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you may ask of me: Who are you? A brief history of mine (and a couple of reminisciences) This is me in the Pillars of Hercules, a pub just around the corner from the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band's 40th anniversary re-union gig at the Astoria. I was introduced to Viv Stanshall's old accountant who had a pair of the late great Viv's spectacles with him. Well, I HAD to have a picture of me in them!!! I was going to ask were they smoked lenses but had not at that time drunk enough!!! I am 56 going on twenty and still enjoying music as much as I did back in the 50's and 60's. I did a lot of festivals back in the 60's and 70's, Isle of Wights, Baths, Plumpton, Couple of Readings & etc. and have been lucky enough to get a few discs of those gigs. I have been collecting live music for many years and I have built up a fair size collection of discs covering a lot of different genres and acts as diverse as 1920's blues recordings to the Rat Pack of Sinatra & Co in the 1960's to some fresher concerts in 2008. In some respects I guess I am a bit stuck in the 60's due to it really being my defining period. It's where I learned to love music and discovered girls!!! I remember when Sgt Pepper's Lonley Hearts Club Band came out and I thought, "Bloody hell! Music is art!!!" I was astounded by it. On Pepper, I always knew that it was a great album but I also felt (still do) it could have been even greater if "With a little help from my friends" and "When I'm sixty four" had been replaced with "Strawberry Fields forever" and "Penny Lane" I remember being at the Isle of Wight in 1969 about half way back and centre in the arena. (Typical bloody Welshman, got in for nothing!!!) I got chatting to a girl about my age, 18 at the time, and we talked about this, that and music. Slowly she began to drape herself over me, which was nice, but then the Band came on and I can still remember thinking, "I wish this woman would bugger off before Dylan comes on" Well, I was a young Welshman from the valleys travelling further from home than I ever had up to that point and I really needed to hear Dylan sans interruption! As the Band set ended she explained that she was the daughter of a hotelier on the IOW and a few of the bands were staying at her dad's hotel, hence her freebie ticket! She was hoping to interview some of the musicians at the hotel in order to try and break into journalism and, not being a Dylan fan was going back and did I want to come? I was now torn between going off with her and missing Bob or staying for Bob and missing out on a bit of an adventure. Bob won and I watched his mediocre set, but it was still this Welsh boy's first festival and I savoured each bob moment!!!. I also remember being at Plumpton with David Barrett Owen, one of the greatest friends a man could have and sadly missed. Richard Nixon died in his eighties and David in his twenties. God works in wonderous ways! I named my daughter Barrett after him. Well I could hardly call her David, could I? I went speciffically to see Roy Harper but, apparently, Harper, alledgedley, was somewhat chemically compromised and Ginger Baker came on early to fill the gap. I climbed up a lighting pole near the front of the stage apopleptic with frustration and the rage that is dissapointed youth that Ginger bloody Baker was replacing Roy Harper and shouted the question: "Where's Roy Harper?" at Baker who told me: "Fu** off, sit down and listen to my music!" Some people actually thought that Ginger Baker's Air Force played music!!! It appeared that Ginger thought this as well!!! In the end a rather sad bedraggled Baker had to be pulled off stage as he was refusing to stop beating his bloody drums in yet another interminable bloody drum solo!!! (Just as well I got in for nothing! Typical bloody welshman!) I always felt that Baker, like Clapton, needs to be IN a band and not leading it!!! Ginger, do this, Eric, do that and it will sound OK. I cite Cream and John Mayall's Blues Breakers as examples. What do you call a drummer who has split up with his girlfriend? Homeless. Talking of gigs and festivals: Best big gig ever? Blackbushe when Dylan played the set of the 70's! (Typical bloody Welshman, got in for nothing) Best small gig ever? Van Morrison at the Kings Head Hotel (around 1990) in Newport when he turned up unannounced to play a set with Georgie Fame at the 200 seater. Worst big gig ever? Bob Dylan at the Hammersmith Odeon when I screamed at him to at least try and then walked out when he didn't! At the end of the show I was walking away with the friends who came with me to see the show and I overheard Bob Geldoff say to his mate "Not very fu***ng good" Worst small gig ever? The Incredible String Band reunion tour, the Coal Exchange, Cardiff. Bloody awful. None of them wanted to be there and none of them actually talked to each other! Musically I worship in a broad church and like such diverse styles as Gregorian chant, pop, folk (ancient and modern), Rock, rock and roll, classical, alt country, country (but not western), reggae, ska, skiffle, jazz, soul, R&B, Blues etc etc etc but I am not a fan of rap music as I loathe and detest racism, violence, sexism and homophobia. I have had a varied working career and have worked on building sites, been a chef, a bar manager, petrol pump attendant, salesman, engineer, van driver, window cleaner and scores and scores of other jobs of which some I can't even remember but I am now settled as a project worker at a hostel for single homeless people. Homeless people are great levellers and I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to have the luxuaries of a roof and a family. I have recently taken up Morris dancing and you can view my blogs on the beer and morris dancing page. I have no blinding ambition other than to try and be a responsible and loving parent (I got into marriage and parenting late and my kids are 11 & 9 - wifey is much younger than I) who will try to pass on the fabulous virtues and values my fabulous parents gave to me. Actually, that said about no blinding ambition, I have two: I would love to strum my three chords at a really big venue!!! I ALWAYS regretted, indeed I still do, not jumping onto the stage of the Vienna Opera House and belting out the Wrexham song Yr iard, yr iard y hen hen iard in full on Welsh valley tenor during a guided tour. The stage was empty other than some scenery for the Barber of Seville and there were no staff other than the guide around!!! and I want to live forever! (on this one, so far so good and I seem to be sticking to the game plan) I have noticed of late that I am finally beginning to follow my own advice about maintaining a happy life: Dance like no bugger is watching Sing like no bugger is listening Drink like no bugger is paying Rules for life? I believe that life is easy because there is no script, it's all ad lib and you can simply make it up as you go along!!! At my age, 56, with around twenty more years to go if I am lucky, this ad lib business is becoming more and more important!!! Lately, as well as the dancing, I have taken up gardening at a local allottment and have become a devotee of the proverb: If you would be happy for an hour, smoke a pipe, happy for an evening, drink a bottle of wine, If you would be happy for a week get a wife, But if you would be happy all your life, plant a garden.
Finally I suppose I have to admit that even at 56 I am still a tree hugging hippy who tries to: Think global and act local!!! What's so funny about peace love and understanding? And in the end? I do believe that there is a day of judgement and on that day God will be found GUILTY! |
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