Old Postcards.

It was July 1^st 2007 when the smoking ban in British pubs began. That brought about big changes in our local pub. The smokers had to sit outside in a little area opposite the skittle alley. This was all very well until it rained, so one skilful customer took it upon himself to build a proper shelter with a Perspex roof which let the sunlight in. He also planted a grapevine which quickly grew all over it. One side had to remain open to keep within the law. Within a couple of years, on a warm summer’s evening, sitting out there was almost like being in the south of France. It got so popular even for non-smokers that some evenings it was hard to find a seat. We had some great times out there over the years. Some people even sent postcards to their friends in the pub when they went on holiday.

This gave me an idea of how to brighten the place up even more, and I asked my Facebook friends to send postcards to the pub from wherever they lived in the world. A steady stream of postcards began arriving from all over the globe. For quite a while most evenings when I arrived at the pub more cards would be waiting to be pinned on the walls. We almost ran out of space to pin them all up. Inevitably though after two years or so the stream became a trickle, and then the cards more or less stopped arriving altogether, apart from one couple who faithfully continued to send cards right up to recently. It was fun while it lasted, and very kind of people to send them. For nearly a decade the cards remained on the walls, slowly fading and gathering dust. Then recently we heard the news that the pub was changing hands, and the brewery that own it wanted our little corner taking down. 

I should have taken one last photo before the work began, but I didn’t think of that. Luckily our friend the pub landlady salvaged the postcards and returned them to me as it seemed a shame to just throw them away. I brought them home in a plastic bag and tipped them out on the floor. Lots of great memories tumbled out of that bag. Sadly, some of the people who sent those cards are no longer with us. Anyway, I counted them all, there were 158 readable cards in total from 27 different countries. The most popular countries were England (as you would expect), USA, Republic of Ireland, Greece, Australia, Canada, France and Spain. There were also cards from Sweden, Malta, Italy, Switzerland, Wales, India, Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Portugal, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Denmark, New Zealand, Egypt, Croatia, and the most unusual one for me which was a card from Laos in South-East Asia. 

There were also a few other cards which were so faded and decayed they were unreadable. One of my personal favourites was a card my late brother Paul sent from Shakespeare & Company bookshop in Paris showing the poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the shop owner George Whitman. In the pub I pinned a card from City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco next to that one as they went well together. I expect I will consign them all to the bin before too long because they don’t have any monetary value and are in quite poor condition. However, if you are one of the kind people who sent us the cards, It is impossible to thank everyone personally, but thank you very much indeed.

The Good Old Days.

A Terrible Beauty by Christy Moore.

 

A terrible beauty is born’ are words from a poem Easter, 1916 by W. B. Yeats describing the poet's torn emotions regarding the events of the Easter Rising in Dublin which began on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916. Those prophetic words of Yeats must have inspired artist Martin Gale to produce a painting called A Terrible Beauty. When Christy Moore saw Martin’s painting, he knew that he had found a title for his new album and a design for the sleeve. The painting is very striking, but also ominous and threatening, like the world we live in today, with the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and other problems in society which Christy confronts on this album. However, I’m pleased to see there is still time for joy and humour among these 13 tracks. Reading the sleeve notes I see that the album is dedicated to his friends Tommie Gorman and Vince Power. Because of living in England I don’t know a lot about Tommie, but  had the pleasure of meeting Vince on a couple of occasions at Nell’s Club in London and agree with Christy that he was a great man.

The outstanding opening song is Boy In The Wild which is a collaboration between Christy and the late Wally Page who Christy worked with for 45 years. Christy made only the second ever video of his career to accompany this song. You can find it below if you scroll down. It is a brilliant little film which explores the sometimes-distant relationship between fathers and sons, but at the end of the day the son can rely on his dad because he had similar experiences himself in his youth. Incidentally, Christy's own son Andy Moore sings very effective backing harmonies on this song and some other tracks. When I opened the package from Claddagh I was pleased to find a lyric sheet print of this song signed by Christy himself. Mike Harding has introduced me to some wonderful music over the years on his late lamented show on Radio 2. I especially remember the time he played a request for me by Vinnie Kilduff from Kiltimagh, and Mike waxing lyrical about his Mayo friends. 

Christy here reads a lyric of Mike’s called Sunflowers inspired by the war in Ukraine. It is from Mike’s book The Lonely Zoroastrian. I have mentioned in previous reviews of Christy’s work what a great spoken word voice he has. It is 40 years now since I bought my first Christy album Ride On and his voice is as good as ever. One of the best things about being a follower of Christy Moore is that he leads you to discover new music. I had never heard of a band called A Lazarus Soul before this album, but Christy has included two songs written by their singer Briany Brannigan called Black & Amber and Lemon Sevens. I think the Black & Amber must refer to a pub because the song is about the dangers of alcohol dependence which Christy knows all about. Christy stopped drinking decades ago thankfully and his career has blossomed ever since. The song is acapella apart from Andy's harmonies. I had never heard of  Lemon Sevens before. Apparently they are little pills that are crushed up and smoked. The song is a harrowing tale of drug addiction, homelessness and the people we often see wandering lost in the centre of big cities. 

These two songs made me curious about A Lazarus Soul which led me to ordering their latest album No Flowers Grow In Cement Gardens. I’ll tell you all about that when it arrives. Broomielaw is the name of a major street in Glasgow. It is also the name of a wonderful traditional song that Christy learned in 1964 from Mick Moloney later of The Johnstons who I have written about previously on this page. Mick Blake is another singer-songwriter who I discovered thanks to Christy. Cumann Na Mna is a song of Mick’s that Christy added to. It is a hilarious catchy retort to Rob Wotton of B Sky B who suggested to Irish footballer Chloe Mustaki that the team needed educating. 

Chloe Mustaki

The Rock is a short and sweet banjo instrumental played by Cathal Hayden assisted by Jimmy Higgins bodhran and Sean Og Graham on guitar. The Life And Soul is a moving mainly spoken piece by Christy using the words of an anonymous person who actually knew Ann Lovett. If you don’t know about Ann Lovett, she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl from County Longford, Ireland, who died giving birth beside a grotto on 31 January 1984. Her baby son died at the same time. Lyra McKee is a song written by James Cramer about another young woman who also met a tragic death. 

Ann Lovett

Lyra was a journalist who on 18 April 2019 was fatally shot during rioting in the Creggan area of Derry. Darkness Before Dawn was written by Pete Kavanagh and tells the story of an event in 1921 in Christy’s hometown of Newbridge where a military operation went badly wrong with tragic consequences for an innocent family. The mood is lightened then by The Big Marquee written by Christy himself which is a lively humorous affectionate tribute to the city of Cork. One of those funny name-dropping songs like Lisdoonvarna which Christy does so well. I think that song was meant to end the album on a high note, but Christy felt compelled to add two more songs Palestine and Snowflakes. The first is by Jim Page about the ongoing horrific events in Gaza. The final song by Martin Leahy is about the anonymous trolls who attacked him on social media while hiding behind pseudonyms, afraid to use their names.

This album is a fine addition to Christy’s great body of recordings. The voice is still in top condition, and he continues to find meaningful thought-provoking songs for us to listen to, so long may he continue. Also, don’t forget his companeros Gavin Murphy, Jimmy Higgins, Cathal Hayden, Seamie O’Dowd, Sean Og Graham, Andy Moore, Martin Leahy, James Blennerhassett, Oisin Murray and everybody else who contributed to producing this wonderful work.

 

Christy Moore: Boy In The Wild.

RIP Pete Sinfield. (27 December 1943 – 14 November 2024)

I was very sorry to hear today that Pete Sinfield has passed away aged 80. It was less than a year ago that I wrote a little story about finding a rare signed book by Pete. I thought I'd repeat it today as a tribute to Peter Sinfield. This is it........

You know how in my last blog piece a few days ago I said I had started dealing in books again, and I said that it was only a hobby, but I might find some nice books on my travels. Well, I never thought that would come true so quickly, and I didn’t even have to leave the house. It seems like serendipity to me, or synchronicity, what ever you want to call it. Anyway, it happened by chance in a most happy beneficial way. A few months ago, a very good friend of mine kindly gave me a copy of a signed limited-edition book of lyrics by Kate Bush called How To Be Invisible. It is a wonderful book that I wouldn’t dream of selling. Anyway, last Thursday morning I started reading it. 

Kate had written a very interesting introduction and in the last paragraph she said, “When I was about sixteen, I bought a book of lyrics and poems by Pete Sinfield. He was the lyricist for the progressive rock band King Crimson. It was fascinating and not like the other books of poetry I had. It wasn’t that there was anything missing from the written lyrics, but there was definitely something different about them. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on……..

This information piqued my interest. “Hmm, I wonder if that book is still available”, I thought to myself. So, I looked online. It is the only book Pete Sinfield published and called Under The Sky. I was disappointed to find out that it had been out of print since the 1970s. There were no copies available from Amazon or any other online bookshops I could find. 

Then I looked on eBay and was shocked to find just one copy for sale for £450!. I didn’t give up though, and wondered if the Oxfam book shop might have a copy……and they did! . Not only that, but it was also signed by Pete himself. Best of all it was priced at less than a tenth of the unsigned one on eBay. I couldn’t believe my luck, clicked ‘Buy Now’ and it was mine. It arrived in the post today, and I am well chuffed with it. The dust jacket is quite creased and has some marks on it, but you have to expect that in a book that is half a century old. The inside of the book is fine and has Pete’s signature under a photo of himself. It also has beautiful illustrations by a lady called Julia Fryer. It contains all of the lyrics that Pete wrote for King Crimson up to 1972.

My favourite of his songs is I Talk To The Wind. They are all here, In The Court Of The Crimson King, The Wake Of Posiedon, 20^th Century Schizoid Man and many others. For the time being this book is a keeper. Thank you very much to my friend for the Kate Bush book which led me to learning about her influence Pete Sinfield which in turn led me to find this rare and wonderful book. Things do happen in mysterious ways, which proves to me that everything is connected.

 

In Heptonstall Churchyard.

It is now Saturday night, and only two days since I returned from Yorkshire, but the memory is already beginning to fade like the mists on the moors, so I thought I should tell you about it now before I forget something important. I arrived in Wakefield on Sunday afternoon where my friends Jacky & Bill were waiting patiently at Westgate station because my train was over an hour late. On Monday morning we met up with another very close friend who was visiting, and loves the north of England. We visited Wakefield Cathedral and a small museum. Sadly, the interesting places such as Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Hepworth Gallery were closed on Mondays. It was nice to go for lunch in a very pleasant pub called The Castle. 

The highlight of Tuesday for me was an afternoon walk through St Aiden’s Nature Reserve which covers 877 acres of a former open-cast coal mine which was flooded from the nearby river Aire. It is now in the care of the RSPB (Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds). The path passed through a variety of habitats including reedbed, wetland, meadows and woodland which are home to many species of bird including cormorants, the Eurasian bittern, little owl, western marsh harrier, Eurasian skylark, black-necked grebe, black-headed gull. Northern lapwing and common redshank. It felt good to have some fresh air and exercise.

I have wanted to visit Hebden Bridge for a few years now. You may recall I wrote a piece a couple of years ago called ‘Hebden Bridge, Circa 1971-74’. These days it is a popular tourist attraction famed for its arts and culture and has a vibrant music scene. It is home to artists, writers, photographers, musicians, alternative practitioners, teachers, Green and New Age activists and wealthier 'yuppie' types. You might know it from the popular TV drama Happy Valley which was filmed there. Well, on Wednesday morning Jacky & Bill kindly offered to take me there. I didn’t enjoy the first part of the journey along the M62, but as soon as we got off the motorway it was wonderful looking at the places and countryside along the Calder valley. The first place I wanted to see wasn’t actually in Hebden Bridge, but in the hills above it, a small village called Heptonstall. 

This is because I had heard that the poet Sylvia Plath was buried there in St Thomas’s churchyard. I can’t claim to be a big fan of her work. In fact, I don’t recall ever reading a book by her. I do remember that my partner Kim related to something in Sylvia Plath’s work because she had two of her books The Bell Jar and Ariel. I think Sylvia mainly appeals to a female feminist readership. I do however know about her tragic life and marriage to Ted Hughes. We had no trouble finding her grave because as we arrived four girls who were leaving through the gate directed us straight to it. She must have thousands of visitors every year. 

What I noticed immediately was there had been attempts to remove HUGHES from her headstone. My opinion is that it was very arrogant of him to include his name. They had separated after she discovered his affair with Assia Wevill. If Sylvia hadn’t committed suicide, no doubt they would have divorced, and she would had reverted to being known simply as Sylvia Plath. The other question is why is she buried here at all? It was Ted Hughes who came from this area, not Sylvia who was American, she should have been returned to her home country in my opinion. I don’t want to be too hard on Ted Hughes. I don’t blame him entirely for her death. From what I have read I don’t think she told him about her history of mental illness and previous suicide attempts before they married. I don’t think I should say any more about their relationship because only they knew the truth.

After we left Sylvia’s graveside we discovered the grave of another poet only a few feet away. Asa Benveniste (August 25, 1925–April 13, 1990) an American-born poet, typographer and publisher who was born in New York and settled in England in the 1950s. In the 1980s Benveniste and his second partner Agnetha Falk moved to Hebden Bridge where they ran a second-hand bookshop. When he died in 1990, Benveniste was buried in the graveyard of Heptonstall church, with a gravestone that reads: "Foolish Enough to Have Been a Poet". He was both pleased and amused that his grave was to be within speaking distance of Sylvia Plath a few feet away. So, I think he deliberately chose this spot as his final resting place. I hadn’t heard of Asa before, but have since read that besides being a poet, in London during 1965, he co-founded and managed the pioneering Trigram Press, which published work by George Barker, Tom Raworth, Jack Hirschman, J. H. Prynne, David Meltzer, B. S. Johnson, Jim Dine, Jeff Nuttall, Gavin Ewart, Ivor Cutler, Anselm Hollo, and Lee Harwood, among others. In 1966, Trigram Press produced the second and final issue of a little magazine called Residu, which included work by Alexander Trocchi, William S. Burroughs, Harold Norse, Gregory Corso, Harry Fainlight, Gerard Malanga and other Beat Generation and underground writers. I have read quite a few books by some of those writers, so Asa was quite an important figure on the British literary scene.

After that churchyard interlude, we retired to a pub The Shoulder Of Mutton in Hebden Bridge for a pleasant lunch. The weather was so mild for November we were able to sit outside. Then we had a look around Hebden Bridge. In a charity shop I found a CD by David Gray called White Ladder. I bought it for 50 pence and gave it to Jacky & Bill because a couple of nights earlier I had said to them, “David Gray is playing in Bath soon if you want to come and see him”. I was amazed that they had never heard of David Gray. On the way home I insisted that they play David Gray. My favourite track is ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’. I think they liked it. (See video below) 

That evening we met up with Jacky’s brother Chris and his wife Denise who I hadn’t seen for about 40 years, so it was wonderful to see them again. Next morning I headed home. The great thing was I had Jacky & Bill’s company as far as London because they were going to visit their grandchildren. We said farewell at Kings Cross. I had said hello, and waved goodbye to my too brief trip to Yorkshire, but I hope we meet again before too long.  

David Gray - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

Willie Nelson: The Tao Of Willie.

Today I thought I would tell you about a book I have enjoyed reading this past weekend. The Tao Of Willie, by Willie Nelson and Turk Pipkin. A friend of mine gave me an excellent album by Willie Nelson a couple of years ago called A Beautiful Place, and listening to songs like Energy Follows Thought (See song below) and Live Every Day made me realise that Willie is a philosopher as well as being a great singer-songwriter. Willie was in his 70s when this book was published in 2006, and he is 91 now, so he must be doing something right. The Tao or Dao is the natural order of the universe according to East Asian philosophy and religion which has meanings including 'way', 'path', or 'road'. In order to have a happy and healthy life it is important to live in harmony with the Tao. The book is a very entertaining collection of Willie’s words of wisdom on living a happy life. To me his philosophy seems to be a mix of Buddhism, Cherokee, and cowboy wisdom. Willie understands that happiness isn’t an emotion, it is our natural state of being. It is the negative thoughts of our conditioned mind that makes us think otherwise. 

Laughter is a bi-product of happiness, so consequently Willie’s book is full of humour and jokes, even if I have heard most of his jokes before. There is one chapter on ‘The Golden Rule’ which is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". That is a quote from the bible but is common to all the major religions. Willie practices meditation everyday and talks about the importance of being aware of our breathing. Most people go through life totally unaware of the fact that they are breathing. He says we should, ‘Sit, Listen, Breathe, Dream, Renew’.  The important thing is to live in the present moment, ‘Be’ happy, not ‘Been’ happy. Willie says that we should take time to slow down and smell the flowers, or in his case smoke the flowers 😊. 

Willie has plenty of practical advice for healthy living as well, such as the importance of drinking lots of water instead of alcohol and caffeine which dehydrate us. He says we should drink six to eight glasses of water a day. “Pee more and live longer”, is Willie’s motto on that subject. I don’t agree with everything that Willie comes out with. He seems to have been influenced by a Father Taliaferro, pastor of the non-denominational St Alcuin’s Community Church of Dallas Texas. I looked him up on the internet and found out that he was a Rosicrucian and a Freemason which all seems a bit dodgy to me. 

I don’t want to appear negative though, so I’ll concentrate on the things I do agree with. I like Willie’s political views. He is a close friend of Jimmy Carter who I think is the most well meaning and honourable US President of the last 50 years. I’m glad they have both lived long enough to vote for Kamala Harris in the coming election. Willie has a lot to say about the weaknesses in the American voting system, especially the Electoral College where a candidate can win the popular vote but lose the election. This has happened twice in recent times, so I am praying that doesn’t happen to Kamala Harris. There are also some nice anecdotes about his close friend and neighbour on Maui Kris Kristofferson who passed away recently. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book of the wit and wisdom of the one and only Willie Nelson who is an American national treasure.