I was sipping xpa in the marrickville hotel the other night when the unmistakable voice of John Lennon let out the cry ‘don’t let me down’. It cut through everything else going on. So that’s my theme today…. Today’s artists will offer reminisces and reflections, felt obligations and shirkings, held hopes and shattered commitments…. There’s the quest for love that never fails… Jim White is on that trail, and Gavin Bryars was helped along the way by a street singer… In a new song from duo MINOR GOLD we’re trying to catch our mother’s eye by doing a handstand in the shallow end… Wanting more is raised by Kathleen Edwards and Karen Dalton. There’s offers of support – Fionn Regan says : I’ll wait for you below the avalanche… David Byrne has just announced that he’s getting married this week, and sending out a new album in celebrations… “Everybody Laughs” celebrates so many very human aspects that we hold in common, no matter our backgrounds or personal histories…. Lots of pleas : please, darlin’ just don’t …. and plenty of encouragement too. OK, let’s head down this road, seeking a direction home… [IMAGE : “The Navigator” – Buster Keaton and Kathryn McGuire]