Calcutta: Stories from the Streets.

I have met some very interesting people working on the recycling crew at Glastonbury. I met Bob and his wife Paula a few years ago, and like me they keep returning year after year. At this year’s festival as we were chatting, Bob mentioned that he had written a book about his time in Calcutta. I said that I would like to read it and Bob kindly sent me a copy which arrived a few days ago. It is called Calcutta: Stories from the Street. It is a slim volume of ten short stories, so it didn’t take me long to read it. It is also illustrated by Bob himself with charming drawings of Calcutta street scenes. Bob has travelled extensively throughout India many times over the past 40 years, but Calcutta seems to be his favourite place in the sub-continent. It isn’t a place that most people would think of as an exotic travel destination, but among the crumbling post-colonial architecture, the crowded narrow lanes and the street sleepers is where Bob felt most alive in India. In the stories he paints a vivid picture of the chai wallahs (tea sellers), beggars, hustlers and katcherawallahs (rag pickers) that he met and befriended. There is Raju who sold char on Sudder Street, Ram the newspaper seller, Shanti the alcoholic hustler, Apool the flute maker and many more. 

I don’t suppose I will ever get to go to Calcutta but reading Bob’s little book certainly gave me a sense of the place and the people struggling to survive in it’s labyrinth of crowded streets. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Bob wrote the book to raise some money for a charity called Calcutta Rescue which provides medical help for the street people, and support to enable their children to go to school. I’m not sure if the book is still available, maybe it was a limited edition because I couldn’t find a link to buy the book online. However, you can find out more about the charity here- https://calcuttarescue.org/ 

Stone In A Landslide by Maria Barbal

It is Wednesday morning. Only 22 degrees C at the moment, which is much more like we are used to in this country, and there is a 30% chance of rain showers today, which will be welcomed, especially by the plants in my wee garden. I had a friend visit me last week who gave me a book as a present. I read it last night in one sitting, so I just thought I would tell you about it while it is still fresh in my mind. It is called Stone In A Landslide by Maria Barbal. It is a novella of only 126 pages which is why I was able to read it so quickly. The book was the authors first work of fiction and was originally published in Catalonia in 1985. This English translation was published in 2010 by the Peirene Press who specialise in translations of contemporary European literature. The translator is from Ireland and called Laura McGloughlin.

Maria Barbal.

The story is told through the eyes of an old lady called Conxa who is living in Barcelona and looking back at her life in a small mountain village in the Pyrenees in the early part of the 20^th century. She was the fifth of six children. The family was so poor that at the age of thirteen she is sent to live with a childless aunt called Tia and her husband who Conxa just calls Oncle. Thus begins a life of unrelenting hard work. Eventually she meets Jaume who is a builder, and the happiest time of her life begins. Tia initially doesn’t want her to get married, but eventually relents when she can see advantages to it. They have two daughters Elvira and Angeleta and finally a son Mateu. Her husband is often absent due to work, and he becomes involved in republican politics. Their lives are shattered with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War when Jaume is taken away, never to be seen again. Conxa and her daughters are also taken away and incarcerated for a while, but eventually allowed to return to their home. The children grow up, marry and Conxa becomes a grandmother. The children all leave and finally Conxa does as well. It is when in Barcelona that she realises how much her previous life in the village of Pallares meant to her. That is why she can recall the sights and smells so vividly. When a person leaves their home of nearly a lifetime, the memory becomes an art form.

The story is told in a very simple sparse way in the language of a person of limited education. It is the story of someone who accepts their role in life without judgement. Conxa lived through one of the great events of the 20^th century but took no interest until it devasted her life. There is no political comment apart from her noticing Monsignor Miquel’s sermons from the pulpit were not about the bible, but about republicanism being a disaster, and people should accept their lot in life and stop complaining. Although it is not a feminist book, there are some wry observations that the men make most of the decisions, but women do most of the work. Maria Barbal was born in 1949, so could not have witnessed these events for herself, but I noticed that the book is dedicated to her parents. I suspect that it was by listening to her parents that she learned what life was like during this tumultuous period in history. I enjoyed this book immensely. It is a message that whatever oppression is inflicted on people, they still have the courage to carry on. I suspect that in the villages of Ukraine today there are people just like Conxa.

The Eternal Rocks Beneath by Katherine Priddy.

Phew, it is too hot to be outdoors today, so I have stayed in the cool of my living room. I have been listening to a CD called The Eternal Rocks Beneath which is the debut album by Katherine Priddy. I bought it from Katherine herself after her performance on the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury a few weeks ago. It is a most enjoyable album indeed. Katherine has a beautiful voice, writes wonderful songs, and is an excellent guitar player. The opening song is called Indigo. It begins with the sound of a blackbird singing in a tree before Katherine’s deft acoustic guitar picking joins in. The lyrics tell the story of a child playing in a favourite beech tree, until one dark night the tree is felled in a storm. I suppose it is a song of lost innocence. The production on this song and the whole album by Simon Weaver is first class with the multi-layered voice harmonising with itself. 

The lyrics of Wolf read like some Victorian gothic novel where a person is repelled by and attracted to a dangerous character. I love the cello and relentless drum sound. About Rosie is a sad song concerning someone in a bad relationship who lets other people decide their worth, rather then deciding their own destiny. Katherine is obviously very well read because two of the songs are inspired by the Greek Myths. I can relate to that as well, because when I was a kid, I used to get a weekly magazine called Finding Out which serialised all the stories from ancient Greece. The first song is called Icarus and is about a self-destructive person heading for a sticky end. This song has fabulous violin playing by Zofia Reeves, viola by Alice Brown and cello by Bart Shirm. 

Katherine Priddy at Glastonbury

The other Greek Myths inspired song is Eurydice which I thought was her best song at Glasto. As you probably know Eurydice was the nymph wife of the musician Orpheus who went into the underworld to rescue her and bring her back to the world of the living. The production on this song can only be described as lush. Letters From A Travelling Man by contrast is a lively upbeat folkie type song which I think was released as a single. Katherine sang this song for the BBC while at Glastonbury, and I have shared it below if you want to see it. The lines about buying some land and a baby on the lawn reminded me slightly of lyrics in Beeswing by Richard Thompson. He has spoken very highly of Katherine, and she has supported Richard on tour. I think he might be a big influence on her. 

Katherine Priddy @ Glasto.

The Spring Never Came is a beautiful sad tale of lost love. Ring O’Roses is obviously inspired by the children’s nursery rhyme of the same name. It was originally about the Black Death in the Middle Ages but might have taken on a new meaning since the Covid pandemic. I don’t think that was Katherine’s intention though and she probably wrote the song before Covid. From listening to the lyrics, I think it is an anti-war song. The music is perfection and the shimmering cymbals and percussion remind me of Reynardine on Fairport Convention’s Liege & Leif album. The Isle Of Eigg is a small island in The Hebrides of Scotland. Arisaig is also mentioned in the lyrics, which is where you can catch a ferry to Eigg. Katherine’s song is inspired by a trip to Eigg where a lot of drinking went on by the sound of it. You can see her sense of humour in the lyrics, such as Eigg, you have cracked it. 

The album ends with The Summer Has Flown which is an achingly beautiful lament for the end of summer. This excellent album concludes, as it began with the sound of a blackbird which I think is one of the nicest sounds in nature. I highly recommend this album and I look forward to hearing more music by the wonderful Katherine Priddy.

Katherine Priddy - Letters From a Travelling Man (Glastonbury 2022)

My Glastonbury 2022 Story, Part 1, Return To Avalon

My Little Tent.

The big day had finally arrived. After three long years it was time to return to the greatest festival in the world. It was a beautiful sunny Monday afternoon when Kate & Donna picked me up on the square in Westbury at 3.00. I am very grateful to them because usually I have to go on the train to Castle Cary, then the shuttle bus, and finally trudge across the vast site carrying a heavy rucksack. I got lucky this year when Kate offered me a lift. Also, Donna’s van even had a pass to go onsite to Tom’s field where we were camped. Almost the first person I met on arrival was my friend Odele who I met at Glasto in 2013, so I pitched my little tent right next to Odele’s. 

Before The Crowds.

It was great to be back in the field of dreams. I decorated my tent with some Tibetan prayer flags to spread good vibes, but also, so that I would recognise my tent at night-time. I had been a bit concerned that I was getting too old for festivals, but I soon forgot all that negative nonsense once I was there. One of the great things about being on the recycling crew is that friends are provided. In the olden days of the 1980s a great big gang of my family and friends and kids used to go to Glastonbury and all camp together. Over the years it gradually diminished until I am the only one left, but since I joined the crew in 2005 I have made lots of friends, so I’m not Billy No-Mates wandering around all the time on my own. 

Avalon Sunset.

At the cabin, I got registered and collected my gloves, meal ticket, and veteran’s T-shirt. In the workers catering marquee I had some Mexican food for dinner. I eat better at Glastonbury than I do at home because I’m not famous for my cooking skills. I have noticed that there didn’t seem to be quite so many people from other countries working at Glastonbury this year. That is because of stupid Brexit. People aren’t going to go through all that bureaucracy of work permits for just a few days’ work, are they?. It is a shame because I like meeting people from other countries. After dinner I went for a walk around the site. It was still two days until the gates officially opened, so it is nice to wander about the farm before 200,000 people arrive. 

Pheasant.

You can still see wildlife. On the huge field called Big Ground in front of the Pyramid Stage I came across a pheasant who was strolling about and enjoying the evening sun. “Mate, you are in for a shock in 36 hours”, I thought to myself. I ended up in the crew bar at the back of the Acoustic Stage where I met up with Peter & Helen from Bristol, and Bob & Paula from Nottingham. I think I crawled into my sleeping bag that night at about 1.00. The temperature at Glastonbury plummets at night, and I woke up two hours later freezing, put on two jumpers and fell back into blissful slumbers until 7.00. 

Tiny Tea Tent.

It was already hot when I emerged from my tent on Tuesday morning. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. After breakfast I decided to go for a long lazy walk around the 900-acre site. I filled my water bottle and put everything I might need for a day’s walking in my little backpack and headed off down Muddy Lane, although this year it should be called Shady Lane because the trees gave some shelter from the sun. I headed right across the site to the Healing Fields, King’s Meadow, Permaculture, and the Sacred Space. This is the area which the Dalai Lama first visited when he came to Glastonbury a few years ago. 

Stone Circle.

The Peace Garden looked particularly inviting, so I sat in there for about an hour. It was perfect for a spot of quiet and mindfulness. A squirrel ran up a tree right next to where I was sitting. There was a hosepipe with a revolving spray on it to keep the grass nice and lush, so every minute I got sprayed with nice cool water. I was joined by a French man from Normandy who had the same idea as me. We got talking and he said he was a musician in a group called Les Nouveaux Humanistes or something like that. He said they were playing in the Green Futures field on Thursday at 12.00. I said I’d try and remember to see them, but it was only after he had gone that I remembered I would be at work then. After that I wandered across to the Stone Circle and watched some people practicing yoga. There was no shade though, so I sat under a nearby tree for a while. I got chatting to a young couple and asked them to take my photo. 

Peace Garden.

Eventually, I wandered back down and bought a few postcards because I’d promised to send one to my local pub. The Tiny Tea Tent is one of my favourite places at Glasto. It has been in the same spot since about 1992. I sat there with a cup of tea, wrote my postcards and watched the world go by. Greenpeace were still feverishly building their amazing structures close by. Later that afternoon I started to get hungry and went to one of my favourite food outlets which is Leon’s in the West Holts field. He has been coming to Glastonbury since 1982 and the food is delicious. 

Leon.

I bought a great big plate of nut roast and salad which kept me going for the rest of the day. That evening back at base I met up with Odele, Peter, Robin and Steve for the Recycler’s Quiz. As in previous years we were The Glastafarians. Sadly, we didn’t win this year. We came second by only half a point. One more correct answer and we would have won. We have a proud record though of one victory and two seconds. Next year we will win again!. I think I was asleep in my tent by midnight because work would begin in the morning. Little did I realise the drama that lay ahead……(Continued below)

My Glastonbury 2022 Story, Part 2, Heat And Dust.

My Recycling Team.

It was Wednesday morning at Glastonbury. The sun was shining, the gates were open, and thousands of people were pouring onto Worthy Farm every hour. I was up and about early, bright eyed and eager to play my part in keeping the place tidy. After breakfast I put on my recycling team t-shirt, got my gloves and my litter-picking stick and made my way to the office to meet the rest of our team. As well as Odele, there was another old friend called Dan and several people who I recognised from previous years. As we were all veterans, we knew the drill by now. We helped ourselves to rubbish bags from the wheelbarrow, white bags for organic stuff like cardboard, paper cups, plates, wooden knives and forks etc, blue bags for plastic bottles and tin cans and black bags for stuff that can’t be recycled. I think Glastonbury generates about 2000 tons of rubbish, of which about 70% is recycled. 

Wednesday Evening.

Once we were sorted out, we followed our team leader down the lane to start work. I learned a new word from our leader this year, which is bimble. He kept saying things like, “We’ll have a quick bimble in here to see if there is any rubbish lying about”. Wednesday was quite an easy day because people were just arriving. We had a bimble outside the perimeter fence and along the queue of people and picked up quite a few discarded cans. Mainly we were bimbling around the market areas. The litter picking has got easier over the years. I think people are remembering the motto Love the farm, Leave no trace. Also, years ago we used to pick up lots of cigarette butts and packets, that has vastly diminished. One annoying thing is finding lots of little metal nitrous oxide containers. Although it was quite leisurely work, it got very hot. Every time I saw a water tap, I stuck my head under it to cool off. We stopped for lunch at 12.00 and went back to base. 

In the afternoon we carried on in the market areas and along the main drag as far as the old railway line. There was one bit of drama in the afternoon when we lost a team member. She had tripped over a guy rope earlier in the day and injured her leg. She bravely tried to carry on, but it was no good. The paramedics diagnosed a torn ligament. I think she was found a sit-down job back at the office, so that was good. We finished at 5.00 and collected our meal tickets. I was gagging for a drink and my feet were aching from all the walking, so I stopped off at my favourite crew bar on the way home for a refreshing pint of cider. After dinner that evening I didn’t go far because I had done enough walking for one day, and I knew the next day would be gruelling in the heat.

Thursday was the hottest day of all. I think it must have reached about 30 degrees C. The work wasn’t too bad at first but got harder as the morning wore on. We were sent to the Park area which is Emily Eavis’s pride and joy, and she likes it to be kept clean. Because the music on the main stages didn’t start until Friday about 100,000 people had been partying in The Park all night long. The rubbish bins were all overflowing, so we had to bag up all the excess rubbish that lay everywhere. It was especially bad near the food outlets and bars. We were busy, but at least the time went quickly. Because there had been no rain it was also very dusty. We worked our way up through The Park, past the famous Ribbon Tower and up to the GLASTONBURY sign. The last part was really steep. It was like climbing Glastonbury Tor. Thousands of people had been up here the previous evening because you get a fabulous view of the whole site. They left a lot of rubbish up there as well.

 It was gone 12.30 when we stopped for lunch, and our leader said to meet back at Tom’s field at 2.00. It took ages to walk back to base where I found a massive queue for lunch. I was hot and irritable and tired. I couldn’t be bothered to queue up, so went to the counter where they were handing out packed lunches. You got a baguette, an orange, and a piece of cake. “What sort of cake would you like?”, asked the girl. “I don’t care, just give me a cake”, I snapped. (Sorry about that) I sat in the shade outside and cheered up. The afternoon was a lot shorter and easier. We finished work at 5.00 and everyone was in a good mood because we had done the difficult shifts. There was no more work for us until Sunday evening. 

Me and Fiona.

On Thursday evening it was the recycling team's party. Michael Eavis sent a message thanking everyone for their work and apologised for not being there. He did turn up later. I got Odele to take my photo with Fiona who organises the recycling crew of 2000 people. I thanked her for inviting us back every year. Fiona is responsible for a lot of friendships being created. The big news was that Paul McCartney was playing a surprise Glastonbury warm-up gig in the small nearby town of Frome. I bet the citizens of Frome were chuffed about that.  Tomorrow morning the music at Glastonbury 2022 would begin, and what an amazing incredible day it would turn out to be…….(Continued below)

  

My Glastonbury 2022 Story, Part 3, Friday On My Mind.

Me at Pyramid Stage.

It was slightly cooler at Glastonbury on Friday morning and there was a bit of cloud cover as well, which I think most people appreciated after the scorching heat of the previous days. I had been at Worthy Farm for five days now, and it was time for some music. There was a choice of The Libertines or Ziggy Marley on the two biggest stages. I opted for Ziggy Marley who was the first act on the Pyramid Stage. It is easy getting right to the front for the early acts, impossible later in the day. My workmate Dan was there with his family as well. Ziggy and his great band put on a show of infectious joyful danceable music. Although he played some of his own songs, most of the show was a tribute to his dad Bob Marley. I can’t remember all the songs, but he certainly played I Shot the Sheriff, Get Up, Stand Up, Jamming, Is This Love, Could You Be Loved, and One Love. I asked Dan what he thought the last song would be, and he said One Love. I was hoping it would be No Woman, No Cry or Redemption Songs. It was One Love, so Dan was right.

Ziggy.

Rufus Wainwright was due up next on the Pyramid Stage. I was tempted to stay for his set but decided to head for the Acoustic Stage where there were a few acts on that I wanted to see. When I arrived, there was a band on called Pavey Ark. I had never heard of them before, but thought they were very good. They finished with their own version of Bowie’s Moonage Daydream. It was the following act I had come to see called Irish Mythen. She is from Ireland originally and now lives in Prince Edward Island in Canada. I only discovered her a few weeks ago when I heard her excellent version of Into The Mystic on youtube. She has an incredible powerful voice and can hold a note for an eternity. I was right at the front on the barrier and halfway through her set I shouted out, “Into The Mystic”, she looked at me and said, “I’m only here for 40 minutes, but maybe”. She didn’t sing it, but never mind, she wanted to promote her own songs, which is fair enough. 

Irish Mythen.

I can’t remember the titles of many of her songs now. One I really enjoyed was called Tullamore Blues. I think another was Gypsy Dancer which was voted song of the year in Canada a few years ago. She finished with a fabulous acapella version of The Auld Triangle. What a wonderful character she is. During her performance I met up with Conor & his wife from Ireland who I got to know in 2019 when we watched Lankum together. Next up were a band called The Mariachis from Mexico who sang popular hit songs in a mariachi style. They all wore huge sombreros and played guitars, accordions, trumpets and other instruments. I watched for about twenty minutes, then decided to go for a wander through the Theatre and Circus fields. 

Priti Patel.

Some people think that Glastonbury is just a music festival, but all the performing arts are represented. There were all sorts of weird and wonderful things going on. There were caricatures of political figures wandering about. Boris Johnson was demanding the right to party, Priti Patel was selling holidays in Rwanda, Michael Gove and Rishi Sunak were there as well, being ridiculed by passers-by. In Crooners Corner I spotted Jerri Hart who I have seen busking in Bath. He was singing songs like That’s Amore and people were dancing to it. I crossed Bella’s Bridge and was meaning to catch some of First Aid Kit on The Other Stage because I have seen them before. The crowds heading that way got too much though, and I turned back. This Glastonbury was the most crowded I have ever known, even worse than in the bad old days when 100,000 people used to climb over the fence to get in. I’m not the only one who thinks that. One lady said that on Sunday the crowd leaving after Diana Ross was frightening. I decided to watch the Sleaford Mods on the West Holts stage for a while. They were quite entertaining, every line of their songs seemed to end in an obscenity. They sang songs such as Jobseeker, Thick Ear, and Kebab Spider. They had a guest singer called Billy Nomates to sing Mork & Mindy.

Brian Kennedy.

After that amusing interlude, I made my way back to the Acoustic to see Brian Kennedy who I know from his years with Van Morrison. I thought I would only stay for a few songs for old times’ sake but stayed for his whole show. Brian has had some health issues in recent years, but he looks on top form now. He has a new album out called Folkie which he was keen to promote. I think my favourite song of his set was Carrickfergus. Other songs I enjoyed included Captured which was the first song of his I ever heard, A Better Man, Put The Message In The Box, Christopher Street, Get On With Your Short Life. He finished as expected with You Raise Me Up.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

After Brian’s triumphant set I hurried back to the Pyramid Stage because Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’s set was already underway. It was getting quite windy, so I sheltered against one side of a mixing desk. They were on great form. Lots of people thought they were one of the best acts of the weekend. I have seen Robert Plant many times over the decades, but I don’t remember seeing Alison before. She is a beautiful woman, great singer and excellent instrumentalist. The songs I recall hearing include two Everly Brothers songs, Gone, Gone, Gone and The Price Of Love, Two Led Zeppelin numbers Rock n Roll and The Battle Of Evermore, When The Levee Breaks, Please Read The Letter. There were lots of others, but I can’t remember them now. I’m sure there is a setlist available somewhere.

After that I thought I ought to get back to base for some dinner and also get a coat and jumper for the evening because I knew it would get very cold later. On my way back I met someone who I have known for about 40 years, I know him as ‘Charlie the artist’ from Frome, so I had a chat with him and his wife. Later, I arranged to meet Odele at 10.00 by an ice-cream van to watch Billie Eilish. When she arrived, we made our way through the crowd to a good vantage point. I didn’t know anything about Billie Eilish at all but thought I ought to watch because she was a headliner. She is actually the youngest ever headliner at Glastonbury, only 20 years of age. I didn’t like the first three songs or so. They sounded a bit samey to me with a relentless drumbeat. I warmed to her gradually though after a few songs. She has a very nice personality, and very confident. She must have great parents. It is great that her brother who is also in the band is her best friend as well. Don’t ask me what the songs were, I haven’t got a clue, except one song called Your Power which was very moving. She was clearly upset because this was the day that the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade ruling. More of Trump’s toxic legacy. I should have done my homework and listened to some Billie Eilish music before seeing her. Anyway, after about an hour I was getting really cold despite having a coat on. I said cheerio to Odele and headed off. I think I ended up in the warmth of the Bread & Roses Saloon. That brought Friday to a close for me. Saturday would turn out to be one of the most memorable days in the history of this great festival…..(Continued below)