Off The Tracks

Off The Tracks
  • Blog
    • Interviews
    • Miscellany
    • Special Guests
    • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • The Vinyl Countdown
  • Back Catalogue
  • About
    • About
    • About the banner image
    • On Song
    • Advertise

Posts Tagged Ghost Stories

Archive

December 7, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 208 Pete Shelley

Late 2009. The Spines at that time were Les Knight on bass, Riki Gooch on drums and me. We had just recorded the Bloodmonster album and I was about 50 and drinking a lot at Bodega – a period of renaissance for the band. I’d always been a fan of the Buzzcocks in the early […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged # 208, 2009, Bloodmonster, Bodega, Buzzcocks, Eulogy, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Jon Mcleary, Les Knight, Moe, Opening Act, Pete Shelley, Pop, Punk, R.I.P., Riki Gooch, Singles Going Steady, Spines, Steve Diggle, The Buzzcocks, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 208 Pete Shelley, War Stories, War Stories by Jon McLeary, War Stories by Jon McLeary # 208, Wellington, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

May 1, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 205 Stop the World

I think it took me over ten years to write this song. I know I started on the verses in 1980 after the demise of Negative Theatre. I’d read an interview with Steely Dan where they talked about mu major chords and I played the A, E, A, D, C#m, D, A, E, A pattern […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged #205, A Snakelike Life, Art, Castaneda, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Holloway Rd, Holloway Road, Jon Mcleary, Music, Negative Theatre, Painting, Song, Songwriting, Spines, Steely Dan, Stop The World, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 205 Stop the World, The Spines, War Stories, War Stories # 205, War Stories by Jon McLeary, Wellington, Writing, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

April 16, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 203 Visions of JoHannah

“But Mona Lisa must have had the highway blues You can tell by the way she smiles” Bob Dylan I’ve said it before – It’s hard to talk about the act of painting without appearing pretentious
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 203, Art, Bob Dylan, Face, Facebook, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Hannah, Hannah Fraser, JoHannah, Jon Mcleary, Music, Oil, Painting, Paintings, Spines, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 203 Visions of JoHannah, The Spines, Visions of JoHannah, War Stories, War Stories # 203, War Stories by Jon McLeary, War Stories by Jon McLeary # 203, Wgtn, Writing, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

April 11, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 202 The Spicks and the Specks

They weren’t actually steel caps but they looked like they were Originally they were tramping boots I got at an op shop I wore them for the two years I was working with urethanes and fiberglass on the Hobbit So they were covered with different coloured substances, dripped over a long period At the end […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Art, Feet, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Jon Mcleary, Music, Painting, Shoes, Socks, Spines, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 202 The Spicks and the Specks, The Hobbit, The Spicks and the Specks, The Spines, War Stories, War Stories # 202, War Stories by Jon McLeary, War Stories by Jon McLeary # 202, Wellington, Wgtn, Writing, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

March 27, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 200 The Last Cigarette In The World

I watch another boat in the harbour sail out Sitting on my own in the bay By the time you get to China on that slow ship I’ll have bitten all my nails and crumbled into the carpet   You had no clear idea of what you’re looking for You only knew you couldn’t stay […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 200, Cigarettes, Death, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Ghost Story, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Hawker St, Jon Mcleary, Lyric, Music, Oriental Bay, Rock'n'Roll Suicide, Smoke, Smoking, Song, Songwriting, Spines, Suicide, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLearThe Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLearyThe Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 200, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 200 The Last Cigarette In The World, The Last Cigarette In The World, Two Hundred, War Stories, War Stories # 200, War Stories by Jon McLeary, Weekly Column, Wellington, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Ziggy Stardust ·

Archive

March 6, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 199 The Show Must Go On

It was a stinking hot day We were lined up to play At 4.20 My legs seemed to be healing up But still tender and sore Post op
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Hot, Jon Mcleary, Music, Newtown, Newtown Fair, Sick, Spines, Surgery, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 199, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 199 The Show Must Go On, The Show Must Go On, The Spines, War Stories, War Stories # 199, War Stories by Jon McLeary, War Stories by Jon McLeary # 199, Weather, Wellington, Wgtn, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

January 29, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 196 Ska

I think it was the killer basslines that hooked me in and the attitude as much as anything. When I first moved to Wellington in 1980 I guess I was still writing folk songs. Louise and I had found work at the Art Centre and I felt under pressure to write. That first Specials album […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged #196, Dexys, Dub, England, Fishing, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, https://offthetracks.co.nz/gig-review-the-selecter-wgtn/, Idiot Sun, Jon Mcleary, post-punk, Reggae, Ska, Specials, Spines, The Beat, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 196 Ska, The Selecter, The Specials, The Spines, UK, War Stories # 196, War Stories by Jon McLeary ·

Archive

January 22, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 195 Wigan Street

Over the Christmas period there was a fire on Wigan Street in a factory that had asbestos in its roof. I got quite a shock when I saw it on the news – we had lived in the building through the wall right next door for several years. All through Ang’s time at Wellington high […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Ang, Angus, Art, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Holloway Road, Jane, Michelle, Music, Painting, Songwriting, Spines, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 195, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 195 Wigan Street, The Spines, War Stories, War Stories # 195, War Stories by Jon McLeary # 195, Wellington, Wellington City Gallery, Wgtn, Wigan St., Wigan Street, Writing ·

Archive

January 1, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 193 Sixty/Thirty

I was thinking back to myself and what I was like at a certain stage in my life – as you do. Wondering – would I even like that person I was then or would he be able to see himself in me. Take when I was thirty… 1988 A young dad – his kids […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged (1934-2015), 1988, 30, 60, Art, Arts, Family, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Jon Mcleary, Magazine, Music, Painting, Sixty, Sixty/Thirty, Spines, The Brain, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 193, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 193 Sixty/Thirty, The Spines, Thirty, War Stories, War Stories # 193, Wellington, Wgtn, Writing ·

Archive

December 18, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 191 Something/Anything?

I Saw The Light was the first song I heard and I remember it was at one of those new-fangled Jeans Stores that were cropping up in Hamilton when I was in high school. I was there with my girlfriend and we were having a crafty pash in a dressing booth and the song came […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged #191, Anything, Art, Black Maria, Couldn't I Just Tell You, double-album, Dust In The Wind, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Hamilton, Hello It's Me, I Saw The Light, Jon Mcleary, Little Red Lights, Music, Painting, Rundgren, Something, Something/Anything, Songwriting, Spines, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 191 Something/Anything?, The Spines, Todd, Todd Rundgren, Torch Song, War Stories, War Stories # 191, War Stories by Jon McLeary, Wellington, Went To the Mirror, Writing ·

Archive

December 11, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 190 David Brent

I watched the David Brent: Life on the Road movie the other day. It was alright – I like Ricky Gervais a lot though the film broke no new ground and just delivered up more of The Office but in a different context. In the picture David Brent (now a travelling salesman) puts together a […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged #190, Art, Bands, Comedy, David Brent, David Brent of Wellington, David Brent: Life on the Road, English, Film, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Jon Mcleary, Music, Painting, Ricky Gervais, Songs, Songwriting, Spinal Tap, Spines, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 190, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 190 David Brent, The Office, The Spines, This Is Spinal Tap, TV, UK, War Stories, Wellingtpn, Wgtn, Writing ·

Archive

December 4, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 189 Holloway Road

We rented it for a start – a small house on Holloway Road and a piece of history. Old George, who lived a few houses down and whose father had famously lived well past a hundred, told me that Winston McCarthy had grown up in our house and it had also been a shop at […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged #189, Angus, Aro Valley, Art, Cricket, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Holloway Rd, Holloway Road, Home, House, Jon, Jon Mcleary, McLeary, Michelle, Music, Painting, Spines, Te Aro, The Brain, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 189, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 189 Holloway Road, The Spines, War Stories, War Stories # 189, War Stories by Jon McLeary, Wellington, Wigan Street, Writing ·
← Older posts

Popular

  • Janna Lapidus Leblanc: Four Years In Pictures
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 8 – Mark Knopfler
  • The Sad Story of Bob Welch: Fleetwood Mac’s Most Undervalued Member
  • Shit That’s Good! Crap Albums I Love # 41 – Gary Moore, “Still Got The Blues”
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 11 – Lindsey Buckingham
  • Poem: Promising Dumb Punchline
  • Sly & The Family Drone: Walk It Dry
  • The Faggets: WE DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT SHIT
  • Revisiting Live at Knebworth (1990)
  • David Bowie’s Most Underrated Album: 1. Outside

Archives

Tags

Album Review Auckland Book Book Review Compilation DJ DJ Set DVD DVD Review EP Film Film Review Gig Gig Review Guest Blog Guitar Interview Jazz Jon Mcleary Live Live Gig LP Movie Music NZ Podcast Poem Record Records Simon Sweetman Soundtrack Spines Spotify Stub Stubs Sweetman Podcast The Ghost of Electricity The Spines The Vinyl Countdown Vinyl Wellington Wgtn Writing You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron [OST]

Categories

  • Back Catalogue
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • Miscellany
  • Mixtapes
  • Playlists
  • Podcasts
  • Reviews
  • Scene Of The Day
  • Special Guests
  • The Vinyl Countdown

Off The Tracks is the home of Sweetman Podcast, a weekly interview/chat-based pod. It's also home to my reviews across film, TV, music and books and some creative writing as well.

Off The Tracks aims to provide quality reviews and essays, regular blog updates about the shows, albums, books and movies you should be experiencing.

It's a passion project. Your support will help to keep Off The Tracks online.

All content © 2021 by Off The Tracks. WordPress Themes by Graph Paper Press