Rant Dawdle

Untitled Document Rant & Dawdle is a fictional memoir comprising thirty-eight interwoven stories from the perspective of a grumpy old man living on a small island off the west coast of Canada and an expectant young boy born into the poverty of WW2 English working class. The old man dreaming in retrospect, the young boy living a developing history, both to eventually rendezvous in the eighties. Filled with the humour and history of a post war generation nurtured on comic books, the Goon Show and jazz. William (Bill) E. Smith is a British Columbia-based musician, writer, editor, graphic designer, photographer, and record and film producer. With John Norris, Smith co-produced the Canadian jazz periodical Coda Magazine, Sackville Recordings and its subsidiary label Onari Records from 1976 until 2001. Smith was a founder of a succession of Toronto-based groups integral to the Canadian improvised music community in the 1970s, including Canadian Creative Music Collective, and New Art Music Ensemble. The latter became the Bill Smith Ensemble in 1980; they recorded five albums, including collaborations with Joe McPhee and Wadada Leo Smith. Smith has also recorded with, among others, Birdyak, Wolfgang Fuchs and The Six Winds. Smith initiated a series of projects with the title Imagine the Sound in the '80s, including a book of his writings and photography and the acclaimed documentary film directed by Ron Mann. Now residing on Hornby Island, Smith currently works with Arthur Bull and Tony Wilson, Comments on the self-published limited edition from fellow artists: "You covered an enormous territory and gave new life to an era of history and ideals that we all need to remember. There were so many things that rang a bell, I wished I'd taken notes. And so many times I laughed " --Renee Rodin: Writer, Visual Artist, and Cultural Worker (Vancouver, Canada). "It's bleedin' brilliant. It's not a book, it's an achievement. Bravo." --Art Lange: Writer, Producer, Former editor Downbeat Magazine (Chicago, USA). "Fantastic I started reading and found it was almost impossible to stop What is so great is that I can relate to a lot of things you write about. Thank you very much. And what a brilliant edition " --Leo Feigen, Leo Records (Newton Abbott, UK). "I laughed out loud many times. And the jazz stuff. I think it's very important that you have written it all down. Unique and insightful." --Jim Munro: Musician, Bricoleur (Richmond, Canada). "A wild bit of synchronicity today ...overburdened with work-related stress i closed my office door and on impulse dialed up You Tube to watch the Chuvalo-Ali fight, which i have never seen (it's there). Later that same day I come home to my little apartment, pour myself deep glass of scotch, open your book randomly for a read, only to find, not only the wonderful evocation of the mystique of the Colonial Tavern, but your beautiful account of that very same fight. And so it goes..." --Arthur Bull: Musician, Poet, Chinese Translator (Digby Neck, Canada).

The Ranting of an Uneducated Reactionary presents us with a thought-provoking analysis on sundry topical and philosophical issues virtually guaranteed to rouse readers of any political stripe. This cerebrally stimulating collection of essays and utterly fascinating random thoughts will interest those with only a junior high school education to those with a PhD from Harvard University. But be forewarned, the conservatism of this book is more than just contentious; it’s outright iconoclastic and even subversive. And although the writings of Mr. Phillips are an absolute joy to read, it’s entirely possible that they could wreak psychological havoc on the intellectually dishonest. “Hyperbole?” say you. Maybe it is…but then again, maybe it isn’t.

A truly alternative look at music lists, not one that merely includes the obvious but shows the connections of popular music to the avant garde, the obscure, the experimental, the quirky, and the adventurous, this edition leads the curious reader towards new musical experiences hitherto unknown to them.

Who are these Guptas who are so powerful, they’re distributing cabinet posts like matrons handing out condoms at a brothel? Who do Americans think they are, accusing Trevor Noah of ‘stealing’ a joke from one of their comedians? Is Sizakele MaKhumalo Zuma’s spaza shop a National Key Point? In #ZuptasMustFall, and other rants, Fred Khumalo runs riot, contemplating the pressing issues that continue to confound, infuriate and exasperate the nation – or to sink it into further controversy. Covering a wide range of topics, including politics, history, current events and celebrity gossip, this compilation of recent and new writings contains Khumalo’s trademark blend of humour and shrewd analysis, as well as his treatment of everyday issues from a uniquely South African perspective. This is an entertaining collection of thoughts from one of the country’s most seasoned journalists, offering many questions, and tongue-in-cheek answers, on who we are as a nation, where we are going, and how we compare to the rest of the world.