As I type I have only had one telephone conversation with Harry Pye. We have never met. But Harry has encouraged me to make original works of art and to contribute to a recording of a song sung by the great Neil Innes; we have written several of our own songs together, with which I am chuffed (one will be premiered with a video at an art happening in Denmark next month); and he has co-painted a picture of me meeting Michael Nesmith:
More will be revealed. For now here's a link to a blog post from Harry himself:
PS: films I have recently seen and enjoyed/appreciated: "The Act Of Killing", "Tim's Vermeer", "Vicky Christina Barcelona". Oh and it was pleasant being interviewed for this
(1) Laura Cantrell at St Andrews In The Square, Glasgow - Fri 4th Oct (2013).
Something like 14 years ago on a brief jaunt through Glasgow, NY producer-guitarist Jay Sherman-Godfrey gave me a CD 'demo' with 4 x songs by Laura Cantrell which included 2 Seconds and Queen Of The Coast. Cue over-excited phone messages on Laura's answering machine as I foamed at the mouth about putting out her debut album on Spit & Polish; an imprint dedicated to Americana, roots, folk and later Scots Gaelic music (Yay for Julie Fowlis!). In the first instance, however, S&P was all about Laura. She first came to Glasgow in January 2000 for the Celtic Connections festival and her live show gave me goosebumps all over again. The late John Peel memorably described "Not The Tremblin' Kind" as "my favourite album of the past ten years and possibly my life". He once sent me a postcard asking when her next album would be released. In the note he mentioned that he had bought 14 copies of NTTK for friends. Laura's brand new album "No Way There From Here" is as good as anything she has ever done and includes a gem "Glass Armour" co-written with Tracyanne Campbell from Camera Obscura. Her show, with brilliant sideman Mark Spencer, as part of the Glasgow Americana Festival was her umpteenth visit here. And it was wonderful.
(2) The Vaselines in Easterhouse - Sat 5th Oct.
Watching this show I had a minor re-epiphany (it's my blog; I'll make up words if I want) about how great this particular song is.
It's every bit as great as the video, directed by Pat Harkins.
(3) "Sunshine On Leith" - the trailer alone gets me every time. Go and see it and feel the love or we can't be friends:
(4) Julie Fowlis in the studio (eek!) I shall say no more.
Someone emailed me to ask about the Billy Connolly Bafta event at The Fruitmarket in Glasgow the other night. Here's what I replied:
"Billy Connolly was a very special affair. It was relatively slow paced (he's 70 now). A seated interview with clips of films throughout. He seemed almost a wee bit nervous/melancholic on occasion but the stories and memories just flowed and he got into his stride before long: Richard Burton and priests in confession and touching a snake at Kelvingrove Museum when he was a boy, shopping with Robin Williams and Michael J Fox, thinking Judi Dench fancied him, being the only person with a Glasgow accent in a film ("it's like a joke: this Glaswegian walks into a film..."), watching an Orange Walk band performing Any Dream Will Do on Argyle St., etc, etc. There were questions from the floor including a guy from The Gorbals who told him that The Crucifixion changed his life.
When he got the BAFTA Scotland Lifetime Achievement award at the end he stood centre-stage and spoke about how much it meant to him that this was from Scotland, that it almost broke his heart and "it hits me somewhere I live". And then his hands shook and he teared up and it felt like most of the room did the same."
Also - the Paralympics Opening Ceremony; Looking UP when stoatin' about Glasgow; My portable record player working again; Boston "More Than A Feeling" (it came on the radio - which further reminded me of how it was used to great effect in The Sopranos); "Tell Them Who You Are" about Haskell Wexler; and, och that's enough for now. I'll leave you with this...
TFC gigs in Norway (there's talk of recording a new album - I'm keeping my eyes crossed);
Scottish Opera's Tosca;
Getting some of my music in the Baby Cow show "Starlings";
A sneak preview of a work-in-progress song from the forthcoming Heidi Talbot album produced by John McCusker - get ready, there is a song on there that reminds me of hearing Laura Cantrell for the very first time;
Being A Brief Collection Of Ruminations On Such Things That Do Generate The Release Of Endorphins
So Randy Newman at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall a wee while ago was exquisitely dandy. Man, "I Miss You" and "Losing You" could tear your heart out (not literally, but still....). My highlight, however, was right at the beginning of "Jolly Coppers On Parade". Earlier in the day I had handed a note in at the stage door to say welcome to Glasgow, Randy; Wha's like us?; etc., and to request that the maestro might play this song and dedicate it to Tracyanne from Camera Obscura cos she is learning it on piano. Well dang me if a few songs into the second half didn't he tickle out the opening JCOP notes and mutter, "This is for Tracyanne who's learning it - all 6 chords of it".
So it's not often a Norwegian band covers one of my songs. The Dahlmanns have recorded "Dumb Me Down". You can hear my old pal Michael Shelley giving it a spin on wfmu, New Jersey here.
Here is a Spotify Playlist of 5 x Italian Opera Songs that I have welcomed onto my radar in recent times.
Got my ticket for Philip Glass in Glasgow next month. Never seen him before. Say, what do you get if you cross said maestro of minimalism (or, and I paraphrase, 'music with repetitive structures' as he'd prefer it) with Sesame Street? The answer is this...
What else have I been enjoying? Um, Mark Gatiss interviewed by Mark Lawson...Desert Island Discs...The Moth podcasts...Oh! and I watched the first three Leone-Morricone-Eastwood spaghetti westerns recently. That was a blast. So here's a lovely wee clip to sign off with.
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