As promised, the next few days will see me share some Virginia Turbett favourites. Not all of them wil be of SM or Jim, but today’s two are. I’m sharing these ones today because, well obviously I have seen these images of Jim several times, but I had never seen them accredited to Virginia until I looked for more of her photos a few nights ago.
The bottom one is a particular fave of the two…the perfect embodiment of Jim’s performing style of the time. Crounched down on haunches…mic cord wrapped round his fingers, unorthodox microphone holding…intense, mesmerising. If I was not utterly infatuated with him as is, I would still find him completely spellbinding as a performer. I did from the very start when I got into mega fandom (before the aesthetic adoration set in). I would watch early live performances agasp, not able to comprehend that young panther on the stage being the same man as today – or even 1985!
Yes, he still had plenty of moves then (1985), but there had been a change in his performing style, even by that point. I don’t mean this comparison to be construed as an insult. NOT AT ALL! The man is heading towards 60, for heaven’s sake! I still find him mesmerising…just in a different way. He still holds the stage. I am still transfixed. But it is more controlled…more contained. It needs to be. And what was once ice cool detachment….few words spoken between songs, maybe just an intro to the next one, a dispersal of “thank you”…is now replaced with engaging banter and funny quips. He really likes engaging with the crowd now, and it’s lovely. He did then I’m sure. You see his face looking out at the crowd on recorded performances and he is observing people, but the interaction isn’t as obvious.
Oh, but to have a TARDIS trip back to one early gig. Just one, to experience how he was for myself, with my own eyes…soaking up the atmosphere of an early gig. It would be amazing. Which gig would I choose? This I will need to ponder. No doubt I’d choose something from 1981 or ’82. Perhaps that final gig of Brian’s in Canada? Though probably that Musicians Club gig in Sydney later that year. Then when I get tired of looking at Jim(!) (Like THAT would EVER happen!)…my eyes could fall upon Kenny now and then…lol. That’ll do it 🙂
