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STMcC’s Vote On '2019, November 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Jim Morrison Versus Van Morrison - And The Final Tally:
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OK, the Battle took place HERE. Whatever. I'm in such a bad place right now that it's a wonder I'm even bothering to write up this BOTB Results post. (To quote Warren Zevon: "I don't wanna talk about it".)
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As always, I sincerely thank all y'all who cared enough to take the time to visit, listen, and cast a vote.
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I voted for Van Morrison, but, by my count, Jim Morrison (predictably) beat Van 10-6. Our psychic, Carnac The Magnificent, predicted this BOTB outcome correctly, but that hardly required psychic ability. (I'm too tired to count up Carnac's prognosticating record, but I'll have it for you when you tune in to my next BOTB installment on December 1st. However, I know he's doing pretty good now.)
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I promised to tell y'all why this Battle had special significance for me, and although I'm not really in a social mood, I need to keep my promises, so...
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On the BOTB page, I posted the following 2 photos as clues:
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The Countess in 'The Bucket Of Blood Saloon' in Virginia City, Nevada (circa 1989). |
The peak of Mount Davidson with Virginia City's "V" on the mountainside below it. |
That first photo is of 'The Countess' - a past girlfriend of mine (the most significant one). And the second photo shows 'Mount Davidson' which rises above the world famous Virginia City in Nevada. The "V" on the side of Mount Davidson stands for "Virginia City", NOT for "Van" Morrison. And didn't anyone notice the 'Double-V' I created in that photo?! Actually, in truth, the photo is showing 2 "V"s pointing down, and 2 upside-down "V"s pointing up.
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The Countess and I went to Virginia City two or three times, but the first time was probably in 1989 or 1990. One day, on our first vacation there, The Countess and I had climbed up to D Street when I decided I really needed to hike up to the white "V" on the side of Mount Davidson (despite my pretty hellacious hangover). So, she patiently (or impatiently) waited for me while I did that. And when I finally got back down again, she and I went into The Famous Crystal Bar where I bought us Mint Juleps - which started a Mint-Julep-Palooza which likely contributed to the eventual death of [link> Margaret Marks, who was our bartender.
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To this day, the entirety of Van Morrison's 'Pagan Streams' speaks to me about that trip with The Countess:
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And I want to climb that hillside again, with you,
One more time
As the great, great, great, great, great, great, great
Being watches over
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"Honey Street", in 'Pagan Streams', is a reference to 'Marine Street' in Santa Monica, California, where The Countess once lived in "The House At Pooh Corner". I could go on and on explaining what Van Morrison *really* meant when he wrote 'Pagan Streams'.
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Virginia City, Nevada, has ALWAYS been my favorite place (going back about 16 years *BEFORE* I even met The Countess). In fact, the ONLY reason I've lived in Reno and Carson City is because both of them are only 30-minutes away from Virginia City. Here are some photos I've taken of my favorite place on Earth:
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Virginia City, Nevada, graveyard. |
Clouds gather over the graveyard. |
[No double or quadruple "V"s in those photos, so don't sweat it.]
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At least 28 years after I first hiked to the Virginia City "V" while The Countess waited for me, I did it again. And this time, a friendly, local dog named "Rudy" accompanied me all the way to the "V". Here are some photos of him I took while we were both in the middle of that white "V" on the mountainside:
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Over the decades, I've also hiked to the very tip-top of Mount Davidson about 4 times. Below are a couple of photos I've taken from the top of Mt. Davidson, overlooking Virginia City, while wearing some of my crazy socks (I LOVE CRAZY SOCKS!!) :
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Flamingos Fly Over Virginia City. |
Hula Girls Fly Over Virginia City. |
In fact, I intend to drive to Virginia City TOMORROW to meditate and hike, because I need to get the hell outta here and return to 1876, where I belong.
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There was more I wanted to write, about MMWJ ('Morning Music With Joe') and the second disc of Van Morrison's album 'Hymns To The Silence', but I'm just too tired and bummed out right now. Maybe sometime later. But here are a couple of photo-teasers:
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MORNING MUSIC WITH JOE (MMWJ) |
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Thanks, Y'All. I love ya! And I hope to see ya here again for my next Battle Of The Bands installment on December 1st, 2019.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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