"I Love LA! (We love it!)"

OK.

First off...

If you happen to visit The Lowry art gallery in Salford near Manchester, you might just hear an orchestral piece I wrote for the Rogue Orchestra called "Lowry".

Secondly...

...outside of Japan/Asia, if you pre-order "Bonjour" - my new album with Harry Pye - you will be able to download 2 x tracks right now: "Isle Of Capri" and "Sympathy For Jean-Luc Godard".

Here is the i-tunes link - or if you want to pre-order a CD or LP, go here.

"Bonjour" is released now in Japan/Asia on Hostess Entertainment. Here is a Japanese interview I did  about the project.

Thirdly...

...WFMU's Michael Shelley asked me to pick a song and record it for the radio station's Sounds Of The Seventies fundraising compilation CD. I picked "Sunday Girl" and Michael kicked off his show with it on Saturday. Intrigued? Well the show is archived here.

Now...

Since we last met Teenage Fanclub have been playing some shows in Southern California.  I have discovered that there is no such thing as bad Mexican food (talk to the hand), the Sportsmens Lodge is a groovy hotel (with huge breakfast burritos), and Randy Newman had a point.

We played shows in San Diego, LA, Pioneertown (nice drive out to the desert) and Santa Barbara.

I've had a wander about Hollywood, visited The Broad (I was late for admission but I charmed them with my accent), I've eaten more than one taco, caught up with some old pals, made some new ones, yadda, yadda (not in the Seinfeld way - just yadda, yadda).

The esteemed Michael Lerner from Telekinesis has stepped up to the plate since Dave McGowan had to head him for a show with Belle & Sebastian. Lerner by name, learner by nature; he is doing a grand job.

To tip: if Starbucks staff want a name to write on your cup, "Frank" goes over better than "Rumplestiltskin".

After our LA show Ric Menck told me I "looked like a matinee idol up there". Hope he didn't mean Lassie.

Menck, Benair, Macdonald & Jarvis - a murder of drummers.

I drove past MacArthur Park with was exciting to me (I know - bless my heart). My cab driver had not heard of the song. Dean Wareham (who is playing with Britta Phillips, who's has been sounding great opening up for us btw) told me that Richard Harris wouldn't be corrected from singing "MacArthur's Park" so I had to have a listen. Sure enough...

This was rather trippy to look at in situ.

Macca in the Yucca.

I know, right?

Here's why I could never live in the desert.

Norman's back - not Macca's back - in Yucca.

Chloe the Cihuahua.

Starry Nights Festival - we played after Cat Power and before The Alan Parsons Project.

Pals. (Alfonso Rodenas is a great recording engineer - and he is in a bad called The Blue Dolphins with his wife Victoria.)

And so - on to Northern California and beyond.

I'm afraid I am going to end on a sad note. I haven't seen Midori in a long time - but she is a lovely person. And she and her family need some help. Please consider sharing this link and/or donating.

Bye for now.