Monday 22 July 2013

New blog title. It was once a title of an album I made that Beate found a copy of in former Yugoslavia as it was then. Time has passed since. I use my title again.

Partly because for the life of me I cannot access the old Passport From Pimlico board. So perhaps its the way of the Gods telling me to get a new title and blog anew like a crazy thing. Amanda Palmer was just on Newsnight, and she's done a Ted talk, so she's cracking away there. I'm quite fond of her for the Daily Mail thing and for doing that performance art-y kind of thing that I admire. I have enough trouble just doing the singing and the writing and the getting to the shows without adding a bunch of extra dimensions. While I type Uri Geller is on talking about being recruited for Mossad. Thats another thing I haven't done. Been recruited by the secret services. So thats two things. Performance Art and secret services. I will come to more, give me time.

Matt Lynch's film of my version of Sweet Thames Flow Softly - the lovely Ewan MaColl song of the wonder of love and The Mighty river Thames, is finished. I wonder if I can embed it? Given the whole lack of secret service and performance art thing, don't hold your breath is my advice. I suspect both Amanda Palmer and Uri Geller could do that standing on their heads, probably while texting, playing an electronica instrument of their own design and levitating.

Here goes.

https://vimeo.com/70276463

and as I put that up a massive crack of thunder blasted over Westminster.

We filmed it - the film that is - in winter and late spring with our friends Justyna and Andreas, and recorded it at Simon Wallace's with the might Neville Malcolm on bass and Frank Schaefer on cello. Simon produced and played piano.

I'm working now on the new album at Simon's with Simon, who's right on the page with me on it all. I have a track list and arrangements are coming thick and fast. They have to because its the O'Neill festival sooner than soon and Edinburgh and Lyme Regis. If anyone's wondering who in their right mind puts Lyme Regis into the diary for a gig the night after they're in Edinburgh, stick around.

Here are a few bits and bobs of summer loveliness - lunch with Maria and Abi in Kennington with sunshine and theatre talk, evening in north London with Christoph and Ros, Pimms and some new people, Bjarne and Simon's champagne festival in Clapham, a bat and some flowers. Don't say I don't know how to live.

And the rains have come......

so aha that is the bat lady on Saturday Live on BBC Radio 4/s tiny little bat with big ears in her palm. How cute is that? It liked me. You can tell cos its ears relaxed. I am happy to know I please bats. I may not be revealing my breasts in art performance but get a load of me and bats. Oh there was some lightning just them....

A glorious party at Simon and Bjarne's where I found my old mates Helen Lederer and Hattie Hayridge.
 Flowers. Summer. Can't get enough of either. I thank you. And this is the full moon rising over Notting Hill Gate after a superb Sugo evening with Ernest and Erika, pizza without cheese and prosecco, which makes the summer heart lighter.