Monkey Business

Our guide to the ruins of the impressive old Kingdom of Polonnaruwa had already demonstrated how quick the monkeys were to spot the possibility of a quick steal.

As we visited palaces, hospitals, and temples that had been discovered in what had once been impenetrable forest, we were quite amazed - as anyone has to be when looking at structures and societies that had been built all over the world during times when cranes, planes and mechanical automation were not even a pipe dream.

At the Buddhist temples, as required, we took took off our shoes and hats before entering. Sometimes we had to go bare foot over burning rock and sand and on a couple of blessed occasions the relief of some cool dark interiors.

As I exited from one of the latter I was informed by my family that a monkey had stolen my shoe. Oh dear. But, hey I like going bare foot as you know. And anyway, it didn’t take more than a few seconds to remember that I had another pair with me on the trip, so no great harm done. It was just a shoe. My wife, far more practical than me, later told me that her first reaction was a plan to lure the monkey down, with food and try to do a swap deal.

Anyway…none of this turned out to be necessary. Our guide laughed delightedly as he revealed my shoe in his possession. It had indeed very much been monkey business - but only of the practical joke variety.

LOL, as they say.

Listening To The Enemy

A while ago I wrote, in conjunction, with my friend Les Oman, an album that was our response of shocked confusion to world events. It is called Too Much Of Everything, although it could probably have been called WTF Is Going On Out There?

The trigger for the songwriting happened to be the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president. I can’t speak for Les, but like many people I react instinctively and emotionally to people. And for me Trump appeared to manifest the polar opposite of some of the qualities that I admire the most. Qualities like kindness, honesty, humility, and integrity.

Nothing has changed my view on that. But at the same time I’m very aware of our dangerous and increasing tendency to hunker down in the security of our own little tribal villages, in homes where only Local People, the ones who share our own particular point of view, are dwelling.

The aforementioned album, and some of the newsletters that I sent out with songs from the album led, at one point, to me getting a very angry response from an American fan, who up until then had been very kind and positive about my music.

I hate conflict, having been bullied at school. And I think perhaps one of my greatest subconscious motivations in life is to find a way to avoid it.

But we can’t avoid it, or at least we can’t address it adequately, without facing it head on.

All of which is the sort of thing that prompted me to watch this today.

Not a short watch, it’s an interview with someone, a particular kind of someone, who people like me don’t usually have much time for. And the interviewer is very “Marmite” too. But it is interesting, and informative, and it didn’t cause me to run a mile despite my own instinctive politics. There are things in it I agree with. There are also many things which I don’t know enough about to properly comment upon. And there are things that I find inconsistent or contradictory.

I’m not offering it up for any purpose, other than to say, quite simply, that listening to “The Enemy” is really quite an important part of our growth as humans and creative beings.

Those of us who are songwriters, or artists of any kind, should probably be more prepared to grasp that particular nettle if we want to have a voice and make good art.

And now I’ve really put myself in the mood to write a frivolous pop song.

Political World

When everything is going nicely for us, it’s very easy to ignore Politics.

I’ve been interested in the subject, to a varying extent, most of my life, but it has never been a matter of life or death to me. It’s never been something that very much affects me personally in fact.

And it still doesn’t. The mental health issues I was dealing with for a number of years, and occasionally still do, which though very real, were far more influenced by my own brain patterns, upbringing and personal relationships, than by anything happening in a political framework.

At the moment though, it seems that Politics, on a world wide scale, is gradually moving closer to home, in a not dissimilar way to the lead up to the Second World war last century. Not that that kind of war is imminent. But there seem to be a lot of factors - like the environment and the lack of care we have taken for it; like the channelling of money and power into fewer, and very specific hands; like the way in which race and sexuality issues are playing out in an uglier way again, when we might have thought they were on the way to being sorted; and like the divisive angry tribalism that seems to be growing, fuelled by mainstream and online media - which, when added all together, can look very much like a gathering storm. (And I would sadly acknowledge that for some folk that storm has already broken. I’ve been one of the lucky ones).

It all feels a little scary. Even from my fairly safe vantage point.

And I’m asking a question to myself.

What can I do? Or rather, what can I do better, because I have always wanted, and usually tried, to do something.

I don’t ask this out of a sense of false guilt, even though that kind of guilt is very much a part of my own mental heritage. I ask, because I don’t want to be a passive spectator.

Because doing a small something, is better than doing a big nothing.

And I don’t want to wait until the storm breaks over my own home either. Whether we like it or not, we are all living in a very political world right now.

The Space Between Us

It’s hot out there. And by “there” I mean out here. My here. Which of course will always be different to some degree, on Celcius or any other scale of choice, from your here.

Sometimes my here will be a long way away from your here.

But near or far, there is always some distance to travel in order for us to touch each other. Even when we do manage to touch, there will always be some space between us.

And if those sound, even more than usual, like words thrown together in a feverish manner…

…well, as I said, it’s hot out there.

Live At The Perahera

Two nights ago my senses were overwhelmed in a way I’ve never experienced before. The Kandy Esala Perahera is not something that can be captured on video. I tried Youtube for a link, and rediscovered the truth that for somethings, you just had to be there.

And we were there along with many thousands. Walking to the Perahera was part of the experience, as on the way we saw big monitor lizards lurking and swimming very close by, while flying foxes hung and flew from the trees above us.

The bare essentials of the event itself involved a three hour long procession of dancing and drummers, music and elephants, fragrances, light, colour, fire, and acrobatics…all happening on a moonlit night by the banks of beautiful Lake Kandy.

That will give you a picture of course. But it feels VERY ineffectual.

Never the less, you may want to know about the origins of this thing that I can’t describe. Well, it has somehow evolved from rituals that began as long ago as the 3rd century BC. So quite old then. And those rituals and the modern day procession have got something to with a relic of the tooth of the Buddha.

Don’t ask an agnostic atheist for the full run down. But it was clear that this information, as with many religious beliefs, holds important meaning for the believers themselves.

Personally, I just want to pay homage to the exotic glory of Life, which gives birth to it all. There are undoubtedly some underlying and amazing truths out there, some that we know, some to be discovered. And we have always had a need to put our own meanings upon them.

But regardless of all of our weird and wonderful methods of interpreting life, and the various degrees of pleasure and pain we experience during our time here, what an opportunity it is to live, and how indulged that Life can occasionally make us feel.

Sri Lanka is having that effect on me.

When Starlight Comes To Stay

A Sri Lankan wedding celebration is a thing to behold.

Also, if possible, be the bride groom at the wedding, not the bride. Wow, she has to go through a lot. Mind you, the results are amazing. My new daughter-in-law was a picture of beauty.

And WHAT an entrance we all got with dancing drummers and a lovely procession to the wedding hall.

Every one, all 200 of them, were very welcoming. And we smiled, and talked, and laughed, and misunderstood, and hugged, and ate, and danced the day away.

In addition I sang my song to the happy couple.

“When Starlight Come To Stay” was inspired by my Daughter-in-laws name. Tharushi means “Star” in Sinhalese. And I was accompanied by a wonderful Sri Lankan wedding band. Honestly they were brilliant.

All in all a wonderful occasion. Complete knackered afterwards!

I would highly recommend, if you, or your offspring, or somebody you know should happen to get hooked up with a Sri Lanka person, that you don’t miss the chance to experience it.

5+ Stars from me on the Trip Advisor review.

The Wrong News

For a long while I’ve not been a fan of The News. I hardly watch it these days. It gives a twisted version of the truth.

A number of years ago we were going to visit good friends in Iran. At the time on The “News”, the only perception of Iran came from regular images of black cloaked crowds shouting “Death to the West”. Or words to that effect. Of course people told us not to go. But we trusted our friends, and had a wonderful time, wherever we went in the country.

Which is not to say, of course, that there are not serious issues to be addressed in Iran. As there are in most countries, including ours. But, and it is a BIG BUT, in most countries, and in most places, most people are, at the very least, accommodating. And more often than not, incredibly friendly and welcoming.

We are now in Sri Lanka with the family of our new daughter-in-law. Again, because of The “News” some people were questioning our decision to go. Again, we trusted our friends.

The truth is that, despite the bad economic situation, and the completely understandable protests, we are experiencing a wonderful time, in a country that feels completely alive and vibrant. We are not experiencing the touristy, sometimes sheltered version of the country. But our experience is that people are simply getting on with life, with great verve and endeavour. The main visible issue we have seen are the queues for fuel due to shortages. Despite the long waits, that all happens peacefully and without fuss.

Of course the numbers of tourist, in a country for which tourism is an important source of income, are at a very low level. We have been thanked for coming, for goodness sake!

And our friends are very frustrated with how their lovely country is being presented back home in such a misleading way. It’s all negative.

I would suggest that a lot of the time we are getting the wrong news. And sadly, most of the time that’s not the exception. It’s the norm.

I’ve Still Got A Sandwich

I’ve missed the odd day of this blog before, but not three in a row.

Weddings, long distance plane journeys, and a subsequent and unexpected power cut are to blame in the immediate sense. But I could have written and scheduled some ahead of time too as a contingency. I did do that for one day anyway, but obviously it wasn’t enough.

Does it matter? Like a lot of things that matter to me or you, it’s not a matter of life and death. I haven’t got a guitar out here in Sri Lanka either, for instance. That’s weird for me, but it’s the same thing.

But as much as the big ones, Life and Death, matter, it is the filling in the sandwich that makes it a sandwich.

Fortunately for me and you, days without blogs and guitars, or any of our usual condiments, can be replaced with other fascinating, exciting, heart warming and beautiful kinds of filling.

I’ve still got a wonderful sandwich. Totally tropical. I’ll hopefully fill you in over the coming days.

1%

Who knows where life will take us?

But today it’s taking myself and my wife on a flight to Sri Lanka to celebrate the marriage of our son Joel, to the lovely Tharushi. We’re so excited to share that experience with her Sri Lankan family.

Music and love. They both bring us together, and break down barriers across borders and cultures. It’s a beautiful thing.

Because each human shares 99% DNA with every other human that has ever lived.

Love and music are also our way of celebrating that 1% of difference.

The Wedding Band

The wedding was great. I don’t want to rub it in about how great. I’m biased. And I’m a very proud father and father-in-law this morning.

But I wanted to mention the wedding band. They were great too.

Wedding bands sometimes receive a bit of scorn from 'singer/songwriters like me, who are often just simply jealous that they manage to make money going round entertaining people by singing other peoples songs. How dare they!

But they are, more often than not, excellent musicians (almost always better musicians than yours truly) and they simply want everyone to have a good time.

The Franchise did that in spades last night. They were brilliant.

And as an added bonus, the band, without rehearsal, also managed to accompany me in my song to the happy couple. It was lovely, and I’m grateful. Really nice guys too.

Shout out to the wedding bands.

(And massive congratulations to Joel and Tharushi of course :)

The Exclusive

Today my son, Joel, is getting married to Tharushi.

There is a song I’ve written for the occasion of course. But you can’t hear it yet, because my son and his wife to be haven’t heard it yet.

Some people should get the exclusive.

And If I, as a songwriter, had an exclusive tip to give you, it would be:

Always write for somebody. Not for everybody.

From The Earth

I think Gabe makes a good point here.

The point being that we shouldn’t get sniffy about the latest new technology and the way that music is changing. There will always be a new thing, and for the next generation that new thing will probably have the potential to build all the memories and nostalgia that our thing had.

And maybe all the kicks we need in the future will come from phones, and 3D headsets, and anything else yet to come. Maybe, perhaps, the acoustic, unplugged sound that moves me most will die away completely in the future.

But I don’t believe it will. We are human. And our connection to the ground means that digital experience will never be quite enough. I think we will go on needing something to hold, something to touch, and something to make.

Acoustic music was around for thousands of years before electronics came along. And even if it becomes less influential for a season, I think something primal inside of us will always rediscover it.

The brave new digital universe is an addition, and sometimes an enhancement, to the simpler acoustic world. Not a replacement.

We are from the earth.

Not About You

It’s liberating to forget for a while about how I can get ME to succeed, and start working on ways to help HER to succeed.

Or THEM. Or HIM.

Very refreshing, when it’s not all about YOU.

It feels a bit like growing up.

Another Ode To Moving Slowly

Another ode to moving slowly.

I’ve not been able to do my hill walking for a week or two because of a knee injury. Ironically, I got my knee injury by overdoing the exercises that were intended to strengthen my knees so that I could do more hill walking without causing myself injury.

Everything has to slow down at the moment, not through intention, but because it cannot be otherwise. That has its own benefits and lessons to be learned of course, though I’d prefer not to be experiencing them right now.

The main one, one I’ve had to relearn, is that it’s better to intentionally slow down in order to get better. At anything. If I’d done that with my strengthening exercises I wouldn’t have had the issue forced upon me.

Also, knees are a very useful body part, and they should be maintained as well as we are able. But don’t run before you can walk.

Singing The Phone Book

My son is getting married on Saturday and I’ve been asked to say a few words. Most of them will come in the form of a song, you won’t be surprised to hear.

It’s so much easier to get to the heart of the matter with a song.

And, given the choice, I would or should have written a song to put my thoughts and feelings into words, at all occasions that required a more complex, detailed or deeper form of expression.

School exams. Interviews. Funerals. Asking them out. Pep-talks to the weans. Proposals. And responses to cold call telephone sales reps.

But, so far, I’ve only been chancing my hand at weddings.

One day I will spread my wings and fly….

A Good Man

Some people have a hard life, and it can help to bring me out of my occasional, indulgent self pitying reveries, when I see that some of those folk, despite hardships that I can’t even imagine, stay good and true till the very end.

I heard recently from my friend and Homesong supporter Steve Byrne, that one of life’s beautiful souls, Nick Greenwood, recently passed away. He wasn’t a man I knew incredibly well, but everything I saw and heard about him spoke of a man with the kindest of hearts, the gentlest of spirits, only lacking the proverbial bad bone in his body.

He often had a very tough time of it, and the words “rest in peace” couldn’t be more meaningful, more appropriate, or more strongly wished for, than for a man like Nick.

The world could use a lot of more people like him. A good man.

For Posterity

Next up!

A little bit of bridge burning from one of my very favourite almost unknown artists. Great little video too.

Mary Cigarettes (aka Gregory Gray) passed away before I heard his music. But he took the wonderful chance we all now have to make his music available for posterity. It’s not something that was ever available to performers until the advent of recording

But now the unknown can, potentially, become known at some point

It’s not an opportunity to be sniffed at while we have breath.

Just A Man

The ghost of a man woke up this morning.
His dreams passed through walls
As though the walls weren’t there.
And suddenly, the dreams weren’t there.
His songs moaned in the corridors.
Tuneless tunes that needed some loving care.
And then the tunes weren’t there.
Were they ever there?

The ghost of a man
Had a history, he was sure.
But it had flown out of the window,
The creaky window.
And now, it too, had gone.

Somewhere over there.


The memory of the ghost of a man
Shook himself.

A blast of air
Blew the creaky window shut.

He sniffed the smell of coffee.
Then danced like a Banshee.
And with some strange Alchemy
A body emerged into the morning.

With hands and feet
And the gift of Today.

It was tomorrow’s ghost.
Not yet a ghost.
Just a man for now.

Patience

This can wait.

So can that.

Everything can wait. It’s just that we’re not very good at waiting these days. Press a button and get it next day. Or sooner.

Get it now.

We all pursue these temporary pleasure hits. We all become addicts. And when we do, life inevitably becomes emptier and more confusing. Because we have to move even faster to get the same kick.

Patience can build something much more worth our while.

Nothing else can.

For Your Ears Only

There are people I know who play an instrument, and even write songs, but who can’t be persuaded to perform in front of an audience. Even a small, loving and forgiving one.

It’s not the law that you need to become a performer once you’ve learnt to play or sing something. I get incredible enjoyment and release myself, just from singing and playing out loud to an empty room.

Of course, if someone is capable of making a lovely sound it is natural, for someone like me, to try and do a little coaxing. Because talent can be a gift that, when given, uplifts and encourages others.

But it’s not the law.

Somethings can, and should be, for your ears only.