RIP Myles Goodwyn of April Wine and Sandra Day O'Connor

1980s Canadian pseudo metallers April Wine may seem like an odd subject to cover at Pop Culture Lunch Box. Even odder to bill it above the passing of the legendary Sandra Day O'Connor. But man, I have always loved a handful of tunes from the band's 1981 album The Nature of the Beast.

I don't know if I need to begin discovering April Wine's extensive catalog prior to that album - who knew it formed way back in 1969? - but most notably "Just Between You and Me" and "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" are remarkable numbers written, sung, and performed on guitar by the band's leader Myles Goodwyn, who has passed away at 75 apparently from multiple health issues.

A couple of good anecdotes from the New York Times obituary:

The band attracted attention in 1977 when it was performing at the El Mocambo Club in Toronto. Before the show, April Wine was asked to pose as the headliner for a charity event with a group called the Cockroaches as the opening act, but the Cockroaches turned out to be the Rolling Stones.

In 2016, Mr. Goodwyn released a memoir, “Just Between You and Me,” which became a best seller in Canada. “Elvis and Tiger,” his novel, was published in 2018.

In a rough week for pop-culture deaths, the passing of Sandra Day O'Connor - at age 93 from dementia - must be mentioned. She was the first woman on the Supreme Court, appointed in 1991 by Ronald Reagan as a moderate conservative from Arizona. She retired in 2006 and looked pretty liberal by that time compared to the increasingly conservative bent of the Court.

She played a major role in shaping the directions of the country with her more nuanced views of how abortions and affirmative action, among many other important issues, should be handled. She was also passionate about the importance of civics education.