“If you hear a voice within you saying, ‘you are not a painter,’ then by all means paint boy, and that voice will be silenced”

– Vincent Van Gogh

I’m one of these guys who studied fine art in first year of university and enjoyed it...much to my own surprise.

But I also subscribe wholly to Red Green’s primary dictum on most modern art which discerns true art from true CRAPOLA! Red simply says, “If I can do it – it ain’t art!”

Well said. So I’m presently reading three books on artists: Delacroix, Cezanne and Van Gogh. Oh the strange world of artists indeed, but the profundity of that one unusual man, Van Gogh.

He taught himself to sketch, and then paint, and then joined the others in late 19th century France. The tragic story of that strange man is intriguing to be sure!

He who turned from a comfortable middle class life in art dealing after six years of training in exchange for a search of meaning said succinctly of such, “When the apple is ripe, a soft breeze makes it fall from the tree; such was the case here.”

He then found his heart’s work in helping and ministering to poor Flemish miners. Then, in his further despair, he turned to sketching and painting which eventually would bring him fame, for the most part, after his tragic self-inflicted end.

But the most heart-breaking part of his life story was his social awkwardness. The story of his unfortunate pursuit of a young lady who jilted him quickly. Then his meeting of a young widow who did the same.

He writes of love without having experienced it, and then gradually degenerates to whore-mongering, drunkenness, self-mutilation and a sad suicide. But this isn’t some degenerate rock star type story.

Throughout, his painting and his many letters contain an intelligent and thought-provoking pursuit for meaning and goodness through the asylums and via the friendships that he encountered.

A tragedy indeed.

v v v

Nana Mouskouri was born with only one vocal chord, according to the notes on the CD cover.

I say God must have made her that way because were she to have two of that calibre it would probably split the atom or something!

Yes, that Cretan beauty has a new CD out with the best of her best. Apparently you can also buy a 34 CD box of her life-long music.

Her who looks like some sort of Mona Lisa, albeit far more beautiful. That, even with those trademark black rimmed glasses!

I recall being ignorant of her greatness back in 1979 in Toronto, when I missed the chance of a lifetime to see and hear her in concert.

She has over 300 gold and platinum albums worldwide and sings in seven languages – in perfect diction!

Anyway, this latest, Nana Mouskouri Gold, has an amazing and varied collection ranging from Ave Maria, Amazing Grace and Morning Has Broken, to Guantanamera and her great trademark song, I Have A Dream.

But it also includes that old black spiritual, Oh Happy Day, done so well that it approaches the great Mahalia Jackson! This disc has been playing steady in my little ol’ truck for two weeks now and I haven’t the least inclination of frisbeeing it anytime soon!

v v v

You had to laugh along with long-time CFL coach Don Matthews who, at age 70, and against his better judgement, along with his wife’s wishes, left his comfortable retirement in Oregon to try and salvage the poor old Toronto Argonauts season this year.

Not one, not two, but eight straight losses and the season was over – thank God!

As a sort of booby prize it looked like they would have at least one victory in the final game, yet that got sadly botched in the end.

There’s poor old Don sadly smiling in his season’s end interview. Don smiled and admitted to having had to eat a little crow at home, “I phoned the wife to say I was coming and she replies, ‘Good, the dog just crapped on the carpet so you can clean it up!’”

Poor Don, rather than the one last “Hail Conquering Hero” he imagined last summer, he joins his best buddy in the dog house.