sit down…

I bought Peter Gabriel tickets for Seattle. As I pushed the buy button I was suddenly overcome with the thought this may be my last time to see him. I missed out on the Genesis reunions so the last time I saw them was 1980, Gabriel was sometime in the 90s and Hackett was last year and I’m not sure I would go again and I find his singer distracting.

Next week we are off to see Robyn Hitchcock, he just turned 70 and says this could be the last time. So in a very real sense maybe only the Stones remain. The last time I saw Dylan was towards the end of the first decade of the new century.

I saw Neil Young shortly before the pandemic. It was solo and may be the last time I see him as he doesn’t look like touring any time soon. I watched Springsteen the other week, the sound was so bad in the barn we saw him in and the tickets so pricey it’s a case of never again.

In passing I was considering this as being the main consideration when buying a ticket. Is the artist capable of doing this again and am I able to manage it anymore. In a real sense I feel the end of something approaching.

So the list of who to see? I’d like to see Taj Mahal again, maybe Buddy Guy, Dylan, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Martin Carthy, Billy Bragg, Robert Plant, and so many others. Some are probably around for a lot longer Wilco, Son Volt, Decemberists, Blitzen Trapper etc!

I’m feeling that I’m approaching the end of those classic bands though. So all we will be left with are the recordings. As I approach 60, they are closer to 70+ damn where did the time go.

So I dug myself in with a nostalgia fest of Genesis at the BBC. A little heavy on the 80s but even that is pretty good in retrospect although secretly I loved it all as I bemoaned the Gabriel less band.

It’s a lazy unlovely album cover though. It’s also getting a hammering based on some of the choices but whatever it’s Genesis.

take a breath…

Every day my mum sends me a picture of her dinner. I think part of it is just to prove she is eating and sometimes it’s just to do something. The meal always looks good. Today was poached salmon with some steamed vegetables and fruit. It looked very good.

Every day I call her. There’s not much to say when you call someone every day sometimes twice a day. Mostly she tells me the minutiae of her day, cleaning house, cutting up vegetables baking for the kids next door.

Today I sent her a picture of my lunch.

H

It was a fine salad. The salad collective goes on strong.

Today I sat down and took a breath, it was good to slow things down and get somewhat figured out.

diddle diddle dum dum…

Well that’s what bits of it go like.

Sometime around 1982 approximately midnight I placed this album on the turntable. The following is word for word what happened.

Me: so hey this is all guitar.

Twenty minutes later.

Dave: no there other things on there.

Me: no right here it says only electric guitars.

Twenty minutes later.

Dave: no there are other things on there. You’re lying.

Me : no really look.

Dave: damn.

Dave: he looks like a very nice man.

There are umlauts as well.