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Dave Purcell's avatar

Salon Du Monde is intriguing -- I look forward to digging in. Congrats on your involvement!

Oh man, I was fascinated by the Mt. St. Helens eruption. I had just finished eighth grade. The year before my friend and I entered our volcano made of foam -- thanks to my friend's dad who worked at the Kings Island amusement park -- in the school science fair. It erupted with some mixture involving baking soda. We finished second to Scott and Ernie, who always dominated the damn thing.

Sunday Night was brilliant! It's amazing that Sanborn and Hal Willner got away with that. I love catching the occasional episode on YouTube.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Ha! I feel like very school had a Scott & Ernie eqivalent. Wonder what all of them are doing now?

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Kristin DeMarr's avatar

My mom told me yesterday “I saved a segment of Kelly Clarkson for you. It was this band called Weezer.” She thought the interaction was funny and that I would appreciate it. She said the one guy was monotone and Kelly got such a kick out of it. So, I’m sure my mom saved it for that reason (my oldest is pretty monotone because he has what used to be called Aspergers). Hahaha 😂 So, next time I go there she will share it with me 🥰

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Jen Zug's avatar

My high school boyfriend used the volcano eruption to try and convince me not to move here in 1990. 😅

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I mean, it’s a pretty unique play. Did you remind him about tornados in the Midwest? Lol.

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NickS (WA)'s avatar

Your introduction made me think of this song: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=129586

HARRY TRUMAN

(Tom Hunter) [Mt. St. Helens, 1980]

He had lived up there since 'twenty-nine,

Run a lodge and filled his time

Drinkin' whisky, raisin' cats and telling big tall tales

And now the mountain home he had

Was shaking, like the earth gone mad,

When they warned him, he said "No, I think I'll stay."

CHORUS

If the mountain goes, Then I'll go with it.

If the mountain goes, I'll go a-long

If the mountain goes, Then I'll go with it.

I'm gonna stay right here 'cause here's where I belong.

He said "The earthquake scared me bad up here,

But I've walked this mountain for fifty years

And it ain't gonna get me if the damn thing ever blows.

Besides I've got food, four weeks supply,

And whiskey, no, I'll never run dry,

I am this mountain, you can ask her, she knows."

Then on May eighteenth, Saint Helens blew

It tore the mountain right in two

With trees ripped, clouds of ash, the earth was glowing red.

As for Harry, no one knows,

He's up there still so the legend grows goes/i>

While the newspapers list him missing, presumed dead.

Now some say death's like going home

How the worst fate is to die alone,

Far from the people and the places you have known.

Maybe that's why Harry wouldn't leave,

It doesn't really matter what we believe,

Whether dead or alive old Harry's still at home.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I love it!

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David Perlmutter's avatar

I was born in 1980, but in July, and in Winnipeg. So I missed out on all the volcano stuff in the Pacific Northwest.

Why did he say "Vancouver- this is it!"? Did he think the debris from the explosion would flow up north? (I imagine some people in Vancouver feared that would happen.)

And yes, RIP Mr. Sanborn. I admire all the great practitioners of the saxophonic arts, and he was one of them.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

He was radioing the USGS headquarters in Vancouver, Washington (just on the other side of the Columbia River from Portland). It’s named after him now.

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Francesca Bossert's avatar

I remember hearing about the volcano erupting, but I was in Switzerland, I'd just finished my International Baccalaureate exams and high school was over, so the eruption wasn't really on my radar ; I remember it happening, but I wouldn't have known what year or when. I remember the other one, in Iceland, far more clearly, because over here all the flights were grounded! But again I couldn't tell you what year it was. Regarding David Sunburn, my younger sister spent a flight from Geneva to San Francisco with him and his orchestra back in the early 80s... She was coming to "rescue" me from, well, it's complicated, in San Francisco. I remember her telling me that a lot of space cakes were consumed during the flight, and that it was super fun! I hope I can keep up with my cool stories for you over the next few weeks; between this and the Killing Joke one I'm feeling quite awesome!! Lol!! Congratulations on the collaboration with...whatever it is... I can't remember because I got excited about Space Cakes (which came up in one of my poems recently, called Space Cadet, so check that out!) and poor old David Sunborn. But yes, congratulations! It sounded super cool so I'm sure it will be! In other awesome news I'm going to see Ricky Martin in Barcelona on July 20th, and if you haven't been to any of his concerts you are missing out on a great party and performance! I've seen him many times and it's always so much fun! xx

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I think that was in 2009? Maybe 2010? My day job is working for an airline, and it was a total mess.

Enjoy the show! That sounds like it'll be a blast.

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David Perlmutter's avatar

Oh, yeah- there's a Vancouver in Washington, too...

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John E. Canuck's avatar

" If you can’t control something, you might as well sing about it, right? "

Good one.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Thank you!

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Andres's avatar

Great read! I love it when songs get a whole new lease on life by an entire community. It’s refreshing and healing. When we can’t find the right words, music comes to the rescue. Happy weekend!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Thank you, Andy!

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jeleonard193's avatar

In 1980, I was winding down my junior year of college during which, if I recall correctly, I spent the majority of the time in British pubs while on an exchange program. So May 18 whereabouts are undefined.

Debbie Harry with backing vocals for Pere Ubu? I just don't have words. Thanks for digging that up. Great segue out of the weekend.....

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Of course! It's quite the combo isn't it?

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