The Sky's the Limit

you want me to need you and I need you to want me

your past has freed you; mine keeps coming back to haunt me

you know much more about me, than I'll ever know about you

(darlin', what can I do?)

...

we sit separated by silence, unable to bridge the distance

between tenderness and violence, warmth or resistance

I don't doubt you could live without me;

I could get by without you...but that just won't do

...

the sky's the limit, if we just can hold on

and weather each storm through to the dawn

with so much at stake, heartache can not shake my resolve...

sure, we've got problems to solve

...

we've each got our cycles, like the moon and the tide

the give of our love; the pull of our pride

what we have together, is more than the sum of the parts

I'm talking human hearts...

...

the sky's the limit, and I'm leaving the ground

my hands are trembling, and my heart starts to pound

darlin', come what may, I want to stay around you...

I swear this love is true...

...

you want me to need you... I need you to want me

you want me to need you... I need you to want me...

     ... well ... this is an old song (first track on side 'B' of the 'O'Toole and Friends/Live at Artspace' cassette, recorded July 08th, 1990); and I don't believe it was 'new' at the time; but definitely one of the 'rockier' numbers in the 'folk/rock' set. Dave Borne on guitar, Jim Leslie on the kit; Craig Patterson on the upright bass (this unit would morph into 'The Crossing' not too long after, with J.P. Hovercraft on the electric fretted and fretless basses, as well as adding his vocals to the mix).  This was a heady time for me;t o be taking my original material out to concert and nightclub venues (mostly bars). I recall Andy Pryde giving Dave a crash course in intonating an electric guitar prior to the recording. As The Crossing evolved, I began to delve into the world of electric guitars myself; eventually ending up with three Gibsons onstage (6&12 string 335s, and a little Les Paul Firebrand) fed into a vintage blackface Fender Super Reverb. Some of this outfit can be seen in archival video clips from a concert at The Pines (some footage on the Agoraphobic Folk page, eventually to be transferred here). Looking at the cassette liner notes as I write, I'm struck by the optimism of the young man in his middle to later thirties.

   I had forsaken the world of stimulants (not coffee, of course) in my 35th year; after a woman by the name of Jan Woods had predicted that I ought not to expect to make it past my 40th year. Jan had been commissioned to do an in depth study of John Lennon's astral chart after his tragic assassination by a wealthy fan in Calgary. When I was leaving Cowtown some time after that; she 'read' charts for myself and the woman who was to become Willow's mom. Jan told me that the salient difference between my chart and John's was the ten years between us by birth; and therefore I might do well to get my living in before my 40th year came rolling around. Of course this prompted a spate of hedonistic adventurism. Eventually I settled down to getting some music accomplished; and at one point had Bandanna! on the go, as well as O'Toole and Friends/The Crossing and duo work with Dave Borne. There was a period when Joel Reynolds joined The Crossing and Dave and I in a trio setting on keyboards. Such was my 'rock'n'roll career, for what it was worth. A bit of a tsunami in a teapot; but loads of fun on occasion. Jan died in a motorcycle crash out in the mountains of Alberta sometime thereafter ( I guess she didn't see that coming) and Dave in a crossroads car crash in June of '95. He had been gigging with a bluesman whose name escapes me; but any dream of 'putting the band back together' died with him. Eventually the electric guitars and amp morphed into acoustic instruments; but of late I've been getting back into the world of electric instruments; ( I have several of Peter Cragg's) and one day hope to have an 'outfit' to take out on occasion again. Cousin Michael P. O'Toole and I have a little 'rock'n'roll history' behind us with a band of his associates the never settled on a name. I would jokingly refer to us as 'Five B'Hai and I' (due to their religious affiliation) though we toyed with the names 'Hobbyrocker' and 'Dreamcatcher' by turns. The word 'hobby' has always seemed abrasive to me. I consider music a vocation, whether or not one makes a living (or even any money) at it. Cousin Michael P. and I will play a B'Hai 'NawRuz' (Spring Equinox/new Year) celebration later this month. love to all, d.

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