At The Betsey Trotwood this Sunday afternoon from 2 p.m.
All new songs from me- The Darkside Truth, about the Brighton Punk Scene in 1977
Well, I've sent off the pilot after editing it today. I found a great site that has free bleeps (I had to bleep out a name), after trying and failing to say 'bleep' loudly enough to use. It was really good fun listening to them to find the right one.
Drudge-wise, I thought the central heating was broken, called out The Chap and realised that I hadn't turned on the thermostat! It needs to be serviced anyway, and he's coming back to do that later in the week.
My daily dunce moment was counterbalanced by the fact that the vacuum cleaner was badly blocked, and the obstacle was in the curve of the pipe that was unreachable by the longest bamboo garden cane that I could find. So I unscrewed it from the machine, and ran water from the cold water tap through it- and the water pressure drove out a sock that had jammed itself into the crook of the pipe. After hanging the pipe from a tree branch to dry, the machine has been reassembled and works perfectly. Boring, eh?
I should be re-doing the final replacement vocal today, but I've had a 'flu jab and I feel like a spaceman on the moon: big steps for womankind, oddball announcements and the sensation of a space helmet that only allows a person to look in one direction. Instead, I put the songs in order, typed up the lyrics and made a data sheet. It's so close to being finished, just a whisker. Funny to have got to this point just as Kev's film Punk Brighton is completed and out there to watch. It's going to be screened at The Duke of York's in Brighton on Wednesday 28th October, and The Rio, Dalston on the 29th: https://riocinema.org.uk/Rio.dll/WhatsOn?f=2886423
L to R: me, Johnny Piranha, Dave from the Depressions, Tony from Flesh, Rose Barnard, Stu Jones from Attrix records, Phil from The Lillettes, Johnny from Johnny and the Lubes.
I've already been faffing today- did I choose the right banjo take? Would the clawhammer be better, scratching away? I tried it, and it isn't- but I'll do just a vocal and clawhammer mix for fun later on.
I've been running through the songs: my smashed fingertip still a bit dicey but it'll do for the gig next Sunday.
I'm also within sneezing distance of finishing the pilot community radio show I'm doing. I've interviewed Molly Tie and Johny Brown (postcard from Newcastle and postcard to Newcastle), Little Bruv has chosen some tracks from the area and done mini-intros, I've scripted and recorded mine, and now I think I'll do a jingle! Currently the washing machine is on, so not till later when the swishing's finished.
Yesterday evening I didn't an interview with Jane Duffus for her zine about the punk embroideries that I do. Jane embroiders too. It's a slow, but very therapeutic, process and it's the first time anyone's interviewed me about my arty stuff!
It's Bandcamp Friday, and I've got the Darkside Truth badges up on Bandcamp now:
https://helenmccookerybook.bandcamp.com/merch/the-darkside-truth-badge
