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Ghost on the Canvas - Share your thoughts!

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robduloc
Posts: 398
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 1:43 pm

Re: Ghost on the Canvas - Share your thoughts!

Post by robduloc »

There isn't an acrylic floor finish in the world, where you can lay enough coats to be an eigthth of an inch thick, I realize now, I was exagerrating, you find yourself in those moments when you feel faced with some unsurmountable task, but you overcome the ordeal and gain a broader perspective.

Lord knows, there are plenty of hills, it's which mountain to chose!

I learned the other day, fear and faith are the same thing essentially, fear is going in the wrong direction.

It's that broader perspective that we are seeking.

I'm not one to have to try and forget and put something behind me, I like to know where I come from and aim where I ought to go.

I think that they call it "roots".

The big lesson I learned, reaffirmed this summer, you have to throw yourself into the moment, make every minute or note count, as they say.

And then you will have something on your hands that they will talk about a long time to come.

Glen Campbell Ghost On The Canvas


robduloc
Posts: 398
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 1:43 pm

Re: Ghost on the Canvas - Share your thoughts!

Post by robduloc »

Thank you, Mike, you are so articulate, I rely on you, to say what I would like but need help, and it's your connection to the spiritual realm, it's what's you do musically, the craftsmanship and enjoying a good solid hammer in your hands, the two intertwined that way like a good cup of coffee in the morning and a whole day to fill with sensory, that's what you are helping me try to get at, the invisible side with no form that really is our main body, I was thinking that when I came across and bought a book at Goodwill the other day, the mystical message behind water, that which we think is formless truly comprises our main body, do you know what I am trying to get at, I feel it in Ghost On The Canvas.

Thank you, Mike, everybody. If there any Native American philosophy or insights to lend, I would love to hear them. I have had a number of dreams about being connected to original natives of the Southwest region, where the Campbell's lived for a number of years, yes?

Feel the desert wind coming over the rocks and touch our face.

Love,
Rob~


Mike Joyce
Posts: 565
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 9:23 am

Re: Ghost on the Canvas - Share your thoughts!

Post by Mike Joyce »

Hi robduloc,
Your story really resonated with me. As a handy man myself there are times when I am alone in a house just working away, painting or decorating or some other job I am employed to do. It is sometimes a job that doesn't need my full attention so listening to music on my MP3 is a great way to loose my self and enjoy those songs that still move and motivate me. I hate silence, although sometimes that can be a benefit if I am trying to do something more technical which requires more thinking, but sometimes it's the music that carries me through.
Sometimes it also offers the chance to listen to the music in a different way. For example if I listen to a song I have heard a hundred times , I will focus on the work going on behind the voice and listen for the sounds of the rhythm guitars or the violin arrangements. Sometimes it's amazing to say to my self "I never heard that before". And yet it was there all the time.
The floor surely was a great challenge to complete, but no doubt very satisfying to achieve. Did you have to recover the surface once it was prepared? Any way, well done on a great job. I am sure the teachers and students couldn't believe there eyes when they returned to school.


robduloc
Posts: 398
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 1:43 pm

Re: Ghost on the Canvas - Share your thoughts!

Post by robduloc »

I first purchased and listened to the CD Ghost On The Canvas right before the Farewell Tour.

It was my first summer at my new school and I had all the floors to strip and recoat in the main office which is traditionally the head day custodian's area to do, I could tell there were over 200 coats of old finish on the floor, head custodians have a way of doing that in the old days, rather than routinely strip and wax like you ought to, they used to throw down a new coat of polish and take the rest of the summer off.

Hot stripper and heavy abrasive pads couldn't even come close to making a dent in the old finish, it was like a sheet of glass around an eighth of an inch thick, I had to resort to getting down on my knees and striking it out by hand with a floor scraper one tile at a time.

Everybody was gone for the summer, I smuggled compact disks of Glen Campbell See You There and Ghost On The Canvas to ease the burden, I was bent on restoring the floors to their former glory, the build up looked so dark and dirty, light could no longer bounce off the surface and make the polish look shiny, a clean looking floor, that's the effect I needed to achieve.

I was around 52 at the time, my first elementary school, one of the oldest remaining ones in the district, there was a lot of retro-fitting to save the existing structure.

I found myself listening to the new albums when I was at home when everyone was settling in for the night, I knew that I was onto something big, the recordings I had been seeking, the songs that say and express so much... so much love and living packed into those songs, I just needed time to find them, I am so thankful, I found Glen Campbell See You There and Ghost On The Canvas when I did.

Everyday for weeks I returned to those floors, the mail room, clinic, and songs.

A Thousand Lifetimes became a sort of parallel to what I was doing or going on in my life.

Older children with older and bigger problems just surfacing, older last surviving parents that require extra attention, Ghost On The Canvas became a banner, anthem even, the driving force and urgency, to live life deliberately, love and strive to apply care and attention to the fullest, all the details coming togther to achieve the most desired effect.

It really was the first time in my life, I learned it wasn't all about me. Glen Campbell help me get there. The sheer strength or muscle applied to keep going, sit and reflect, take stock and move on.

And I know that I can always return to that driving force and beat, it's inherent in all of us, one level or another, the song of the universe is speaking to us and calling all the time.

It's great to discover the album or find of a lifetime, and see how far that I have come the last 4 or 5 years always returning to Ghost On The Canvas to revitalise, recharge, look and feel anew.

Lord knows, I couldn't begin to explore what I feel without the help of of friends like you, and the excitement, living, loving and growing one breath, one day, friend, album or song at a time.

Thank you, everybody~

Have a wonderful summer*

Rob


robduloc
Posts: 398
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 1:43 pm

Re: Ghost on the Canvas - Share your thoughts!

Post by robduloc »

There are some very nice Surfdog Ghost On The Canvas CD promo singles floating on the internet, it would be nice if the label made up some more to sell on their official website.

There is also a very beautiful CD promo single with lovely artwork on the cover for the more recent version of Postcard From Paris.

Worth seeking out.

"Paris is always a good idea" Audrey Hepburn.

The cover artwork is also very beautiful for the Surfdog CD promo single It's Youre Amazing Grace.

Nice looking man!

It's your Amazing Grace.

One of my all time favorite songs~


robduloc
Posts: 398
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 1:43 pm

Re: Ghost on the Canvas - Share your thoughts!

Post by robduloc »

Thank you, Mr. Joyce!

Your son's reply help me to sort out a lot of things, I do know that an artist's body of work should serve as some sort of comfort and life beyond the grave.

And what you said about Native Americans touches upon a vital vein.

The role of a shaman, the ability to look deep within the recesses of our soul and find order, is the role of an artist, to identify what we think or feel and all go through, and leave a mark or impression upon our psyche. Most necessary and invaluable service to make us feel more alive, that is.

And approaching an icon when they are eating at a restaurant, while holding a meeting or reserve some quiet time with their family, isn't that like robbing a piece of their spirit?

I mentioned the timing and precision for a number of songs off Ghost On The Canvas are like a fine Swiss Watch, none more pronounced than the way the opening guitar is used to count off the time at the beginning of It's Your Amazing Grace.

We are all on a time clock, that's why art must resonate within us so deeply, artist are the lucky ones to live their dreams out in the public eye and make yourself vulnerable is to perform naked in front of an audience, I would like to think less hang ups as a result!

I, uh, read today that Manchester owes the distinction of the first Drive-Through McDonalds in the UK, somewhere around 1985, what no more standing in line?

smile~


Mike Joyce
Posts: 565
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 9:23 am

Re: Ghost on the Canvas - Share your thoughts!

Post by Mike Joyce »

I was discussing the lyrics with my son earlier and asked what his take on them were. He felt it was like someone who had been inspired to write the song after looking at some paintings, possibly Van Gogh, and describing how we are looking at something that was left by the artist after his passing. So it was a place between life and death and if we thought about it enough, we would see the soul of the artist in that painting because the artist was sharing his creative soul with us for all time.
Dee, referred to this as well. Later of course we have the line "we dream in colours, others colour their dreams" which could mean they paint what their imagination sees. The comment about people don't know when they are looking at souls, may imply that some people don't see beyond the image on the canvas and miss or don't see what the artist was trying to convey. We know Michael Angelo has had much discussion about his work, and all the possible hidden messages that might be there.In music and in art, some people don't have the soul to appreciate the deeper value of it and it remains beyond their vision so they never see the soul of the creative artists' work. Perhaps the song was intentionally vague in order to appeal to a wider spectrum of listeners. I feel this may be one of those songs open to many interpretations.


robduloc
Posts: 398
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 1:43 pm

Re: Ghost on the Canvas - Share your thoughts!

Post by robduloc »

I appreciate everyone's input here, and all the new messages and replies, thank you.

You know, I have been thinking and I don't how true this is, but the way the last line of Ghost On The Canvas is sung, the resolve, "I am the ghost on the canvas"...

It makes me wonder, yes we are all spirit, but an entertainer that crosses over the threshold and elevated to stardom, people staring at you and asking for your autograph at airports and restaurants, are set apart, or stand out more, that makes an artist feel what it's like a to be a ghost on a canvas a little more than usual.

Yes, maybe?

Thank you again.

I am glad to hear prosary is an official word, and what the rings mean, a very painful part of our past ingrained on our DNA and collective conscious.

Which also leads me to ask, one of the main themes throughout the album, Ghost On The Canvas, what it's like to learn or be diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the overall feel that a time bomb has been released and about to go off...


Mike Joyce
Posts: 565
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 9:23 am

Re: Ghost on the Canvas - Share your thoughts!

Post by Mike Joyce »

Wow Cowpoke, You really have been thinking on this one. You have made some very insightful comments here.
I agree with your picture line of thinking. It reminded me of the situation with some Native American Indians and tribes in other parts of the world who felt having their picture taken was having their soul taken from them.
I suppose if you wanted to take your analogy further you could say that the canvas is the template or the world and the creator, creates on this canvas the souls of people which are made real by the paint that is used over the pencil drawings (the soul). Remember many artists have used the same canvas for other paintings, and the original is only discovered by x ray technology. Even the Mona Lisa has a different woman's face on the canvas from the one that we see in the painting.

As a general overview of the song, I originally took it to refer to the point in life when old people seem to be lost to this life inasmuch as they no longer play a productive role and are unable to decide for themselves how to live their remaining months/years. There is nothing worth living for and death would be a merciful release. It is a kind of limbo land where all they knew and loved has now gone and they some how feel they have become invisible (a ghost on the canvas).
The other thought is perhaps a spiritual middle ground. Tibetan Buddhists refer to it as Bado (a kind of link between one life and the next) or as Roman Catholics believe a kind of Purgatory where souls go to be cleansed of sin before continuing on to heaven.
The mid section is as you say Cowpoke various references to spiritual traditions. The rosary is about praying/reflecting on life after death. (Forgive us our sins now, and at the hour of our death) Ashes to ashes is as you have explained.
"We all fall in love with ghosts on the canvas". I think you are right there too, Cowpoke. I feel that it is saying this is something we will all have to face at some point, so learn to embrace that fact.
The final verse also has a few points which need clarification but I will come back to it on another post.
"We dream in colours, others colour their dreams" ?


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Cowpoke
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Re: Ghost on the Canvas - Share your thoughts!

Post by Cowpoke »

Thanks Dee and Mike for sharing your thoughts. In the back of my mind there is a constant background process running thinking about these lyrics. I guess you could say this song is "gentle on my mind". This thought occurred to me yesterday.

In the previous verse the writer mentions an actual painting and while that particular painting (perhaps) symbolizes that mystical place between life and death that the song talks about, a painting in general can also be regarded as something between life and death. Paintings or even more general works of arts talk about life, depict life, even exude life, yet at the same time they are dead inanimate objects. Like characters in a book can be so life-like you can imagine you really know them, yet they only exist on paper. So maybe works of arts can be those special places that the song talks about or... they can transport you to those places.

So when we come to the bridge of the song, could it be that the writer is summing up different ways to get there?

"Rings around the rosary" refers to a sequence of Roman Catholic prayers that the faithful recite while contemplating all kinds of "christian mysteries". Would prayer (in general) be a way to get to that mystical place? Then the "pocketful of prose you read" (I listened to Paul's version on youtube several times and I think he also sings it like this). To me that conjures up an image of a book you carry with you all the time and keep on reading and rereading it. Could reading books transport you to a place between life and death? And lastly " ashes ashes" or as Glen sings it " ashes to ashes". Which of course is a direct reference to the circle of life and death. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" is a phrase from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer burial service which of course refers to Genesis 3:19 "For you are dust, And to dust you shall return." So would "we all fall in love with ghost on the canvas" mean that eventually we will all die and fall into the arms of whatever or whoever is there on the other side?


I'm a carefree, range ridin', driftin' cowpoke...
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