ORIGIN/TERMINUS

Lymejello is a tag I've used for nearly a dozen years.

It originated from a conversation with a close friend on a field trip my senior year of high school. At the time, my mother had a co-worker who, when not putting in hours at one of the nation's largest discount retail chains, moonlighted as a volunteer in a hospital (ie--what they used to call a good ol' fashioned candy striper). In this particular hospital's maternity ward, many of the patients were extremely young latin women, probably aged 12-14. These girls took to giving their children uncoventional names: "Conception" (or more likely, "Concepcion", although most of them purportedly had no idea what a conception was), "Vagina", and... wait for it... "Lime Jello".

I swear I'm not making this up. Anyway, I relayed this story to my friend, and she was amused to no end. Immediately, I started branding her "Conception", she called me "Lime Jello", and we even speculated that a mutual friend would probably name his spawn (however unlikely and troubling that he'd ever have some) "Vagina".

Later, the first time I ever entered an online chat room, fumbling for a username, I picked the green gelatinous dessert, although you can see I oh-so-cleverly altered the spelling.

More than a decade on, I have to admit I'm getting sick of Lymejello. And I've gotten tired of this blog. So, I'm putting it to rest and starting anew--hopefully with more focus and consistency. I've been thinking a lot about making it a primarily music-oriented blog, but I just know little musings about film, television and whatever's making me happy or pissed off are gonna worm their way in there sooner or later.

So, pleasant dreams, Lymejello. Howdy, Kriofske Mix.

PART COMPANY

Grant McLennan died in his sleep last weekend; he was only 48. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so shocked and devastated by a musician’s death. McLennan was one of the two primary members of The Go-Betweens, a woefully overlooked Australian band that was never commercially successful, although they were never forgotten, thanks to the few enthusiastic critics and music geeks who heard their records. I became one four years ago when I picked up a used copy of Bellavista Terrace, a compilation of their seminal ‘80s work.

Following a split in 1989 and a decade of solo projects, McLennan and his musical partner, Robert Forster got back together in 2000 and released three more albums. Unlike the tired product of most reunited bands, however, these records were uncommonly good, particularly last year’s Oceans Apart: it exuded all the passion and drive of the earlier albums, but with a wisdom and resonance that only comes with age. It also suggested a grand future for a nearly thirty-year-old band, which may be why McLennan’s unexpected passing stings so much.

McLennan’s songs were exceptionally literate and intelligent, but also expansive in the images and feelings they could conjure up. Below are the lyrics for my favorite song of his, “Bye Bye Pride” (which appears on Bellavista Terrace and 1987’s Tallulah). It’s difficult to convey this song’s brilliance without hearing its crisp, exultant oboe-accented melody, so do yourself a favor and buy the album (or at least the song on iTunes).

A white moon appears
Like a hole in the sky,
The mangroves go quiet.
In la brisa de la palma
A teenage rasputin
Takes the sting from a gin,
When a woman learns to walk
She’s not dependent anymore
A line front her letter may 24
And out on the bay
The current is strong
A boat can go lost.
But I didn’t know someone
Could be so lonesome
Didn’t know a heart
Could be tied up
And held for ransom.
Until you take your shoes
And go outside, stride over stride.
Walk to that tide because
The door is open wide.

Turned the fan off
And went for a walk
By the lights down on Shield Street.
The birds in the trees
Open their wings ...
He goes home again.
He dreams resistance,
They talk commitment,
Things change over long distance.
Took the shirt off his back
The eyes from his head
And left him for dead.
But I didn’t know someone
Could be so lonesome
Didn’t know a heart
Could be tied up
And held for ransom.
Until you take your shoes
And go outside, stride over stride,
Walk to that tide because
The door is open wide.

Little lies, they’ll take your pride.
Until you take your shoes
And go outside. stride over stride,
Walk to that tide because
The door is open wide.
Stride over stride
Walk to that tide.
Bye, bye pride.
Because the door is open wide.
The door is always open wide.
The door is always open wide.

Enjoying my hiatus. Go see this film when it hits theaters, hopefully later this year.