Jamie sent me an email from Chiang Mai last night, he’s turned pure buddhist - well not exactly - but he’s visiting the temples at any rate. It sounds amazing, beautiful and so WARM! compared to London.

 

Flip his experience with what I was doing last week (organising a leaving dinner for a retiring executive) and I start to wonder about people and their journeys in life...

 

The aforementioned executive’s speech contained references to ‘giving something back to the community’ and ‘spending time with my children’. Fair enough on one level, the man has been working hard for twenty five years and he hasn’t seen much of the kids, but does life have to be so polar? Do we have to work our fucking balls off and then hope we’ve got fifteen good years left to enjoy what money we can keep out of the taxman’s hands?

 

I don’t suppose I’m frivolous with money, but at the same time I don’t have much saved away - I don’t know if it’s better to build up an egg of nests or keep on top of things so well that you don’t need one. What I do know is if I ever say that I ‘want to give something back to the community’ take me outside the community centre and shoot me along with Tyra Banks.

 

When I was fourteen I turned pure Irish and Gaelic and mystical as fuck and started learning the mandolin and the bodhran (Irish drum). The lessons were at the community centre in Pilot’s Row and it was always freezing; we learned how to play the bodhran in a chair store (there must be a lesson in that for all drummers - people hate your noise).

 

My point is that the mystical thing didn’t last, the executives passion for his children and the community won’t last either - it’s a sad but true reality that the passions you cultivate over a lifetime will never leave you.

 

So for me, I’m stuck with this music thing FOREVER... and that’s never going to change - I just need to work out a way to make the executive salary whilst ripping off Steve Malkmus’ discography.

 

 

I’m not all set yet for the studio - I have lots more practicing to do, but there’s nothing like a good deadline.

 

This afternoon after work, I’m going to put 500 stickers on Oppenheimer records in a store room (what is it with me and the store rooms?) in Parsons Green - for the moment, I shall have to find my inner calm through this >>