Plus together....and I would most definitely recommend this.

Related articles

Politics And Nursing In Tasmania

2011-10-17T12:12:00.003+11:00

I would like to make it clear that I have no political affiliations and the views expressed in this post are purely my opinion.

For goodness knows how many years, the Health portfolio in Tasmania has always been a 'hot potato.' After years of uncertainty, instability and poor management, health professionals have finally made their voice heard after several bungles have been publicised. The last straw came in the form of the Labor Party announcing funding cuts of $100 million.

Nurses at the North West Regional Hospital turned out in force to hear Health Minister, Michelle O'Byrne speak rather meekly to the 300-strong crowd. She went on to add that the cuts were "....short-term...." Leader of the opposition Liberal Party, Will Hodgeman gave a passionate speech which raised applause as his speech was also logical. Sue Robertson from the Australian Nurses Federation also spoke, stating, "....this fight is not over...."

Conspicuous in her absence was the State leader of the A.N.F, Nerolli Ellis. This is hardly surprising as her track record includes running for pre-selection for the Liberal Party and in Nursing management. It is this history of Union Representatives having the majority of their careers in management where it is common knowledge that they know very little about Nursing 'at the coal-face,' so to speak.

Also notable in their absence was Federal Labor M.P. Sid Sidebottom. He was, however, able to participate in 'The Burnie Ten' marathon a few days after the rally. Local Labor M.P, Bryan Green was also nowhere to be seen, unlike Liberal M.P. Jeremy Rockliff.

This situation has been brewing for many years and it has been brewing since our current Premier, Ms. Lara Giddings took on the Health portfolio.

Former Premier Paul Lennon conducted a study some years ago and came up with the sum of $380 million for upgrades to the Royal Hobart Hospital. For some reason, Ms. Giddings took it upon herself to seek $900 million which later blew out to over a billion dollars. Additionally, Ms. Giddings missed out on the opportunity to get Commonwealth funding for the Royal Hobart funding. The current Prime Minister, Ms. Julia Gillard, when questioned on the matter responded with words to the effect of, "....she only had to apply...."

With this sort of business sense and management ability, surely Nurses should be looking deeper than our current Health Minister and go straight to the root of this debacle.

Music Set To Blaze

2011-09-25T21:25:00.002+10:00

After what has seemed much longer than my absence from therecording studio, with the exception of a few token ventures, I have re-commenced recording my latest album this afternoon.

Initially, the lack of motivation to record was getting me down but some absolutely logical words from my manager, Haych Storm©, who said to relax and not stress over it, the self-imposed pressure to record was gone.

During this more relaxed mindset I have jotted down countless notes, lines and so forth. I had one particular track so 'mentally completed' that it should be completed by tomorrow afternoon if I continue at today's. I am certain that the continued recording of this track combined with lyrics that I have jotted down will fall into place. This is generally what happens.

Gone are the days of recording from 8am. to 2pm, writing a quick blog in the afternoon and then returning late afternoon and record to 3-4am. This could go on for days....many days sometimes. Since being diagnosed with and subsequently treated for manic depression, this frenetic pace an outrageous hours are no more. This was something that I didn't factor in to my lengthy lapse in recording. It makes perfect sense now.

So....now that I've spent considerable time in the studio today and had time to do a brief blog about my return to recording I guess that you, dear reader, can run around and excitedly tell all of your friends that "Bob Findlay IS recording a new album!"....*he says smirking to himself.*

&amp;lt;a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business"&amp;gt;Mean Business by Bob Findlay&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

The Late Gerry Rafferty

2011-09-03T19:08:00.002+10:00

Today has been a sad and embarrassing day for me. I have just discovered that one of my

lifelong musical heroes, Scots musician Gerry Rafferty passed away in January 20011.

Rafferty began his career with fellow Scotsman Billy Connolly in a folk duo called “The Humblebums,” who reached moderate success within Scotland. Rafferty and Connolly parted ways amicably as Connolly began to forge what would be a world-conquering career as a comedian, actor and, later, documentary maker.

Rafferty formed the band “Stealers Wheel,” whose single ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ which became a worldwide hit upon release in 1972. It would re-emerge in the Quentin Tarantino movie “Reservoir Dogs.” Some time after this, Rafferty began a solo career with his album “City To City” and the single of the same name becoming one of his better-known musical efforts.

His biggest hit, however, was the haunting “Baker Street.” To my mind, as a musician, the song is nothing short of perfect. The lyrics, instrumentation and vocal delivery is timeless. The song is a great example of Rafffertys ability to create outstanding melodies which, in turn, lend themselves to great instrumentation.

Unfortunately, Rafferty had a big skeleton in his closet, namely alcohol. Coming from “The Humblebums” to the worldwide recognition of “Stealers Wheel,” then “Baker Street” & “City To City” gave Rafferty no time to ‘escape’ the demands of the big-time, unlike many of his musical acquaintances.

In an interview with Billy Connolly shortly after Raffertys death, Connolly broke down and spoke of a meeting that he had with Rafferty some ten years earlier and was astounded that he downed 10-12 large brandies during the meeting. Knowing that one should only ask or tell a possible problem drinker about their concern only once, Connolly did so. Rafferty brushed of the remark so Connolly left the subject at that.

I believe that Rafferty had more music in him but the drink proved too strong.

He died peacefully at home with his daughter by his bedside.

&amp;lt;a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business"&amp;gt;Mean Business by Bob Findlay&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

All Things Must Pass

2011-07-27T13:48:00.004+10:00

It is with regret that I write this entry to inform you that one of my recently conceived online newspapers, "Music And Arts In Tasmania" shall be no more. The decision was a rather simple one. I was finding that paying as much precision that I could to #tags, relevancy to stories to be featured and actual stories published beyond my control I was finding extreme overlaps in content. I put myself in the shoes of the readers. I'd be annoyed after a while.

I have come up with a solution that I have no doubt will ensure a much more smooth operation and enjoyable, relevant read for my loyal subscribers.

I shall be maintaining the newspaper "Tasmania Today," whilst adding more emphasis on music and arts. Due to the fact that it has no competition there should be more targeted headline and featured stories. I am also certain that the single publication format will permit me the 'movement' from blogs on other sites, relevant tweets from Twitter.

If you have a story that you feel may be of interest to readers of "Tasmania Today,", please don't hesitate to contact me on Twitter @scotsbob. It's 100% free to have your story published and 100% free to subscribe.

Make The Internet Global

2011-07-06T17:46:00.000+10:00

Well, my day was almost half way over when I started this blog It was 12.15pm. I got out of bed just after 6am. and almost like a robot, went into the recording studio, the same studio that was more like a cool store. I was able to record a lead guitar track (in two takes) then had my customary cigarette and coffee outside on the (covered in) veranda.

As I sat there pondering all sorts of menial things the rain was deafening on the fibreglass roof I got to thinking what I was going to do for the rest of the day.

I then remembered a blog entry that I was going to do on behalf of Stuart Reeman; an artist and close friend. “Great!” I thought. This sentiment soon changed to “Shit!” when I discovered that the email he had sent with a required attachment contained the exact same wording as was used in a previous post that I did on his behalf.

I emailed him back pointing this out and am currently waiting on a response. I’ve told him that it doesn’t need to be much for me to run with as I am intending only to do mini-blogs on each of his works featured on his website.

So….I’ve put that behind me for the time being and of all things to do, I felt like doing an entry for this ‘lazy blog.’ As I am writing, I’m thinking what I’ll be doing for the rest of the day….and I think I have the answer. Lyrics. Lyrics to the 2/3 completed song that I started working on recently as I can ‘feel’ it taking shape.

I’m also waiting on replies regarding one of my two online newspapers. My first, “Tasmania Today” is easy. I just check a customized list on Twitter, re-post, re-tweet and use appropriate hashtags in order to get my stories of choice featured.

“Music And Arts In Tasmania” is a different thing altogether.Whilst waiting for replies from relevant artists and so forth, I went through various Tasmanian artists and found that they have a very low web presence. Musicians, for example, seem to think that ReverbNation and MySpace are sufficient from what I can deduce. The few bios. and photos that I have received are great, most notably from Tasmanian musician Rod Fritz.

Further investigations that I have carried out, mainly blog statistics, show that the U.S.A. is light years ahead of any other country with regards to following a link. Australia is waaaay behind on this front. It could be that Australian readers view a story or tweet prima facie without getting their teeth into the full story. It seems to mw that Americans were born with a laptop and twittering #mybirth while the rest of us are still trying to work out where to plug the damn thing in.

Whatever the reason, I urge Australian artists to focus on the States. Until the Australian public ( most other countries....Canada excluded) begin using the internet to its’ full potential, then we’re ‘playing to an empty room,’ so to speak.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Mean Business by Bob Findlay&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

A Change At Last

2011-07-05T16:17:00.000+10:00

Over the last several months I have done nothing musically with the exception of promoting my older material. I have no idea why this has occured; nor do I have any idea why this changed yesterday when I just took to the studio and laid down a bass track and two rhythm tracks.

I was in the studio for approximately three hours as the tracks were already crystal clear....and had been for some time....so the actual playing of them was quite simple. I spent approximately an hour mixing what I had just recorded. No doubt this mixing will be tampered with over and over again as time progresses.

Waking up this morning full of beans and ready to get back into the recording business again I had a touch of bad luck. The weather here is 5 degrees Celcius then seconds after plugging in the only heater available there became a 'dangerous' smell emanating from it....if that makes sense. I can only assume that it's the actual heater as everything else in the studio is working fine and the studio has three-phase electricity wired in.

Despite the months away from the recording business I have a truckload of track 'upstairs.' I have no doubt that I'll be left with the pleasant dilemma of having to cut down the number of tracks on the next album.

Having broadcasted my upcoming album, I have no idea when it will be released. I have released the E.P. "Dollys Mixtures." It is a small collection of lesser-known tracks that I hope people will enjoy.

Warren Papas And Cherish Photography

2011-07-02T12:09:00.000+10:00

My how life can throw you curves....and not always for the worst.

My son started High School two years ago. I was taken aback to see that one of the teachers, Warren Papas at his school shared accommodation with me back when I was 17 at a purpose-built facility for students who lived in remote areas in relation to the College. He's a year younger than me and I always recall that we got along well; mainly through humour.

I caught up with him on Facebook and soon discover that he was a more than accomplished photographer. Having recently started one of two online papers that aims at the arts in Tasmania I asked him for some for some information on what he did. I cannot express it properly myself, so below are his own words from his official website:

"Welcome to Cherish Photography – Newborn and Wedding Photography. We are a boutique photography company who specialise in newborns and weddings. That’s all we do. It’s what we love and are passionate about. You get a true expert when you choose us and our results are sure to amaze you. Cherish Photography are the North West Coast’s premier newborn photographers and are rapidly becoming well known in Launceston. Cherish Photography are true professionals. You get outstanding images in the comfort of your own home. Your more comfortable at home and it’s one less trip out. Book today!"

Warren goes on to add: "The current issue of The Advocate’s Tummy to Two parent magazine features one of our images from last year. The image was of a cute little three month old boy who had an old man style hat on. A little like the baggy green Australian cricket cap. It made for a very cute image."

To see the quality of work produced by Cherish Photography, visit their website: http://www.cherishphotography.net.au/

Custom Search

Mean Business by Bob Findlay

Take Me To The Station

2011-06-28T22:13:00.000+10:00

Due to the personal nature of this particular blog, I will have to refer to the past from time to time in order to clarify a situation. This is one such occasion in order to get the ball that IS this blog well and truly rolling.

Several years ago, due to my alcohol abuse and the numerous seizures that I suffered during my countless attempts at stopping. I was placed on a medication called Valpro. It is also known as Sodium Valproate or Epilim. It is prescribed for anyone who has experienced seizures, be they trauma induced, related to alcohol withdrawal or true epilepsy. It can also be prescribed as a mood stabiliser in people with manic depression, such as myself. Once you are prescribed Valpro, theoretically you are on the medication for the rest of your life. Eric Clapton suffered his first seizure from alcohol withdrawal at the age of 40....as did I.

Over the last few months, I have been feeling out of sorts. I was so out of sorts that I was unable to undertake any home recording. I’ve been edgy and shaky despite also being on Diazepam and Lithium. I visited my Doctor yesterday after having blood taken two weeks ago to check my levels. My Valpro levels were “critically low.” This was due to the fact that I’d gained some 10kg in weight since my last blood sample being taken.

The Doctor, understandably, acted immediately and increased my Valpro by 33%….a drastic but necessary change. I slept as well as I normally do but all day I have felt like I’m walking on cotton wool. Almost floating. Having said this, I have been lucid and have experienced no lethargy that I was expecting.

I am hoping that once my light-headed sensation has settled, I shall resume recording at home and be able to give you updates on my latest album which has been in the pipelines for months due to the aforementioned bout of illness.

In the meantime, I can feel a coffee a cigarette and a ponder on out on the back porch coming on.

I Read The News Today, Oh Boy

2011-06-19T14:22:00.003+10:00

As you may or may not be aware I have recently launched two online newspapers, both focusing
on difffering areas of Tasmania and all that goes with it. Being a musician and music buff in general, my firt newspaper to be launched was adventurously named. "Music In Tasmania" The second newspaper was simply called"Tasmania Today,"

Both newspapers are heavily dependent on Twitter. With regards to "Tasmania Today" I have access to a wealth of information pertaining to Tasmania, including up-to-the-minute news releases from local newspapers & television stations, Police Tasmania and almost every politician in the State.

"Music In Tasmania" has (predictably) turned out to be a tougher task on the administration front. My 26 years as a professional musician told me that I would have to do some chasing. So I did. I contacted as many Tasmanian musicians as I was able on ReverbNation and MySpace advising them about my upcoming venture. The only Tasmanian musician that I didn't contact was Rod Fritz as his online presence & 'reachability' is second to none. Without any great deal of work on my part, Rod has been the 'featured article' on three occasions thus far.

Out of all the Tasmanian musicians that I wrote to, I received ONE response. That response came from Argusband from Hobart. As I alluded to earlier, I wasn't at all surprised at the lack of response from Tasmanian bands. Things haven't changed in the live circuit since the mid-90s. Bands are content doing a gig every week or so to the same crowd. To my way of thinking, music isn't a business to them. Having said this, if they're happy enough doing this, then best of luck to them.

So....I have put my backup plan into action. "Music In Tasmania" is now titled "Music And Arts In Tasmania." There is a wealth of easily accessible and breathtaking stuff to present to you.

Music Aside

2011-06-13T19:18:00.009+10:00

As you may or may not have noticed, I have not done a thing musically for some time. My last album, "Mean Business" was released late last year, followed by the single, "Teach Me." Since then I have recorded one song which will be on my next album....whenever that may be.

There are a few reasons for this musical void. Some folks say that if something is bothering you, write it down. I've never been one to do this, preferring to vent it musically....until now.

The first and main reason has been numerous medication review re. my manic depression. I see my Psychiatrist and G.P. regularly. A medication review may or may not be put in place. Even though I see these people regularly, sometimes running for 2-3 weeks on an unsuccessful medication review feels like a lifetime.

When I'm running slightly 'high' my hands shake,, thus making it impossible to play the guitar. Believe me, I've tried. When I'm running slightly 'low' I simply can't be bothered. The only constant running through these mindsets is that I always have songs at the ready in my mind.

Another reason for my lack of drive on the music recording front at home is that I am finding, as my children get older, I am missing them more than ever when they're back at their Mums place. Many people have told me that it gets easier as time goes on. I disagree. They have reached the ages where our relationship is more cerebral. They constantly astound me as they mature but on more than a few occasions I have found myself shedding a tear in private as I recall the countless great times we had when they were younger.Combining the above reasons always leads me to something internet-based. I have recently, thanks to 'Paper.li' began publishing two online newspapers. They are heavily Twitter-based, thus I've been filling a LOT of my time there. Both newspapers are Tasmanian based. The first is Music In Tasmania focus ones Tasmanian musicians of all genres who otherwise wouldn't be gaining front-page news. The second is Tasmania Today focuses on Tasmanian news, politics, tourism, etc. Both newspapers are totally objective and are updated (at this stage) on a daily basis at 7pm AEST. Running billboards of both newspapers can be seen at the foot of this blog.

So....with the above information, I hope that I have put to rest any notions that I have pulled the pin on my music. Far from it.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Mean Business by Bob Findlay&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

New Album Recording. The Technicalities.

2011-03-07T13:48:00.001+11:00

Yes, it's been some time since my last entry. This has been due to a multitude of personal factors that are not worth discussing here. The reason that I AM writing this post is to let you know that I have recently began recording a new album. At this point there is no title, release date or number of tracks to reveal. These details come together as the album begins to take on a life on its' own.

As industry insiders, we sometimes forget that when discussing the recording process, the rest of the world really has no idea what we are talking about. Hopefully this will provide an explanation of the song formation process in layman's terms so that there may be less disconnect between the professional and the consumer.

As with any creative process, there is no absolute hard and fast procedure that must be followed stringently, but there is a logical development that all recordings must go through.

Composition

Composition is really where a song or piece is born. Preceding this step may be brainstorming and idea formation, but the song actually begins to take a real form and become an entity in itself during this stage.

This is what separates ideas and melodies floating around in the air from actual well-formed songs. There isn't a whole lot to be said concerning Composition, other than it consists of forming a melody (and often basic accompaniment) that flows chronologically from a start to a finish. Lyrics (if applicable) will also likely be written at this time.

Arrangement

Arranging is taking the Composition that has been created and determining what instruments will be used for the recording, writing the parts that those instruments will play, and the tempo (speed, beats per minute) that the song will be played in.

To best illustrate this point, think of the song "What a Wonderful World." The most famous version of this song is arguably the one sung by the great Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong. Compare this to the Ramones version of the same song. Both are based on the same Composition, but with entirely different results based on the fact that they are Arranged differently using very contrasting instrumentation and are at vastly different tempos. (You can use any number of examples to illustrate this principle; "Yesterday", "Happy Birthday", etc.). Arrangement, as with Composition, may range anywhere from informally assigning parts to instruments to drafting the parts using musical notation, all dependent on the preferences of the arranger and the formality of the project.

Recording

Now we start to get a little more technical.

The term Recording is often used to refer to this and the following three steps as a whole, but for simplicity's sake, the term Recording is used here to mean "putting performances to tape" (or as is the case now, a digital format). This is also referred to as Tracking, Cutting Tracks, etc.

Recording Studios have long been somewhat of a mystery to industry outsiders, but basically what takes place during Recording is microphones and various (expensive) sound altering equipment are used to capture a sound being produced in an acoustically tuned room or environment and storing that sound information onto some sort of media (be it magnetic tape, a computer hard drive, or, in the old days, acetate discs).

Generally, a process called Multi-Tracking is used for commercial recordings in which each microphone (and hence, each sound, be it vocals, guitar, or cello) is printed discretely to the storage media to be manipulated at a later time.

To simplify it a bit, the 'normal' stereo recording that a consumer would hear is comprised of two tracks or channels, the Right and the Left. During the Recording or Multi-Tracking stage, there are virtually innumerable quantities of tracks or channels that can each be controlled separately from the other tracks. For instance if you have recorded a vocal part on one track and a guitar part on another, because they were recorded discretely in a Multi-Track setting, the volume of the vocals can be increased or decreased without affecting the sound or volume of the guitar track whatsoever.

In a typical session, what you would be left with after completing the Recording stage is any number of discrete tracks each containing an instrument.

Meaning that each of these tracks had a microphone assigned to it for the specific purpose of recording the desired source. (Notice that tracks 1-6 are for various parts of a typical drum set).

Also (not to complicate things further, but...) these instruments need not be recorded at the same time. The bass guitar player could record his/her part on Thursday, and the vocalist might lay down tracks a week later. Basically, because they are on separate tracks, the musicians do not have to be playing at the same time or even in the same place to create a finished product that sounds like they were looking right at each other. This also enables a multi-instrumentalist to record all the instruments themselves and create their own 'virtual' band where they are the only member.

Editing

Had this exercise been written 10 years ago, I would not have included Editing as its own section as it generally takes place during Recording and Mixing on an 'as needed' basis. But with the evolution and general industry acceptance of digital and non-linear recording formats, Editing has become a much more important and functional stage in the creation of a musical work.

Simply put, Editing consists of changing the original recording by way of altering the timing, pitch, or speed of an individual track, or tracks to change the performance. One such common practice is referred to as "comping." Comping is the idea of recording multiple takes of one instrument with the intent of compiling all of the takes into one cohesive take for the purpose of eliminating errors or creating a 'perfect' take.

For instance, a vocalist may sing the same part over and over again making mistakes in different parts on each take. Rather than continuing to search for a complete perfect take, or settling for the best take and having to live with the mistakes, the recording engineer (the guy turning all the knobs ?) will choose the best take and then after identifying each mistake within that take, pull the line, phrase, word, or even syllable from another take where the mistake did not occur and paste that into the correct spot on the best take essentially eliminating the mistake and making it sound like it was performed and recorded without it.

Digitally, this process is simple and can be completed with just a couple of mouse clicks. Using analog tape, it becomes much more cumbersome and requires a series of meticulous tasks to record to a third track while muting and un-muting the source tracks, or pulling out the old razor blade and slicing away.

This is just one example of the use and purpose of Editing. To go into the virtually infinite uses would be long and redundant as the editing limits in the digital domain are nearly limitless.

Mixing

The Mixing stage is necessitated by the differences in the format that is used in the Recording stage and the format that the end consumer is able to use. If you recall, when we finished the Recording stage, we were left with (for example) 13 different tracks, each with it's own instrument. Each of these tracks by now has been edited to contain the best possible performance during the Editing stage, but they are still individual tracks and not one cohesive song that a consumer can pop in the CD player. For argument's sake, we will only discuss Mixing down to stereo and not touch upon surround sound, 5.1, 7.1, 9.1, or any other format as stereo is currently the most generally accepted format (for now...). Mixing is the process of taking all of these individual tracks (in our example, 13) and by way of using sound altering effects, changing volumes, and manipulating perceived position Left and Right (panning), creating a stereo (two track) recording. Think of it in terms of a funnel. The individual tracks are the wide end, and they must be brought together to form two tracks (the narrow end).

Again, we will not go into the intricacies of Mixing in practice, but in order for all of the tracks to sound good together (play nice kids...), they must be twisted, manipulated, affected, squashed, and combed so that they sound just right and like they are all playing together in one space just for the listener instead of all separately and in padded booths like they actually were.

Once this is accomplished, we are left with a stereo (two track) recording with all the instruments sounding great together and the song is nearly finished.

Mastering

This is the final and most often overlooked step in the song creation process. In fact, if you were to ask a group of musicians what mastering is, chances are a good portion would not be able to tell you what it is and why it is so important.

Essentially, Mastering is preparing the final stereo recording for commercial consumption by pumping it up to a usable volume and making sure that the song will sound good on any sound system it plays on, from a home theater system that costs thousands of dollars, to your little tiny, terrible laptop speakers.

Mastering is most important if you have multiple songs and are creating an album or if you are preparing your recording for commercial release. This is because when the Mixing stage is complete, the stereo recordings you are left with were mixed to sound good on the speakers that they were mixed on regardless of how that sound translates to other spaces and speakers. Also, in the case of making an album, you don't want Song #1 to be a whole lot louder than Song #2 or even Song #15. Have you ever listened to a CD where you were constantly adjusting the volume just to maintain a consistent pleasant playback level? This is a CD that has not been mastered (or was mastered poorly). The same applies for making the songs sound like they belong together in that you don't want one song to sound 'tinny' (a.k.a. too much high end equalization) and another 'boomy' (a.k.a. too much low end).

So that explains why Mastering is important for album, but what about commercial releases? Imagine if your un-mastered song were on the radio between two wonderfully mastered songs. You would get swallowed up. Your song may be too quiet, or have too much low end and basically just sound unprofessional by comparison.

As mentioned before, Mastering will also make sure the final product sounds good no matter where it is played or what system it is played on. When making a presentation of your final product to a client, record label, or even friend, you don't want to say, "Sorry, I can only play this through Yamaha NS-10 speakers." And you certainly don't want to be taken by surprise and find out that it sounds bad everywhere but in the studio.

Bob Findlay 2010 Music Review

2010-12-31T12:59:00.000+11:00

Like most people I started 2010 full of ambition and big ideas, only to be side-tracked by what 'seemed like a good idea at the time.'

Despite a thirst to continue album recording I began finding an awful lot of changes in the music industry....and every single one included music companies making more money. I didn't want to sit here and bag these companies so I decided to write a book. I released "Online Music Traps" in March and was amazed at the simplicity of writing it and the amount of positive responses. This was followed by about 3 months blogging any article relating to independent music. The next thing I knew, I was almost half-way through the year.

Earlier in the year, New Zealand musician Tommie Brewster told me of a site called Bandcamp. At the time she hadn't used it but thought that I may be interested. She was right. Bandcamp allows musicians to upload files in any high-quality format and put their own price on an album or single; 100% goes to the musician. It also allows the musician to use codewords for certain albums that provides listeners with designated discounts. Customers can download whichever format that they choose & can also use PayPal.

If you look at the "Redemption" sound-player to your left, simply enter the codeword lusty and view the discount on the already discounted album. "Redemption" was an experiment....an experiment that went well. I had recently received a new 'wave' of fans via my website and the Bob Findlay Music Page on Facebook.

Another experiment that I undertook was to re-release some of my material on iTunes and Amazon. My reasoning behind this move followed a lengthy discussion with friend and artist Stuart Reeman who dragged me beck to the obvious 'power in numbers' theory. At the time of writing this it does appear to be working also.

My second and final album for the years, "Mean Business", was put together at the request of the aforementioned new wave of fans and contains more upbeat numbers; twelve in all. The codeword for "Mean Business" is thistle

New Song Release "Teach Me"

2010-09-24T15:08:00.040+10:00

My latest musical offering has been some time in the making but I think it's worth the wait. "Teach Me" is something of a diversion lyrically as it enters the realm of certain undertakings of consenting adults involving an array of "accessories" and so forth in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

The song is a raunchy number but draws short of out-and-out bad taste; infact the overall feel of the lyrics are intended to be light-hearted with no coarse language. It is this frame of mind that I entered my home recording studio.

The song begins with a rather smooth, rolling rhythm which carries on through each chorus, including the instrumental break where I use a light wah-wah effect on the guitar to add a little more colour.

The verses in the song are a definite and deliberate counterpoint to the flowing choruses. The verse tempo is almost military in nature and inspired by 'The Shape I'm In' by "The Band." It is also during the verses where the lyrical 'action' happens.

You will note that the single has a 'weird' price. There are two reasons for this. Firstly I have never delved into this realm and cannot foresee me doing it again. Secondly, the track will not feature on any upcoming albums.

As mentioned above, "Teach Me" is intended as a light-hearted jaunt and not intend to offend anyone in any way. The songwriting process in this song was particularly enjoyable. I hope that you too enjoy the track and find it worthy of a place in your digital library. You can download "Teach Me" directly below this entry.

On that note, I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/track/teach-me">Teach Me by Bob Findlay</a>

Why A Blog?

2010-07-21T15:11:00.005+10:00

Having written numerous blogs, the majority of which are music related and more succinctly related to the independent music scene, I have recently received more than a few requests from people to write a blog about myself. To be perfectly honest, as much as I truly enjoy writing, I don't know where to start so I'm doing this by the seat of my pants....as I tend to.

I was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1967 and emigrated to Tasmania in 1979. I currently live in Stanley, a small village of less than 500 people on Tasmanias far North-West coast. Serenity reigns supreme....usually.

I took to playing the guitar after seeing The Rolling Stones perform "Start Me Up" on T.V. For the next 3 years, night after night, hour after hour I would painstakingly work on my guitar playing. I have played in several bands since the age of 16. I quit the band scene in 1995 due to family commitments. I did, however, play occasional acoustic gigs and began recording late in 1998.

I seemed to have a bit of a knack for music recording....probably because I was recording myself and was playing all instruments, thus knowing my limits on all fronts. I had several years away from recording altogether due to a very serious alcohol, namely vodka, problem. I'll spare you the gory details; I think I've put them in print elsewhere and I make no secret of it.

In late April 2007, my abuse reached crisis point. Long story short....I returned to recording purely as a form of therapy. I then discovered a multitude of free music sites where one can upload their songs. Initially, I was over the moon with this and had a friend start my own website. Slowly but surely I started noticing the seedier side on online music for the independent musician....namely money. It seemed that if one paid for this, that or the other 'privilege' in the online music industry, then the better one would fare. This is not necessarily the case. Far from it.

Over the last 12 months I have sat back and watched more and more 'paid upgrades' and 'pay for distribution' sites emerge.

<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business">Snake Eyes by Bob Findlay</a>

Earlier this year a colleague put me onto Bandcamp. The site is a no-frills, no-fees, high-quality sound-file options and fan discounts. If you look at the player to your left, you can press 'play' and listen to the album in its' entirety as often as you wish. Individual tracks can be downloaded. If you wish to download the entire album, enter the word thistle at checkout to view the hefty discount. Even at this point, you are under no obligation to make a purchase.

Earlier this year I released my first book, "Online Music Traps." The book, which can be downloaded is a comprehensive overview of the internet and providing advice to independent musicians on how to minimize cash outlay where it isn't needed. I am currently working on a second book.

As it stands at the moment, between writing my second book, having recently commenced recording my next album, blogging and family commitments, I'm keeping myself busy. I mention this because boredom is perhaps the biggest trap for the recovering alcoholic.

So....the next time I have a few minutes on my hands and have something informative and hopefully humorous I'll post another entry.

Custom Search

<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business">Snake Eyes by Bob Findlay</a>

Custom Search