Friday 20 March 2020

Mrs. Arbuthnot Had Ears Sharpened By Malice

I don't have anything profound to add about the pandemic except to say let's wash our hands. Let's self-isolate. Let's not panic buy. Let's respect our health workers. Whatever we pay our nurses - it's not enough.


I recently read "Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont" by the other Elizabeth Taylor.


Funny, bittersweet, melancholic. Gently heartbreaking. Peppered with subtle zingers throughout.
...Mrs Arbuthnot had ears sharpened by malice...
...'It is three thousand days ago today that my wife died', Mr. Osmond said, to no one in particular...
...'Ah, yes', Mrs de Salis said dismissingly. 'I suppose you just had a local anaesthetic.'
'No, we were living in Norfolk at the time, and my husband insisted on my coming to London.'...
...She gave a smile which meant nothing, and took a cautious sip of her whisky...
...Mrs. Post considered the dish, and then carefully picked out one nut, as if it were different from the others...
...In spite of his question, she decided to enchant again...
...'We were talking about Brighton', Mrs Palfrey said, skipping the varicose veins...
...'Denise is the name of our hostess,' Mr. Osmond said across Mrs. Palfrey, who drew back her bust a little as he did so...
...'Ciggie?' she asked Colonel Mildway, holding out her case, and blowing thin streams of smoke down from her nostrils...
Starting another book right away feels like a disservice.

Keep your eyes peeled for this album...


...and not just because I wrote a song for it called "Punk Rock Boy".

I liked The Two Popes on Netflix.


And I dug Miles Davis: Birth Of The Cool on BBC.

I'll finish up with Unbuttoned by the one and only David Sedaris.

And this from Dr. Benjamin Janaway.

Let's stay safe.

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Tuesday 3 March 2020

Robert Bloody Forster - and some Teenage Fanclub News

All being well I am extremely looking forward to opening for the wunderbar Robert Forster in Strathaven in May.


I *loved* Robert's show at St Luke's last year. 

Here's just one wee gem among many that could slip by if you didn't know better...


I fell for The Go-Betweens around the time of The Friends Of Rachel Worth. I hadn't been drumming long with Teenage Fanclub. We played with them in Madrid and Barcelona. Nov 2000. Quite the epiphany.

Talking of Teenage Fanclub (editor's note: silky...) - ta dah!:


Tickets on sale soon - www.teenagefanclub.com

Album sessions have been fun and productive. Watch this space.

I will be talking about composing for film/TV at this BAFTA Scotland event in Glasgow on 28th March. Tell your aspiring composer pals.

Talking of composing (editor: you're on fire, Francis...) I finally got to see "Eminent Monsters" on a big screen. A powerful film directed by Stephen Bennett and edited by Berny McGurk. I am very glad to have been involved.

I liked this:


Following on from this (which I dug)...


...I am re-reading this (which I am digging).


I saw Scottish Opera's Nixon In China. If I'm honest I loved the staging more than the music.

For some reason I am really enjoying the BBC repeats of Rick Stein's Long Weekends.

That's Rick Stein - not me.
Also grooving to Inside Number 9 and Better Call Saul.

I am working on titles music for a top secret TV project. It's all about... ha! - just kidding. I can't say.

This is still on telly. I tweeted about it and look what happened...

Right - I'm offski. Remember to wash your hands.
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