I had to think about this one to come up with a different angle. I don't normally take pictures of motor vehicles, so I missed out on the chance to show shots of America's Cup Blvd. and Thames St. turned into a parking lot on Folk Fest and Jazz Fest weekends. And now, it being the off-season, our streets are relatively clear and there's no real traffic here. So, what to do? During my running errands yesterday, an idea hit me.
The Common Burying Ground, the colonial-era cemetery I love to hang out in and admire the stones, has actual named (though unpaved) lanes - Dyer Ave., Clarke Ave., Holmes Ave., and Easton Ave. Heh, heh! Can you imagine a new-to-the-job postman trying to deliver a mis-addressed letter to an address on one of these lanes? Anyhow, as you can see from the picture below, we don't get many traffic jams at the corner of Clarke and Easton!
The Common Burying Ground, the colonial-era cemetery I love to hang out in and admire the stones, has actual named (though unpaved) lanes - Dyer Ave., Clarke Ave., Holmes Ave., and Easton Ave. Heh, heh! Can you imagine a new-to-the-job postman trying to deliver a mis-addressed letter to an address on one of these lanes? Anyhow, as you can see from the picture below, we don't get many traffic jams at the corner of Clarke and Easton!
[Note: Yeah, that is a little traffic out on the street in the background - cars on America's Cup waiting at the light to turn onto Farewell St.]This week's videos aren't nearly so clever. In fact, the choices were probably glaringly obvious. But hey, with "traffic" as the weekly theme, what can you do? Anyhow, the first choice here is my man Jimi playing "Crosstown Traffic". Tire tracks all across you're back baby!
I know, I know, there's gonna be a ton of Traffic (the band) videos today. We really should have emailed Steve Winwood, Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Woods to invite them to join in the Theme Thursday fun! In any case, I decided to post two, count 'em TWO, Traffic songs today. The first is the "official" 1994 video of "Here Comes a Man", featuring a walk-on appearance by blues legend Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, one of Winwood's personal heroes. This was part of one of their reunion forays.
The other Traffic video is a Traffic song, but performed by somebody else who did a better job and made it famous. I'm talkin' Joe Cocker's funky, soulful version of "Feelin' Alright", in this video from the Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. Enjoy!
Photo and text © 2009 by A. Roy Hilbinger
Ah, so you did the group Traffic plus other stuff! Cool. As far as that invite goes, I believe Chris Woods and Jim Capaldi are both dead, so they'd probably not answer our emails, sad to say. Unless we could send them letters by snail mail, if they're interred in cemeterys with street signs, like in your post! Eerie.
ReplyDeleteJoe Cocker did a lot of cover songs better than the originals. I like your angle by taking a photo of the funeral.
ReplyDeleteGood one, close to Halloween. I had thought younger bloggers would not really have heard of Traffic!
ReplyDeletenice unique angle...thanks for mixing it up with a little jimi as well.
ReplyDeleteI love Joe Cocker! Interesting take on the theme, too. You are lucky not to live in a congested place.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd quite like to be buried on Farewell St! There have been a few Traffic videos I've seen three so far but none the same, at this rate we'll have an album covered!
ReplyDeleteHa! Excellent use of the theme.
ReplyDeleteSo, are they putting a road thru the cemetery?
ReplyDeleteGreat hit on the theme. Music doesn't get better... -Jayne
Re the Joe Cocker video, a word to the wise: Never, never try to dance around the living room while wearing a headset and carrying your laptop, no matter how small said laptop is. But what a treat!
ReplyDeletedefinitely a different take on the theme!!
ReplyDeletetotally forgot about that great GREAT hendrix tune, thanks for the vid,
Great take on TT! I wondered if you ever did any "rubbings" of some of the older, and more interesting headstones?
ReplyDeleteThanks everybody!
ReplyDeleteSkip, taking rubbings of gravestones is an absolute no-no these days. After years of it being an approved activity, it turns out it was deteriorating the stones faster than the weather did. With digital photography the need to take rubbings is pretty much made obsolete anyhow - you get much better, more legible images with the camera.
I like this and almost did mine on the subject also.
ReplyDeleteNicely done!
Cheers!
Lots Of English Traffic! Thank You Sir!
ReplyDelete