Friday 24th June

BREXIT DAY!

And so it is done and the country is suddenly gripped by the fear of the unknown. Radio airwaves are filled with the previously silent angry voices of the prophets of doom and the exit voters are strangely shellshocked and quiet as they realise their symbolic 'bloody nose' to our career politicians actually connected flush on the chin!

Our Prime Minister, dazed, gets up from the canvas but doesn't beat the count.

And this IS democracy! It is and it has happened, simply because more of the people who could be arsed to vote, voted to leave than to stay.

So sleep well everyone tonight and pray that we have the strength and determination to simply make the best of the situation, dust ourselves down, UNITE and hope for strong, fair and forward thinking, honest and enterprising leadership from wherever it may come because at the very least, the one good thing to come from this is that the people have said they will no longer tolerate the cynical, patronising, media trained question dodging bollocks of career politicians who represent themselves and not the people who elected them.

Not used to collaborating on lyrics but what a joy to have a common goal and work with a grammy award winner and someone who has sold 20 million and hit the nail right on the head and then have a real tough hook to ride with. 'There's nothing much tougher than a Northern Girl' John Reilly -John Parr -Eliot Kennedy

WOMEN OF STEEL

This old town’s got a story, Started back in 39.

One of faith hope and glory, women on the factory line.

Steel toe boots and helmets hiding feminine curls

And there’s nothing much tougher than a northern girl

5am as she rises, never dreamed that this would be her life

Her boiler suit her summer dresses, hanging on the washing line.

Mother sister wife and woman in one word

And there’s nothing much tougher than a northern bird

Nothing much tougher than

Women of steel keeping the fires burning

Steam clouds filling the sky

Women of steel, wheels of freedom turning

Lipstick, glitter and grime

Keeping it real while the babies crying

And her man’s trying to save the world

And there’s nothing much tougher than a northern girl

Nothing much tougher than a northern girl

Whistle blows the day has ended but for her it’s only just begun

Mouths to feed, clothes need mending ‘cause now she is the only one.

Mother sister wife and woman first and last

And there’s nothing much tougher than a northern lass

Nothing much tougher than

Women of steel keeping the fires burning

Steam clouds filling the sky

Women of steel, wheels of freedom turning

Lipstick, glitter and grime

Keeping it real while the babies crying

And her man’s trying to save the world

And there’s nothing much tougher than a northern girl

Nothing much tougher than a northern girl

Now it’s time we all remembered all the sacrifices that were made

No one even tried to thank them, no medal or big parade

For all that’s past let’s all stand and raise a glass

To the women of hope, Women of faith, Women of steel.

And there’s nothing much tougher than a northern girl

Nothing much tougher than a northern girl

There’s nothing much tougher than a northern girl

Nothing much tougher than

Women of steel keeping the fires burning

Steam clouds filling the sky

Women of steel, wheels of freedom turning

Lipstick, glitter and grime

Keeping it real while the babies crying

And her man’s trying to save the world

And there’s nothing much tougher than a northern girl

Nothing much tougher than a northern girl

(Reilly/Parr/Kennedy)

LONG TIME NO SPEAK.....I'M BACK

Here i am just testing the water, well er dipping my toe in to see if i want to dive into the blogging ocean again. In my last voyages on the blogging current i perhaps bared my soul a little to much for my own liking in the end and realised i'd not worn a life jacket. I would like this in the future to be a free flowing outlet for creative thought that one or two may want to dip into out of curiosity. So let me just step back and count to 10 and decide if i take that leap or put my hood up and walk away.

A NOTE FROM ZEB

I have seen

The darkest place

And I have been

To the wrong side -of this- town

And I have seen

The future cry

And I have been

To the edge and looked right down

Don’t you ever change

Don’t you ever change

Cause my one last drop of faith

Is in your eyes

My one last ray of hope is in your eyes

So don’t you ever change

I have seen

The sun go down

And steal the light

That shone upon my dream

And I have screamed

The silent scream

And felt your hand

Slip away from mine

Don’t you ever change

Don’t you ever change

Cause my one last drop of faith

Is in your eyes

My one last ray of hope is in your eyes

So don’t you ever change

Someone whispered in my ear

They shot the last bird from the sky

A white feather floated down

And I asked my angel why

And for the first time in my life

My angel gave me no reply

I caught the feather in my hand

They shot the last bird from the sky

They shot the last bird from the sky

I have seen

And I have lived

And I have loved

And lost ……………

Don’t you ever change

Don’t you ever change

Cause my one last drop of faith

Is in your eyes

My one last ray of hope is in your eyes

So don’t you ever change

Don’t you ever change

From ZEB........

Turkish Storm

The clear blue sky suddenly turned black. I was floating on my back in the swimming pool and warm rain began to fall. The sound of thunder over the mountain and the shutters blowing open and shut and ozone in the electric air. Surreal and beautiful.

In the valley i could hear the stray dogs barking and out to sea the colour changed from turquoise to charcoal. I went to my bedroom and opened all the sliding doors to my veranda which looks out to sea on one side and to the imposing mountains on the other. I sat there on the bed and watched and listened to the storm unfold.
Earlier i had walked down the steep hills into town to have a Turkish shave and massage. He was an artist with the razor, gentle, proud and precise. It was a fantastic experience and ended with a vigorous shoulder, neck, head and arms massage. When finished he said "Now you have face like baby!"

Downstairs in this wonderful 3 storey villa, my sister Moira is marinating the lamb with lemon juice, honey, garlic and rosemary and as the storm leaves us as quickly as it came, Tom brushes away all the water from the patio area and opens the bag of coals for the barbecue. Amazingly, the sky is blue again and the dogs fall silent.
My phone is switched off and Lewis is updating me with any news (i told him i only want to hear good news) from back home where everything is crazy. Our song THIS CITY has been added to the playlist in 9 UK stations and 9 Canadian stations in the last week and the official release isn't until October 22nd so that constitutes good news to me. Downstairs i can hear them all singing Those were the days by Mary Hopkin. I think the 1st of many IGLOOS must have been already poured. Lots of ice, gin vodka, tonic and fresh limes. I was very uptight when i arrived. It has been a tense and tough few months but great gigs at The Cavern Club in Liverpool and the thrilling concert in the stunning setting of PEAK CAVERN, known as THE DEVILS ARSE in Castelton helped morale.

My grumpy mood was not helped when we got a flat tyre on the M1 on the way to the airport. Changing a tyre when there is no hard shoulder with lorries whizzing past your ears is less than calming but being with family and friends in a beautiful place has chilled me no end and the sound of laughing voices from downstairs gives me a warm feeling.
Pretty soon i'm going have to tackle writing my best man's speech for Lewis and Suzanne's wedding. There is certainly plenty of ammunition as me and Lewis have been through some adventures and experienced some momentous ups and downs over the years. I shall not spare him any embarrassment i can tell you that!

And so, a quick cool shower and change for dinner and drinks with lovely people, especially Tom Giblin. He is the reason we are here. It is his birthday and we have joined him in this beautiful place, 11 strong, to celebrate with him. He truly is the kindest soul you could ever meet and i feel lucky that i was blessed enough to meet him and call him my friend.

THE PLUG THE DUKE & THE DEVIL'S ARSE

Greetings my friends. I'm feeling blogworthy again. I think the bacon egg and tomato saturday morning sandwich has given me the energy and will to muse or talk bollocks depending on your view! Saturday kitchen on TV always makes me hungry. If i was ever on that show though i would have a problem because i cannot think of a food hell!

Do any of you have a Costco card? I have. They are bloody lethal. I love shopping there but everything is in bulk. For the past week i have been stuffing myself with Buffalo Mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar and basil as i bought enough to feed all of Sicily. The basil is now looking decidedly limp and sad. I also have enough Granola to feed a herd of cows and enough batteries to floodlight Wembley!
Last night i sang for The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and 700 of their pals in the wonderful setting of Buxton Dome. It turned out to be a great night. Our dressing room was the beauty parlour and i had to wake up bassist Sean Perry 1minute before we went on as he was out for the count on a massage bed. I spoke to the Duke a couple of times. I think that officially makes us pals now and as far as i'm concerned i should be able to show up any time at his place for a cup of tea. Well that's the way i was brought up anyway. The Duchess is very 'fit' by the way!!

It's not every day you get an email asking if you are willing to put a gig on in 'THE DEVIL'S ARSE'
but that's what happened last week. The Devil's Arse is the spooky and magnificent Peak Cavern at Castelton in The Peak District. I went with our John jnr and Lewis to check it out. There are a few logistical problems to sort out but it is definitely going to happen on 4th August. I'll let you know more later.

AND SO TO THE MAIN EVENT MY FRIENDS

A Personal Message from John Reilly.

‘Singer songwriter & the voice of Boy on a Dolphin & Acoustic Angels.’

So here we are in March already. What a hectic few months since the release of my new solo album Zebulon. We have had some solid support from Radio across the world, great reviews and early indications for the next single One More Mile are very positive. We have just finished some fantastic dates around the country, the highlights being The Leicester Square Theatre in London and the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool but the reason I am sending you a personal message is that what I regard as my most important gig in the last 10 years is just 1 week away. The very 1st JOHN REILLY BAND concert at THE PLUG, SHEFFIELD on SATURDAY 10^TH MARCH.

This is the start of a new era for me, having spent the last 2 years honing the songs and trying them out as stripped down versions with Lewis Nitikman on piano. I will now be taking to the stage with DARREN FORD (Boy on a Dolphin/Acoustic Angels) on drums. ANDY NEEDHAM (Boy on a Dolphin) on bass. CHRIS FIRMINGER (Firecracker and ace session player) on electric guitar and slide and of course the brilliant, enigmatic LEWIS NITIKMAN on keyboards to perform full band versions of songs from ZEBULON, TEACOZY HAT & MY FAVORITE BOY ON A DOLPHIN SONGS.

For all of you who have supported Boy on a Dolphin and Acoustic Angels over the years I would love you to be there at this the  1^st  NEW John Reilly Band gig in a very cool rock venue in the heart of Sheffield. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Here are the details

JOHN REILLY BAND

SATURDAY 10^TH MARCH

THE PLUG

14 matilda st Sheffield S1 4QD

TIMES

Doors 7pm

Support – ‘See Emily Play’ 7.30pm

JOHN REILLY BAND 8.15PM – 10.15PM

This leaves plenty of time for a good night out in Sheffield. Recommended after show venues. Delaney’s Bar and Maggie May’s.

We recommend that you book tickets in advance if possible.

HOW TO GET TICKETS

Box office 0114 241 3040

24 Hours 0844 478 0898

Also a limited number of tickets without booking fee from Colin Wilder at Art Music – 0781 706 1690

·     There is so much happening at the moment and some imminent announcements. So, to keep up with all the latest news, comments and musings you can now follow me on Twitter.

·     https://twitter.com/#!/johnreillymusic

·     Also join me on facebook

·     www.facebook.com/iamjohnreilly

Finally – Have a great weekend and week everyone. I think we could well be hearing the new single on BBC Radio 2 this week so listen out. Please spread the word. Really hope to see you at the PLUG and to have a drink with you all afterwards.

John Reilly

STRAGGLERS (& Back in the saddle)

New single soon dudes. It's heading off to radio land right now. The peoples choice.

And so what happened. Sheffield City Hall December. All my stuff; Reilly/dolphin/ angels Most said it was the best ever. Heard my songs on the radio again. Once when at the traffic lights, the car next to me had the same channel on, window down....strange feeling. I looked at her and said 'Great song' she smiled and nodded. I felt like an idiot. And so Christmas where i sat back, looked at my family and took it all in. 

How it's changing with the nephews grown up and new babies keeping the big wheel turning. 

In between Christmas and New Year a mad flurry of Angels gigs night after night. A welcome diversion to focus my wandering questioning mind. This was one night;

A big part and I mean a very big part of being a musician is hanging around waiting to go on and do your thing. That time in between sound check and performance can drag and drag and usually involves crap food, tedium and headaches from strip lighting. I find it very hard to relax at this time and it doesn’t seem to matter if it’s a big or small gig, solo, Angels or Dolphin. Tonight the food is better, prawn salad, haggis and cracked pepper chips and good old pork pie. The lighting too is better than usual and the background music is pretty cool, Bonnie Raitt live. Yet still I have that pre gig uneasiness, which will disappear only when I get on stage. I’m sitting here and I’ve no idea what the 1st song will be. I’ll look out at the audience when I get up there, decide on one and shout it out to the band and away we go.

(Later)

TV GUIDE CAN ONLY SHOW SO MUCH OF A TITLE EG LAST OF THE….. AND WE KNOW IT’S GOING TO BE SUMMER WINE

BUT NEW SHOWS YOU HAVE TO GUESS

THE GOLDEN AGE OF….

IS IT rock n roll

Cinema

Space travel

No it’s the GOLDEN AGE OF CANALS

(Even later)

I could see the light

Even when I closed my eyes

It was so bright

And it called me on and on

I could hear that voice

Calling out my name

So far away so clear so loud

 Through the valley of hope and joy

Over the mountain of despair

Over the sea that makes the man out of the boy

Oh tell me when tell me where tell me 

Where did I take that wrong turn

 I could see the map

Tattooed in my brain

Indelible

With a red cross, at the destinations name.

 Like a kiss on a letter of love

Like a big blue open door

Like the open wings of an angel from above

Oh tell me when tell me where tell me when

When did I take that wrong turn?

There was also an escape to Filey alone to write and disappear. Staying at my friends lovely place overlooking the sea. The 1st morning full of good intentions i took a walk along the sea front. A school party of very young kids in single file with a teacher at the front, one in the middle and one at the back were walking towards me. I passed the teacher at the back and about a hundred yards ahead of me i could see a lone child at the railings looking out to sea. I shouted to the teacher. 'You've got a straggler!" He looked at me with panic in his eyes and said thanks, running to the the hooded child. he reached the child who turned around startled. It was a 60 odd year old dwarf lady just out for a walk! oops.

OK this isn't a proper blog but i have to restart the engine you see. Especially as i'm now a tweeter. please follow me   @johnreillymusic

How diverse this big ball is. 2 people leave the ride. A million miles apart in every way. One threw away God's great gift and one just laughed like fuck till the end!

'It's the way i tell 'em"

See you soon

SAT 10TH MARCH - PLUG SHEFFIELD - MY NEW BAND

Hurricane Head

7am. Tuesday

Got to bed at 4am and now its 7am. This is no time for a self-respecting musician to be awake. I can’t sleep and I’m feeling restless. It’s that feeling when you have so many things to do and so much on your mind and it’s all swept up in a whirlwind, spinning around in your head so fast that you can’t focus on one particular thing.

The fact is. I need a manager. I’m in danger of spending too much time doing music biz stuff at the expense of what I do well which is writing, playing, singing, performing and recording.

Got home late last night from a rehearsal and started to surf through the endless list of crap TV. I fast-forwarded through the Chelsea v Liverpool game from the day before which had been recorded and then the Spurs v Villa game from last night, just to see the goals really. Seeing Liverpool win again didn’t hurt quite so much when it was against one of the billionaire ‘anything you can do….’ teams, who can make a massive financial loss because it is just a plaything to someone. They are strangling the game and creating monsters like Teves who has no clue whatsoever about the average supporter and how hard it is to raise the money to support a team week on week when one of their own can’t even get off his arse for £250,000 A WEEK!!!!

After the football I looked for something else. I decided against a programme called ‘Curious and unusual deaths at work.’ Then I swept over past and present gems such as ‘Supermarket sweep’ ‘Beauty and the Geek’ ‘Life as a turkey’ (I’m not kidding!), ‘don’t tell the bride’ ‘Verminators’ and I accidentally caught a preview to a show called….er wait for it!   ‘DESPERATE SCOUSE WIVES’ 

After a brief visit to ‘I’m a celebrity I was forced to move on or risk putting my foot through the TV after watching Sinnita squealing and wimping out on yet another task. WHY is she in there? And more importantly, WHY have I been watching it. Someone commit me!

I’ve been so focussed on the release of ZEBULON that the Sheffield City Hall gig has crept up on me and I’ve got 3 weeks now to get the word out. I say ‘I’ve got’ because that’s exactly how I feel. So, any creative budding promoters out there who want to help spread the word then my door is wide open! Great feedback from the new album keeps coming and Art Music are sending copies to Australia, Africa, Germany, Canada, The USA and even The Outer Hebrides (is there such a thing as ‘The Inner Hebrides?) I was so pleased to get a great review from Martin Townsend, The Chief Editor of the Sunday Express because I really value his opinion.

“IT is no surprise that Liverpudlian John Reilly was picked to support Ray Davies on tour, or

that Richard Hawley’s backing band have helped out on his new album.

Reilly is a classic English singer-songwriter in the Davies/Hawley mould and Zebulon is a

terrific record, brimming with tunes, passion and wit.

The opener, Some Fall Too Hard sets the tone, Reilly’s rich, open vocal set against a sweet and restless melody, but Living With It is the stand-out, a gale of laughter that turns into a gorgeous breeze of a pop song. A masterful set.”

‘NOT ALONE’ is scheduled as the new single. 

I am receiving  lots of  emails from people who have heard it on BBC Radio 2 and they all have a similar theme, which is private and spiritual. In that, I mean that they feel the song is speaking to them as an individual and that pleases me so much because my aim is to write songs that get beneath the skin.  There is a certain amount of compromise when it comes to singles now in that usually the song has to be edited to a length to suite radio and as a songwriter and particularly as a lyricist the amputation of a verse from my baby can be traumatic but in this case I think the true essence of the song has not been compromised. The unedited version though is on the album.

I took a rare visit to the cinema to watch Spielberg’s Tin Tin movie in 3D. I am a big fan of the cartoon strips and I’m very intrigued by the character of Tin Tin’s creator Herge.

If you read and experienced the beautifully illustrated Tin Tin cartoon strips you will know that there is something magical, dark and deep in there. Herge was a man who despised his youth. Smothered by the church and living in the grip of Fascism, the early Tin Tin’s are alive with propaganda, right wing stereotypes and a slightly patronising colonialism, and then gradually, with popularity, Herge found his feet and his soul, which led to

Adventure Adventure. Adventure. Beautiful, wonderful escapism.

World travel, exotic deserts, seas and mountains. Africa, Japan, the frozen wastes and the deepest jungle. Yet amazingly, Herge did not travel himself. Meanwhile through Tin Tin, Herge begins subtly undermining terror. It was the end of the 30’s and he could see what was brewing!! I hadn’t realised this, but bravely he called his villain Mussoller. A clever combination of Mussolini & Hitler and one that at first escaped the notice of the bone headed goose steppers.

I enjoyed the spectacle of the Spielberg movie and would recommend it, but honestly, for pure escapism, give me Herge’s adventures of Tin Tin in a cartoon strip any day. 

I'll catch up with you soon when no doubt I'll be moaning about something or other or who knows? i may be bringing you some good news.

See you all at Sheffield City Hall on 15th December.

love love love

JR

ADRIFT

2.34 am

Just me and Johnny J and giant chunks of ice and me the volunteer Titanic. Launched without champagne.

Adrift.

My brothers last night made me feel like Joseph.

No one hears it break.

Don’t remember stopping at the summit

Don’t remember taking in the view

Never stopped to smell the roses

Don’t remember ever thanking you

Don’t recall the moment of the sunset

Yellow ball sinking in the sea

Never thought so many goodbyes

Would be the last goodbye from me

Cos on the wrong side there’s no pleasure

In seeing what’s behind an open door

And on the wrong side sunken treasure

Simply aint worth diving for

And on the wrong side the sweetest honey

Is traded for a bitter pill

And the blues simply have so much meaning

On the wrong side of the hill.

When I feel like this I wish I could sit and talk to Janice Ian. Just me, her, tea and sympathy. She hears it break. Anyone who has heard 17 would know that.

So now the ice is melting and I’m listening to Gill Scott Heron. He’s found a lovely day. Could I still be saved by rock n roll?

Now Gallagher and Lyle are wearing their heart on their sleeve. What a beautifully understated song.

Music. You’ll be the death of me.

ON AND ON by Stephen Bishop is now playing and it takes me back to the studio producing this very song in the studio for the Roy de Wired album and Roy so positive, happy and full of joy. I will never forget his smile, his laugh and his love of the songs we chose for the album. Roy has gone. Still can’t believe it. His last words to me were

“tell them I’m fighting”

ZEBULON AND THE LOST SUMMER

This is Zeb. JR is not here. He is at the end of the pier looking out to sea. I don't like to disturb him when he's like this. 

Summer

Was that it?

Is that all there is?

A whiteout in the sky and rain dripping from the picnic table.

Canada geese in an arrow heading west early with disgruntled cries

and far below, the barbecue, rusting and neglected waits in its lonely puddle

for another year.

In the garage the gaudy sun lounger in plastic bondage still remains unopened

and the radios voice is trying too hard to sound enthusiastic when really it just wants to say ‘Oh bugger it”

The seaside vendors worry behind their shutters surrounded by brimming boxes of water wings and brightly coloured windmills on a stick as rain sodden donkeys huddle on the beach in the silence.

This year’s best sellers, umbrellas, the spray tan and the X Box for the podgy pizza eating kids ensconced in their caravans. Mum and Dad unwrap the playing cards and ironically play ‘patience’ knowing they’ll be back to work in 3 days to save for next years holiday.

A car with windscreen wipers in a frenzy drives through a murky puddle. The tyres launch a wave onto an old lady in a tea cozy hat at the bus stop. None of it misses her. She stands alone, drenched, rain on her glasses, dripping plastic shopping bags in each hand… Someone’s Gran.

Meanwhile the landlord of The Kings Head proudly tethers a giant banner to the railings.

‘TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS DINNER – BOOKINGS TAKEN NOW!’

I've hidden JR's passport. I can see in his eyes that he is thinking about leaving. As we all know though, indecision is his tattoo, his foundation, anchor, roots and glue. He won't leave until it's done. I think we can trust him. 

SURREY WITH A SIREN ON TOP

Monday morning.

I have just been woken up by a donkey. I’m in bed in a rather plush motor home in the grounds of a lovely house in Bagshot, Surrey.  I’m not in bed with a donkey i hasten to ad. It is outside the door with a load of chickens, a horse , sheep and a dog that has now decided to join in the din! I had a pretty wild gig last night in Esher in a massive marquee with The Acoustic Angels. Instead of driving home I took up the offer of staying so I would be as fresh as a daisy this morning….......ER….WRONG!

Jeeeeeeez! Sorry to interrupt but now a WW2 air raid siren is going off! It’s deafening! I think it must be something to do with HRH Prince Edward, he lives next door.

Thank God, it’s stopped.

I was driving my friends back from the gig last night and I ended up going the wrong way on the M25. Not a good move at that time of the night and that added an hour onto the journey back. When I did get back a bottle of whiskey was opened (FATAL) and when I did eventually go to bed the birds were singing.

Just found out that the siren is the Monday morning test at Broadmoor (Home for axe murderers and the generally criminal insane) and if anyone ever hears this siren other than a Monday morning then they know to lock themselves in their houses because a serial killer has escaped!

I can hardly walk today. My left hip is killing me! I think I must have done it last night when I ejected some fella from our stage with my foot. Karma I suppose!

I was really flattered by the nice things that Paul O’Grady said about me and my album on his show on Sunday.  He gave me a 10 out of 5! Said the album was fab and that I had a great voice. Thank you Paul!

Wednesday

The virus I was just getting in my last blog is still lingering but I managed to get through 5 nights on the trot performing thanks to the help of antibiotics as powerful as elephant tranquilisers, kneeling over a big bowl of water and albus oil with a towel on my head every 5 hours and by purchasing just about every remedy, medical and homeopathic, that you can find on the shelves of Superdrug!

I now have the videos of 3 songs that we shot a couple of weeks ago to represent how I perform the stripped down versions of the songs. They turned out well, especially Deep and Blue. We’ll be sending a free link to everyone on the mailing list and here is one at the end of this blog for you. Please forward the link to your contacts and direct people to www.johnreilly.org

                                                           Still from 'Before You' video

I have a rehearsal tonight because I have a rare Boy on a Dolphin gig on Friday. I enjoy the Dolphin gigs a lot more now, firstly because of the gaps between gigs it really feels like an event and secondly there is not the tension that was there when we where fighting as if our careers depended on every gig.

ENJOY THE VID……and please pass it on

Click on the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuWRteipe2I

Cheers all. Off to Liverpool in the morning to see my nephew Brendan in Romeo and Juliet. Speak to you soon.

PS. Zeb says Hi

AL FRESCO DUVET MAN

It's 7am.........Yes 7am! I've been on the decking in my garden reclining on a sun lounger gargling with soluble aspirin for the last 20 minutes. Gargling and spitting it out into an ungrateful pot plant. My throat is unbelievably sore. Every time i swallow it's like swallowing razor blades. I managed to get through Saturdays gig but it was a huge struggle and at the end i was doing a passable impression of Lee Marvin. Yesterday i thought i had seen the worst of it, in fact it was at that almost pleasant stage where you feel a bit heady and spaced out. Hang on, i'm bloody freezing, i'm going to get a duvet from 'The Dog House'...............................I'm back. Now i look seriously pathetic but warmer at least. Today i woke up to a seriously painful throat and the only upside is that i have until Thursday to shake it off.

Yes, before you say it! I am feeling very sorry for myself but honestly i'm not exaggerating.
Last night i went to a celebration of Paul Beathams big birthday. Paul is the drummer with Sheffield band The Sharp Cuts and everyone, and i mean everyone, congregated at the newly opened DELANEYS Bar, owned by Steve Delaney, the guitarist from The Sharp Cuts. I fear the worst. All Sheffield musicians now have a focal point to hang out, which is good but a recipe for many a late night, abandoning the car in a rather dodgy area and getting a taxi back to the outer reaches of Killamarsh (which i now overlook from under my duvet in the garden) It was good to see so many people, musicians and long time acquaintances (that sounded a bit weird, i didn't mean that musicians aren't people) But i got my usual uneasy feeling when squashed in the main bar which was really crowded so i spent most of the night in the beer garden.
It's a very strange feeling here under my duvet looking down the hill at people rushing to catch a bus to work and getting on with their lives. Each life so different and complicated. We get so wrapped up in our own world that it's easy to live in a bubble and forget everyone else. Sometimes when i'm flying (in a plane of course) i look out of the window down at remote towns and villages and think Wow, people are living , working, worrying, loving, feeling pain and joy and then i feel sad that i will never meet them. I really would like to say hello to everyone if i could.
Right now though, what i would really like to do is to sleep. I look up at the green canopy of the huge trees towering over my garden and the blue sky above them and hear the cooing of the ring necked doves within them and with each painful swallow i realise that i'm just a dot to the people in the plane which flies 30,000 feet above my house but still i wonder if one of the passengers is looking down and wants to say hello. I give them a futile but genuine wave.
Wow there is a beautiful crescent moon in the morning sky. Thank you.

NO ONE HEARS IT BREAK

This is Zeb. Not sure if I should be here but JR said I should. He held my umbrella for me and didn’t look at my face. That’s how I know I can trust him. I’m the one whose wings were clipped and the one who climbed the ladder to the lying trapeze.

I’m the one who falls too hard, too fast. I’m the man on the bench. I was overlooking JR on Summer Hill when he was with the Mystery Girl. I watched him reach up to the scarlet moon. I picked up the broken pieces from his battleground and left them at the broken fence for him.

There is a lagoon somewhere, I know, where the mosquitoes breed and the water lilies grow. That’s where I want to go and where I belong but until then I will be the elevator operator listening to Mr Como and slipping pieces of paper to JR. Here under my umbrella I watch the rain come down, washing the tears away down a winding river into the bay. The 2 people in the rowing boat tell me that maybe I’m not alone although I feel I am. The birds above are migrating to the lagoon and I envy them. I sit on this bench most days. The same kind of bench JR sat on with the lady in the Tea Cozy hat. He knows how it feels and still sits on benches too, sometimes overlooking what remains of the steelworks or he travels back in time and watches The Mersey drift by Eldon Street to the sound of ghost ships in the distance on the concrete oceans.

I am ZEBULON. I know you but I fear you will never know me. JR says it’s ok to visit you but I will always be under my umbrella. He says “Zeb, don’t say always!”

So………Maybe Someday.

LATE NIGHT FINAL

Hi
Coming down with the lurgy, sore throat and it's getting late. The second half of the second leg of Barcelona v Real Madrid has just kicked off. I can't believe the gulf in class between both these teams and the best we have in England. Even Chelsea and Man City with their bottomless pockets can't even get near. Beautiful fast passing, brilliant 1st touches and a real desire to win........and it's not pissing down with rain. Barca are the best team i have ever seen other than the Brazil international team way back when (further than i care to mention).

It's been a strange week or so since the embarrassing riots and i can't believe that because of a few quiet nights on the streets the memory is fading already for the naive happy clappers who are already complaining about harsh sentences. Try moving next door to the poor 'disaffected' thick nutters for a few weeks and try to reason with them. Maybe Prince Charles who was putting his expert opinion on the situation forward today on TV should invite some of them to stay with him and Camilla for a couple of weeks. Yes, give that hoody a good old royal hugging and then take them to meet your Mum. Jeez i better shut up. I sound like a right grumpy twat. (....well let's face it....)
Started shooting a promo video on Thursday to represent the sort of live performance i do with just me and Lewis. Although i've not seen  any footage yet i think it went pretty well except for getting rained off at the end (Well it is August!) We shot it at Andy Cain's lovely place and he, Penny and his family were so hospitable.

Saturday was THE BAKEWELL ACOUSTIC FESTIVAL. .........ER why did it have a dance floor? A crash barrier and the audience a million miles away?

Not much of a blog hey but at least i checked in. Oh and by the way
I've booked Sheffield City Hall for 15th December. I'll be doing songs from Zebulon and Tea Cozy Hat with a full band plus all your favourite Boy on a Dolphin songs with the Dolphin lads. Julian Jones will be guesting with his band for 3 songs and Cary Baylis and Lindsay Draycass are the support.
I'm knackered. Going to read chapter of The Moon's a balloon, David Niven's autobiography. Such a beautiful glimpse into a time when stars had class and wit! Oh yes er Barcelona won 3-2. Stunning football.
Bless you. Goodnight.

THIS GREEN AND PLEASANT LAND

I can't sleep. Angry for many reasons. Visions of burning buildings on my TV screen. Peoples homes and livelihoods being destroyed openly and brazenly under the gaze of an embarrassingly impotent Police Force. Annoying, so called, community leaders bleating on the screen about disaffected youth and having the gall to quote
'A hungry man is an angry man'
I haven't seen anyone breaking into a bakery to get food. Just a sickening frenzy to loot for TV's, Jewellery and clothes and the gut wrenching site of peoples homes being burned to the ground.

Where else in the world would you see such a passive response. This is not about the right to voice an opinion or to demonstrate. It is in fact terrorism. They are inflicting terror upon our people and our cities in the HD view of the rest of the world.
So who do we look to for leadership in this hour of need. Theresa May! What a joke. She looked like a rabbit in the headlights on TV this morning with her talk of robust policing, whatever that means, and the naive plea for anyone who knows of anyone who was taking part to report them to the police who will follow it up. As if. Picture the scene. Knock Knock. 'Who's there?' 'It's the police, we have been told that you were involved with the disturbances last night!' 'No i wasn't, i was at home watching the telly wasn't i Mum' 'Yes he was, and stop harassing us! 'Er ok...'
You can almost hear Camerons earnest speech as he arrives from his curtailed Italian break. All hot air, littered with the words, 'Not acceptable" "The full weight of the law" "our way of life" "a small minority" "rest assured"
Rest assured that the Police force that he is cutting back drastically so that they are under trained and under powered will receive serious casualties. As far as i am concerned, if you are going to risk burning down peoples houses and businesses and openly stealing and attacking innocent people then you should also take the risk of having the crap beaten out of you or worse!
Just in case there is any chance of misreading my comments. let me tell you i'm all for taking to the streets to fight oppression, cruelty and tyranny but get real!!!! This is England, where no one needs to go hungry, where everyone is entitled to health care. We may be in a fucking mess but it's still England. What's left of it anyway. Abused and bruised as it is.

And where did the England i know go? The one one that still lives in my mind, now clouded and distant but very much alive in this poem that i remember from childhood.

Adlestrop

Yes, I remember Adlesrop –

The name, because one afternoon

Of heat the express train drew up there

Unwontedly. It was late June

The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat

No one left and no one came

On the bare platform. What I saw

Was Adlestrop – only the name

And willows, willow herb, and grass

And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry

No whit less still and lonely fair

Than the high cloudlets in the sky

And for a minute a blackbird sang

Close by, and round him, mistier,

Farther and farther, all the birds

Of Oxfordshire and Gloucester.

Edward Thomas

See you soon and as my lovely cousin Gillian would say, Peace, love and light to you all.

JR