Saturday, January 19, 2019
On R Kelly
What an excellent article on R Kelly in the Guardian on Friday by Ben Beaumont-Thomas!
The writer perfectly defines the power of what is probably a psychopathic personality (could be Trump, even: it's that 'outsider' feeling that he's special, and normal rules don't apply to him).
'Fans don't want Kelly to be a paedophile or rapist because that would ruin the music'.
People don't want their heroes to have let them down. They would rather believe endless denials of wrongdoing, even when the truth is staring them in the face.
Here is a true story.
I'll never forget the con man in Brighton who tricked two of my housemates out of their money.
He was dressed as a monk and was Asian. As he sat there drinking tea with them after knocking on the door seemingly at random, he made them feel sorry for him: he had a wooden leg, he said, and was terribly poor and unfortunate. This was awful for a spiritual man like him. He just needed a bit of goodwill to help him get by
Hearts going out to him, they gave him all the money they had between them, and he went on his way expressing his heartfelt gratitude.
Later that week, there was an article in the Evening Argus about him. He was a plausible con man who had played this trick on scores of people.
The housemates felt stupid.
'You know, when he was telling me about his wooden leg I was looking at his legs, and both of them looked perfectly normal, but I still believed him'.
We think we are too clever to be tricked; the story, the music, the charm all break through our resistance and we let people exploit us and then run away without taking the rap for what they've done.
Until....
Well, I hope R Kelly, Trump and everyone else's chickens come home to roost in 2019!
Will it happen?
I don't think so.
The writer perfectly defines the power of what is probably a psychopathic personality (could be Trump, even: it's that 'outsider' feeling that he's special, and normal rules don't apply to him).
'Fans don't want Kelly to be a paedophile or rapist because that would ruin the music'.
People don't want their heroes to have let them down. They would rather believe endless denials of wrongdoing, even when the truth is staring them in the face.
Here is a true story.
I'll never forget the con man in Brighton who tricked two of my housemates out of their money.
He was dressed as a monk and was Asian. As he sat there drinking tea with them after knocking on the door seemingly at random, he made them feel sorry for him: he had a wooden leg, he said, and was terribly poor and unfortunate. This was awful for a spiritual man like him. He just needed a bit of goodwill to help him get by
Hearts going out to him, they gave him all the money they had between them, and he went on his way expressing his heartfelt gratitude.
Later that week, there was an article in the Evening Argus about him. He was a plausible con man who had played this trick on scores of people.
The housemates felt stupid.
'You know, when he was telling me about his wooden leg I was looking at his legs, and both of them looked perfectly normal, but I still believed him'.
We think we are too clever to be tricked; the story, the music, the charm all break through our resistance and we let people exploit us and then run away without taking the rap for what they've done.
Until....
Well, I hope R Kelly, Trump and everyone else's chickens come home to roost in 2019!
Will it happen?
I don't think so.
January in Paris
This is from more than ten years ago; I've been listening to old stuff and some unreleased demos from back then. Lyrically, they seem wise. Why have I been such a fool?
A Day's Recording
It sure as hell feels good to start recording a new album. You hear the warts and all but then you start to feel inspired. Thanks to Ian Button for a good session.
Friday, January 18, 2019
Wot a Week!
Big thanks again to everyone in Belfast for being so brilliant, and special mention to Michael our driver, for the guided tour; the 'Peace Wall' with a million signatures, and gates that close at 10 p.m. to divide the Catholics from the Protestants was a revelation, and we'll sign it next time when it's not dark and scary. Thank you for making us home-made sandwiches, Michael: they were very welcome at 4.45 a.m. in the morning on Monday as we waited for the early plane to Gatwick with a hundred silver-topped businessmen. Now that's a geezer! Michael had lots of interesting stories about horrid famous people (Shhh!)
Thank you to Joe, Sean and Maggie too, and to the audience for dressing up to the nines, asking brilliant questions and giving us a standing ovation. we had a great chat afterwards: things like The Clash letting down a whole venue load of people, because they were too scared to come to Belfast, and the replica bands that did extremely well playing other bands' repertoires, like The Belfast Beatles. I liked that idea, local people making a load of dosh for themselves out of the fear of the proper pop stars!
It was great to see the students again for the first day of term later on Monday, even through a mist of tiredness: they are all ready to write more songs. And the MA students did just that on Tuesday, with Badu from Senegal adding some thrilling improvised lyrics to his verse.
On Wednesday I went to Cambridge to record a session and interview with Dave Hammond for The Smelly Flowerpot show. Dave is a great interviewer and a total music fan, and it was a right larf to catch up with him again. The show is going to be broadcast on 28th January so I'll post a link when it's up there.
Yesterday Ian Ballard from the label Damaged Goods came to talk to the students at the University of the East, and the boy done good- his talk was entertaining and informative, and he also gave me a copy of the cover version of Oh Bondage Up Yours! on pink vinyl that Shadtax have just released (Billy Childish's son's band). I'm writing a chapter on the X Ray Spex track for an anthology of favourite songs, so it's great to have the cover to write about too.
And today I went to record a session with Ian Button, musical/engineer/producer extraordinaire, as recommended by Kenji. We got five tracks done, several of which are definitely good enough to go on the CD I'm going to release later in the year.
What me gonna do this weekend? Sleeeeeeeep!!!!!!!
Thank you to Joe, Sean and Maggie too, and to the audience for dressing up to the nines, asking brilliant questions and giving us a standing ovation. we had a great chat afterwards: things like The Clash letting down a whole venue load of people, because they were too scared to come to Belfast, and the replica bands that did extremely well playing other bands' repertoires, like The Belfast Beatles. I liked that idea, local people making a load of dosh for themselves out of the fear of the proper pop stars!
It was great to see the students again for the first day of term later on Monday, even through a mist of tiredness: they are all ready to write more songs. And the MA students did just that on Tuesday, with Badu from Senegal adding some thrilling improvised lyrics to his verse.
On Wednesday I went to Cambridge to record a session and interview with Dave Hammond for The Smelly Flowerpot show. Dave is a great interviewer and a total music fan, and it was a right larf to catch up with him again. The show is going to be broadcast on 28th January so I'll post a link when it's up there.
Yesterday Ian Ballard from the label Damaged Goods came to talk to the students at the University of the East, and the boy done good- his talk was entertaining and informative, and he also gave me a copy of the cover version of Oh Bondage Up Yours! on pink vinyl that Shadtax have just released (Billy Childish's son's band). I'm writing a chapter on the X Ray Spex track for an anthology of favourite songs, so it's great to have the cover to write about too.
And today I went to record a session with Ian Button, musical/engineer/producer extraordinaire, as recommended by Kenji. We got five tracks done, several of which are definitely good enough to go on the CD I'm going to release later in the year.
What me gonna do this weekend? Sleeeeeeeep!!!!!!!
Monday, January 14, 2019
The She-Punks Film Goes To Belfast!
You lovely lot. Thank you for donning your finery and just being fabulous! More later in week but knackered after 4.15 start for plane home and just about to go to work. Here's some pix to be going on with.
Sunday, January 13, 2019
Songs from the Kitchen: I Feel It
This song is from more than ten years ago, but I still enjoy singing and playing it.
When I moved into this house I never realised how useful the kitchen would be as a studio!
When I moved into this house I never realised how useful the kitchen would be as a studio!
Saturday, January 12, 2019
King's Cross Skyline
This track is by Shola Adewusi, whose songs I really like. She is an actor, and very busy so we don't get to work together much. It is really interesting to take on the producer's role and work with another artist when normally it's my own material that I produce.
Hats off to Shanne, Javier, Serhan and Charlie for leaping straight in at short notice and doing a great job- and to Shola for coming up with the goods in the first place!
Hats off to Shanne, Javier, Serhan and Charlie for leaping straight in at short notice and doing a great job- and to Shola for coming up with the goods in the first place!
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