Lay Down Sally

It is actually a neglected masterwork of pop songs. Not the best tune on 'Slowhand' but that LP is really a towering Everest. The very worst thing on 'Slowhand' is better than most everything else on the airwaves back then. Worst tune is of course "Cocaine" and my generation is rightly called to account for the 70's but take the nuance?

Was a crazy time and personal excess was the cool beans. Even "Cocaine" has its merits. It's a clunky simple riff; a stadium anthem. And it sure was a crowd pleaser in the era.

The height of Clapton's personal creativity was 'Slowhand' and '461 Ocean Blvd' before it. Good stuff there. Though I was bit of a snob in my wayward youth, I've long been a supporter of straight out pop songs. They're really hard to write. Frampton's one bit in the spotlight, amazing work. Mikey Jackson's 'Thriller' too, just beautiful in its seeming simplicity, hiding a staggering complexity.

And that of course brings me logically to the topic of fish rains in Australia. Yep, it's been raining fish in Australia lately. Perch to be exact. Delicious, but lots of bones.

Very strange things have been falling from the sky throughout recorded human history. In the 19th century, a block of ice fell from a clear blue sky in Alabama. Had a turtle inside. The ice hunk melted, turtle woke up and crawled away.

Journalism was rife with incorrect reporting and sensationalism back then (not like now in these enlightened times) so I'll just strike off frozen turtles.

Was a big deal back in early 1800's where some locals insisted they'd seen fish fall from the sky. Scientists of the time dismissed the claims. "Fishmongers headed home from market day dumped unsold wares. Some rustics came along and jumped to conclusions." Yeah, they said that, in print. That's a kind of quicksand always lurking for indocrinated intellectuals. If honest people with their own eyes saw something that doesn't fit your assumptions... well it didn't happen.

Mind you, at this same time Science didn't believe in meteorites. I've read their arguments, quite persuasive myopic drivel. "Look up in the sky. Do you see rocks up there?" Yeah, well now we know better, and I own a few meteorites.

And now it's undeniable (has been by real scientists for decades) sometimes fish fall from the sky. Oh, also chestnuts, shrimp, frogs, tree leaves, at times from a clear sky. Also red rain.

There's an engineering saying. Theory follows observation. Once fish rains were dismissed as the ravings of ignorant rustics. Now we have video and it can't be denied any longer.

Science explanations are interesting. A freak tornadic wind scoops up fish from a pond, takes them maybe 50,000 feet in the air and then rains them down, where they hit the ground still alive. Nope, I don't see any rocks up in the sky either.

Myself, I'd more respect a "We got NO freaking clue here!" than witch doctor mumblings. It happens. Sometimes it rains curious objects and organisms. This world is like a really catchy pop song.

At times, it's enough just to listen and smile.