Today’s post from Jim – much like yesterday’s…I can feel it ramping up. I get that he loves Italy…but I always feel like…something kind of ugly overtakes him whenever SM play there. Something … “unattractive” happens. All the bravado and the smugness creeps in.
Today when I read the post I thought “Geez, you’re sounding like the MP who said “anyone who can’t function in this heat is a snowflake.” Well, fuck you, cuntface! (the MP, I mean…just to clarify)
I lived for the first 28 years of my life in one of the hottest countries in the world, and when the heat’s with you for several months each and every year, then…you just endure. You have to. You have little choice. But the temperatures that will be experienced in the UK – particularly in England and Wales – over the next couple of days are truly unprecedented.
I’m in agreement with common sense here. After the whole Plato ‘Laches’ study I did for my assignment – I am not going to condone ANY ‘foolish endurance’ right now. If you don’t have to go to work – don’t. If you can keep yourself inactive and cool, do so! Don’t be a hero.
Leave the heroics and foolish endurance to the likes of Kerr – a man willing to play at a concert in 45 degree heat, in a jacket, so as to “not let the fans down”. Well…what WOULD have let the fans down is if you’d have died on stage! But what do I know? I’m just a weak (not so) little snowflake.
I always breathe a sigh of relief as an Italian leg of a tour comes to an end and humility returns. Bravo!
This photo (below) sums up what happens during the Italian leg of a tour…
Well, it was a great year in music… ‘72. I wanted it to be something that took away some of the sting from missing the Tao gig, but it’s just added to it.
I was ssooo proud if this piece. But there we go. “Pride comes before a fall” – that’s what they say, right?
A normal person…who had to get an extension from having gone through Covid, would be more than happy with a 72 given the circumstances that they had around the assignment. Not me! I am hard on myself. Very hard. And a 72 does NOT feel good enough.
I know I am always bad with getting my results, but this feels worst yet. The critique makes sense and I understand what elements I have missed out on and feel angry at myself for missing them or just…not getting it.
So…what do I do next? Tackle philosophy AGAIN? Shit…I dunno!
Am I learning? Am I growing? I genuinely have no idea today…
I hadn’t been in the city since coming home from England after the Blenheim gig. And prior to that? For some time to hang out in there? Dunno when the last time was… the end of May, probably. My afternoon out with Michelle for her birthday.
Promised myself a day in there all week while the house was Birdyless. It didn’t happen until yesterday, the day of her return. Demotivation has taken quite the stranglehold of late. I guess having had Covid has not helped the situation at all.
It’s horrible to know what you need to do to get better but…you just feel so…unable to enact the change! That’s what true depression does. Nothing in life incentivises, no matter how much you are wanting it to.
The study definitely has its negative sides, as it allows me to be physically lazy and have the excuse of not getting out “because I’m studying”. Except, right now I’m not even doing that, either. Still not got back to it after completing my assignment. And I have yet another to submit in 10 days time. Another one I am not looking forward to doing.
Anyway.
Yesterday was lovely. We (myself and the OH) saw a film called Brian and Charles at Glasgow Film Theatre. What a beautiful, heart-wrenching, yet ultimately uplifting film it was. I think you need to be a real empathetic soul to appreciate the quirks of it. I loved it. It’s just beautiful.
Afterwards was a quick wander around Locavore in Garnethill, enjoying a coffee “al fresco”. As we made our way over, I noticed a sign for St Aloysius Church just up around the corner back on Rose Street. The banner read “open every day”. I thought, well if it is, let’s go and have a wee keek.
Well…I was bowled over. Those Catholics…they sure know how to decorate a church! I can only assume from what was inside it all dated post-reformation? I do love the iconography. Many saints acknowledged, from St Ninian, to St Columba, St Margaret, to St Mungo – with small statues of St Theresa and St Anthony. I couldn’t help but think of Alex Harvey with the “please do not touch me – St Anthony” wording underneath the statue (although I think Alex would lose the ‘not’ in the wording. Lol).
It was a lovely afternoon. Various photos following. Click on smaller images for better views…
AT LAST! My assignment is in! Two assignments to go for this module. One is a reflective assignment based on our own self-assessment. The final assignment may just see me tackling philosophy yet again…I KNOW!
Who’d have thought I’d be ‘doing’ philosophy (as they say) and enjoying it in this module?!
I’m going to allow myself a couple of days to chill and then I will be back at it, with no plan to take any more extended (more than two days in a row) time off until the Edinburgh gigs in mid August.
Until then, I MAY just be able to dedicate a little bit more time to this poor neglected site. Possibly even consider actually doing some posts about the anniversary of New Gold Dream coming up.
One thing for the calendar coming up is…I’ll be back on the radio this year with Ronnie McGhie as we mark New Gold Dream’s 40th Anniversary. Yes! Ronnie has invited me back on air to do it all over again. More details on that to come closer to the date.
But, for now….I need to enjoy my relief that my assignment IS IN!
Have acquired these over the past few days and looking forward to devoting some time to them very shortly. Already have spent some time perusing the Bryan Ferry Lyrics book. I didn’t realise there was a foreword in it and a short piece by Bryan himself.
Mother Of Pearl has been a firm favourite since my very first listen to it. Over You was my favourite Roxy song before delving into their catalogue some time back – fuelled mostly by Jim waxing lyrical about Bryan and what a consummate performer he is.
I was unaware, really, that Bowie was that much of a fan. Dunno why. And it’s been a lot of David’s more wordy and wonderfully intricate songs like Cygnet Committee, The Bewlay Brothers and Teenage Wildlife that have been particular favourites of mine over the years. I have always found a certain link between Cygnet Committee and Mother Of Pearl, if for no other reason than to be determined to know the songs well and recite the lyrics word for word. And well, this piece in the book really DID make my day. For like I had done with Cygnet Committee, I was determined to know Mother Of Pearl ‘off by heart’. To read that about David was just so wonderfully endearing.
My friend, Sue, posted about this on SMOG. To be honest, it was the only way I would be alerted to it. I used to do all the super enthusiastic fan stuff….trawl through social media each morning to see what new morsels of things about the band and Jim were on offer. Even when I was vigilant like that, some things would pass me by and slip through the net.
Something like this would because – I can’t say I’m a fan of Letsetz (see previous post, re: his ‘qualifications’ and the argument of being ‘born with it’) and I listened to this under some duress.
Did I enjoy it? For the most part, yes. Jim obviously went into a nearby studio to record his part of it as the audio was crystal clear – as if he was sitting in the studio with Lefshitz…ahem, I mean Lefsetz. There were some, frankly, very crass and impertinent questions thrown at Jim that I felt should NOT be up for discussion. Mostly about finances. What that has to do with Jim’s artistic career I cannot fathom and they certainly would NOT be questions I would ever throw at him!
“Are Scots really tight with money?” Seriously? That was a question! Glad to hear that Jim highlighted the philanthropic ways of Andrew Carnegie (still need to go and have a day trip to Dunfermline!) as just one example of Scots definitely NOT being tightwads.
After a short while, I did find myself playing “Jim Kerr interview bingo”: “The world was in monochrome until I went to Italy” – HOUSE; “We wanted to be in a great live band and take it all round the world” – HOUSE; “We went to Arista HQ and instead of seeing portraits of Iggy, Lou and Patti, there was a massive portrait of Barry Manilow” – HOUSE; “I sang with Iggy Pop and David Bowie at Rockfield Studios” – HOUSE; “Jimmy Iovine is a legend” (Don’t get me started on that one, either!) – HOUSE! The whole story of Don’t You all over again – fucking REALLY?!
To be fair, there were a couple of things that were new to me. Probably about the last 15-20 minutes of an over 2 hour interview gave me some new insight. For that I was thankful, especially when it came to a certain aspect of how Jim spends his time. That made sense, at last. It was good to hear that.
I would ask different questions, for sure. But it’s never going to be me. It’s NEVER going to be me…which sucks ass. Because I feel I could ask some really great questions. I can put the adulation, infatuation and general awe aside – given enough exposure to him in which all becomes pretty blasé. It was getting there (I think), until Covid and it all came crashing down.
I have much more to say on this, but so little time to discuss it. Mostly the interview with Lefsetz, ONCE AGAIN, left me wishing I could have my own chance to interview Jim. It also left me wondering – will there actually be anything that he’ll have for his “Self Help” memoir that will genuinely be new information to me, or be a revelation?
At the end of it…it is a fascinating story and it IS awe-inspiring. He had the courage of his convictions to succeed and look where he is. He was prepared to play the long game and he reaps the rewards as we speak.
Enjoy the interview. I have more philosophy to do!
I’ve had a breakthrough today. A ‘Eureka’ moment, so I’m thinking about this (pic below) right now….just for now. I’ll have to erase it from my mind shortly and get on with the task at hand. I feel ssoooo driven today now. And soooo capable! I can actually feel it. Almost a CONFIDENCE that I can do this assignment now. It’s only taken SIX WEEKS! Jeez-o!
Anyone going to see Simple Minds next week in Cognac in France will also get to experience this wonderful photographic exhibition by Christophe Duron.
I got to speak to him briefly after the Paris gig and he was really excited about this. Who could blame him? It looks great and he has taken some fantastic photos of Jim and Charlie in particular.
As a say, if you’re in Cognac for the gig, make time to have a good keek at Christophe’s fab photos.
I’ve tested for three days in a row and been positive every day. Guidance is to avoid going out/contact with people for five days from your first positive test. Well, here I am after seven days and I am still getting a positive result. If you’re supposedly no longer infectious after five days, then why am I still testing positive?
A friend of mine only recorded her first negative result yesterday after TWO WEEKS! I’m gonna go bloody stir-crazy if I have to be like this for another week!
