Or the Brits? Or the Grammys? (Isn't Grammys spelt incorrectly? It isn't an apostrophe meaning a belonging to Grammy and if it is a plural of Grammy then surely it should be Grammies? - just thinking...)
No? Well neither did I. It made me think, does every industry have these big award things? Well for IT in the UK we have the annual BCS awards - no I didn't get an invite to them either. However that looked quite a glitzy affair from the photos. However there wasn't much coverage on the 10 o'clock news about those awards or the Cost Sector Catering Awards 2011. I was pondering the fact that the industries that probably least require any more publicity since they are all about publicity in general (film, music, tv etc.) are the only ones that get mass media coverage but I'm sure the winners of the Social Care category in the Cost Sector Catering Awards are as deserving of recognition (if not more so probably as by definition they don't have endless budgets to produce their entries. But that is the way of the world the fluff and glitz of show business gets more attention as ever than the real heroes in the world helping others everyday to live a little bit better life.
Guitars and Life : A blog by someone obsessed with music and guitars, who used to drink much too much than was good for him and who now hopes to gain wisdom enough to know that he doesn't really know enough to consider himself wise.
Monday, 27 February 2012
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Heartsong
My version of Gordon Giltrap's Heartsong. Some editing and the fingerpicked section is based on some of Gordon's shapes with a fair about of adlibing - not a slavish copy! :-) Enjoy!
Thursday, 23 February 2012
To boldly go...
Or to go boldly if you aren't into splitting your infinitives.
I blogged on this a while back that there are actually fewer humans and it has been longer since we went to the bottom of the deepest ocean on earth than man going to the moon! Here is a great summary by the BBC on the current challengers in the race to the bottom of the ocean. Doesn't that sound like a Jules Verne type novel/film with Victorian adventurers and lots of steam pipes hissing and scary previously unseen monsters of the deep attacking you... oh only me then
I blogged on this a while back that there are actually fewer humans and it has been longer since we went to the bottom of the deepest ocean on earth than man going to the moon! Here is a great summary by the BBC on the current challengers in the race to the bottom of the ocean. Doesn't that sound like a Jules Verne type novel/film with Victorian adventurers and lots of steam pipes hissing and scary previously unseen monsters of the deep attacking you... oh only me then
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Book Reviews - Ghost Rider by Neil Peart and Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
Anything You Want by Derek Sivers.
I can't remember who recommended this one. Anyway if you want a great insight in how to start a business from nothing with the only attitude of helping out a few mates and grow it into a business with 85 employees, international recognition and then can sell it for £22million then this is the book for you. Derek has a very different approach to business, no doubt since he'd been a professional musician and songwriter most of his working life, trained and the Berkley School of Music (just being there is a definition of a hugely talented musician) and therefore had no idea about the "right" way to set up and run a business. He didn't bother with things like privacy statements and T&Cs for example... my legal advisors will be shaking in their boots at this point! He describes his method of hiring people as "ridiculous" - i.e. he asked current employees if they had any friends who might be able to do the job and were they cool and could they start tomorrow! However his company won awards in "best place to work" reviews. CDBaby was an amazing model in that it bucked the trend of the music industry when set up and frankly probably still is today. Today even I could get my music onto iTunes and have anyone in the world buy it from there. That is radical compared with 10/15 years ago and CDBaby was a catalyst in that change.
For me I've considered many times - "What business could I do?". Problem I have like no doubt virtually everyone else who things about it are manyfold. How do I pay the bills whilst setting it up? Do it in spare time... right I spend 13 hours a day going to and from work and working so not impossible but you know... Then what can you do? CDBaby was an idea that no-one else had and that was why it grew so incredibly well. An original idea - now that is a real stretch isn't it. Derek argues - go for small and what makes you happy. For me - I'd love to be a professional singer/songwriter - but sales of music are contracting in double digit percentages as free downloads are the way to go now etc. And I'm not original... Ok guitar teacher or guitar tech - I'd love that everyday just about music. But... limit income you can't grow and really luxury market - when the going gets tough (as it is now and for the foreseeable future) paying for the kids lessons and paying somebody to set your guitar up is hardly going to be high on a list of priorities... All this really goes to show is my instantly pessimistic nature and my ability to negatively project any future scenario.
Great book - made me laugh in many places, good lessons if you are an entrepreneur in the making. A definite double thumbs up... really have to get the "Thumbometer scale" paper published ....
Ghost Rider - Tales from the Healing Road by Neil Peart.
Ok - Neil Peart is a genius and I am a huge fan of his. He is one of a few musicians who don't play the guitar who I'd say have genuinely influenced me musically - Jaco Pastorius, Stephen Grapelli,Chick Corea being other notables. He also writes fantastic lyrics and clearly is a master of prose. I've been a fan of Rush since the 70s and continue to love their music to this day.
I found this book a hard read - in the space of less than a year in 1997/98 he suffered the double tragedy of his teenage daughter's death in a car crash and his partner of over 20 years dying of cancer - although he maintains it was of a "broken heart". I defy anyone to read the first chapter of this book covering those events and not be moved by it to feel the immense grief the man suffered. The rest of the book covers his recovery over the next couple of years or so. Already he had been a keen motorcyclist often riding on his bike with his friend Brutus between shows on Rush tours. He set out on a series of long adventures through Canada, USA, Mexico and Belize. He covered 55,000 miles in total. The book is his reflections through that time as he tries to come to terms with his grief, rebuild his "baby soul", as he calls it, and determine a way forward. For a long time he turned his back totally on music not even able to face playing the drums, he told the other members of Rush to "consider me retired". They had the grace and patience to wait for him to recover. He refers to his old life as "that other guy" as he felt such a dramatic change in him as a person. He had intended for much of the trip to be taken with his friend Brutus but he unfortunately was unavailable due to a bit of a brush with the law! Much of the book is actually copies of letter from Neil to Brutus and others as he makes his journey.
I recommend this book with a reservation that whilst the final ending is a good place where Neil gets back to drumming, writing lyrics and working with the band again with a new love in his life and at peace it is at time deep, dark and melancholy. It does make me grateful though that I haven't suffered these tragedies though. So a single thumbs up and a slight warning to consider if you want to look under that particular hood of emotions.
I can't remember who recommended this one. Anyway if you want a great insight in how to start a business from nothing with the only attitude of helping out a few mates and grow it into a business with 85 employees, international recognition and then can sell it for £22million then this is the book for you. Derek has a very different approach to business, no doubt since he'd been a professional musician and songwriter most of his working life, trained and the Berkley School of Music (just being there is a definition of a hugely talented musician) and therefore had no idea about the "right" way to set up and run a business. He didn't bother with things like privacy statements and T&Cs for example... my legal advisors will be shaking in their boots at this point! He describes his method of hiring people as "ridiculous" - i.e. he asked current employees if they had any friends who might be able to do the job and were they cool and could they start tomorrow! However his company won awards in "best place to work" reviews. CDBaby was an amazing model in that it bucked the trend of the music industry when set up and frankly probably still is today. Today even I could get my music onto iTunes and have anyone in the world buy it from there. That is radical compared with 10/15 years ago and CDBaby was a catalyst in that change.
For me I've considered many times - "What business could I do?". Problem I have like no doubt virtually everyone else who things about it are manyfold. How do I pay the bills whilst setting it up? Do it in spare time... right I spend 13 hours a day going to and from work and working so not impossible but you know... Then what can you do? CDBaby was an idea that no-one else had and that was why it grew so incredibly well. An original idea - now that is a real stretch isn't it. Derek argues - go for small and what makes you happy. For me - I'd love to be a professional singer/songwriter - but sales of music are contracting in double digit percentages as free downloads are the way to go now etc. And I'm not original... Ok guitar teacher or guitar tech - I'd love that everyday just about music. But... limit income you can't grow and really luxury market - when the going gets tough (as it is now and for the foreseeable future) paying for the kids lessons and paying somebody to set your guitar up is hardly going to be high on a list of priorities... All this really goes to show is my instantly pessimistic nature and my ability to negatively project any future scenario.
Great book - made me laugh in many places, good lessons if you are an entrepreneur in the making. A definite double thumbs up... really have to get the "Thumbometer scale" paper published ....
Ghost Rider - Tales from the Healing Road by Neil Peart.
Ok - Neil Peart is a genius and I am a huge fan of his. He is one of a few musicians who don't play the guitar who I'd say have genuinely influenced me musically - Jaco Pastorius, Stephen Grapelli,Chick Corea being other notables. He also writes fantastic lyrics and clearly is a master of prose. I've been a fan of Rush since the 70s and continue to love their music to this day.
I found this book a hard read - in the space of less than a year in 1997/98 he suffered the double tragedy of his teenage daughter's death in a car crash and his partner of over 20 years dying of cancer - although he maintains it was of a "broken heart". I defy anyone to read the first chapter of this book covering those events and not be moved by it to feel the immense grief the man suffered. The rest of the book covers his recovery over the next couple of years or so. Already he had been a keen motorcyclist often riding on his bike with his friend Brutus between shows on Rush tours. He set out on a series of long adventures through Canada, USA, Mexico and Belize. He covered 55,000 miles in total. The book is his reflections through that time as he tries to come to terms with his grief, rebuild his "baby soul", as he calls it, and determine a way forward. For a long time he turned his back totally on music not even able to face playing the drums, he told the other members of Rush to "consider me retired". They had the grace and patience to wait for him to recover. He refers to his old life as "that other guy" as he felt such a dramatic change in him as a person. He had intended for much of the trip to be taken with his friend Brutus but he unfortunately was unavailable due to a bit of a brush with the law! Much of the book is actually copies of letter from Neil to Brutus and others as he makes his journey.
I recommend this book with a reservation that whilst the final ending is a good place where Neil gets back to drumming, writing lyrics and working with the band again with a new love in his life and at peace it is at time deep, dark and melancholy. It does make me grateful though that I haven't suffered these tragedies though. So a single thumbs up and a slight warning to consider if you want to look under that particular hood of emotions.
Is he talking about me?
Funny some weeks back I posted on here that I was sort of moving more towards SoundCloud as the window on the web to my musical endeavours. However almost no sooner had I said that than I had a new host of people who've become fans at my Reverbnation site. How the wheel of fate churns... so I've decided to have a SoundCloud and Reverbnation widgit on here now.
Also I've found some stunningly good music via this as well. If you want free music to listen to you can do a lot worse than heading over there and plugging into some of the artists. Clearly play my stuff first then look at the artists I recommend and just look about. I've found really good metal artists, great folk singer songwriters and others.
Finally one such discovery on there led to one guy (Markke) putting this comment about my material on my site.
From the rhythmic catchiness of "All At Once", to the gentle acoustic sensitivity of "Partial", to the haunting contemplativeness of "Round & Round" & "The Man Inside", intertwined with the playfulness of "Within" & "Waterfall", Graham Hunt plumbs the depths of his soul with his memorable melodies, sincere simplicity & revealing introspections. His music is steeped deeply from the rich folk traditions of England & Scotland, & his guitar work is highly skilled, intricate & delicate
One word... Humbled!
Also I've found some stunningly good music via this as well. If you want free music to listen to you can do a lot worse than heading over there and plugging into some of the artists. Clearly play my stuff first then look at the artists I recommend and just look about. I've found really good metal artists, great folk singer songwriters and others.
Finally one such discovery on there led to one guy (Markke) putting this comment about my material on my site.
From the rhythmic catchiness of "All At Once", to the gentle acoustic sensitivity of "Partial", to the haunting contemplativeness of "Round & Round" & "The Man Inside", intertwined with the playfulness of "Within" & "Waterfall", Graham Hunt plumbs the depths of his soul with his memorable melodies, sincere simplicity & revealing introspections. His music is steeped deeply from the rich folk traditions of England & Scotland, & his guitar work is highly skilled, intricate & delicate
One word... Humbled!
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Panorama programme on "Britain's Hidden Alcoholics"
Panorama last night on the BBC had a very interesting programme about Britain's Hidden Alcoholics. It was presented by Alistair Campbell (I can't say one of my favourite people, he embodies the unelected "spin doctors" that often seem to be more influential in policy setting than the politicians we actually elect these days). Anyway that is irrelevant to the programme's topic which I thought he presented excellently.
He speaks from personal experience when dealing with problem drinking and alcoholism. He rightly states that the focus of media attention seems to be on the very public binge drinking culture prevalent in the younger generation in Britain today. Those endless newsreels of the falling down drunks littering the streets of many inner cities and towns across Britain every weekend. However he believes there is actually a bigger problem with hidden middle, professional class drinking. Given I was not too dissimilar to Mr Campbell in that I was a functioning drunk for years with a good job that I outwardly was doing well in, two cars on the drive of a nice suburban semi-detached house, two kids, long term marriage etc. Your typical alcoholic. No? Well yes actually, whilst there is no sweeping generalisation of an typical alcoholic a lot of people I know who are now in recovery fitted closer to the stereotype I've just described when drinking than the unwashed, homeless, park bench occupying drunk many have as a mental caricature of an alcoholic.
It was this group of people that the programme focused on. Those that "have a couple of large glasses of wine to unwind in the evening". Even that level is beyond what is considered safe by the medical experts, especially if consumed every day. A consultant from Southampton also pointed out with 24 hour licensing and the overall reduction on alcohol costs when compared to per capita incomes of the last couple of decades we have adopted a European culture of wine with meals both at home and when out but also continue to have our "let's get wasted at the weekend" British culture as well. He described it as "the worst of both worlds".
As interviewees related their stories I just sat and nodded as I would if hearing a "drunkalog" at an AA meeting. In part almost everyone who talked on the programme told a part of my story too. Another (if ever needed) affirmation that I am an alcoholic.
Some stats given in the programme...
Just pause and relate last one to something you can think of.. That is considerably more than the average attendance at a Gillingham FC home game. It is approx 17 times the entire population of my daughters school.
One very eminent medical type described it as a "crises", an "epidemic".
Now as you'd expect I have a particular view on my alcoholism. I tried desperately, and with complete failure, to regulate my drinking for a long time, the last year of my drinking was a constant battle to "drink like a normal person". For whatever reason I cannot do that. All that was happening in that last year was I was moving from a daily drinker who "topped up" to an irregular "binge drinker", where the quantity consumed and effects it may have were getting less and less predictable.
In the end finding a solution (the AA programme) which was total abstinence has been for me a practical workable solution. In the Panorama programme others at a rehab, no doubt not dissimilar to the one I went to, were now also convinced total abstinence was the best option for them. Mr Campbell had been "dry" (sic) for 13 years but had started to "have the occasional drink" now and then. He said he liked the control of saying "no" but admitted openly that it was a struggle to refuse that next drink. He also said his psychiatrist that has treated his depression thought his return to even some drinking was "a bad idea". Finally he says that during the making of the documentary he had "stopped again".
I can't speak for Mr Campbell obviously but my thought on his return to "normal drinking" was - "Why would you take the risk?" For me I never had a normal, good or balanced relationship with alcohol, I was never really ever a social, normal drinker - on certain days in certain situations yes I put on the front but behind that there was a craving and a yearning I had to feed at some point later... or before. Getting 5 or 6 pints in before the works social do was common for me so I could appear "normal". I consider me taking a drink again like playing a game of Russian Roulette - maybe the chamber will be empty; the drink will do nothing I'll walk away and order a cup of tea the next day - however what if the chamber isn't empty and it sparks of that craving for me to ignore all sense and start allowing drinking to dictate my ever waking (and sleeping no doubt) moment. Planing when to drink, hiding that, not being where I ought to be, letting people down, lying, risking my life and others through reckless acts such as drink driving... etc. etc.
A very thought provoking programme which was closer to home for me than many in more ways than one... one of the interviews was filmed on a bench in a square no more than a long cricket ball throw from my current work office!
If you have found this post because you believe you have a problem with alcohol I urge you to get help. AA in the UK has a 24 hour help line manned by volunteers who are recovering alcoholics call 0845 769 7555. You can look at the AA website information for newcomers. Alternatively talk to your GP or look for Alcohol Services provided by the NHS in your area.
Also at the top of the blog there is a link to a page about My Drinking Story which if you are interested in how I got here might provide a little enlightenment.
Finally all comments are approved by me before appearing on this site publicly. If you wish to say something to me anonymously and not wish it publicly please do so - just indicate that you want me to delete the comment.
He speaks from personal experience when dealing with problem drinking and alcoholism. He rightly states that the focus of media attention seems to be on the very public binge drinking culture prevalent in the younger generation in Britain today. Those endless newsreels of the falling down drunks littering the streets of many inner cities and towns across Britain every weekend. However he believes there is actually a bigger problem with hidden middle, professional class drinking. Given I was not too dissimilar to Mr Campbell in that I was a functioning drunk for years with a good job that I outwardly was doing well in, two cars on the drive of a nice suburban semi-detached house, two kids, long term marriage etc. Your typical alcoholic. No? Well yes actually, whilst there is no sweeping generalisation of an typical alcoholic a lot of people I know who are now in recovery fitted closer to the stereotype I've just described when drinking than the unwashed, homeless, park bench occupying drunk many have as a mental caricature of an alcoholic.
It was this group of people that the programme focused on. Those that "have a couple of large glasses of wine to unwind in the evening". Even that level is beyond what is considered safe by the medical experts, especially if consumed every day. A consultant from Southampton also pointed out with 24 hour licensing and the overall reduction on alcohol costs when compared to per capita incomes of the last couple of decades we have adopted a European culture of wine with meals both at home and when out but also continue to have our "let's get wasted at the weekend" British culture as well. He described it as "the worst of both worlds".
As interviewees related their stories I just sat and nodded as I would if hearing a "drunkalog" at an AA meeting. In part almost everyone who talked on the programme told a part of my story too. Another (if ever needed) affirmation that I am an alcoholic.
Some stats given in the programme...
- 41% of professional men drink more than the recommended daily limits
- All major causes of death in the UK are in decline (this includes heart disease and cancer etc.) by rates of between 20% and 60% except liver disease which is rising at a rate of 100%.
- Liver disease now claims 100 lives a week in the UK
- 9,000 people die a year from alcohol related illnesses
Just pause and relate last one to something you can think of.. That is considerably more than the average attendance at a Gillingham FC home game. It is approx 17 times the entire population of my daughters school.
One very eminent medical type described it as a "crises", an "epidemic".
Now as you'd expect I have a particular view on my alcoholism. I tried desperately, and with complete failure, to regulate my drinking for a long time, the last year of my drinking was a constant battle to "drink like a normal person". For whatever reason I cannot do that. All that was happening in that last year was I was moving from a daily drinker who "topped up" to an irregular "binge drinker", where the quantity consumed and effects it may have were getting less and less predictable.
In the end finding a solution (the AA programme) which was total abstinence has been for me a practical workable solution. In the Panorama programme others at a rehab, no doubt not dissimilar to the one I went to, were now also convinced total abstinence was the best option for them. Mr Campbell had been "dry" (sic) for 13 years but had started to "have the occasional drink" now and then. He said he liked the control of saying "no" but admitted openly that it was a struggle to refuse that next drink. He also said his psychiatrist that has treated his depression thought his return to even some drinking was "a bad idea". Finally he says that during the making of the documentary he had "stopped again".
I can't speak for Mr Campbell obviously but my thought on his return to "normal drinking" was - "Why would you take the risk?" For me I never had a normal, good or balanced relationship with alcohol, I was never really ever a social, normal drinker - on certain days in certain situations yes I put on the front but behind that there was a craving and a yearning I had to feed at some point later... or before. Getting 5 or 6 pints in before the works social do was common for me so I could appear "normal". I consider me taking a drink again like playing a game of Russian Roulette - maybe the chamber will be empty; the drink will do nothing I'll walk away and order a cup of tea the next day - however what if the chamber isn't empty and it sparks of that craving for me to ignore all sense and start allowing drinking to dictate my ever waking (and sleeping no doubt) moment. Planing when to drink, hiding that, not being where I ought to be, letting people down, lying, risking my life and others through reckless acts such as drink driving... etc. etc.
A very thought provoking programme which was closer to home for me than many in more ways than one... one of the interviews was filmed on a bench in a square no more than a long cricket ball throw from my current work office!
If you have found this post because you believe you have a problem with alcohol I urge you to get help. AA in the UK has a 24 hour help line manned by volunteers who are recovering alcoholics call 0845 769 7555. You can look at the AA website information for newcomers. Alternatively talk to your GP or look for Alcohol Services provided by the NHS in your area.
Also at the top of the blog there is a link to a page about My Drinking Story which if you are interested in how I got here might provide a little enlightenment.
Finally all comments are approved by me before appearing on this site publicly. If you wish to say something to me anonymously and not wish it publicly please do so - just indicate that you want me to delete the comment.
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Muppet Movie!
Yes we went to see the Muppet movie :-)
Now for me the Muppets were an integral part of my adolescence - the shows they used to have on the TV were just great entertainment, Fozzy with his awful gags, the hecklers, the chickens, Gonzo and his mad stunts, the Swedish Chef and of course, Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the resident band - who were a great influence! What a great name as well!
Ok so the movie is centred on a great muppet fan who finally gets to go to LA and go on the Muppet Studio tour. However this blurs truth as the show was originally recorded in Hertfordshire England! When he gets there it is a ramshackle place virtually forgotten and about to be pulled down. He sets out to find the Muppets and put on a new show to save it.
The Muppets never age and the gags are there in spades for the adults. My daughter said I wasn't to laugh out loud! But she was laughing all the way through!
Two brilliant bits that show this shows timeless qualities. Kermit and Miss Piggy have broken up their relationship but are forced together due to the show to save the studios. There is the poignant moment when Kermit is apologizing... a young girl behind me in the cinema was leaning forward in her seat saying "Tell her... Tell her... Tell her you love her"... brilliant! And Walter the fan has a piece in the show which when he finishes leads to a standing ovation - the little girl next to us sat on her Mum's lap by now, it is long for under 5s, burst into the applause as well. Beaming smiles and all. That is why the Muppets should never die!
A picture of Jim Henson with Kermit is on the wall of the old celebrities on the wall in Kermit's old office at one point - a lovely touch by the makers.
So recommended by me - might be best if you at least have an under 10 we did stand out a bit with our average age of 37! (Just a good job my daughter was with us!) Still my son took his girlfriend to see it as their Valentine's night out!
Now for me the Muppets were an integral part of my adolescence - the shows they used to have on the TV were just great entertainment, Fozzy with his awful gags, the hecklers, the chickens, Gonzo and his mad stunts, the Swedish Chef and of course, Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the resident band - who were a great influence! What a great name as well!
Ok so the movie is centred on a great muppet fan who finally gets to go to LA and go on the Muppet Studio tour. However this blurs truth as the show was originally recorded in Hertfordshire England! When he gets there it is a ramshackle place virtually forgotten and about to be pulled down. He sets out to find the Muppets and put on a new show to save it.
The Muppets never age and the gags are there in spades for the adults. My daughter said I wasn't to laugh out loud! But she was laughing all the way through!
Two brilliant bits that show this shows timeless qualities. Kermit and Miss Piggy have broken up their relationship but are forced together due to the show to save the studios. There is the poignant moment when Kermit is apologizing... a young girl behind me in the cinema was leaning forward in her seat saying "Tell her... Tell her... Tell her you love her"... brilliant! And Walter the fan has a piece in the show which when he finishes leads to a standing ovation - the little girl next to us sat on her Mum's lap by now, it is long for under 5s, burst into the applause as well. Beaming smiles and all. That is why the Muppets should never die!
A picture of Jim Henson with Kermit is on the wall of the old celebrities on the wall in Kermit's old office at one point - a lovely touch by the makers.
So recommended by me - might be best if you at least have an under 10 we did stand out a bit with our average age of 37! (Just a good job my daughter was with us!) Still my son took his girlfriend to see it as their Valentine's night out!
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