RIP Wilko Johnson

 I was very sad to learn yesterday that Wilko Johnson had died. He was truly a one-off. There was nobody else like him. He was a great songwriter and a truly mesmerising performer. It's a great shame.

Colour by Christina Rossetti

 I've long loved the poetry of Christina Rossetti and this gentle poem is a gem. What rhymes with orange by the way?

I've had this recording in the can for quite some time. I thought the world might be ready for it now.

Paul Garrard - Artist · Colour by Christina Rossetti

Birthday girl

I can't believe that I haven't come across Catherine Ringer until this year. What a talent. A polymath in every sense of the word. A national treasure of France. I would so love to see her live. Today is her birthday. Born on this day in 1957. Her music and her performances are phenomenal. A true star. Check her out. You won't regret it.

So impressed I wrote about her for my French homework a few weeks ago. This is what I wrote:

I first became aware of Catherine Ringer as a member of the group Les Rita Mitsouko. I heard a song of theirs played on a French radio station and thought wow! Born in France, Catherine is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She is also an actress and a dancer, plus has many other talents. Difficult to categorise, her music is a mix of styles and influences from around the world. Her catchy songs and ballads are often curious or bizarre. Much of her work is quite surreal. An accomplished performer, she can still enthrall an audience, as an appearance earlier this year on French television singing one of her Les Rita hits, C'est Comme Ça, shows.

J'ai découvert Catherine Ringer pour la première fois en tant que membre du groupe Les Rita Mitsouko. J'ai entendu une de leur chanson jouée sur une station de radio française et j'ai pensé wow! Née en France, Catherine est chanteuse, compositrice et multi-instrumentiste. Elle est aussi actrice et danseuse, et possède de nombreux autres talents. Difficile à catégoriser, sa musique est un mélange de styles et d'influences du monde entier. Ses chansons et ballades entraînantes sont souvent curieuses ou bizarres. Une grande partie de son travail est assez surréaliste. Interprète accomplie, elle peut encore captiver un public, comme une apparition plus tôt cette année à la télévision française en chantant l'un de ses tubes Les Rita, C'est Comme Ça, le montre.

 

Hallo Spaceboy

I was two when the space age began with the Sputnik 1 launch and I've been fascinated with space all my life. 

As a lad I watched anything and everything to do with space that I could. I followed all the ups and downs. Whilst for many the moon landings were the most interesting I don’t think anything can rival the excitement of the Apollo 8 mission. I remember watching and being so enthralled. It made my Christmas. Obviously the moon landings were important and awe inspiring. I would sit, mouth open, as I watched the blurry black and white pictures of the astronauts stepping down onto a different stellar body. 

I used to draw lots of rockets and spacecraft as a kid. Fireball XL5 was my favourite I seem to remember. I also collected pictures and cuttings about various missions into space. Plus I had an Action Man space capsule and the large Airfix Saturn V rocket that I built from a kit. 

Occasionally space features in my art. The oldest thing I have is a linocut of an astronaut that I produced in the late seventies/early eighties. In recent years I’ve drawn Valentina Tereshkova and more recently I’ve recorded a couple of space inspired tunes that I’ve also made videos for. I’ll put examples below. 

If you were born around the same time as me and you are creative I’m sure you couldn’t help be influenced by such a major change in our lives. And how did we manage before non-stick frying pans?

Ritual Mind Control

Well everyone needs a hobby!

And mine is making weird music and weird videos - I combine the two with this latest offering.

Electronica for the dystopian age. If you dance to the tune that the neo-liberalists and Tories play you are indeed a fucking idiot! For they will tell you what to do. If you listen and obey you will receive only pain and hardship.

To download the music click here.

Schedule

Occasionally on this blog I have the odd rant about language, and in particular about creeping Americanisms. There’s nothing wrong with Americans or their language in the right place. It just doesn’t belong here. English people who use American spellings or pronunciation on the other hand are, quite frankly, idiots!

One word that is all too often mispronounced by English people is schedule. I am often irritated by this. Weren't these people taught the correct pronunciation at school?

Recently I was creating a piece of music that I felt needed some words to go with it. Schedule, the track, was born.

If... ...McGonagall made music - The album

A few months ago I mentioned my album, If... ...McGonagall made music, on here. Well it's finally finished.

The album consists of ten tracks and has been released on SoundCloud track by track over the last few months with the final track ‘Silvery Tay’ being the last release. It is also available to purchase as a download, on a pay what you feel able to basis.

First and foremost I'm an artist and I approach composing in a similar way to my art. Well, actually music is just another artistic strand. Music composing for me is a process very much like collage.I hope I've made it challenging, so it'll never have popular appeal, but I don't really care about that. If some people like it well that's good, if people don't like it well that's fair enough too.

My music doesn’t fit into any one particular genre. Loosely speaking it’s a mix of ambient and up tempo avant garde, but it contains quite a lot of emotions and influences, so that categorising it is difficult. Which is how I like it.

The Silvery Tay

A little piece of music inspired by my spiritual home of Dundee, and in particular the Firth of Tay whose banks it sits on. The video is made from clips I took on my last visit. Happy Hogmanay.

Season's greetings

Season's greetings to all my readers. I don't really celebrate Christmas. I've mostly removed that pain from my life but there are certain aspects of what I prefer to call Yuletide that I don't mind, music and lights being two of them. So combining the two here a little festive tune I wrote along a video featuring some of the lights of Norwich. Enjoy.

Purely Piano

My latest offering of music is a composition based on the piano. Probably one of the most versatile instruments of all. It does what is says on the label; it is purely piano. Music is meant to be felt. If you feel it, it's real. I hope you like it.

There is still black

There are still black hours. Sometimes. But not that often. thankfully. Occasionally. Black hours turn to black days. I lie low riding the pain. It's less over more now. Once. Black inspired creativity. Creativity produced doubt and destruction. Self-doubting back to black. Now. Now I cope. Now I hope. Now I create prolifically. I believe in my creativity. Black still visits. Black will always visit. It lurks. Skulking. Stage right. I wait. It takes its unwelcome curtain call. I exit stage left. Cringing. Crying. Cursing. Every dog has its day. One day black will be no more. For me. For. Forward. Falling on deaf ears. Undulations.

There is still music. Music, art and poetry. But no buttered scones for tea.

Just give me some of that avant-garde music

I love music. I've been in love with it all my life. I never ever thought I would end up making it, or let alone composing it though. But that's now where I've ended up and it's very satisfying.

I don't consider that I'm a performer, but who knows what the future holds? I'm certainly no musician. That's not what I'm about. First and foremost I'm an artist and I approach composing in a similar way to my art. Well, actually music is just another artistic strand. Music composing for me is a process of collage. I've produced a few vaguely dance-like tracks and one lush piece (which I'm very proud of) called Banana Blush. With those under my belt I started experimenting.

Anyway, I'm currently working on an album of what I would call avant-garde music. Perhaps it's not avant-garde anymore, perhaps it's a bit more mainstream. I'm not sure I know about these things now. The album is called 'If...   ...McGonagall made music'. So far I've only released two tracks, Devil's Advocaat and Cacophony Nº1 but more are in the pipeline. The album is here.

You can find all my published music on my SoundCloud account here.

My top three

I was weaned on music. I am a child of rock and roll. Music has always been with me. I couldn’t imagine not being able to listen to music. I could give up most things but music is certainly not one of them. And unlike so many of my contemporaries and even those younger than me I’m not stuck in a time warp. I’m always looking for that next great song. Always searching for the next interesting performer.

Having said that when it comes to picking a top x list of songs it tends to be the older ones that make it to the top. I’m guessing that the thing with all time favourites is that they have to stand the test of time and therefore by their very nature are not going to be riding high in the current hit parade as it were.

A top three has long featured in my thoughts. I’m not sure why three and why the concept of a top anything should appeal as it’s all a bit anal and blokish. Okay, perhaps I’m anal but you could rarely accuse me of displaying bloke-like tendencies. In my book to be called a bloke would be highly insulting. Anyway I digress. Back to the music. It’s hard to whittle down the countless number of great songs that there are out there, and with such a short list, there are those that almost make it but don’t quite. Those bubbling under include Hurt by Johnny Cash, Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven, Where’s Me Jumper by The Sultans of Ping FC and the evocative Radio Sweethearts by Kate Rusby. I could go on but i’ll cut to the chase and give you what are my all time top three. They are chosen specifically for the music qualities I see in them and not because of any emotional attachment. A list of songs that evoke deep emotions would be a totally different one. So without further adieu my top three:

1. Another Girl, Another Planet by The Only Ones
2. Do You Dream In Colour by Bill Nelson
3. Criminal World by Metro*

*The original and so much better than the insipid David Bowie cover

P-put it to the test-o

He said 'What do you think about my manifesto?'
'I like a manifesto, put it to the test-o.'

Sultans Of Ping F.C.:Where's Me Jumper?

I wrote this manifesto (below) in 1982 and it still pretty much sums up how I feel about art and my art in particular. Everybody can be an artist. Nobody can tell you what is and isn't art and what you should like. Nobody can tell you how to enjoy art. Art is not exclusively for the elite. Art really needs to be democratised.

Socialist chanting

I've long been a fan of Darren Hayman. He was in a spiffingly brilliant band called Hefner. I was reminded of his work upon discovering the existence of David Woodcock another fine singer/songwriter from Essex. I've always loved the strand of quintessentially English style of music that mostly blossoms in and emanates from the Essex/London area. A style that no doubt had its roots in music hall but was defined by the Kinks and the Small Faces and then via Ian Dury, Dr Feelgood, The Kursaal Flyers, Sham 69, The Members, Billy Bragg, Depeche Mode, Billy Bragg, Blur, The Libertines and many , many more.

Anyway back to the business in hand; one of Darren Hayman's recent projects has been to produce a musical offering based on a pamphlet of Socialist chants by William Morris. The left most certainly has the best music:

Musarpial

I was fortunate enough to see the fantastically brilliant Courtney Barnett play live twice last year; once for free at Rough Trade in February and the again down our street in May. Not only is she a clever and talented songwriter but her three-piece band is as tight and complete as you'd need. What's she like? well apart from musically being the 'dogs bollocks' you could consider Jake Bugg to be her mirror image; that's a deeper concept than you might think at first observation. She's a fully rounded songwriter and performer. And, the GOOD NEWS is she's got a new album coming out this year. I can hardly wait!

Never say never

I’d always seen opera as elitist nonsense; at best musicals for rich knob heads and at worst the equivalent to the emperor’s new clothes. Arrogance fuelled stupidity on my part I kind of think. But I’m trying to open up my mind and take it to places that it’s not previously been. In April during my sojourn to Sheffield I went to a modern dance production of Kes. I enjoyed it immensely. Buoyed by this new found enthusiasm for cultural adventure I notice as I walked past Norwich’s Theatre Royal a week or so ago that they were having a mini Wagner fest. Funny I fought, funny. And then as I wended my way home I mulled over the concept of going to an opera.

I felt that I was on pretty safe territory when back home I went on line to check ticket availability. Surely it must have sold out. But no. There were tickets available. So yesterday I found myself watching Tannhäuser performed by Theater Freiburg, and bloody good it was too. Right from my early teens I’ve been a fan of the music of Richard Wagner. Like the works of Elgar I like to bath in its stirring majesty. And like Elgar I care not for the jingoistic/nationalistic wasters that have attempted to use the music for their own evil purposes. The music stands on its own and mindless baggage that sometimes surrounds it isn’t even worth getting irritated over. Ignoring it is best. So right from the start I thought, ‘wow this is wonderful stuff’. The first act, and certainly the opening scene, before the signing started, reminded me a bit of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. It was the Teutonic mime and jerky movements that did I guess. And as so as the singing started I was relieved to discover that it wasn’t painful in any way. The plot is a bit lame. Singing competitions, seduction by Venus and going to Rome on penitence. Oh and a death of course. But it was lively and colourful. I love live entertainment and I certainly loved this. Speaking to some opera purists during the second interval I was surprised to learn that it was a bit too modern and ‘impure’ for their liking, so being the perverse bugger I am this made it all the more endearing to me. I can well put up with a bit of modernism. In my humble opinion cultural conservatives are mentally moribund.

No fat ladies appeared to be harmed in the performance of this opera. In fact there were no fat ladies to be seen on stage. So technically, presumably, it ain’t over yet!

And I suppose it isn’t as I intend to go to an opera again.

Ex Libris

On another positive note I’ve started to read again. It’s mostly poetry and books of essays etc. Short reads. But it’s a start. It feels good.

I’ve returned to borrowing books from the library. I’d forgotten how I like the serendipitous nature of, what I imagine to be, other peoples bookmarks that one comes across from time to time in library books. On borrowing books from our library one gets a printed receipt. It contains the book title and the date it is due back. I tend to use these receipts as my bookmark and it seems that others do too judging by how often I find them tucked in books. It’s wonderful seeing what, often incongruous selections people have made; a bit like looking in other people’s trolleys at supermarkets and contemplating their lifestyles.

I currently have on loan an interesting book which is predominantly about the R&B music scene on the legendary Eel Pie Island, a collection of essays entitled, The British Beat Explosion/Rock ‘N’ Roll Island. It’s a damned fine read, I’d recommend it. In it I found the receipt below:

What kind of person reads stuff about Mexican drug cartels, British R&B and Chas & Dave? I’d love to meet such a person. Perhaps only once. But they are intriguing indeed!

For all we know...

...we...

A favourite of the late, great Ray Moore.

"And I'm spacebound again,

I need the money
And I can't see the stars, it's so funny,"

Some visit Lucifer, some may be crucified,
I'm goin' to Mars
Some talk to celluloid, some talk to shiny cars,
I talk to stars"


Be-Bop Deluxe - Rocket Cathedrals