12.02
Rising 06.45.
Morning Sitting in the Study.
Morning reading and writing.
A report, for those with sufficient interest in recent arisings here in Bredonborough, since the last DGM Diary entry on Sunday 30th. August.
Me and a book is a party. Me and a book and a cup of coffee is an orgy.
Mucho recent orgiastic activity here in the Home Study. More accurately described, a continuing orgiastic undertaking. Well read? Doubtful, despite the best intentions of my reading advisor, Dr. Alfonso Montuori. Widely read? More likely.
Recent playmates and partygoers…
Sir Cedric’s question is probably shared by anyone whose life-trajectory has been re-directed by the indwelling power of Music. Yes! Cedric is not alone. Not necessarily the same notes, but the same Music.
Recent listening: Vasks, Finzi, Taverner, Imogen Holst, Gorecki – and Patrick Smith…
A guitarist of rare integrity and presence, I hear these pieces as meditations in sound. And the sound itself is superb, produced by Tony Geballe.
I Advance Masked – Day One-Hundred and Eight-Two…
On the street…
… hobbling pitifully from a strained ligament from a flying kick in my martial arts training twelve days ago. The swelling is diminishing, and soon I will be leaping skywards, ready to defend myself against the agents of institutions whose primary aim appears to be promoting their own interests, on occasion above the best interests of the institutions, but even more so those whose interests, nominally, the institutions were formed to support. Yep! Everyday life in the music industry: c.f. James Baldwin once again.
The recent party-going activity, above, indicates my ongoing interest in seeking to understand leadership and problems of governance in groups, institutions and corporations. People with names and faces take decisions, yet rarely seem to be held personally accountable for the repercussions of their choices and actions, often having major consequences in the wider society; ie people get hurt. The social responsibility of human agents, acting for impersonal bodies, seems strangely absent from discussions of accountability. One recent example…
I’m not sure that a resignation or two or three, and withheld bonuses (wow!) is a fitting penalty for a crime against humanity (IMO), nor quite addresses the repercussions on the Indigenous people of having a sacred site destroyed…
Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques faces mounting pressure over how his company allowed the detonation to go ahead without traditional landowners' consent…
What would happen in England, were Stonehenge and Silbury Hill to be blown up in a search for natural gas/oil, I wonder?
From this, down the garden. Autumn is here, and very-acceptably so…
Over the past two weeks…
12.45 The final draft of The Guitar Circle book has flown on its way from editors Mariana and Jaxie for layout by Roberto Duse. Hooray!
14.35 A few nerdy comments for nerdy-nerds of the guitaring kind…
Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch for September 13th. featured a performance of Wild Thing, a hit for The Troggs in 1966 and played by Hendrix at Montery in 1967…
The model for our performance is that of Reg and the boys. The original guitar part, and its tuning, is not convincingly rendered in NST. So, I tuned my second 1959 Les Paul, bought in NYC during early 1978, to EADGBE. I acquired LP2 to avoid flying my first Les Paul (used on all the KC albums 1969-74, Fripp & Eno, Bowie et al) two-ways across the Atlantic on a regular basis. LP2 became my NYC guitar, played on the Exposure album.
Standing in dinosaur costume, its arms were so short that my left hand could barely reach the neck; hence the visible thumb. The guitar strap, resting on my shoulders, limited the supply of air from the battery-operated air pump to the dinosaur’s head. The dino head slumped forward, so visibility was nil. Did this this matter? How could it? When Wild Thing calls, things get wild…
https://www.facebook.com/10019268676/videos/752556732340875
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2cDrnVrPP8&ab_channel=Toyah.
18.25 T&R Agony Aunts #9 went live at 18.00 – more useless answers to a few burning questions, and a magic chord, too…
https://www.facebook.com/toyahofficial/videos/353256019189016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF2YFHDoHiY&ab_channel=Toyah.
Toyah & Robert’s online adventures have been surprisingly well received. Especially heartening for us are the comments from those good people, in very hard situations, who have found a little joy in our presentations.
We are exceptionally fortunate to have our home and garden, in this wonderful small country town and its friendly community, particularly so since lockdown. I appreciate that some online commentators, living and surviving in difficult personal conditions, may see our position as privileged and somehow removed from everyday (un)real life. This is entirely understandable to me. Privileged, yes. Entitled, no. And privilege carries its own responsibilities in return.
The actuality is that T&R are both hard-working professionals, absent a year’s performing income, dealing with daily nonsense, affirming the positive, grateful for the great things and people we have in our lives, all while having a lot of fun together; and hoping that our viddies provide a measure of pleasure for all who care to tune in. Lord, bless us all! May we stay safe and be well.
Well, that’s a short report. Much more is going on, mostly below the surface.
"Cynicism is death to the artist."
