Guitars: a Twilling

Fretboards: you get to know them like friends.
My most comfortable one is the old red Gretsch I used to play in Helen and the Horns and that I keep by the fire to write songs on. I feel like I could play anything on that guitar and it's totally relaxing to play. It's an old pal.
 The Martin acoustic has a flat fretboard with an easy action: sometimes my fingers cause the strings to squeak but it's lovely for bar chords as it's so gentle to play. It's got an amazing sound, acoustic and amplified, and does 50% of the work for you. It can perform unplugged or not, and accompanied me in the studio last week, sounding absolutely amazing.
The new pistachio-green Gretsch can be challenging but it still feel shiny and new; there's something quite rocky about the way it feels, even though I sometimes play quite jazzy chords. I think every time I play it it's amplified, and this makes me feel powerful when I touch the strings.
The Telecaster is more of a stranger but it feels exciting and punky and brash and honest. That's one I have to get to know a bit better.
The Hofner is on holiday with Martin at the moment. It has a strange thick neck like a Southern farmer in the USA, with a wide open feel that gives me different sorts of songs when I write on it. It sounds twangy and reminds me of sunshine.
I sold my Spanish guitar to a girl in a red beret and felt very happy about that; she told me she was a beginner songwriter and I told her the guitar was full of songs. I wrote lots of my first new songs on it (London for instance) when I started up again, and all the childrens' songs for Song Club. I haven't missed it, as it was quite hard to play although its sound was deep and mellow and woody.

I meant to watch the Mo Mowlam film last night but got totally distracted by drawing a poster for one of Martin's gigs, and also reading Marion Leonard's book, Gender in the Music Industry. I love Julie Walters and I thought Mo Mowlam was a very interesting woman. I do hope they repeat it.

I was delighted that McSis and her partner Paul, who plays sax with me sometimes, both liked my new album. Martin phoned and helped me to weed out the rogue track, and it just needs putting into order.
I have put one or two tracks up on Myspace.

Time to take Whippersnapper to the vets for blood tests.
'Bye.