This is about me, my sons Hud and Adam; and one of my favourite artists John Mellencamp (JM).
JM put together his first band at the age of 17, covering songs, one of which was James Brown's "I'm Your Puppet". Coincidentally, one of my previous jobs was actually as a puppeteer. Remember TV shows Along and Jojo & Friends?
At the age of 17, I was heavily involved in automobiles, with Porsche being the second biggest subject matter. That was when I learned that the Porsche Speedster, in which late actor James Dean crashed, was dubbed Little Bastard. Coincidentally, JM, being a fan of James Dean, nicknamed himself Little Bastard as a producer for his albums. The name James Dean also appeared in his song Jack & Diane.
Thanks to my dad (abah) who was a hi-fi freak, I grew up listening to Rickie Lee Jones (RLJ). When I formed a band, I called it Know One Nose, the name of RLJ's music publishing house. We played nothing but JM's songs. Coincidentally, around the same time, JM cut a duet with RLJ.
Before I even got married, I had an inspiration to call my son Hud, should I have a son in the future. When I got engaged, JM cut an album called Mr Happy Go Lucky. It featured his son on the album cover. That was when I learned that his son was also named Hud. Coincidence?
I was having another inspiration that should I get another daughter, I would call her Adila (Arabic, meaning "just" or "fair") when I discovered afterwards that JM's second daughter is also named Justice. Coincidence again?
Before I got into playing music, my interest has always been art and paintings. I wanted to attend art school and learn automotive design. When dad couldn't afford to send me to an art school, I secretly learned to play the guitar, and quietly erased my passion for "painting". Coincidentally, around the same time, JM wrote a song called Play Guitar!
After the albums Lonesome Jubilee and Big Daddy, JM had a nervous breakdown. He stopped playing music for a year and got into paintings! Ironically, I quit painting totally and got into music. Then, apart writing songs, JM began to run an Art Center in Seymour Jackson County, while I ran a music studio in Subang Jaya.
The initial JM also stands for Joni Mitchell, another one of my favorite songwriters and painters. Joni became popular in the ‘70s around the same time as James Taylor, Janis Joplin, Jackson Brown and Cat Stevens. Joni is considered the most artistic because she is a painter, a poet and a songwriter. She has always been an inspiration to people like JM, rock group Counting Crows and me. JM and me derive inspiration from the same source? Coincidence?
When Cat Stevens embraced Islam, he changed his name to Yusuf. Coincidence? When I got my second son, I named him Adam. Coincidentally, Adam Duritz is the singer-songwriter of Counting Crows!
The same year I got Adam, Sheryl Crow recorded "The First Cut is the Deepest", a classic song written by Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam)! What a coincidence!
You are not going to believe this...last weekend I played back some of Joni Mitchell's albums which I haven't played for a long time. I was looking at the sleeve notes when I discovered that her music publisher is Crazy Crow Music BMI!
Coincidentally, Sheryl Crow's music publishing house is Old Crow BMI!
And here are more coincidences -
My son Adam (who shares the same name as the Counting Crows band leader) was born in 2003, the same year Counting Crows recorded a cover version of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi". Coincidentally, Joni recorded Big Yellow Taxi in 1971, which was the year I was born!
A year after Adam was born, which is also a year after Counting Crows remade Big Yellow Taxi, which is 2004, Sheryl Crow did a remake of The First Cut is the Deepest - a song originally written by Cats Stevens a.k.a Yusuf Islam!
This thing is getting freakier and freakier!
My first two children, Hud and Hannah, were born in Seremban. Adam was the only one who was born in Klang, a town full of crows.
Coincidence?
Or perhaps...a missing link? :)
JM put together his first band at the age of 17, covering songs, one of which was James Brown's "I'm Your Puppet". Coincidentally, one of my previous jobs was actually as a puppeteer. Remember TV shows Along and Jojo & Friends?
At the age of 17, I was heavily involved in automobiles, with Porsche being the second biggest subject matter. That was when I learned that the Porsche Speedster, in which late actor James Dean crashed, was dubbed Little Bastard. Coincidentally, JM, being a fan of James Dean, nicknamed himself Little Bastard as a producer for his albums. The name James Dean also appeared in his song Jack & Diane.
Thanks to my dad (abah) who was a hi-fi freak, I grew up listening to Rickie Lee Jones (RLJ). When I formed a band, I called it Know One Nose, the name of RLJ's music publishing house. We played nothing but JM's songs. Coincidentally, around the same time, JM cut a duet with RLJ.
Before I even got married, I had an inspiration to call my son Hud, should I have a son in the future. When I got engaged, JM cut an album called Mr Happy Go Lucky. It featured his son on the album cover. That was when I learned that his son was also named Hud. Coincidence?
I was having another inspiration that should I get another daughter, I would call her Adila (Arabic, meaning "just" or "fair") when I discovered afterwards that JM's second daughter is also named Justice. Coincidence again?
Before I got into playing music, my interest has always been art and paintings. I wanted to attend art school and learn automotive design. When dad couldn't afford to send me to an art school, I secretly learned to play the guitar, and quietly erased my passion for "painting". Coincidentally, around the same time, JM wrote a song called Play Guitar!
After the albums Lonesome Jubilee and Big Daddy, JM had a nervous breakdown. He stopped playing music for a year and got into paintings! Ironically, I quit painting totally and got into music. Then, apart writing songs, JM began to run an Art Center in Seymour Jackson County, while I ran a music studio in Subang Jaya.
The initial JM also stands for Joni Mitchell, another one of my favorite songwriters and painters. Joni became popular in the ‘70s around the same time as James Taylor, Janis Joplin, Jackson Brown and Cat Stevens. Joni is considered the most artistic because she is a painter, a poet and a songwriter. She has always been an inspiration to people like JM, rock group Counting Crows and me. JM and me derive inspiration from the same source? Coincidence?
When Cat Stevens embraced Islam, he changed his name to Yusuf. Coincidence? When I got my second son, I named him Adam. Coincidentally, Adam Duritz is the singer-songwriter of Counting Crows!
The same year I got Adam, Sheryl Crow recorded "The First Cut is the Deepest", a classic song written by Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam)! What a coincidence!
You are not going to believe this...last weekend I played back some of Joni Mitchell's albums which I haven't played for a long time. I was looking at the sleeve notes when I discovered that her music publisher is Crazy Crow Music BMI!
Coincidentally, Sheryl Crow's music publishing house is Old Crow BMI!
And here are more coincidences -
My son Adam (who shares the same name as the Counting Crows band leader) was born in 2003, the same year Counting Crows recorded a cover version of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi". Coincidentally, Joni recorded Big Yellow Taxi in 1971, which was the year I was born!
A year after Adam was born, which is also a year after Counting Crows remade Big Yellow Taxi, which is 2004, Sheryl Crow did a remake of The First Cut is the Deepest - a song originally written by Cats Stevens a.k.a Yusuf Islam!
This thing is getting freakier and freakier!
My first two children, Hud and Hannah, were born in Seremban. Adam was the only one who was born in Klang, a town full of crows.
Coincidence?
Or perhaps...a missing link? :)
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