I went back to Steven Appleby's exhibition with my friend Joan last Wednesday. It's such a funny and subversive collection of work. I was just admiring the quality of the lines when he appeared with a couple of colleagues. The conversation turned to people who had criticised his drawing skills in the past, and I rather clumsily told him about Billy Childish's comment when he visited some song writing students that I was teaching: 'I'm going to show you how to play guitar very badly, very well'. I'm not sure if the meaning of that transmitted as well as I meant it to: but 'very good drawing' is often very boring drawing. There is so much more to it all than accuracy and photorealism. Steve's drawings are beautifully light and airy, with a contracting earthiness about the subject matter and humour, far beyond the land of Good Drawing.
Joan had disappeared round the back to the reading area. We sat and read for a bit; I read the story of the cat's nine lives. The security guard made us both a cup of tea.
That's what a Wednesday should be all about, I think.
Friday's adventure was the gig in Bristol, preceded by the recording of four tracks off the new album round at Rocker's house for his Dandelion Radio show. Twice round each one, then a cup of tea, then off to The Thunderbolt for sound check.
The Big However were first on, a band with not only a trumpet but also a cell in their line-up. They were a proper good time Friday night band!
After my set (why did I forget to play Three Cheers for Toytown?) Rachel and the Loveables played a set just as good as the one they did last weekend at The Prince Albert in Brighton, and if anything the sound was even better here because the sound engineer took all the levels down so we could hear Rachel's singing clearly. I'm looking forward to seeing them again this Saturday afternoon.
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