Frozen in ice

Stuck - stuck - stuck. Frozen in activity. Thanks to the fact that I am exhausted, and the weather is terrible, and I should be doing a million things. It's the pause before a flurry of action...

The Tipping Point

I promised a review of 'The Tipping Point' by Malcolm Gladwell. It's a magnificent book - one of those books that you find yourself quoting bits from to people through the course of the day. It describes the phenomenon whereby things can grow from nothing to a craze in an unbelievably short space of time. He attributes this to a number of factors, issues which are important to understand if you are interested in building communities of interest, marketing an idea or just want to understand why something goes from being unfashionable to being the 'must have' without any apparent involvement from 'marketeers' or sellers.

Gladwell covers a set of key principles and issues, looking at the roles of different types of people in building networks, communicating messages etc. He also looks at the importance of numbers - the maximum numbers for a circle of intimate friends, and for our circle of influence. He talks about the number 150 as key to manageable groups, organisations and societal sections. This is really interesting. What about the current trend towards ever bigger schools and hospitals? Is it any wonder that these organisations become dysfunctional when they are not organised around core units of 150 with strong identities for each.

The case study which looked at policing in New York, and the way they turned that city round from a lawless chaos to one where things were rapidly coming under control again, is fascinating reading. I hadn't seen it that way - a different and convincing view is always worth looking at.

The book is light on references, and attributes for the theory underpinning the work. But I think it is a better book for that - it is so readable.

I will never look at Hush Puppies the same way again.

Go get it! And enjoy it, I'm sure you will.

Buddhist chants

I am relaxing, listening to an album of chants called 'Om Sai Ram' which creates a gentle state of tranquility. This is interrupted only by the occasional click of computer keypad, and the sighing of the cat. Sometimes peace is the right state of mind.

I have nearly finished reading 'The Tipping Point' by Malcolm Gladwell which is an absorbing book full of fascinating facts and theories. I'll post a review of it in a couple of days.

Sonic Youth

This is my first attempt to produce something on the blackberry.  It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's a great way to comment on the move. Just a case of getting used to the keyboard!

Well, what have I been listening to recently? I heard my first album by Sonic Youth - I think it's their first one. It's good sometimes to discover these people even if it is 20 years after everyone else. It was music of its time, but moving somewhere new. Interesting and worthy of a few more plays

Robert, Brian and Alice

Listening to ‘Music for Airports’ by Brian Eno. I must have listened to this album hundreds of times over the last 25 years. It still weaves a magic, creates a mysterious atmosphere that makes working easier.

I’m reading a book by Michael King at the moment – “Wrong Movements: a Robert Wyatt history” which is interesting, not least because I am really interested in the work of Robert Wyatt. It’s an interesting approach to biography, written mainly through the words of those interviewed, and fragments of data relating to concerts, recording dates etc. The author’s words are few – at first I found this a bit odd. But it does construct a story really well, without the usual purple prose of music biographies.

The reason I mention this is because Robert Wyatt co-wrote the first track on ‘Music of Airports’ and plays the piano phrases on which the track is built. Life is a series of connections and synchronicities.

The poetry for ‘the alice conversations’ is progressing steadily. Here is an extract from one of the poems written:

Alice in replay / relay

Disturbance
Resonance and replicate
Words tumbling along like a chaotic maze of messes

The light was barely visible, just out beyond the turn of the road
Where he could clearly see she was standing

Disturb
Resonate and replicas
Sounds fumbling inside like it's all gone wrong now

She turned to look at him, the mark on her cheek
From the cut that had scarred, clearly visible in the light from the lamp-post

Distress
Resounds and reposition
Colours crumbling around the merest guesses

Car tyres screech as the mondeo flashes around the corner
Heads towards him now, glancing the kerb near where she stands

Distort
Restate and replace
Touch the crumbs that feed the mouth

Violence is a space we find between the sense of us and them
Seconds that make every difference, when all will change

Despair
Remonstrate and replay
Wherever it will lead him

Rain falls on the daylight street, nothing left now
Of the moment when fates crossed and openings slid together.

Surfing far and wide

Spending far too much time surfing on the net (who doesn’t given the chance!)

Out there is just about anything you want to find out about. A few years ago, if I wanted to know what had happened to a particular band or musician it was near impossible to find out. If there was no recent material in the local record store, there was no other easy way to find out.

Thanks to the web, I can find out about anyone. So, I set out on a search to find out what had happened to The Residents. This was a band that a mate of mine was in to when I was a teenager – we used to listen to their albums when they came out, and were usually impressed at just how weird, imaginative, and downright strange their music was. The album I remember most vividly was ‘Eskimo’ which was presumably put together in a studio, but sounded like an on-location recording in deep dark cold eskimo country. It was odd – no songs as such, but a fascinating listen. Then there was the take-off of The Beatles with ‘Meet The Residents’. Well, a quick search with Google, and I found www.theresidents.co.uk which tells me that there is a whole heap of material out there – the band carry on working, producing mysterious material underneath the cloak of anonymity. Their work continues to display everything dadaist, avant garde and post-modern. And it has all become available again thanks to the advent of CD technology. Time for some real exploring I think!

Meanwhile, my musical indulgences continue with recent purchases of albums by Tom Waits (www.anti.com) ‘Blood Money’, Steve Hillage ‘L’, Morrissey ‘You are the Quarry (excellent new album!), and Wire’s ‘Chairs Missing’ (with the superb single ‘Outdoor Miner’ from 1979). Great music all round. I’m also listening to Miles Davis / Gil Evans ‘Complete Columbia Recordings’ borrowed from the local library. Stunning music – older than me!

Thanks to the internet I have discovered that Steve Hillage has been working for the last decade as a duo called System Seven with Miquette Giraudy (www.a-wave.com) and has produced 7 albums. Worth an exploration, I think.

Language – I’m working more on ‘the alice conversations’ poetry sequence which has now reached 11 poems. I want to get on with this and complete it soon. It’s shaping into an interesting poetry sequence. Final push…

Blogging on the move

Making a blog entry whilst travelling has always appealled  - now I can!

This entry is being written on a palm for transmission by email the next time I log on.

I know it's boring reading but then most new experiments probably are.

Roll on a blackberry with a proper keyboard!

Stuart Eglin

New interface

Blogspot has gone through a major facelift. And I didn't notice, because I haven't been visiting for a little while. Well, I'm back - and promise more entries before the end of the week.

There's a lot to write about - music, poetry, reviews and a heap of other things.

In the meantime, this is the first entry sent to blogger by email - hope it works!

The Reviewer

At the end of last week I sent copies of ‘Zen Words’ and ‘Umbrian Images’ through to Gerald England in Stockport. He runs a website which has heaps of information about poetry and a reviews section. I wanted him to review my first two poetry booklets – he replied today with a positive. They will be reviewed soon – I wonder what the reviewer will make of them! In the meantime, I asked him if he needed any more reviewers. His response – incredibly rapid – was in the form of three booklets for me to look at. So, it looks like I am a reviewer now. Time for some serious reading, and a few words of comment.

Meanwhile, thoughts continue to develop on the next two publications from bluewater books (site needs updating, but it is here). I’m working on the idea of producing a booklet with a mini-CD included. I’m really impressed with those little CDs that are about 3 inches across, play on ordinary CD players and hold about 20 minutes of sound files. Small enough to fit inside the back of a booklet. More news on this as the idea develops.

Musically I am still bouncing around inside the back catalogue of Joni Mitchell – scope for months of exploring there. At the weekend I bought the new album by The Divine Comedy which is back down to just Neil Hannon again. He moved to Ireland and his wife had their first baby since the last album. The album is a set of beautiful pop songs. Sounds like he has been listening to Scott Walker and maybe Frank Sinatra a lot lately. Orchestrations and production are wonderful. Favourite songs so far are ‘Absent Friends’ (title track), ‘Come Home Billy Bird’ and ‘Our Mutual Friend’. I also really like the sentiment in the last track where he sings about his ‘charmed life’ to his baby, hoping that his baby will one day ‘call your life a charmed life’ too. I know it sounds a bit coy, but within the confines of the song it works really well.

Mitchell and Nelson – alphabetical partners

Latest obsession is the music of Joni Mitchell. I’m revisiting some albums I haven’t heard for probably 20 years. And I am listening to some for the first time. As it says in the biography which I am reading (Joni Mitchell: Shadows and Light, by Karen O’Brien) she is “renaissance woman, painter and poet, one of the great formative influences on contemporary popular music”. The website dedicated to her is pretty good too.

Another website I have revisited recently for the first time in a while is Bill Nelson’s website, Permanent Flame. There’s a really good diary at this site which is worth a look. Bill Nelson has given up on the recording industry and gone out on his own to produce music himself using Lenin Records for distribution. I remember being really enthusiastic about the music of Be Bop Deluxe when Nelson was their guitarist. I’m curious to hear some of his more recent stuff. The last I heard by him was a few tracks on a compilation from Robert Fripp’s label. These were highly creative, imaginative and eclectic pieces with great tunes too!

Up a notch

Funny how starting a log again gets the musical interests moving again. It has been a great day for listening to music. I have been at home all day working hard, and accompanied by a soundtrack of:

- King Crimson: Lizard
- King Crimson: Lark’s Tongues in Aspic
- King Crimson: Starless and Bible Black
- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook: Night Song

I really like working through a particular artist’s music listening for development. The CDs I listened to by King Crimson are only a small part of the collection by them and their solo counterparts – but very enjoyable all the same!

Last night I was listening to Jan Garbarek’s album ‘Dis’ (ECM Records) which has the sounds of giant wind chimes on it – these were built and installed on a cliff top, then recorded. The sound is fantastic, and idea of an instrument that is played by the elements is wonderful. The rest of the music, played by Jan Garbarek and Ralph Towner is excellent too. Time for a bit of Garbarek indulgence too I think.

I had an interesting idea for taking forward ‘the alice conversations’ poetry sequence yesterday. I am going to search on google with the words of the title and then use the pages that I come up with as word sources for the poetry that I create. Interesting idea…

BACK SOON!

After a couple of months of frozen creativity, I am back. I have been struggling with writing three journals - this online one, a learning journal I keep for work, and a personal journal which fits in my pocket. I'm trying to think through ways of integrating these - so that the learning and imaginative thoughts can go hand in hand with the material I generate for this journal. Just needs a little more thought. In the meantime, I'm back to writing in here at least a couple of times a week.

What music have I been listening to whilst I've been away? Even that was a bit out on the edge - I've been listening to lots of obscure ambient and noise music, with a share of found sounds too. Then I have also been listening to plenty of Radiohead and the last few albums by jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd.

My interest in Buddhism continues...and I am thinking of doing First Degree Reiki.

Oh, and my PhD thesis was submitted a couple of weeks ago - time to wait for the viva now...

Books - finished reading John O'Farrell's "The Best a Man can get" which was both hysterically funny, and painfully uncomfortable. A great read.

Well, it just took a few minutes and I'm back on line. I wish the redesign of the website was as straightforward. Can someone explain to me where I will find a free idiot's guide to Frontpage so that I don't keep pressing the wrong buttons and ending up with completely dysfunctional web pages? Please email me if you can help.

Focus

It is incredible just how much of our lives is spent in a vague state of day-dream. Wouldn’t it be good to be really focused, even just for a few hours each day?

Do I know what my overarching goals are for this year? Some of them, yes! But without a direction, we just wander around aimlessly.

My musical interests are broad, and widening – that is a good thing. But I do need a road map to follow sometimes.

My interests in reading and writing are also very broad – yes, that’s a good thing too. But the map needs to be set out so that I don’t disappear under a mound of books and CDs.

So, what am I reading and listening to at the moment:

Books:

1. Paul du Noyer – Liverpool: Wondrous Place

This is a marvellous book which looks at the music scene in Liverpool since the 50s. It covers all the major bands and artists that came out of Liverpool. It’s brilliant to read about the scene when I was there, and a part of it. Some of the writing also encouraged me to dip back into music that I had forgotten about. If you haven’t read this book yet, you should – it is a great read.

2. Peter Senge – The Dance of Change

This is a book about organisational change – I’ve read about 100 pages of it so far and it is packed full of interesting ideas.

Music:

1. Misha Alperin - At Home

Beautiful solo piano album by a jazz pianist. Sounds more like Debussy than jazz.

2. Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding

Yes, I know I must be virtually the last person to ‘get’ Bob Dylan. But I am now digging back into his really early stuff which is fantastic. This one has ‘All Along the Watchtower’ on it.

3. Antiopic – Allegorical Power Series Vol. 6

A series of albums for free download (www.antiopic.com) which comprise a lot of strange and wonderful noises from the world of music concrete / avant garde and just plain bizarre.

4. Julian Cope – Autogeddon

Yes, I do realise that he’s completely bonkers. But he does write great melodies, and I love all this barking mad stuff. It’s great to hear someone pursuing things to the extreme.

5. Eberhard Weber – Pendulum

An album of solo double bass sounds a bit worrying, but Eberhard Weber is in a league of his own. This album comprises a set of loops and echoes that build up into some beautiful songs.

From the Monkees to Robert Wyatt thanks to Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond wrote ‘I’m a Believer’ – which was a huge hit for The Monkees in the 60s. This song then became a hit all over again for Robert Wyatt in what must be one of the weirdest examples of Top of the Pops missing the point. I saw a clip of Robert Wyatt, in wheelchair, on ToTP – he looks ill at ease with the whole ‘pop star’ thing. But what a marvellous cover version. He did it again some years later with a cover of the Elvis Costello song ‘Shipbuilding’.

So why am I focusing on The Monkees and Robert Wyatt. Well, over the last few weeks I bought the CD collection ‘The Definitive Monkees’ which is a wonderful reminder of how good they were. The sleeve notes also tell the story of them – how they were thrown together for a TV programme that was aimed at capitalising on the Beatles phenomenon that had come over to the US from the UK. What I didn’t realise was just how quickly the four members of the group re-wrote the rules and took over the music making and song writing.

Of course the link to Robert Wyatt is set out above. But the other reason why I mention him is because I recently bought ‘Cuckooland’ and ‘Solar flares burn for you’ – both of which are excellent albums. They demonstrate the singular talent and vision of Robert Wyatt. Over the years he has quietly projected a marvellously self-effacing personality. It’s easy to get carried away with the modesty he displays and not realise just how ground-breaking his work really is.

Disappeared without trace then returns again

Regular readers of weblogs will find, like I do, that even the most dedicated bloggers have to take time out every now and then. I’m sure I’m not the only one who reads the best blogs regularly and then finds that one has stopped writing. Return visits happen every few days, accompanied with the anxiety that they might have stopped writing – moved on to something else. Then there is the relief of finding an entry again.

Well, apologies for disappearing around Christmas and New Year – but I’m back again. I took a much-needed break, and then spend 10 days travelling a lot for work which exhausted me and kept me away from the screen and keyboard.

Now for some serious blogging….