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Thursday 7 May 2009

Oh, goddess, I have wasted my life...

CAT stevens Pictures, Images and Photos

English Eccentrics continues tomorrow with Kate Bush, the delightful dahlink!

I have juggled things around a bit in terms of postings, as so few folk stopped by yesterday, so I wondered whether I was alienating folk, my bloggy pork-chops... and la Fhina would never wish to do that... Non!

Here is an Englishman, of Greek and other origins, who is making such an impact yet again across the planet, as he did in the sixties and seventies, when he was called Cat Stevens... Here is a little anecdote that happened at the weekend...

And true, I swear it!

So, one of my favourite artists when I was a 'born-again-hippy' teenager was Cat Stevens...(born Steven Demetre Georgiou, 21 July 1948).

I spent many a happy evening listening to Tea for the Tillerman, or Teaser and the Firecat, singing along with, 'Oh, baby, baby it's a wild world... And it's hard to get by just upon a smile...'

And I wondered where Cat had gone...

At that point I don't think I knew what a Muslim was, (ours has traditionally been a relatively not-so-diverse community here in the North East of England until quite recently...), but I understood that he had eschewed almost all music, and now taught and carried out philanthropic works, within something of a closed religious community, probably somewhere in London...

What a shame, I thought... What a loss to the world of music...but how fabulous for him to have found himself and moved his life in a whole new direction...

Cat Stevens Pictures, Images and Photos

And then, in 2006, he re-emerged at a time when the world needed to understand the power, the strength, and also the great love and understanding, within the Muslim community. And he sang once more, and it was as if he had never been away...

Except now he was called Yusuf Islam, and now Yusuf.

And so the advertisement for his latest album, Roadsinger, has just been shown on TV, and I am sitting here on our big, bed-like, cream leather sofa with Grizz, who is replete from having his beak filled once more with tuna and pasta bake, and he asks,

"Who's he?"

And I say, "This is Yusuf, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens..."

yusuf red Pictures, Images and Photos

And he looks at the subdued, flickering images, as Yusuf plays on, and he mutters,

" So, did he use to be in ZZ Top?! "

I tell you, Goddess Wiki, at the end of my days, my life here will amount to naught...

ZZ Top Pictures, Images and Photos

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha ha! I love Cat Steven aka Yusuf! One of my favourites -even today!

Unknown said...

Hi Fhina,

I used to like Cat too! Don't suppose we can blame Grizz too much. I have no idea of the names of today's 'pop' singers. Heck, I hardly know the ones you talk about!!!

As for dwindling numbers, I also experienced a drop yesterday (including you - no comment!) for my post on Orson Welles. Maybe I should have given it another title?!

I'll be back.

Velveteen Rabbit said...

the young bearded Cat Stevens is sooooo beautiful! I had forgotten! x

kapgaf said...

My plane is this evening so I thought I'd pop in and Oh ma chère FSI, arrête de me donner des frissons! I have goosebumps everywhere. I remember the very early Cat Stevens (Mathew and Son, the work's never done) and then I fell in love with him all over again in his second incarnation and now I learn that there are third and fourth incarnations. Sigh.
Bises tout plein.

Liz Wilkey (a.k.a. A Mom on Spin) said...

You don't know how many nights as a teenager in the 70's I sat in my bedroom singing those same songs . . .

"Father and Son' being my favorite.

Michelle said...

Ha love this!

Cat Steven's - I loved him too!! I was not sure what was up with him these days. Interesting the transformation.

Great funny post my love!!

Everyday Goddess said...

Whatever he calls himself, he still has a great voice. Smooth as silk.

French Fancy... said...

Father and Son - simply gorgeous

Zuzana said...

You can never alienate anyone Fhina.;)) You are the kindness woman I know.;))xo
My blog gets also less visitors from time to time,;)
I remember Cat Stevens, I also wondered what happened to him and learned that he found a higher calling.;)
Hope your Thursday is great.;)

blognut said...

I don't mind admitting that 2nd Cat Stevens picture sent my heart racing. :)

As I scrolled down to the next picture, I thought to myself, I thought to myself, "He looks like a reformed ZZ Tops member."

Then I scrolled down some more and laughed out loud! I love Grizz!

Have a wonderful day, my lovely Fhina friend. XO

Bloggus

blognut said...

Apparently 'I thought to myself" was worth saying twice.

And this is why I shouldn't try to comment on blogs at work. Bloggus Interruptus!

ArtistUnplugged said...

Oh, that's funny. I remember Cat Stevens, aka, Yusaf. Yeah, my daughter doesn't know most of the musical artists that I grew up with...

Rosaria Williams said...

I wonder how many of your readers actually know Cat Stevens.

French Fancy... said...

p.s. - why do you worry about how many people leave comments? You're writing for you not for us/them surely? Don't tailor your blog posts to what you think 'we' want to read- you just please yourself.

x

shabby girl said...

Such a talent, Cat. I rememeber that I was so sad when he went away.
He was a beautiful boy, wasn't he?
Crazy busy day yesterday. Just getting caught up now!

Saz said...

I have that image of Cat/yusuf on my myspace page....and a video of him singing wild world!! my world!!

His new album was out yesterday, but l'll have to wait till payday....

I agree with FF, suit yourself, write for yourself...I began to wonder why and what I should do to make more visitors, then I wasnt being true to ME...this blogging lark is FOR ME!! and the comments, pals and regular visitors is the icing on the whipped cream and the cherry...did I mention thealke and maple syrup too...oh and uts, gotta have nuts eh Fhi!?

its a wild world..


love you, stay true...even if I dont always follow your drift LOL

saz xx

Saz said...

need to find a spellchecker dooda for comments...

FFF x

Elizabeth Bradley said...

God, he was gorgeous, and I used to love his songs which were all about peace and love unlike so much music at the time. And yes, now he would blend right in with ZZ Top. lol.

Reasons said...

Sorry honey you'll have to work a bit harder to alienate me! I love these posts. Have a lovely weekend. xx

Carma Sez said...

Grizz is very wise to ask that question..I recall the whole Cat Stevens brouhaha (love using that word!) a few years back; thanks for bringing us up to speed with Cat er Yusef's current goings on.

Chairman Bill said...

He looks more like Moggy Stevens today.

Rob-bear said...

Back when I worked in radio (a lifetime ago) I used to do Sunday Morning News and other things. I had a bit of a program which started at the ungodly hour of 6:00 a.m. I always started with Cat doing "Morning has Broken."

Ah, distinctly I remember. . . ."

Carolina said...

Hmmm, I prefer Cat to Yusuf. Yusuf could certainly do with a shave.

A Woman Of No Importance said...

ladyfi: True, my darling, glad you like Cat/Yusuf too! x

Derrick: Thank you, Derrick! I am sorry not to have been around much this week, and I posted my blogs a week ago, as I knew it would be so... Working is running roughshod over my will to blog and read and comment - So I shall be around at yours this weekend, no fear - All that lovely catching up to do with you in your shop, over a nice coffee - I am so looking forward to it! And I do blog for me, about stuff that interests me, but at the same time, I would hate to alienate anyone stopping by - I am a people-pleaser and that's one of my failings, I guess - And it was such a dramatic fall in readers and commenters, that I wondered - Is it me?! x

Velveteen Rabbit: What a sweet name! Cat was and is fabulous, non?! x

kapgaf: 'Where do you go to, my lovely?' Kisses and hugs for you on your journey, kapgaf - Be safe and come back soon! xxx

lizspin: You and me both, Liz, I've no doubt! "Father and Son' is such a favorite of mine too, and so tragic, really... x

Michelle: Great stuff, my sweetie! x

Comedy Goddess: A very lovely voice, enchanting, in fact! x

FF: Very gorgeous, indeed! x

Protege: Thank you, and ditto, Z - You are a real treasure and I am so pleased to know you, and to read through your life's beauty, your wisdom and your intellect... xox

blognut: Your heart is racing, and are you sure it's not all that Diet Pepsi, my fab friend?! That pic is very alluring, though, is it not?! You and Grizz both, eh? That's the young 'un in you, no doubt! I hope I never have to send you to your room! Not that we even manage that with Grizz thesse days - He is such a big man-child, he just gets his dad in a head-lock!! Have a fab Saturday, my sweet Bloggus Interruptus - I love it, I love it, and you! xxx

Artist Unplugged: I shouldn't be surprised, I know, and yet Grizz does listen to some of the stuff we also listen to, or it is mixed into some of the newer stuff he listens to, and I sing along, and he wonders how I know it! xxx

lakeviewer: Dear Rosaria, I know, I know... x

French Fancy: Please see what I said to dear Derrick, FF... It is for me, very much, but I do think of who might be reading, though, don't you? And I know you are very right, but the fall-off was so dramatic it was very odd... x

shabby girl: It is a crazy life for us all, non?! And so little time to do the things we love to do, Shabstress! xox

Fat, frumpy and fifty: You have Myspace, my sweet - Do tell? So do I - and I'm Fhina there too... I don't worry about increasing readership - I am very happy with all my friends who stop by to comment - It was just such a dramatically different number - I am a people-pleaser, Saz - That is one of my biggest failings, I know it, and yet I like to entertain, to offer a chuckle or a snippet of Fhina-madness... and some nuttiness, as you say! It is a wild world, and it's hard to get by just upon a smile... And you may never fully catch my drift, my sweet, I am just too far gone down stream, I guess! Where madness lies... xxooxx

Elizabeth Bradley: Me too, EB! Peace and love and light are just so important to us in a world where the media wants to drag us down and down, non?! xxx

Reasons to be Cheerful 1,2,3: Bless you, Jo! That means so mucho, I can tell you! xox

carma: Brouhaha, such a wonderful word! x

Chairman Bill: Always such a card, you are, Sir! x

Rob-bear: You used to work in radio, how interesting, Rob-bear... My two cousins had their weddings several years apart, and both chose "Morning has Broken." We hear it so much we scarcely notice it anymore, but it is a very lovely song and earlier a hymn x

Carolina: ;) xox

Something I wrote earlier...

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