This Is This

Age 15-20, 1987-1992

I left home for boarding school at 14 and embarked on a voyage to discover everything. From having no records to being among 200 kids that had plenty meant I was on a steep learning curve. I got into a lot of classic rock: The Beach Boys (Warmth of the Sun), The Beatles (Get Back), The Who (Babba O’Reilly), The Stones (Can’t You Hear Me Knocking), later Bruce Springsteen (Glory Days). I got into a lot of hippy stuff like The Band(The Weight) , JJ Cale (After Midnight), Joni Mitchell (Coyote). I thought Guns and Roses were a joke, but admitted to liking some songs.

I still listened to jazz, and liked some fusion like Steps Ahead, Weather Report, Spyro Gira and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. But nothing could have prepared me for Loose Tubes. They were a big band, at least 30 strong, with the harmonies hell-bent on a follicle awareness drive, wierd time signatures that actually work and the best arrangements I have ever heard. They were like Beck meets an orchestra of Beck meets Zappa via the Clash. But that makes it sound too cooly-cool-arty-but actually-crap. Like, “I’ll listen to this until they leave” cool music. But it wasn’t because it was great.

James Taylor. God I love James Taylor (Baby Buffalo, Traveling Star). The pure and honest warm tenor from the soul, made to bring his deceptively simple songs to life. He’s the I reason picked up a guitar and I learned by playing along to his records. Later I joined a band and met my wife and had kids - that sounds crazy, but that’s how it happened and it’s a lot to be thankful for. What I love about music starts and ends with James Taylor.

Also on This Is This
I have sat in Goodison Park close to tears watching the blues run out to the tune of Z Cars and the roar of the Glwadys Street stand.
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