New Material (Part 1)

As I always write from song titles, always have done, here's a selection I'll be working on :-

Where Is The Laughter - already written and rough demoed. Just need to refine it.
Misty Mountain - working title, no shortage of inspiration around where I live
Rat On A Wheel - thoughts of how people spend too much time working and not enough living.
Freakshow - how the internet has bred a generation of people looking for more and more freakish things, much like Victorian freakshows.
Night Perfume - inspired by walks at night with dogs where the faintest whiffs of perfume are caught on the air. Are they night scented flowers or are they ladies retiring for the night wearing nothing but Chanel and a smile!
The Source - The source of all true power lies within us. We need to embrace this, culture it and use it...

More to come as I think of themes... Probably about another 2 needed.

One thing I've learned very recently from Hugh Carter is that songs don't need a constant "crash boom bang" from start to finish and that the simple structures are sometimes the most beautiful.

And people thought Spinal Tap was fictional?

Just reading "Pigs Might Fly - The Inside Story Of Pink Floyd" and this bit appealed to me.... (The Shine would do this if we had similar budgets)

"...to quote the projectionist, 'the biggest, loudest, fuck-off explosion ever' to accompany the Floyd's 'crashing plane'. The explosion was suitably dramatic and, with the gig over, the crew began stripping down the stage. 'That was when I realised a couple of bins hadn't gone off' says Pete Revell. 'We had four sticks of dynamite, flash powder and detonators left over, all out of their tins, that we had to get rid of somehow. I said, "Stand back, I'll set this lot off". What we didn't realise is there was more in these bins than had gone off during the gig'. The resulting explosion blew out half of the stadium's back wall and windows in some of the nearby houses. 'One bin went up in the air and we never saw it again. Above us was one of those scoreboards surrounded by light bulbs. The explosion went through the bottom and blew the front out, sending glass and aluminium everywhere. I was in shock for two hours'..."

Going Native Is Obviously Good For The Soul!

It's amazing what a short break can do for you....

Fiona persuaded me to try camping for the very first time as a short break during our summer holidays and, despite our tent being pretty small for 2 adults and Scott for 4 nights, I had an awesome time! Off we popped to The Hideaway at Baxby Manor (www.thehideawayatbaxbymanor.co.uk) in North Yorkshire.

First off, the site was incredible - so peaceful and eco-friendly. There is even an 11pm noise curfew which, despite the fact I like my late nights, actually encouraged me to call it a night at a respectable time - and drink faster! :-)

As a base, The Hideaway was fantastic - about 14 miles from York, 4 from Thirsk and central to everything we wanted to do.

One of the places we visited touched me deeply. I'd always wanted to see Mother Shipton's Cave in Knaresborough so this was a "must visit". I was expecting to be impressed by the story and the famous petrifying well but I have to say I felt a real affinity with the place. Strange I know but as well as being fascinated by the Mother Shipton story, I found myself revisiting the cave of her birth 4 times. Also, not sure if it's recommended, in addition to leaving a few coins in the wishing well (actually a natural pool formed in the rock structure) I drank some of the water. It just seemed right to me.

Now that we're back home, I feel a strange kind of epiphany that there's actually more to life than the mundane 9 to 5. Perhaps this is the natural quietness of the Hideaway, perhaps it's the Mother Shipton influence but one thing's for certain - the trip has done me the world of good and given me a bit of a spur to think about my own life direction.