I was in Edinburgh yesterday, the car sitting in a car park and me walking about doing errands in various parts of the city.
Wow, you think, what fascinating artistic life this man leads. I must bookmark his blog for to see what he gets up to next.
Why was this walk so significant? It brought home to me the reason I don’t write many songs these days. The fact that I don’t particularly want to write is part of it (having such a backlog of songs to record), but the other and more salient factor is that I don’t walk about much anymore. When I worked in an office in town, I had at least two daily walks, usually more, and that was when songs would appear in my head. Yesterday I left the car park and by the time I’d gone up three flights of stairs to ground level I had a lovely little twisty melody in my head, inspired by but not resembling the last thing I’d listened to in the car (a ‘Word’ mag cover CD). I tried and failed recording it into ‘voice messages’ in my mobile and carried on humming and developing it as I went to the first couple of shops. In one of the shops I heard something I knew on the shop sound system and by the time I’d emerged the little melody was gone. Later I was imagining in my head a writing and recording session I’d discussed having one day with Nelson Wright. Just imagining it brought up a new song idea, a rocky, almost Chuck Berry tune. By the end of the visit to town I’d forgotten that too, but I didn’t feel bad. I knew that the Muse was still there – all I need is the ‘rhythm of my walking feet’ as I wrote in Crying in the Street, saying more than I thought I was saying. That felt reassuring.
Today, painting Pestilence’s room with her and Madame. Tonight, practising WaveForms ideas for tomorrow at St Johns Church. Uncertainy as to whether Tuesday at the Left Bank will be Innocents or solo, due to ructions in the personal lives of band members.