Previously: 40 Years in Beer (Book II), Part 78: We just had to get to Merry Old England (1998).
“It was from the hunt for le Baron that I first came to learn the value of narrative ― the rich fabric of truth, supposed facts, misinterpretation, delusions, myths, legends, and inventions that makes up the history of a place ― or a person. I learned that perhaps it didn’t matter which tale was authentic.”
— John Hanson Mitchell, from The Rose Café: Love and War in Corsica (2007)
Down those ancient streets
Down those ancient roads
Where nobody knows
Where nobody goes
I’m back on the corner again
Where I’ve always been
Never been away
From the healing game
— Van Morrison, “The Healing Game” (1997)
We’re hanging out and we’re hanging on
We’re trying the best we can to keep keeping on
We got messed up minds for these messed up times
And it’s a thin, thin line separating his from mine
Trying to hold steady on the righteous path
Eighty miles an hour with a worn out map
No time for self-pity or a load of crap
Trying to stay focused on the righteous path
— Drive-By Truckers, “The Righteous Path” (2008)
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I’m writing these words in June of 2025, but first, a reintroduction is in order: Hi, I’m...
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