Whales

[jeffy@lewhoosh.umd.edu (Jeffrey C. Burka)]

Neil-not-Richard writes:

>In last week's Canned Carrot programme on BBC-1 Brummie comedian
>Jasper Carrot did a routine in which he mentioned Kate Bush. The
>reference was to her having recorded an album with whales on it and
>various "jokes" about getting whales into the studio. As well as being
>notably unfunny (which is unusual as Carrot's material is normally
>well-written) it was inaccurate - I believe it was Judy Collins who recorded
>an album which featured whale sounds prominently.

Well, KaTe did record an "album with whales on it" but they only appear on
one track--"Moving."  The gag about getting whales into the studio is as valid
for one song as for an entire album--regardless of whether or not it's funny
(is that on the same level as the soldier in the studio bolting his rifle
whilst following Kate's conducting?)

As for Judy Collins, I'm not sure if she had an entire album with prominent
whale songs--I'd have to check with my Dad.  She does, however, have a
*beautiful* song called "Farewell to Tarwathie" which is about whale hunting
and extinction--I've never been positive if it's lamenting the passing of
the species of whales or of whale hunters.  Either way, it's a gorgeous song.
Back in '80, my dad bought a sailboat and my family spent a long, long time
discussing what we would name it (we're talking _months_ here).  One night
during dinner, my mother jumped up from the table with absolutely no warning,
ran into the other room, and put on that song.  She came back into the 
dining room and said, "Listen to this.  We *have* to name the boat Tarwathie."
After listening to the song, the vote was unanimous.  Interestingly, a few
years later, some guy was walking along the dock where we kept Tarwathie and
was shocked to see the name.  He spoke to the harbormaster who gave him
our phone number.  It seems that his ancestry is Scottish and Tarwathie was
either the name of his clan or of his ancestral homestead or something along
those lines, and it happened to be the name of his boat.

Oh well.  Enough droning. <note semi-veiled bagpipe pun to continue in the
Scottish vein>

Jeff
(who got frustrated enough at not being able to find the RM/CitW single that
he's gone ahead and bought _Two Rooms_, knowing full well that he'll buy the
single too as soon as he can.)

-- 
|Jeffrey C. Burka                |  Life is a lot like the Freak Show     |
|                                |  Nobody laughs when they leave.        |
|jeffy@lewhoosh.umd.edu          |                     --The Residents    |