Did the brilliant winter sun bring out Cottesloe’s “philosopher king”?
(candid photo, anonymous human, adjacent to Cottesloe Reef, 2.57pm, 21 August 2022. Copyright Doug Spencer)
This post includes musical bonuses and footnotes to #15 in this series.
#17 will take us onto the sandy, sheltered side of Cottesloe’s groyne – the “iconic” Cottesloe Beach.
The two young persons you will meet there are not young “philosopher kings”, although they may qualify as “clown princes”.
If you would like to know more about Cottesloe Reef, click here for a prosaic but informative PDF.
If you saw #15 in this series before Pam posted her comment, I urge you to go back and follow her link to Simon Nield’s musical ode to the dragons of Cottesloe.
As well as writing and performing the song, Simon Nield (1962-2008) was a key campaigner on the dragons’ behalf.
A lovely bloke, Simon was also uncommonly talented, modest, and brave.
Much as I liked Simon’s songs (I still do), I most especially loved it when he let his guitar do all of the singing; not merely deft, his playing was a very happy marriage of poise/elegance and groove.
Here he is, as the sun set into the Indian Ocean on Anzac Day 2004. “Shake a Leg” is a Nield original:
And while coastal places are in mind, you may like to hear (or revisit) one of my favourite solo acoustic guitar pieces.
Its inspiration source is circa 18,700 kilometres distant from Cottesloe, but the piece “fits” any glorious coastal place, on a tranquil day.
This is Tom Rush, 54 years ago, saluting what is still one of his favourite seaside locations:
Rockport, Massachusetts is circa one hour north of Boston. Tom Rush, now 81, still performs there.