Episode 46-Love Is No Miracle

https://ia601403.us.archive.org/29/items/CeskyLivesEpisode46-loveIsNoMiracle/Clep46-loveIsNoMiracle.mp3

This weeks tune is possibly the most positive song I've written in a while, it's about a sermon I heard this morning about how circus elephants were trained from when they were young to believe they can't free themselves from just a plain old rope around the ankle, because when they're young they can't, but they still believe this when they're much bigger, much stronger, and capable of setting themselves free whenever they like. In the elephants mind the rope is stronger than they are, just like people get caught up in the ways they're taught to view or define themselves by what other people have conditioned them into believing, good or bad. Also I recently saw a film called "Before Midnight, third in a series by Richard Linklater, (what a champ), which struck me as being completely honest and fantastically useful to humans in the way it looked at relationships, romantic notions are not forever, feelings can be kept alive with effort and such, but life is life, it's not romantic, it's real, devotion to someone is what it is, they either accept it and are right there with you, in an honest, this is life kinda way, or they're not, being caught up in meaningless detail or just the worlds hefty 'stuff' I guess. There's more to the film than that, I highly recommend it, it definitely plays a part in this tune being written. Also there's a bit of the usual faith and Jesus stuff in here, speaking about how God knows what we need, he knows what we are and we shouldn't hide that because it's made to be shared. This is my personal faith perspective anyways, share it or not, it's in the song, so I'm tellin' you about it. Hope you all have a great Christmas dear listeners, and I'll be back in 2014 with more tunes. You're time is much appreciated, it's really nice to share this stuff with you guys.

Episode 45-Skinny Arms Can Hold You Too

https://ia801003.us.archive.org/7/items/CeskyLivesEpisode45-skinnyArmsCanHoldYouToo/Clep45-skinnyArmsCanHoldYouToo.mp3

 

Here's episode 45, a song about buff guys as opposed to not buff guys, and how it feels sometimes to be a not buff guy when buffness is apparently preferable. This song comes from a chat I had with a couple friends who are of the female persuasion and their views on the importance of arms in a man, he's gotta have strong arms cause they can hold and protect you etc. My argument is that big strong arms don't require much brain power to be created, just exercise, which anyone can do. Personality and intelligence and such are way more difficult to come by, they take real work. Of course there's plenty of buff dudes with brains and personality I imagine but the point is there's also plenty of not buff dudes with brains and personality who feel a little overlooked in the world because appearances matter too much sometimes it seems. Anyways, this song is not overly serious, sound wise I think it needs some distortion and to be a little crazier, but in the spirit of simplicity this is a really straight cut uke version, cause that's what I wrote it on.

Episode 44-Thief

https://ia601006.us.archive.org/30/items/CeskyLivesEpisode44-thief/CLEP44-Thief.mp3

 

This weeks tune is part automatic writing, therefore I have no clue what a lot of it is about, but feelings wise it comes from my recent semi-diagnosis of a mental illness, (my psych doesn't like to put labels on people, because they don't ever fit 100%), which when reading up on I definitely connected with the recorded experience of symptoms and such. This is good and bad, good because I can look at it as an outside thing, separate myself from it, bad because I know exactly when I'm heading into it and that it won't be fun and at times is incredibly difficult. Life has improved vastly for me I have to say, getting help and the like, but every now and then there's a kind of attack I guess you'd say, a falling back into something dark and nasty, but I'm an optimistic person underneath any of that and I think that's been essential. Anyways, there's a hefty bit of oversharing for you.

I keep forgetting to mention also, I have an album out here:
http://cesky.bandcamp.com/album/stone-september

you can have it for free if you like, or throw me a few dollars if you're feeling generous.

Episode 43-All My Kin

https://ia601002.us.archive.org/5/items/CeskyLivesEpisode43-allMyKin/Clep43-allMyKin.mp3

This weeks tune is unashamedly spiritual I guess. I always seem to apologise for singing about my beliefs because I know such things are attached to a lot of dodgyness in this world, folks who believe in Jesus supposedly but who Jesus is possibly quite embarrassed by or even super incredibly mad at.Anyways, this is a song about the God that I believe in, and about humanity, and the two for me being linked. If for me there was no God, I wouldn't be alive, that's the truth, and not in some creation way, I mean that the support and meaning that God provides has saved me from death, literally, life is still a bloody great big mess, as it is for most, but I have a support, someplace to turn to, and I'm glad. I'll apologise again anyway though, or at least add a disclaimer that if you're not into spiritual things this is still just a song, and I don't want to Bible bash anybody, or alienate anyone either.

Episode 42-Swimming In The Dark

https://ia601001.us.archive.org/24/items/CeskyLivesEpisode42-swimmingInTheDark/Clep42-swimmingInTheDark.mp3

 

This weeks tune is a bit of a soul meef, real simple Banjo tune, 3 chords and some super basic lead stuff. I don't think it needs explaining too much. I've been up and down of late, when I wrote this I was down. But it's not all negatives, it's about honesty with God, (I feel wary using religious terms, I'm not religious, I have a faith, a belief in the "Christian" God I guess, but not in religious ridiculousness, and I don't want to cut anyone off, songs are songs whatever they're about), about telling God you feel a bit crap and you want to offload it on him, to blame him, which is not right, but I think he can take the honesty, we need to be honest, it's kind of important.

Episode 41-Cosmic Treason

 

https://ia601004.us.archive.org/21/items/CeskyLivesEpisode41-cosmicTreason/Clep41-cosmicTreason.mp3

This weeks tune is about humanity, imperfection, cosmic treason. If you believe what Genesis says, (literally or otherwise), then we're all made to be perfect; "in the image of God", but we screwed up pretty bad and now were perpetually bound to doing this over and over again. This song is about that, and about making excuses for ourselves when we screw up, (if you're religious, or have some kind of faith or not, we all do this I think), and how picking at each other over faults is fruitless. This song is kind of saying that the way we are around our flaws and mistakes should probably be taken more seriously, we need to admit our faults or we're playing with fire. Agree or disagree, either way, it's also just a song.

Episode 40-I Thought You'd Gone & Died

 

https://ia601003.us.archive.org/25/items/CeskyLivesEpisode40-iThoughtYoudGoneDied/Clep40-iThoughtYoudGoneDied.mp3

 

This weeks tune is based on a book I read about "pleading the blood" of Jesus, which some people it would seem have historically used as a heretical bit of brain washing "God is a vending machine" kind of thing, but some have just used as something they add to their prayers to remind themselves that they believe Jesus died for them and that that matters and is powerful. I borrowed a book about it from a friend of mine that seemed fairly non-crazy and straight down the line for the most part, (the book I mean, not my friend).This song about it is just a super minimal absolutely simple two chord tune about how remembering what you believe in is a good thing, and not relying on yourself on your lonesome to carry all the garbage that you do is also good. I'm a little worried after learning the opposing view on this pleading the blood thing that I may have been led down some random unhelpful path, but I don't think I have, I certainly trust the source that lent me the book, but I don't trust repetitious meaningless verbalising of chanty stuff, which I can see people could easily fall into using this idea, i.e. say "x" enough times with feeling and "y" will happen, that's just dodgy.

Episode 39-Where The Monsters Are Angels

https://ia601005.us.archive.org/13/items/CeskyLivesEpisode39-whereTheMonstersAreAngels/Clep39-whereTheMonstersAreAngels.mp3

 

This weeks tune is based on a Proverb I read a couple days ago, Proverbs 14:10, about how nobody can really know the joy or bitterness of a persons heart save for them. This is true I think, everybody has their own stuff going on and their own way of looking at things. The song is taking that idea and framing it in my own experience I guess, I feel kind of alien a lot of the time but I still think its incredibly important to try to understand people whether you can do so fully or not.

Episode 38-Somedays You're Like Water

https://ia601903.us.archive.org/8/items/CeskyLivesEpisode38-someDaysYoureLikeWater/Clep38-someDaysYoureLikeWater.mp3

 

This weeks song is a bit of a mystery to me. I know it has something to do with depression, anxiety and such, things I've had/have, this is not oversharing either I don't think, many of us are in the same boat no? Recently my mind, my perspective on pretty much everything has been shifting drastically, hopefully permanently. I've had not an especially difficult external life, but internally it's been a raging mess for way too long and this song I think is about the limbo period I'm living right now, in between that raging mess and whatever it is that comes next. I watched a youtube video on "The Black Dog", a fairly straight down the line illustrated narrated thing about depression and seeing the world through a grey kind of haze, feeling nothing, and I had a bloody good cry, which was great, and important I think, dark things live in us all to some extent, if we don't have a way to let them out they'll stay forever. Some odd and nasty creatures have been living in me for a long time, and I've had enough. It's hard work living with a mind that won't just let you be,  think that's what this song is probably about, that and the hope for a better way.

Episode 37-Damage

 

https://ia601002.us.archive.org/25/items/CeskyLivesEpisode37-damage/CLEP37-Damage.mp3

This weeks song is a Cure-esque/Low-esque, (if you haven't heard Low then check them out, especially if you like the Cure), synthy, crunchy guitar slow tune with minimal lyrics about heavy times and acknowledging them, and surviving them. Surviving them through acknowledgment rather than self medication, further bad decisions etc... It's the result of my current outlook, which is partly cloudy with a chance of showers, clearing someday I'm told if I sit them out, and sit them out I will. The sitting out of these things is really what this tune is about, letting them be, because they just are, whether you like it or not, and riding them out so to speak. Hope you like it.

Episode 36-Steeper Lines

http://ia601902.us.archive.org/7/items/CeskyLivesEpisode36-steeperLines/Clep36-steeperLines.mp3

This weeks song is a bit of a mystery to me, I wrote it fairly quickly after much deliberation with a couple of ideas that just weren't working, it was like popping a pimple, squeezing and squeezing at the thing and then BANG! yellowy stuff all over the mirror. I know some of it is about Jesus, and the way my mind is currently undergoing some reconstruction, some growing up I hope, experience and such pushing me into a new phase of who knows what, but it seems to be positive. Other than that it just is what it is, a bunch of words trying to explain something that I really can't pin down I guess. Have a listen anyways, see what you think.

Episode 35-Shop Talk For Puppies

http://ia601001.us.archive.org/9/items/CeskyLivesEpisode35-shopTalkForPuppies/Clep35-shopTalkForPuppies.mp3

 

Here's episode 35, a song about how a mans heart is much like a dog who wants to be taken for a walk. Not many men will admit that, but it's true I think. It's a bit of a sappy song I guess, sort of, close as I'll get to something folks like Bruno Mars would sing maybe, poppy content skewed a little bit through my own sensibilities and such. Simple little song, hope you like it.

Episode 34-Collector Of Stains

http://ia601008.us.archive.org/23/items/CeskyLivesEpisode34-collectorOfStains/Clep34-collectorOfStains.mp3

 

Here's episode 34, a tune about the late great Dennis Hopper. I've wanted to write a song about this guy for a while but it never came until this week, and now here it is. He had a crazy life, five divorces, (four, one still in the process when he died in 2010), spending a few months of his life couped up in a run down cinema with guns and drugs editing 40 hours of footage shot for a film about making a film where the money runs out so the director makes cameras and equipment from wood and such and just keeps making his film in some fantasy crazy person way, creating "The Last Movie", which was a financial and critical flop because he had full control over the editing and was off his face most of the time, (by his own admission). I'd still like to see it though, the idea is gold I reckon. He fought bulls, he nearly blew himself up with dynamite at a speedway, he went on a crazy vision quest in a Mexican jungle and had intimate relations with a tree, (that's what he was found doing by the folks who went in after him after he'd been missing a long while, and they air lifted him out), he partied with a troupe of mimes, he taught Elvis a little about acting and he was buddies with James Dean. What a life huh, ad that's not even the half of it.

Episode 33-Green River Sing

 

http://ia601002.us.archive.org/1/items/CeskyLivesEpisode33-greenRiverSing/Clep33-greenRiverSing.mp3

 

This weeks song is about the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway. Randomly looking up news items to write about I came across this fella confessing to more murders than he's confessed to originally back when he was caught, put on trial and given something like 48 consecutive life sentences. The guy horrified me, he was bland about what he'd done, kinda lifeless. The audio at the start of the song is taken from an interview with him where he's explaining how he used his son to fool women into thinking he was a harmless, regular kinda guy. His childhood was a horrific mess, his mum was abusive in excessive ways and amounts, and as a child he went around killing peoples pets. I guess what I've tried to do with song is capture some of the creepiness and the desperate situations some of the women were in that he picked up, (prostitutes and runaways). Also, if anyone's heard the song John Wayne Gacy Junior by the great Sufjan Stevens, I guess in a way I'm nodding to that as well, that song blows a hole in my chest every time I hear it.

Episode 32-With Your Eyes

http://ia801000.us.archive.org/15/items/CeskyLivesEpisode32-withYourEyes/Clep32-withYourEyes.mp3

This weeks tune is about emotional honesty. I heard a story about a lady in the Bible who wept at Jesus feet and wiped them with her hair and poured perfume on them that she'd just bought and was probably about to take home when she heard that Jesus was about and then stopped by to have a listen and a peek like loads of people were. I've heard this story a lot of times but this time it was pointed out to me that what she did was not some cultural norm, she broke down and did some crazy stuff right there in front of a whole lot of people, Jesus was told he shouldn't let het touch him because apparently she was a little dodgy but he said what she'd done was good, she showed him how she felt, that she was broken, and he healed her. So the song is about that, as well as being about honesty in general and not pretending that you've got it all together, not necessarily being a huge self defeatist wreck, but nor being super bright when you're really not. I think you can read fakeness from a mile off and this song is an encouragement to just be yourself, even if that hurts some, because it's a better way to be. Not that I have a handle on this myself, but I try at least.

Episode 31-Young Men Throw Rocks

http://ia601202.us.archive.org/0/items/CeskyLivesEpisode31-youngMenThrowRocks/Clep31-youngMenThrowRocks.mp3

 

This weeks tune, "Young Men Throw Rocks", comes from a mix of War of The Worlds imagery from early on in the story, the imminent threat rather than the actual invasion, which to me is the best part, and also the heftiest. It also is a mix of a whole bunch of other images and ideas about machines and such that my brain has gathered over the years, one such image being from the Japanese animated film, Roujin-Z where a machine designed to care for old folks, in which lives an old man, (sort of alive, but not really, the film is very much on the side of not submitting old people to inhumane treatment, the machine being I think a sign of things to come, or maybe of a terrible care system for old folks in Japan at the time?), is inhabited by the spirit of his dead wife and goes on a rampage, collecting bits of other machines and things on it's way to the ocean, where it's taking the old man, growing larger and large as it goes. Great film it was, I recommend it, has a lot of heart. Anyhow, the image of the hulking, foreboding robot from that film is definitely an image my head was attaching itself to while I wrote this song. There's a hint of steam punk in there too, the machine in the song is old, cogs and such, spurting steam, rusty and clunky and slow. Hope you like it anyways. Be back next week with more.

Episode 30-Vedi

http://ia801001.us.archive.org/10/items/CeskyLivesEpisode30-vedi/CLEP30-Vedi.mp3

 

The 30th episode folks. Feel like a big number but I hope to keep it up and bring you some bigger ones. Anyhow, this song originated from the fact that I sometimes listen to ASMR videos on YouTube to help me get to sleep, these are videos of people who talk softly and calmly, they help you relax ,or if you have what they call ASMR, (Autonomous Sensory Modular Response), you get a but of a head tingle from the sound also. Point here is though, I listen, I don't watch, headphones in, eyes shut. Recently however I had a look at who was talking at me and it was a girl with a black eye, so I made up an abusive relationship for her, gave her a name and put her in a song. She was a little down on herself in her introduction and such so I extrapolated quite a large amount. So, probably she's just a boxer or something? But anyway, this doesn't illegitimate the tune, abuse exists, and that's what the song's about. It's kind of a futility view on things I guess, people put up with a lot for a little because they don't feel they deserve more, or that more exists. "We accept the love we believe we deserve", (Stephen Chbosky, The Perks Of Being A Wall Flower).

Episode 29-Wrong Is Alright

http://ia601001.us.archive.org/7/items/CeskyLiversEpisode29-wrongIsAlright/Clep29-wrongIsAlright.mp3

 

Here's episode 29, a song about a realisation I've been having that I , even though I fight it like a crazy man, am just as box placing in of others as is anybody else. This is connected to the idea of turning back to faith minus religion, trying to recapture some faith I guess. I try not to judge people but to some extent we only have our own eyes to look through and see other peoples behaviours and appearances. I'm open minded I'd say, all kinds of behaviours and appearances are alright by me, but there-in lies the problem. Who cares what's alright by me, I'm no god, I'm just some dude being a dude, I need to remove myself a ways from that sort of omnipotent thinking I guess, as do we all, unless you are God. Even saying that is a form of boxing folks, including myself, into a very wide category, which is stupid, people are magnificently individual, and to be learned and appreciated, not sifted through your brain sieve and only paid attention to when you hear something you understand. See, I'm a judgemental little feller hey.

Episode 28-Kamikaze

 

http://ia601002.us.archive.org/17/items/CeskyLivesEpisode28-kamikaze/CLEP28-Kamikaze.mp3

Here's the 28th episode, this tune is about self destructive behaviours and telling them when to get off, to some extent, and when they're probably understandable too. Maybe? I'm not entirely sure. I realise calling a song Kamikaze and putting that word in the chorus is maybe a little obvious, but it's a pretty spot on word I think, at times. We've all probably been in that kind of state at one point or another, for an actual Kamikaze pilot it was glory and devotion but what I'm talking about is just not caring to some extent, being in limbo and just ploughing through like a bull with porcupine skin. Abstract as I hope this song is, it's also kinda' personal, and look, most of the time I'm not doing too badly I hope, but honestly, sometimes I could punch through and just go nuts, more than sometimes lately, but as a good friend told me, I need to keep the lid on things, not be stirring too many things into an already fairly full pot. The pot can trick you into thinking your stew's all ready to go sometimes, but life isn't like that, there is no finish to anything really, it's learn and keep learning. Not that I'm any kind of expert on anything, but it just kinda' seems that way, that or jump off anyhow.

Episode 27-8 Bit Monsters

 

 

http://ia601007.us.archive.org/31/items/CeskyLivesEpisode27-8BitMonsters/Clep27-8BitMonsters.mp3

 

This weeks tune came from a random attack of the reminiscing. I suddenly unintentionally discovered a very obscure childhood memory about a dismal alien court scene I drew when I was really little, so I chucked it in a song. The song is also about how imagination is essential to my survival, kind of a self defence I guess, an escape hatch, or maybe more like a valve for all the gluggy stuff to come out in a less horrible form than it would take were it to just wear its own honest skin. Hope you like it anyway, it's an odd one, kind of hard to play, took me five or six takes to get it right.

Episode 26-Less Stare, More Sleep

 

http://ia601903.us.archive.org/13/items/CeskyLivesEpisode26-lessStareMoreSleep/Clep26-lessStareMoreSleep.mp3

 

Hello listeners. Here's episode 26, a tune about my need for sleep and sensibility rather than the opposite of those things. In part it's about a failed relationship and some other honest and damning things that I won't go into in detail, nothing too spectacularly dark, just my mental tendencies and such, personal stuff anyway. This is the entirely first ever recording of this song just after it was written so it's fairly rough, but that's kind of the idea with this thing. Thankyou very much for you ears and your time, much appreciated.

Episode 25-Mostly Harmless

http://ia600906.us.archive.org/22/items/CeskyLivesEpisode25-mostlyHarmless/Clep25-mostlyHarmless.mp3

 

Episode 25 is a little poorly recorded as far as the song is concerned, because this week I've been unwell, so you get the absolutely embryonic lo-fi fuzzy terribly sung with congested voice absolute original original recording of the song I wrote this week, at 2am one night/morning when I was too achey to sleep. It's about good people I think, people who don't base their lives on their own satisfaction and how this is somewhat unconventional in Western society and the like, and how these people can be found in all kinds of places.

Episode 24-Heathen Love

http://ia600905.us.archive.org/23/items/CeskyLivesEpisode24-heathenLove/Clep24-heathenLove.mp3

 

This weeks song is a love song between two imaginary people, springing from the fact that I recently saw the video for "Stay" by Shakespeare's Sister and after watching an interview with them related to this song discovered it's about a cat creature on the moon trying to convince a human astronaut to stay with her. Two worlds, all that stuff, so this song is about a fictional desperate man trying in a somewhat muffled, abstract way to tell someone that he loves them, but he's not doing it very well, hopefully it comes across that way, as romantic foot eating I guess. I don't usually write fiction, I try to make songs that are personal, but it's still got some feeling in it, it's just not direct reactionary feeling, it's third person.

Episode 23-Reflux

http://ia600904.us.archive.org/29/items/CeskyLivesEpisode23-reflux/CLEP23-Reflux.mp3

 

This weeks song is another personal experience recount, this time less ambiguous, I met two new people at a pub a few weeks back, this is about them, and about pubs in general, and terrible reasons to drink. Some might argue that any reason to drink is a terrible reason but I don't so much believe that, the occasional drink is ok, even Jesus says that in the Bible; "drink a little wine fellers, calm down some", not his exact words obviously but the general gist is there. Anyhow, it's not the happiest song ever, but it's not all bad news. Have a listen, see what you think.

Episode 22-Walk The City Slow

http://ia601806.us.archive.org/17/items/CeskyLivesEpisode22-walkTheCitySlow/Clep22-walkTheCitySlow.mp3

 

This weeks song is incredibly personal, incredibly painful on the personal scale which it was built on, with little tiny figures and match stick streets and tiny lamp posts bought in a model train shop all badly glued together on a stump in a ditch somewhere by a slightly mad person with a one legged dog. Therefore no explanation, suffice it to say the happenings these words are based around will more than likely trail after me forever, as they do after many folks who won't tell you either most likely, what their song is about.

Episode 21-The Devil Lives Here, But So Do I

http://ia801804.us.archive.org/9/items/CeskyLivesEpisode21-theDevilLivesHereButSoDoI/Clep21-theDevilLivesHereButSoDoI.mp3

This weeks tune is about three colonial era Australian women who worked with bulls and horses and raised children on their lonesome and out-manly'd a whole bunch of men in an age when I imagine men were fairly pig headedly man-ish. These women were kick arse, hard core champions of awesomeness named; Agnes, (or Mother, was her nickname), Buntine, Margaret Hutchison and Margaret Mc Tavish, look them up and read about them, they're super cool ladies.

Episode 20-Non-Descript

 

http://ia600908.us.archive.org/10/items/CeskyLivesEpisode20-non-descript/CLEP20-Non-Descript.mp3

 

Here's Episode 20, a tune about love. Not in a love song kind of way though, more in an abstract kind of universal love sort of way, which is something that holds with my faith in Jesus and the like, but is also an idea that a whole lot of people have regardless, or don't have very intentionally, but I hold it in my soul like a little night light and hope for the best, hence this song. Sometimes things are OK with the world, not the entire world, but your own little part of it right now, or then, if you know what I mean.

Episode 19-Big Brown Bear

 

http://ia601801.us.archive.org/7/items/CeskyLivesEpisode19-bigBrownBear/Clep19-bigBrownBear.mp3

 

Here's Episode 19. A tune that in some ways was prophetic as far as my own personal experiences are concerned, which is a little creepy, but like they say, what you think is what you attract. Anyhow, it's about people, I'm finding myself out in the world trying to understand people and people are confusing me greatly, as they do all of us I guess. Specifically this song is about the night life culture in my city, Perth, which is probably not the most nefarious place in the world but nefarious people still dwell there openly, alongside a lot of non-nefarious types thank God, but never the less, dodgy deeds occur and they make me mad, frustrated, bewildered, etc... Have a listen anyway, see what you think.

Episode 18-Vagrant Amnesia

 

http://ia601803.us.archive.org/8/items/CeskyLivesEpisode18-vagrantAmnesia/Clep18-vagrantAmnesia.mp3

 

Here's episode 18. The tune for this week is called Vagrant Amnesia, it's about me talking to my imagination, and then imagining my imagination being a little creature stuck in my hair that annoys the hell out of people, which I imagine it would. As a for instance, I was on the train the other day and imagined a big ugly troll stepping into the train and making grunty gurgly noises and wearing a filthy loin cloth and just kind of freaking everyone out. If thoughts like that could have a physical presence then the thinkers of them would not be the most welcome folk in any place.

Episode 17-Brother

 

http://ia601807.us.archive.org/27/items/CeskyLivesEpisode17-brother/CLEP17-Brother.mp3

 

Here's episode 17, in the recording I say it was about a Friday night, but that's an inaccuracy, actually it was a Saturday night and Sunday morning, but not at all in a Paul Kelly kind of way, unfortunately. Being a little inexperienced at real life I found myself being led by and leading around two homeless guys on a bit of a night time adventure, they were nice enough, but there were reasons they were homeless that involved drugs and violent tendencies and being verbally abusive to many a person, and me eventually being a bit scared. True to their word though they did me personally no harm at all, and we walked around the city quite a ways and randomly met up with and spoke to many a friendly person. I feel badly for the homeless guy I left sleeping at a train station, but he was keen on that and I needed to escape back to reality, he taught me a lot about courage and adaptation, but he also frightened me like I said, so I don't feel too badly in some ways, he did say his life was his choice, and he could change if he wanted to. It was all around an experience, neither good or bad, but certainly educational. I don't know if I'm a complete bastard for being the lets have fun on a Saturday night guy to two guys who probably needed to go find a church to give them a bed and some eats, or if maybe I saved them from some trouble, I did a lot of smoothing over and avoidance of possible blow ups when verbal fights were taking place, being somewhat of a peace keeper. I don't know? societies troubles have a face and a name yeah, it kinda hurts, but you can't do any grand scale fixing of such things. Hopefully I showed these two fellas some love I guess, Nugget gave me a farewell hug at the end of the night, wished me well, was a decent human being in a lot of ways, never leaves a brother behind. The thing in the song about Crocodil is a drug a Russian guy told me to look up on You Tube, I did, it was horrifying. I sound kinda sad in this recording I think, this song took me a long time to right, and for me, it's pretty freakin' sad, so I guess you're getting some genuine internal stuff here, strange times indeed.

Episode 16-People Are Strange

 

http://ia601708.us.archive.org/23/items/CeskyLivesEpisode16-peopleAreStrange_150/Clep16-peopleAreStrange.mp3

 

Here's Episode 16, a tune about people doing each other harm, in subtle and not so subtle ways. This is probably the "songiest" song I've written in a while, which to me doesn't make it the greatest, I like to claw out real things rather than think things through and structure them and such, but there are some honest things going on here nevertheless, some personal details and such, hidden stories and the like. Have a listen, see what you think.

Episode 15-Five To Ninety Nine

http://ia601708.us.archive.org/23/items/CeskyLivesEpisode15-fiveToNinetyNine/Clep15-fiveToNinetyNine.mp3

 

Here's Episode 15, a Ukulele song about forgetful old men, alcaholic mechanical birds and babies who are wiser than politicians. It's not a super serious song in any way but it's not a joke song either, it's a whole lot of little ideas mixed together to make what I hope is a cohesive whole of some kind. The title comes from the age range on board game boxes, as a kid I remember we had a couple that said, 5 to 100, or 5 to 99, and I'd imagine a five year old playing a board game with a really old person, somebody creaky and toothless, a stereotypical codger so to speak, maybe in some ways this song is about how the old and experienced and the super super young and inexpereinced have the most wisdom overall, but they're not able to communicate it so well, or if they are they're often ignored...?

Episode 14-Back To The River

http://ia601703.us.archive.org/10/items/CeskyLivesEpisode14-backToTheRiver/Clep14-backToTheRiver.mp3

 

This weeks tune is about a zombie dog, or atleast a dog that just won't die. It's also about bad habits and how they make a nice warm home in you for themselves, and come back to it far too often even when you take severe measures to do them in. It's another Banjo song, bit of super simple finger picking and three chords,hope you like it.

Episode 13-High Tide

http://ia601704.us.archive.org/1/items/CeskyLivesEpisode13-highTide_178/Clep13-highTide.mp3

Here's episode 13. I've had some dark times, everybody has, every so often they regurgitate themselves in a song or a drawing or some such similiar thing. This is one of those reguritative moments. More a distant look at a feeling than a being in it I guess. It's called High Tide for what I suppose are obvious reasons, some times the sea comes in to eat up the beach yeah? That's how life works. Sometimes the beach is super wide and there's kites and fish and chips and monkey bars and sometimes there's nobody there at all.

Episode 12-Where You Are, Where You've Been

 

http://ia601700.us.archive.org/7/items/CeskyLivesEpisode12-whereYouAreWhereYouveBeen/Clep12-whereYouAreWhereYouveBeen.mp3

Here's Episode 12, a tune called "Where You Are, Where You've Been" which takes that "there but for the grace of God go I" saying and says well, by Gods grace actually we're all going the same way to some degree, for better or worse, and maybe sometimes eventually worse becomes better, if you learn from it. It's a bit of an optimistic vision I know, but Billy Bragg told me and about 300 other people that optimism is important, that it changes the world in small ways where it counts. Billy Bragg is a smart guy.

Episode 11-Some Other Fool

http://ia601705.us.archive.org/18/items/CeskyLivesEpisode11-someOtherFool/Clep11-someOtherFool.mp3

 

Here's episode 11. I wrote this song while taking a sick day from work, inbetween being asleep and being asleep some more. It's about jerk men and the way they see women. It comes across as heavily judgmental no doubt, I do understand that there's good and bad in everyone and no person is defined by one behaviour. I do however believe that some behaviours negate a whole lot of possible good and need to be eradicated by the individuals practising them, from the inside, especially any form of abusive treatment of anyone, for any reason. It's not on fellas!

Episode 10-A Kiwi I Met At The Pub

 

http://ia601704.us.archive.org/30/items/CeskyLivesEpisode10-aKiwiIMetAtThePub/Clep10-aKiwiIMetAtThePub.mp3

 

Here's Episode 10, a song about a guy I met at the pub on Friday, a Newzealander with a really positive attitude, he gave me a sense of hope about humanity to some degree, he was a random guy I randomly met for a very short time and yet he left me with a significant piece of himself, a little bright sparky piece that gave me some joy. I've seen Henry Rollins in an interview advising kids, the interviewer says "Henry, what peice of advise would you give to young folks today?", (or something like that), and Henry gives a wordy spiel about how people are generally good and you should probably get out there and meet some of them. I think he may be right.



Episode 9-Steeped In Sin

http://ia601702.us.archive.org/23/items/CeskyLivesEpisode9-steepedInSin/Clep9-steepedInSin.mp3

This weeks song brings us/me back to the book of John , I'm fairly sure I've read a couple versions of the story I'm referencing but I love the version in John because it's nice and simple, a guy is given his sight by Jesus, hasn't even seen Jesus yet but knows that he's someone great and upon actually seeing him gives him his heart straight up, before hand dealing out a little home truths to the religious leaders who drag him in a couple of times to get some dirt on Jesus which doesn't actually exist. The man born blind gets it, "I was blind, I can see now, that's awesome, what the hell is your problem fellas?" and the religious folks are just moronic nay-saying evidence denying sad sacks who want no power to be taken from them. It's a great little tale, echoing currently in probably a million different places the world over, the truth is more powerful than the lies you're fed to be kept under the thumb, the truth will set you free, the people wielding the giant thumb are very aware of this. Jesus was awesome, and so was the blind guy, they were on the money for sure.

Episode 8-Ruin My Life

http://ia601703.us.archive.org/16/items/CeskyLivesEpisode8-ruinMyLife/CeskyLivesEpisode8-ruinMyLife.mp3

 

Here's episdoe 8 folks. A not particularly Jesus related song, more about humanity I think, and some elements of it that I came across in a Karaoke bar, elements that were not neccessarily un-Jesus like in some ways, but very much human. I met some great folks, and some folks who probably wanted to hurt me, and some indifferent folks. It was a pretty interesting night, kind of insane for a peron who's spent alot of time tortiose shelled and silent and now suddenly finds themselves uninihibitedly talking to pretty much anyone. The Caterpillar mentioned in the song is the one from Alice in Wonderland, whish a guy showed me that he had a tatoo of, quite the nice tatoo as well. Anyhow, thanks for listening and you'll be hearing another song next week.



Episode 7-Love Is Fiction

http://ia601703.us.archive.org/6/items/CeskyLivesEpisode7-loveIsFiction/Clep7-loveIsFiction.mp3

 

Here's episode 7 folks. A little tune about Jesus sweating blood and begging for another way. It's also about pointless arguments with folks who think faith is ridiculous, and the feeling that goes into these, played on the Banjo. Thanks for your listening time, happy easter also, and anyone who's a Western Australian living near Fremantle, I have a gig at the Swan Hotel on April 6th at 8pm, come have a listen, I'm followed by Agamous Betty, a friend of mine and a couple other folks who I haven't met yet, but they're more than likely very nice if they know my buddy.

Episode 6-Murky Blue

http://ia801704.us.archive.org/17/items/CeskyLivesEpisode6-murkyBlue/Clep6-murkyBlue.mp3

 

Here's episode 6, a little simple ukulele tune about being sad in the church, or atleast, being honest about the existance of sadness, giving it a chance to be what it is rather than going along to church like some kind of uber-happy soul warrior and going home for a cry afterwards. This is an anti religious song for sure, but never anti-faith, and the preacher in it, being asked to preach about something bitter I can carry with me, that kind of preacher does exist. A preacher who tells you they're broken too is what I'm talking about, and they are out there, definitely, some churches are not so much about the fake happy as are others.



Episode 5-Optimism In Real Life

 

http://ia601702.us.archive.org/7/items/CeskyLivesEpisode5-optimismInRealLife_691/Clep5-optimismInRealLife.mp3

Here's episode 5, unsuprisingly featuring the savior himself once again. Optimism In Real Life being a bit of an end times kind of a tune, the end is nigh so pull your head out kinda thing. Not much else to say about it really... 

Episode 4-I Am Your Home Now

http://ia601602.us.archive.org/9/items/CeskyLivesEpisdoe4-iAmYourHomeNow/Clep4-iAmYourHomeNow.mp3

 

Here's Episode 4. Another song about Jesus. I once talked to an older gentleman artist type who came into my uni every now and then to have a chat with the art students, you could book his time and get his advice and such and he said that Jesus was more offensive, more out there so to speak than all the other crazy things the art world delves into head first, he said that boundary pushing was Jesus thing basically, that we're no where near as good at it. This song kind of comes out of that idea in some ways. Faith is a bad smell to people who don't believe because it does push boundaries, it asks you to do and be something, without knowing exactly what that something is, just trusting and going for it. I do believe alot of people are trusting their own interpretations of what that something is and being nasty law makers who want to step on folks, but the majority of "Christians" shall we say, I think, have got good intentions, they know real life. I'm no preacher but I guess musically I'm getting a little preachy these days...

 

Episode 3-Witness

http://archive.org/download/CeskyLives-episode3-witness/CLEP3-Witness.mp3

 

 

 This weeks song is called Witness, it's based on a sermon/teaching I heard from a guy named Alex Galambosi. He spoke about John the Baptist & Jesus, from the same source reading that last weeks song came from but from a different perspective, he saw John as a tangible witness, a physical presence pointing the way to Jesus kinda' guy, and said that we should be that also, (those of us who desire that anyway). I also was challenged by another Ukulele player to make the Ukulele sound sad, I think this song sounds a little sad, probably more melancholy I spose but the Ukulele definitely sounds sad here to me. There's also a bit about pain and suffering being a reality, faith in Jesus not negating these but giving them meaning even, or especially if, that meaning is hard for us to understand. Again, I'm not Bible bashing, believe or don't believe whatever you like, but please don't negate this music because of it's content, it's what's coming out of me at the minute and is for everyone, not just folks with a faith in the same God that I believe in.

Episode 2-Grace & Truth

http://archive.org/download/CeskyLivesEpisode2-graceTruth/CLEP2-GraceandTruth.mp3

 

Here's episode two of Cesky Lives, the tune I wrote this week being called "Grace & Truth", based on some Bible reading I did about John the Baptist knowing that Jesus was about before Jesus revealed himself, (John 1:26-27 if you're a Bible reader). No insult or Bible bashing intended, just this is the song that came out of me this week and so here it is. Hope you like it and I'll be back next week with another.

 

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Episode 1-Human Skin

http://ia601602.us.archive.org/6/items/CeskyLivesEpisode1-humanSkin_107/Clep1-humanSkin.mp3

 

Welcome to Cesky Lives! a podcast by myself, Corey Marwick, to share my weekly song writing endevours with whoever's interested in having a listen. Honesty is the aim here, so even the songs I'm not to sure of will be shared, but atleast I would've just written them so they'll be enthusiastically delivered. This episode contains a song I wrote this week called "Human Skin" which is about how the "Church" historically has kind of missed the point as regards people, and how Jesus never did, he knew that the real people, the hurting folks, had the hearts to make things happen, to change, and that the religious folks were "white washed walls" so to speak. If you're not a religious/faith type then please don't be offended, I'm not in any way attempting to offend anyone, I'm just singing a song about stuff that interests me, as do a whole lot of other folks.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.