Better Days

Welcome to the blog of Doug "Duke" Lang, songwriter and host of Better Days, a radio show spinning journeys from music and language, heard Thursdays ten-to-midnight Pacific time at www.coopradio.org Listen to songs at www.myspace.com/dukelang

Name:
Location: Vancouver, Canada

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Dublin

I've been in Dublin a couple of days now, and it seems like a week.
So many experiences. I have walked miles and miles, along the
Liffey, to the north side, the south side, the alleyways, the parks,
castles, cathedrals. I've been up and down Grafton Street where
buskers go at it all day and evening, and even took my guitar
over one day and played for a half hour.

One thing you notice in European cities is how people friendly
they are, whole streets given over to people, walking streets
that throb with life and expression. Grafton is one, but there
are many cobblestone streets in Temple Bar, too, narrow and
full of people. Dublin is a young people's town, having the
lowest average age of any city in Europe. There seems to be
not only a pub on every corner, but three or four in between
as well. Old pubs, most with music. There are afternoon and
evening music sessions, music of all kinds.

The hotel that I'm staying at, The Mercer, is a five-storey
old establishment right in the heart of Dublin, nothing fancy
but clean, affordable. I can walk anywhere and, if I have a
few pints of Guinness or a couple of shots of Jameson's, I
don't have too far to stagger to be back at my room.

When I got here, I cabbed in from the airport with Les, a
young cabbie with a good knowledge of the city and its
culture, especially its music. We talked all the way in
and when we were near the hotel he switched the meter
off, parked, and wrote out a list of pubs, record stores,
and young Irish songwriters and bands he thought that
I'd like, given what I'd told him about my radio show.
The Frames, Declan O'Rourke, Damien Rice...those are
three he mentioned, and I've been able to find their cds
at very good prices. I also found a few Christy Moore
cds that I've never seen in Canada.

I'm here until Friday morning - it's Tuesday night now -
then it's off to Edinburgh where I rent a car and drive
to the south to find Karine Polwart's place, where I'll
be privileged to hear her homecoming gig in the town
of Walkerburn, then later join her at a post-gig party
with the likes of her neighbour, Eliza Carthy, among
others. I am looking forward to driving a car on the
left side of the road in rural Scotland, and to meeting
one of the finest young songwriters alive.

Cheers,

DL