Jim Lamarche - SAVING LIVES

Tuesday, 19 January 2021

OLD FRIENDS

four and forty blackbirds, singing daydreams

volume up, 720p

old friends

the story behind the song

home - homeland

throw your worthless coins into my case

The title track from the album that was never released commercially. Old Friends (the song) was recorded after I moved to Toronto in January 1980 after a 2 year hiatus from the studio. I was 23. Acoustic ballads had no appeal to record companies back then, so it wasn't submitted as a possibility for my first album (later on) but I always liked it. No synths/samplers, computers or drum machines back in those days - just my guitars and now a recording studio at my disposal. I barely slept in the 16 weeks that I was on that government grant.

I got into Kensington Sound, Toronto as an intern of sorts, through a program called OCAP which allowed me a short window to do something in the field in which I was educated. Best part, is that I was given keys and security clearance, so I went in at night and spent several weeks playing with ideas on my own and this was the first song I recorded.

One thing that's really cool about being in a studio at 4 am, during yet another cold, late Canadian winter storm in Toronto recording voices when everyone else is asleep, stumbling home at 6 (sun rising) - for a noon callback - beyond that? ... is that one comes up with ideas that would never have appeared if others were present - making it all more intimate.

The high voices were recorded at half speed (15ips) on the 24 track analog recorder and then I put them through a Marshall Time Modulator (the vibrato effect), after bumping the speed back to 30ips. This song was remastered in 2010 with Wave plug-ins and pulling it up recently, inspired to put some pictures to it in October 2015 - 35 years later.

My best work has always been done in a relatively short period of time. I wrote this song in a couple of hours before recording it that night in 6 hours (Feb 1980) and mixed it the following night in 2 hours. This clip was assembled here in Final Cut on October 06, 2015 in 4 hours.

A 12 hour project front to back.

Turns out I was hired on at Kensington Sound that April, where I continued as an engineer until that June before moving on to another studio ... Captain Audio in Yorkville, freelancing Eastern Sound then Amber Studios on Queen West.

jimlamarche.ca

Friday, 15 January 2021

Visionary

change your heart - look around you

"the only language men ever speak perfectly

is the one they learn to speak in babyhood

when no one can teach them anything"

Maria Montessori

V I S I O N A R Y

algebra? why?

there's gotta be a reason

to learn this shit

because this whole 'reward' vs 'punishment' crap

just isn't working and

I'm not a numbers guy

chaos and confusion envelopes us early on

and we are filled with 'ideas' that throw us off course

ensconced in the world's insipid ideologies

handed down first by our parents
then our teachers/schools
employers and so on
and on we go

quarter century later
gravitating to the big city
because that's where we need to be
to be "in the loop"
a place where we can BE
someone

today's special
flavour of the week
employee of the month
pushing forward because
that's what you're supposed
to do

it's no wonder why
we need to 'medicate'
in a jar

ah - all those precious memories

back to the days when young students - boys mostly
were strapped for misbehaving (boner, I mean bonus)
for their unwillingness to
be compliant

I need your lovin' ... like the sunshine

in an abstract absence of empathy and humility
deliriously distracted denizens

harassing those who are independent thinkers
for being unwilling to learn
how to play the game
properly

it is a simple message
play by the rules and you'll be rewarded
question them and you'll be punished
plain and simple

truth is

we learn to 'adapt' to our surroundings
at an early age - reprimanded for rebelling
when in fact challenging the system
is what all great thinkers did/do
to this day

only all too often many (most) of us are convinced
early on that what we ultimately want
is something not possible

fear is instilled, then
the waiting game begins

waiting for something better to come along
and release us from the cage
only it never does

accepting our fate, our chosen destiny
chosen by others - quietly coming to terms
with the crappy hand of cards we've been dealt because

that's just what you do
go ahead, have your way with me

I surrender

change your heart - look around you

I'm in heaven - I mean
ok, maybe I'll get lucky some day
maybe God will come down and give me a lap-dance
but only if I stick to the plan
and never question
the truth

creature comforts
in the pleasure dome
glued to our sacred sacraments
in HD on our soiled screens

waiting

it's just a theory

that makes a lot more sense

to me

V I S I O N A R Y

as an artist/composer looking back
my favourite musical compositions are always
those created and conceived (and recorded)
in a very short time-frame (minutes/hours)

thinking about it too much

just made it more elusive, distant
it's like it just arrives
out of nowhere

with a simple invitation

visionaries

are those who see light in the darkness and quickly harness it
instead of ignoring the signs and signals

embracing them

turning nothing into something

change your heart
it will astound you

if you care for your children
keep their environment uncluttered
free of useless gadgets and distractions
keep your conversation honest and straight-forward
free of control and manipulation
free of hidden agendas
free of fear
breathe

keeping one's decisions fair and generous
free of punishment and shame

and (most importantly) - free of blame

because fundamentally
we are all guilty

of nothing

dedicated to Maria Montessori (1870-1952)

Thursday, 19 November 2020

RUN LOLA RUN

lockdown 2 here

downshifting

it's been a good run

after lockdown 1 (March-June)

obsessed w/my new muse

doing a/v (youtube) remixes/uploading

daily cold swims - total blast - fun

3 albums - done

getting old - fuck

can't run anymore

my swims gone now

R U N L O L A R U N

fog rolling in again - darker every day

this time - giving me

the shivers

time to rest & reflect

it's going to be a long, cold & lonely winter

in Toronto

goodnight beauties

R U N L O L A R U N

volume up

every second of every day

you make a choice, that can change

your life

optimized for night vision

a jim lamarche remix

assembled in photoshop, logic audio & final cut

featuring the Roland System 8

run lola run (1998)

x-filme creative pool

directed by: tom tykwer

source music: guillaume gonzales

https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/8296332

read more of Jim's blog posts here

http://jimlamarche.blogspot.com/

listen to the album ONE LIFE >>> HERE
(play all)

right

it's this 90's euro-thriller flick I just watched again

soo good

they frikkin' nailed it

I so enjoyed remixing this one

total blast

ok, it was her

she hooked

me in

her face

see the TEMPLE REDUX album/page here >>>

http://www.jimlamarche.ca/jimlamarche-templeredux/

see the ONE LIFE album/page here >>>
http://www.jimlamarche.ca/onelife/

see the new TWO LIVES album/page here >>>
http://www.jimlamarche.ca/twolives/

see the new THREE LIVES album/page here >>>

http://www.jimlamarche.ca/threelives/

read more of Jim's blog posts here

http://jimlamarche.blogspot.com/

jimlamarche.ca

Thursday, 5 November 2020

THE TAKING

Ok. I'm thinking

there are a lot of things

that aren't working here

time to make changes

T H E T A K I N G

volume up - 720p

optimized for night vision

a jim lamarche remix

from the album TWO LIVES

assembled in photoshop, logic audio & final cut

featuring the Roland System 8

DIRECTED & PRODUCED BY:

Intuitive Society

CAMERA / CUT:

Monika Vaskorova

CHOREOGRAPHY / PERFORMANCE:

Dasa Horvathova

read more of Jim's blog posts here

http://jimlamarche.blogspot.com/

listen to the album ONE LIFE >>> HERE
(play all)

see the TEMPLE REDUX album/page here >>>

http://www.jimlamarche.ca/jimlamarche-templeredux/

see the ONE LIFE album/page here >>>
http://www.jimlamarche.ca/onelife/

see the new TWO LIVES album/page here >>>
http://www.jimlamarche.ca/twolives/

see the new THREE LIVES album/page here >>>

http://www.jimlamarche.ca/threelives/

jimlamarche.ca

Tuesday, 3 November 2020

US & THEM - a discussion on ideological preferences

A few months ago, I engaged in a discussion with a friend whom I’ve known for years (my age) at the fitness centre where we both swim here in High Park Toronto. This was our first exchange on the subject of politics and I was surprised to find out he was a hard-line Conservative, Trump loyalist and anti-masker. Never knew that about him. Eastern European in descent having lived in Canada most of his adult life, a musician, Dad like me (retired/daughter same age) but having been employed in a ‘real job’ for many many years, having endured some tough times earlier on and carrying a whole lot resentment.

Our ideological preference was a discovery for both of us and there was a newfound moment of alertness that eased somewhat as the conversation continued. The word recoil comes to mind. That said, I believe we both softened once realizing that a serious conflict wasn’t worth the trouble, nor should it dampen the hundreds of casual disclosures we’ve shared over the years. Safe to say we have a genuine fondness for each other as fellow humans. I’m wishfully thinking it’s what years of experience has taught us, both knowing that our intransigence on this topic would likely not waver … appreciating our differences and prepared to incrementally explore them in that moment. Silence …

“So you’re a Trudeau lover”, he defiantly asked with a peering indignant look … “you think we should have open borders and let anyone in who wants to come here” sensing a tension escalation in his practiced broken english. His assertion was more a stubborn proclamation this time; not so much a question but more a statement (of fact), like he already had me figured out - one of them. What I got in that moment was his need to widen the polarity as far as it could go, stretch it tight … his white, my black - his right, my wrong … his freedom - my threat to that freedom; all the crazy crap amplified over the past 4 years. In this world the light switch is either on or off, light or dark - no greyscale let alone colour. Conclusive.

“No, I’m not a Trudeau lover just thankful it’s him running the country”, I said. Now he’s looking even more agitated with a ‘what’s that supposed to mean’ look. Continuing … “well let's just say that I respect all those who have made this their home, here now”. Confused silence … “but Jimmy this is not their home” he said, really needing me to get this. “Yes it is” I calmly reiterated. “As for open borders, definitely not” I said … “but we need educated newcomers with skills for our economy to survive & compete globally” (thinking go easy). “Immigration law in Canada is strict and there’s a very real criteria/rules one needs to have to qualify to stay & work and it’s not so simple”. “Ok” he said, “so then they get here then they bring their whole family here too, when there are ‘real’ Canadians who are unemployed and need help”. Everything is stretched to the max thinking this is going to be a tough sell, articulating my (obviously flawed) reasoning. "You see, Canadians often lack the skills/education needed/required for the job, that's why most of the doctors in rural Canada were born in other countries - supply & demand". Now there's a sense of internal fuming in the silence, continuing. "Your fruits & vegetables ... foreigners often do things and go places we 'Canadians' won't do or go to - we need them."

Wrapping my wet suit in my towel and putting it in my gym bag, zipping it up. Quiet. His head now shaking almost in disbelief (thinking it just might explode). Black or white, light or dark - no variation. The troops are dug in and they’re not going anywhere - pause. Twenty seconds passing, looking over at him. “They need to be deported … sent back”, he defiantly remarked. Extended silence.

Referring to him by his first name ... “Where were you born?”, I asked. “Lithuania” he earnestly replied. Contemplating the fallout of where this was going, still risking it … “So maybe you need to be deported too” I said. His jaw slightly dropped. Dumbfounded, disgust. “You’re crazy” his last words to me, walking away. I’ve seen him a dozen or so times since and it’s almost as if that conversation never happened. Like we both know not to go there.

I’m fine with that.