Greener on the other side

Out from many a mud-walled cabin eyes were watching through the night / Many a man, his heart was beating for the blessed morning light... - "The Rising of the Moon" (trad.)


I'm not really sure what to make of this strange, alternate universe in which one kicks off St. Patrick's Day with a renewed prescription for antidepressants...

For the record, I do not recommend crossing two gallons of Guinness with a double dose of Wellbutrin. You will experience black-out periods from which you will not recall a thing...and not because you were necessarily passed out. Accountability, folks. However, here are a few images of what I can recall of the 2010 Baltimore St. Patrick's Day Parade, held Sunday, March 14, before All Went Dark:

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie MacRawlings-MacBlake:



The Georgia State Patrol (who, I'm guessing, were probably in town testifying, or maybe serving a warrant):



One of my favorite aspects of the St. Patrick's Day Parade, however, is its unpredictability; unlike parades associated with other holidays, like Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July, you never really know what will come creeping down Charles Street next (or how you will get back to the year 1985):



Beyond a smattering of smartphone pix, however, I have little else to jog the memory than the contents of my backpack the next morning (which I've come to think of as the Shane MacGowan Starter Kit):



Perhaps next year I will march alongside those who distribute things like shamrock decals and green plastic titty-beads, casting teeth into the unsuspecting throngs of beer-swilling grannies, Ancient Hibernians and green-lipped douchebags...

Shane MacGowan, et al, release charity single for Haiti

Shane MacGowan & friends have issued a charity single - a cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' hit "I Put a Spell on You" - to benefit survivors of the devastating earthquake in Haiti (100 percent of all proceeds will be donated)...

While you're at it, here's the classic version by Creedence Clearwater Revival:



And Nina Simone's:



And, of course, the original (and best):

How it's done

"'I Put A Spell On You' is so uplifting, so energetic," [Victoria Mary] Clarke says. "We wanted to release something that would be worth buying in its own right, and not just for a very good cause. We're not saying that you shouldn't buy the [Simon] Cowell single - just don't listen to it."

[From the article "I'll show Simon Cowell how to do a real charity single", by John Meagher, The Irish Independent, March 4, 2010. Photo: Ronan Lang. From left to right: Cait O'Riordan, Shane MacGowan, Victoria Mary Clarke.]

"Shane MacGowan, Nick Cave and Johnny Depp team up for Haiti single"

Nick Cave, Johnny Depp and Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie are among those reportedly roped-in for a new charity single led by Shane MacGowan. The Pogues frontman is assembling a gang of pals to record a cover of "I Put a Spell On You", raising money for the Haiti earthquake relief...