the rebirth of Hunchbakk

in a way I suppose at least.

I offer my apologies for the barren month that has passed, but it was not without good reason.

life decided to intervene and in the time since me and my blog last conversed, I have witnessed marriages, a funeral, birthday celebrations and a holiday.


i am also adapting to a new way of life, a thoroughly 21st century way of life as this brief outing is brought to you courtesy of my new gizmo, one of those fancy little touch screen doo-dahs that a company named after a fruit seem extremely proud of, and not the smaller doo-dah, the bigger one, with more room for my girlfriend to squiggle on when she is playing 'draw something' on facebook.

But my gizmo was not bought for facebook (although i do tend to tweet from it somewhat) and it was not bought for angry birds and doodle jumps and cutting ropes and running temples and all that other rubbish.

my gizmo is a powerful (and wonderful) little machine that is capable of so much more than these frivolous endevours, and so I intend to put it to use getting creative musically, and have just spent a week away toying with Garage Band and a couple of other little musical gadgets, and how very apt that on Easter Sunday I chose to download Propellerhead's Rebirth and have since been playing around with an 808.

now I do hope these little musical experiments shall be worthy of listening to in the near future.....

interesting times indeed

something's missing

it was with certain pride that i took up my mantle as 'music columnist ' in The Enfield Advertiser

ok, so it was hardly the Observer or NME

but it was stilla column that i had been reading for years, a column that i had applied to write for a number of years previously, and through the local music scene that (for a little while at least) thrived i had got to know the guy that pipped me to the post when they were last looking for new blood


but now it was my time to shine

heck, it wasn't always easy going

there were a fair number of articles that were published long after i had submitted them, and also a considerable few  that were never published at all

i toiled on tho

and i think i done Enfield a great service, introducing Flamboyant Bella and Die Antwoord to a wider audience, musing on the influence and insight of Mike Skinner, popping along to gigs by Deadmau5 and Frank Turner and plenty more besides

most importantly, i gave a lion's share of my columns over to covering and discovering the exploits of Enfield based bands and grass-roots events that gave them a chance to shine


and even despite a blip when the future was uncertain, my columns returned and it looked as if the centre section of the paper known as 'The Weekender' that dedicated itself to culture and entertainment, may have been given a reprieve from the extinction it had been threatened with

those that follow my blog already may already be familiar with what happened next tho, as strike action was taken in the face of a once-great paper being run by an over-stretched skeleton staff as journalists were leaving and not being replaced.

these were the death knolls of the quality paper that people had come to expect

and things were only going to go from bad to worse when The Weekender editor and stern campaigner for improvement at the paper, Jonathon Lovett, left the Advertiser in September.

he contacted each of the journalists that contributed to his section, informing us that despite his departure, no decisions had yet been made on the future of The Weekender, we were breifed to 'keep calm and carry on' as it were and given a new contact for submissions


it is just such a shame that my submissions since seem to have been ruthlessly ignored.


it is yet another devastating blow to Enfield's music scene that suffers continuous setbacks, it is a shame that The Enfield Advertiser now offers less content than ever before, and it is a shame that i have had a platform that i used to shine a light on others, taken away from me.



music articles and opinions will still continue to appear on my music blog, Desperately Seeking Susan Boyle

the best jobs in the world...

like most of my days off, i did not have the telly on this morning

i simply got up and got on with things

i fixed myself a bit of toast, fetched my bike out of the shed and grabbed my i-pod off the dock in the kitchen.

i scrolled through, and stuck on Dizzee Rascal's Boy In Da Corner to listen to whilst i cycled to my Dad's.

when i got there, he stuck on the kettle, and i told my brother about a website he might be interested in.

we fired up my Dad's apple mac and i proceeded to retrieve the link from twitter.

it was only then that i saw the trending news

RIPSteveJobs

i was shocked

in a strange way

i knew he had health complications

but Steve Jobs just seemed to be a constant in this world


i don't know if i can truly say that i am deeply saddened by the news, not personally, but in some way, i do know that this existence has just lost someone that changed so much about our modern lives

with no thought about it at all i had already used two of Steve Jobs apple products that very morning, almost by instinct, they are so ingrained in our lifestyle

all those people walking around with their i-phones, all the music i keep on i-tunes, and my plans to pick up an i-pad in the not too distant future

all these measurable technological stepping stones that have transcended the realm of 'gadget' to become thoroughly mainstream and unquestionably accepted

and we have lost the man that made this happen

and if that weren't a startling enough thought, here is another

without Steve Jobs, we would never have had Toy Story.

'you know that i'm no good'

On Saturday 23rd July 2011, the newest member was inducted into the hallowed halls of the legendary 27 club.

As is the norm these days, most people found out via facebook, twitter or text, that Amy Winehouse had been found dead in her Camden flat.

In the hours and days since, many have commented that Amy Winehouse's death was 'sad news', certainly it was, we have lost a real talent at an unbelievably young age, yet no-one seems to have been shocked by it.

Her problems with drink and drugs were played out across tabloids, paparazzi were there to capture every intoxicated stumble, and increasingly worrying liveshows saw crowds bearing witness to mumbled lyrics, erratic behaviour and a performer in need of serious help.

And sadly it will be these memories and the everlasting lineage of youtube videos that will continue to define her for years to come, creating yet another rock'n'roll legend whose mythology will be as closely intertwined with drugs and tragedy as it is with their musical back catalogue.

It is a shame that with only two albums to here name, Amy Winehouse doesn't leave more music behind, yet it is easy to forget now that these two collections have helped to shape today's musical landscape dramatically.

As always, posthumous sales have rocketed and her past hits are played out as some mourn her passing and others celebrate her life.  

But I'm sure that behind the scenes, the pressure will now be on to polish any demos and unfinished recordings that were being lined up for album number 3.  I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a new Amy Winehouse album rush-released before Christmas, but it is questionable whether her personal demons will have served her well until the end or eventually tainted her natural talent.

If the loss of Micheal Jackson to my generation was comparable to Elvis, then it is possible that Amy Winehouse will now be immortalised as the 21st century's Kurt Cobain; leaving behind a small, yet significant musical body, complete with the the cautionary tale of the dangers of drug-addiction and the tragic trappings of fame.

credit where it's due:

artwork by Timothy Lamb

a tribute to Gil Scott-Heron

i can't remember exactly how long ago it was that i first heard Gil Scott-Heron's music or all the circumstances around it

i do remember that i was crossing the A10 on my bike, at the lights just outside the tyre place

i do remember that it was being played on my minidisc player (immediately dating my memories somewhat) and would have probably been part of a radio show that i had recorded so that i would have something worthwhile to listen to on my way to and from work, most likely either Xfm's Remix or Steve Lamaqc's monday night show on Radio 1

i do remember being so taken in by the track that i skipped the minidisc back to listen to it again, and used my clever little player's editing function to seperate the track and mark it as something of note and something i would want to revisit

i do remember being momentarily amazed by 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised', simply in awe of, and fascinated by, everything about it

that ever so simple, almost tribal drum beat that sounds throughout

the spoken words, passionate poetry that was underpinned by the evocative percussion that built the sparse track into something oh so powerful and unbelievably unique

it was bold and daring and spoke to me in ways that no other music had done before


i didn't know that it was some 30 years old or so

i didn't know of Gil Scott-Heron until that point


i didn't rush out to instantly explore his back catalogue, but i looked into his past and his music and found something that i felt a real connection to

i couldn't name you all of his albums or recite you all of his lyrics, in all honesty, i have only probably heard just a handful of his tracks, but what i have heard was enough to inspire me


i do think the world is a little emptier without Gil Scott-Heron in it, but at least we still have his music and his influence that will long outlive him


with that in mind i decided to create my own music tribute to the late great Gil Scott-Heron, based upon the classic The Revelution Will Not Be Televised

i did try something else first, trying to create a looped up and sampled backing to sit under the vocals, but it didn't feel true enough to his spirit

it is quite simple in form, as perhaps it should be, and i hope that Gil Scott-Heron will never be forgotten

Giles Babel - go crazy (a tribute to Gil Scott-Heron)

and again, the world feels a little emptier

i won't bother to blog about the demise of just about every celebrity who's passing is broadcast to me via facebook of twitter

but i will take a little time to remember and celebrate the lives of the occasional person whose death affects me just a little deeper than most


Gil Scott Heron is an inspirational voice that i shall miss, and a voice that will live on forever

R.I.P

strike!!

i've already schooled you on the shit that may or may not be going down with The Weekender's fluctuating  page count and uncertain future, yet it seems that this was just the tip of a Titanic mashing iceberg

after doing my own little bit of campaigning in order to save the section of the newspaper that i am so fond of reading and contributing to, a little more information has come to light and to be honest, it is not good news

no wonder our paper is taking such a battering, since it turns out that editorial staff that have left have not been replaced and other key positions have also remained unfilled as part of some genius cost cutting exercise

great idea, the only problem is now that the people left staffing the paper are now overstretched and unable to do a proper job delivering quality content, with just three full-time reporters having to fill the pages of nine newspapers a week, they are tied to their desks with no real scope for any type of first-hand accounts or investigative journalism, instead the former award winning newspapers are now filled with (the rather brilliantly named) 'worst kind of churnalism'




blogs, facebook and a twitter have all been set-up to raise awareness of what has been going on behind the scenes at our local papers and to further drive the point home, two weeks of strike action have been scheduled starting tomorrow


i was intending to get along and further show my support for those affected, but unfortunately work engagements won't allow me to be in Enfield Town as i would usually be.


not only will i be missing out on the picket line outside the newspapers' offices, i shall also be missing out on the theatrically staged funeral procession that shall be lead through the town with a priest reading the paper's last rites, while a menacing grim reaper shall also be stalking around as a menacing reminder of how these attitudes and decisions are leading to the death of our local newspapers

for more information of the strike read here
and more information on all this dastardly shit, and contact details to try and stop it can be found here

march 17th: in memoriam

.


everytime i see a famous person's name trending,
i wonder if they've died.



.
this seems to be the culture we are living in now, where snippets of news can be garnered from search engine and social networking trends.


rest in peace, Nate Dogg and Micheal Gough.


written by Glen Byford, March 17th 14:46pm

bucket

death doesn't visit my blog very often, i could choose to spout off or make readers aware of everytime any sort of celebrity pops there clogs, but i don't.

death is in inevitable part of all of our lives that should be treated with a little reverence when writing about it, instead of just being a repeat of your slightly shocked gasps of, 'oh, oh no.'

this is my opinion anyway.


and so, on to the reason i mentioned this.

because this morning i found out that an elderly neighbour of mine that moved away last year had died.

i was a little disheartened by the news, but not really shocked. he had been old my whole life and wasn't going to last forever.

and then i didn't really know what to say or think. my life goes on.


i hope his family are all keeping ok, and if i feel anything i guess it is a kind of a sense of relief that, whatever happens to us after we slip this mortal coil, i am sure he has been reunited with his wife who passed away quite a few years ago now.

i only ever imagined them togther. they were always fred and alice. and when there was only fred it just didn't seem right.

R.I.P

death arrived late

and once again, curious clicking and boredom of the same ol' internet sites inspired new poetry.

somebody died quite a while ago, over two months ago actually, and i only found out about it the other day.

that somebody was Dick Giordano, which won't mean an awful lot to many people.

i'm not realy sure how much it means to me, but after clicking links from Neil Gaiman's blog to a short memorial piece written by Karen Berger it just made me feel like i was a little bit emptier.

i can hardly claim to be the world's hugest Dick Giordano fanatic, but it was a name that stood out and used to crop up on so many comic books i used to read.  it is doubtless that Dick Giordano contributed to my life as i've grown up and has likely somehow shaped who i am today and i am saddened by the loss.






31.05.10


death arrived late


like it had been held up


locking the keys in the car
or missing the last coach heading out of town


but slowly, but surely and eventualy




death arrived










smirking
an over the shoulder glance through a rear window
as your friend is lead away


no kicking
no screaming
just an emptiness
when you didn't even know that it was full before






(i'm not sure if that was one poem or two, please decide for yourselves)

inspiration

my last post was gonna be alot longer, but it already seemed to be lengthening somewhat and at the same time going nowhere so i thought i should maybe cut it off before it became a very long-winded big bunch of nothingness that should have actually been about unveiling a new track.

so lets unveil a new track right now.

Peter Porter 1929 - 2010

Number 16 track one by Hunchbakk

but when i say new it isn't actually that new

it is in fact the first track that i made for my 'album' which i have been making since i first got my hands on Sony Acid, it is also the first track on the album and opens things up nicely for what follows

the words have been around a lot longer than the music, i couldn't find exactly when it was written but it is a poem by Peter Porter, an Australian born poet who had been publishing his poetry since 1958.

it was my dad that inspired me to create this little mashed-up track, even though i hadn't actually heard of Peter Porter (not that i can clearly recollect anyway) my dad emailed me, telling me that he had died - in the email he had also included Porter's poem 'Your Attention Please', written in the form of a public service announcement, and told me that it had caused afew over reactions in the 50s when read out on a radio poetry show and people tuning in thought that nuclear attack was actually happening


i was intrigued by the poem and right there and then the inspiration hit me to pair up my piece of music with the foreboding words of 'Your Attention Please' but try as hard as i might to find a decent reading of the poem, all i could find was a crappy sounding version made for somebodys class project that had found it's way onto youtube.

downheartened but undeterred i kept searching, and stumbled upon a reading of another Peter Porter poem, this one called 'Consumer Report' in which life is treated as a product and mused upon as if giving feedback for market research purposes.

and all of a sudden i had something better than i had even hoped for, the nature and the tone of the poem instantly appealed and i knew it would speak to my dad too

i must admit i have chopped up the poem slightly, taken out parts that didn't realy fit with what i wanted and moved other parts round so that it worked within the music and still made sense within itself

it shall remain nameless for now, it will probably form part of a new project and i have another track almost complete that needs just the smallest of tweakings before i share

but this one is for my Dad, and for the memory of Peter Porter

a destructive force

be  fearful of anything left too long in my presence

it is likely to break

computer hard drives must shudder in their shells when i walk in a room, shitting giga-bricks cos of my reputation

my current computer situation is that the microphone input won't work and hasn't for a long while, the CD tray has given up opening, the mouse isn't actually sure whether it is connected or not most of the time, i-tunes will only open half of the times i want it to and web pages seem to need constant stopping and refreshing in order to try and get anywhere.

despite this i will keep trying to be as equally creative as i am destructive by experimenting and producing music on my weary machine

other computers that i have regular contact with seem to suffer fits and spasms and memory loss

only one CD tray on my 3CD changer stereo actually works, and sometimes even that is close to death and needs a good smack to get it sorted again

the radio in the bathroom tends to leave semi-regular gaps of silence during FM transmissions

a long suffering video player flickered its last a handfull of months ago, before this it had been prone to turning most films into black and white movies at any given moment


and yesterday, my bicycle that i rely on to get from A to B was struck down with a gash in the back tyre, so that it was pissing the magical self-healing green gunk from the inner tube as the wheel spun round and round and was soon flat, leaving me with a walk of shame
i am currently trying to attract punctuality, wealth and a moderately priced house to myself through positive thinking, but i can't help but think that things will continue to go wrong and that i will have to keep struggling through no matter how many times i focus my mind on computers that actually do what you want them to and 3 bedroom houses with a south facing gardens.

this isn't a declaration of negativity, this is an acceptance that things won't be hunky dory all of the bloody time - the world just isn't like that

a minute silence

it is with a heavy heart that i report the sad demise of Flamboyant Bella.

 

readers of my blog will know that i have been a strong advocate of the young group's work and i am sad to say that i saw them far too few times as London seemed to be one of the places they very rarely seemed to pass through.

I covered their biggest ever London headline gig last february and they were also the subject of my first article for The Enfield Advertiser.

and although i was already aware of the horrible truth, the official news broke last week that it really was all over.

but fear not, while the boys are planning on furthering their education, Flo is more reluctant to give up the spotlight and has already been writing and begun looking for new band members.



so i guess since the band no longer exist, no-one will mind if i share this rarity with you, possibly my favourite flambo track, from the now hard to find 2006 self-released debut 'Practically Saintly'

Flamboyant Bella - Break Away

is it realy over?

it feels almost as if i have been an Oasis fan forever, britpop was a unique time for me when any band with guitars and floppy fringes instantly became my new favourite band for the week but throughout it all i was a die-hard Oasis fan

Oasis at Wembley Stadium in 2000 was my first ever gig and it couldn't have been more perfect, it was a momentous night that i'll never forget, it felt as if my teenage years had been building up to that one glorious night (over romanticising it?)

and over the years there have been numerous arguments and bickering between the Gallaghers and in their hey-day they were constantly rumoured to be on the verge of splitting, it worried me just the once, and then everytime since i've just ignored the overblown rumours of Oasis coming to an end, Noel and Liam have never realy gotten on but Oasis seemed to unify them, even if only for the sake of the live shows

But the latest spat seems to have realy broken them if all the reports are to be believed, perhaps i'm still in denial over the whole thing, i don't particularly believe that this is the end, as far as i'm concerned there will always be an Oasis, but i guess time will tell



one Oasis fan that you may not have been aware of has been hit particularly hard by the news that things could realy be over this time,

i know he isn't a good man (far from it) but perhaps you could have a little sympathy for....

Hitler





and if Oasis is over i'm sure it won't be too long to wait for a Noel solo album, probably featuring Andy Bell, Gem Archer and appearance by Paul Weller (you can count on it realy), Noel may have no place for Liam in his life but i doubt Noel would shy away from his life in music entirely

the sound of her wings

i am young enough and fortunate enough not to have personally known too many people that have died

i recently heard the news that someone i knew and that i liked had died afew months ago

he wasn't a large part of my life by any stretch of the imagination, but he meant alot to afew people that meant alot to me

mourning publicly and online is a rather curious byproduct of a modern age but i felt compelled to mention the pangs of grief i've felt and leave a short anonymous tribute

my thoughts are with his family

R.I.P

Rest In Peace

this is a slightly late and slightly wayward tribute to Michael Jackson

Its not like i've been deeply affected, but i am saddened by his death

i found out he had died while at Glastonbury, which was a strange experience, a mixture of word of mouth and over-subscribed mobile networks had a bizarre filtering effect on the news and what many took as festival rumour was soon distorted, embellished and ridiculed... but when the persistent rumour refused to go away and texts from the outside world said the same, you had to accept that news of Michael Jackson's death could be true

i'm an eighties baby and have strong memories of Michael Jackson and his music, like watching the video for Black and White for the first time, trying to moonwalk like everybody else, impersonating Jacko's trademark moves and yelps and being round my cousin's listening to HiStory over and over again, and these are just the first thoughts that come to mind

and i think Michael Jackson is set to become the Elvis of our generation, his contribution to the world of entertainment and his musical legacy will long live on and eclipse the darker times of his life and lower points of his career

out of respect i've tried to curb my morbid curiosity and avoid the media circus that still surrounds Wacko Jacko in death

and of course, we all know that death is the best career move

R.I.P

nothing ever lasts forever...

... but this pen seems to have lasted for ages!!!

anyone know how old this radio 1 logo is?




last night i was transferring some of my poetry into a notebook for the open mic when it ran dry, and to be honest i'd got kinda attached to that pen, most of the poetry i've written within the confines of my bedroom have been written with this pen, it feels a little like an end of an era

i think i got it from a Radio 1 roadshow in Hunstanton, i also think that Tina Arena was playing, and that it was the same summer that Batman Forever came out...

... so that makes it 1995?

my pen lasted 14 years??