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Chewing it for The Kids |
posted by jim on 24/02/07
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I’ve been recording various bits and pieces for my next album. Mostly in my home studio, the inappropriately grandly titled Stereoworld. I also spent a day with Jon Clayton in his studio in Brixton, recording some of the more acoustic songs and some lovely cello. Next week I go into the place where we recorded the ‘School’ album. It’s in the countryside, and it’ll be good to get out of London. I would say that it will also be good to get away from all the guns. But when we were recording ‘School’ I heard more gunfire than I have in darkest, scariest Lambeth. I think it was probably some kind of pigeon shoot-em-up, hopefully only the clay kind.
I’ve spent longer getting this LP together than I have on most of my other solo albums. Mainly because I couldn’t get the time in the studio. I’ve had to be more patient. Consequently the songs and their arrangements have changed a fair bit since I wrote some of them, and hopefully I’ll end up with a better finished album as a result. I want to make it like it’s the last one I ever will make. Not because it is, but because it should sound like that don’t you think.
To stretch the multi studio approach I should be going down to Cornwall to record some stuff with the Zebs Choir. The Zebs Choir appear at the end of a great compilation album ‘The Sound Of Young Cornwall’, put together by the Zebs youth project in Truro. I discovered them through an old friend of mine Kev Downing. He was the drummer with the Family Cat and him and Tim (Fam Cat guitarist) run the project. Read more about it here and buy the album. A lot of my music friends seem to have ended up working with kids and music. Carter’s manager Adrian does so in Devon and James from EMF works with kids in Bradford. Putting something back, while I still bang away selfishly on my own career struggle.
One of the fantastic things about this next studio session is that Mr Spoons will come down, like he did last time, to cook. Spoons loves cooking, almost as much as he loves Crystal Palace football club and Dr Who. This time he’s even sent me a menu in advance, check this out:
(For 6)
Mon Lunch: Assorted toasties
Mon Dinner: Arrabiata Pasta, with salad & garlic bread etc. & Pud (probably a Trifle)
(For 8)
Tue Lunch: Butternut squash or Broccoli Soup + Crusty bread
Tues Eve: Curry night + Sticky Toffee pud.
(for 6)
Weds Lunch: Thai-spiced Vegetable Broth with noodles.
(Weds Eve: Eating out)
(for 6)
Thurs Lunch: Chickpea Curry & wraps
Thurs eve?: Vege Sausage & Mash with Yorkies & Rosemary scented onion gravy + Cake for pud.
When all this food is eaten and we leave the studio, I’ll be playing some Carter songs with Fruitbat at the Islington Academy along with Neds Atomic Dustbin and members of Senseless Things, Therapy etc at a tribute gig for Wiz from Mega City Four, who sadly passed away last year. It should be an interesting backstage scene, all us old early nineties bands and artists meeting up to check out each other’s hair loss and weight gain.
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BIRD FLU |
posted by jim on 5/02/07
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Christmas has come early for 160 thousand turkeys.
Let’s cull Bernard Matthews.
I’ve been staying in a lot. It’s the new going out apparently. My excuse is that I’m an artist. Writing and recording and growing various different beards, which I have to keep shaving off when it’s time to go out: to the pub or up to Manchester to play at the opening night of a comedy club, in aid of Love Music Hate Racism. On the way there, as has now become tradition, Team Jim Bob went to the Odeon that’s inside the ginoormous Trafford Centre. We – literally – tossed a coin between going to see ‘Venus’ or ‘Casino Royale’. Bond won, as he always will. I enjoyed the film, quite long and very loud. The gig that followed was a weird one. Mainly because I had to go on quite late, and after a load of comedians. Not for the first time in my career I think I might have quipped. All in a good cause.
Talking of which.
I got a phone call from Carter’s old agent asking if we’d play a few songs at a tribute gig for the lovely Wiz from the equally lovely Mega City Four after he sadly passed away at the end of last year. We said yes of course. I’d like to think it’s a better reason to get back together rather than just doing it for the money. A bit like Pink Floyd at Live Aid maybe. Three or four songs for a noble cause and no money and then back to the day job. I realise that this may be the opening of the flood gates that lets in all the offers for one off Carter gigs. Let’s just hope nobody offers too much moolah or I might be tempted, being a bit skint at the moment. The gig’s on March 4th and it’s already sold out by the way.
Trying to make sense of what my new LP will sound like. I have a few novel ideas that may take shape. Expect something somewhere between my ‘Angelstrike!’ and ‘School’ albums.
When I was a kid I used to hang out at the ice rink in Streatham. A boy who was probably about the same age I was at that hanging out time was shot dead there on Saturday. I find myself pining for the days of a good kicking, instead of this shooting people dead crap.
C'est la vie
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BIG BLOGGER |
posted by jim on 17/01/07
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I have to break away from all the hullabaloo and heated debate over whether or not Big Brother has descended into a bullying and racism fest in order to write a short blog. I don’t know why, I’ve got nothing to say really. My life can be so lacking in event that having to write about it is frightening. I’m wasting my time on earth and it’s quite disturbing to try to think of stuff I’ve done that might be worth a mention and finding nothing. Maybe my work is done. My fifteen minutes are up. I’ve achieved something Google-able in the past and I shouldn’t expect more. Who do I think I am? Oliver Twist?
Back to that Big Brother nonsense. Blair is answering questions about it in Parliament. They’re discussing it on the radio and on the BBC2 lunchtime politics show. In India people are burning effigies of the Big Brother producer. I wonder who makes those effigies. These are the kind of ridiculous events that can lead to wars. Like filming Saddam Hussein on a mobile phone. Imagine that in the future history lessons. ‘Question five: How did World War III begin? Was it something to do with a mobile phone picture sir?’
I started recording the more acoustic songs for my new LP. I was in the Brixton studio of Jon Clayton, who played cello on the ‘School’ album. He’s a sweet and quiet sort of bloke. I couldn’t imagine Jon throwing a TV out of hotel window or injecting smack into his eyeball. My kind of musician. I took some biscuits and Jon supplied the coffee.
I’ve also been re-writing (again) my ‘novel’. It’s changed quite a bit. I sincerely hope I won’t be talking about this in a year’s time. Or if I am, I hope I will have removed the inverted commas from around the word ‘novel’.
Went to see Dick Whittington for the third time. It was the best I’d seen it. They’d tightened the production up a fair bit and added some new gags. Roger Lloyd Pack, who’s had a bit of criticism for his performance was absolutely superb. I went with my sister and her small children. That added to the experience: seeing it with kids and watching their reactions to everything. Once again, in spite of all the great songs in the show, I came away from it with the ‘Bogie & Pooh’ song stuck in my head for the rest of the day.
It looks like the Barry Barbican will be putting on another panto next year. With a bit of luck they might ask me to write some tunes again.
No Brit Award nomination again.
Although I suppose this time I’m in there in name at least.
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CHOCOLATE YULE BLOG PART 2 |
posted by jim on 24/12/06
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December 22nd. Team Jim Bob’s first proper DJ job.
Me, Marc and Mr Spoons drove through a right old pea-souper-and-no-mistaking-guv to DJ at the Little Man Tate/Sheffield Boardwalk Christmas party. I hadn’t really thought it through. What it might be like to DJ from onstage in front of a sold out venue audience who were all ready to see Little Man Tate. Rather than endure 55 minutes of two men in trilbys and another in a silver policeman’s helmet, trying to appear young and hip with their Fratellis and Girls Aloud records. What do you do to look exciting when all you’re really doing is putting on CDs? There weren’t enough nobs to pretend to twiddle, in the way that Fatboy Slim does. Mr Spoons had a telephone instead of headphones, which was good for that DJ look and I think we got away with it. We played lots of new indie hits and a few oldies (Nirvana) for the mums and dads. I waved my hands in the air like I just didn’t care, Marc pretended to look for the next CD to play in Mr Spoon’s CD box. Spoons meanwhile, did all the work. As he always does. It was a great night, I managed to get fairly drunk somehow and a nice way to end the year. A sort of Team Jim Bob office party. I wish we’d taken my photo-copier.
So, 2006. An interesting year, what with the Dick Whittington business, turning down Celebrity Big Brother (yes) and all the other stuff. Next year I’ll record a new album and have that one more shot at the Barry big time. I need to finish re-re-rewriting my ‘novel’ that I haven’t managed to get published yet and just maybe do some of that exercise I keep promising my fat gut.
Happy Christmas.
Now let’s watch telly.
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THE TEAM JIM BOB END OF YEAR CULTURAL REVIEW |
posted by jim on 11/12/06
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JIM BOB’S FAVOURITES OF 2006
Books:
The Book of Dave – Will Self
Haunted – Chuck Palahniuk
Ludmila’s Broken English – DBC Pierre
J Pod – Douglas Coupland
The Secret Life of a Teenage Punk Rocker – Andy Blade
Albums:
Orphans – Tom Waits
Jarvis – Jarvis Cocker
The Life Pursuit – Belle And Sebastian
Born In The UK – Badly Drawn Boy
American V: A Hundred Highways – Johnny Cash
Noise Floor – Bright Eyes
Motion Sickness – Bright Eyes
Gang of Losers – The Dears
Alright, Still… – Lily Allen
The Freedom Spark – Larrikin Love
TV:
Lead Balloon
Saxondale
Family Guy
Arrested Development
That Mitchell & Webb Look
QI
The State Within
NCIS
Man to Man with Dean Learner
Jam & Jerusalem
Radio:
Andrew Collins and Richard Herring on BBC 6 Music
Russell Brand on BBC 6 Music
Films:
Children of Men (the only film I saw at the cinema)
A Cock & Bull Story
The Constant Gardener
Gigs/shows:
The Dears at Koko
Morrissey at The London Palladium
Chuck Palahniuk at the Purcell Rooms
Dick Whittington & His Cat at The Barbican Centre
Personal Highlight:
Being asked to write songs for Dick Whittington & His Cat at The Barbican and getting to meet and work with the critically acclaimed and successful
MR SPOON’S FAVOURITES OF 2006
Albums
Artic Monkeys (Not sure if it was this year, tho' due to the download scenario)
Jarvis (lush)
PSB's - Fundamental (fun)
With a heavy heart I am omitting my boy Numan from this list, whilst I did like his album a lot, I find I haven't really played it much, although live is a different story...
Books
Another barren year on the book front from me I'm afraid, so London Orbital by Iain Sniclair, although i have no idea whether that came out this year... I also have the new Dick Francis in my Xmas stocking, which I daresay will get devoured soon after Xmas. I quite like the Vesuius Club too.
Films
Again, being a cultural philistine I haven't watched many of the latest films, so by default the TJB Day out: Children of Men must win this being the only 2006 film I can remember seeing. Oh and the Johnny Cash one wasn't bad, but I think that was last year...
Gigs
Now here I can write with more authority, it's probably been one of my favourite years ever for gigs. If I had such a thing, there would probably be three or four entrants in my all time top 10 giglist:
Head honchos: Gary Numan (x2 Mar & Dec), Morrissey (outstanding despite my expectations), Jarvis, Depeche Mode (Wembley), Artics (Berlin), PSB's
Special mentions: Little Man Tate (Aug), Depeche Mode (Dusseldorf), Chris T-T & David Rovics (shame about the rest of the bill)
Bloody sure I've missed some here that I'll be kicking myself about.
TV
Doctor Who, The State Within, Studio 60 on Sunset Strip, last series of the West Wing, Lost (only for series 3 though, series 2 was largely cack) Prison Break. And the amount of time I spent watching the Cooking Channel is frightening. Can't decide whether I really like Heroes or not - was shocked/pleased to hear that EcclesCakes has a part in it soon though!
Others
Best Footie Match: Karlsruhe 4 Hansa Rostock 4 (nov)
Best televised Footie match: Manure 0 Arsenal 1 (Adenbaayooooor!)
Best UK ground visited: Ashburton Grove
Best foreign ground visited: (A real toughie this one due to World Cup...): Will have to go with Gelsenkirchen/Schalke (spit)
Personal highlight: Being in the LMT video
MARC’S FAVOURITES OF 2006
Albums
1. Pet Shop Boys - Fundamental
2. Morrissey - Ringleader Of The Tormentors
3. The Strokes - First Impressions Of Earth
4. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
5. The Killers - Sam's Town
Honourable Mentions - Jarvis Jocker: Jarvis, Pet Shop Boys: Concrete
Books (this is what I read, rather than what came out)
1. The Closed Circle - Jonathan Coe
2. George Orwell - 1984
3. Ryu Murakami - In The Miso Soup
4. Chuck Paluniak - Haunted
5. Charles Dickens - Hard Times
Honourable Mention - Strategic Marketing Decisions - Lowe and Doyle (this must have been good as I read it twenty times)
Films
1. The Prestige
2. X-Men 3
3. Match Point
4. Saw 2
5. A Cock n' Bull Story
Gigs
1. Morrissey @ Wembley Arena
2. A-ha @ Shepherds Bush Empire
3. Pet Shop Boys @ Tower Of London
4. Morrissey @ London Palladium
5. Girls Aloud @ V Festival
Honourable Mentions: Keane, The Strokes, Primal Scream, Babyshambles and The Dears.
TV
1. Doctor Who
2. Lost
3. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
4. Saxondale
5. Extras
Honourable Mentions: Torchwood, The Biggest Loser UK, I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity Big Brother, Britain's Next Top Model, Question Time, Tonight With Jonathan Ross, Jimmy Hill's Sunday Supplement, Location Location Location, Property Ladder
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LAST NIGHT I HAD THE STRANGEST DREAM |
posted by jim on 6/12/06
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Last night I went to see Dick Whittington & His Cat for the first time. It’s a superb show. With its outrageously lavish stage sets. Its great cast, script, daft jokes, double entendres, costumes, dance numbers and of course the songs. It was the first I got to hear what had happened to the two songs I wrote for it since I’d recorded my simple demos back whenever that was. I was nervous, waiting for my tunes, like I was waiting for my children to appear on stage. And Tom Waits would tell you that in a way that’s exactly what I was doing.
Sarah Travis has done an amazing job orchestrating them into brilliant over the top show tunes. It was pretty surreal, sat there listening to them being performed in such a way in that big theatre to a load of screaming kids and parents. I can’t adequately convey what it felt like, so I won't. Almost dreamlike.
There was champagne in the interval and a big old party in a pub in the heart of the city afterwards. Got a bit pissed drinking all the free stuff, we even got a taxi home. For at least one night this was for me – what my manager Marc and I refer to as Barry Big time. You should go and see it. I’m going again.
It’s Christmas. I read this in the Radio Times from Sir Cliff Richard, talking about his new seasonal single. It made me laugh:
“This new one is called 21st Century Christmas. I love it because the lyrics talk about ‘The satellite tracking Santa/We text our Christmas lists and leave our mobile numbers just to help out old St Nick.’ Then the chorus comes back with, ‘But still tonight we’ll thank Bethlehem.’ So you still have the essence of Christmas, but also the fun of contemporary living.”
Toodaloo.
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THE DAY THAT THEY SHOT KENNEDY |
posted by jim on 22/11/06
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I’m not going to harp on about how with another birthday I’m feeling old. The last time I did that Les wrote a song for me/about me http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Medical_Hologram and as nice as it is for people to write songs for you or about you, I think he’s probably got better things to write about than me, so I won’t mention my fear of old age and death any further.
I’ve written and recorded demos for 11 new songs and when I’ve finished two more, probably on my birthday when I should be eating cake and getting bumped, I’ll try and get some real musicians together to record properly what I hope will be my greatest album ever. Not sure what to call the LP, I’ve got a few ideas and working titles. Some of the songs seemed to be related to the same theme and I have toyed with the idea of calling the album ‘Work’, making it the centre piece of a trilogy, ‘School’, ‘Work’ and ‘Death’. One of the downsides of such an art wanky move would be that I’d dig myself (appropriately) into a hole with what my next record would be. And then when it came to making it I might be in a real positive mood and want to write a load of songs about life instead of death. Watch this space.
As mentioned before, my song ‘The Lord Mayor’s Show’, written for the Dick Whittington & His Cat panto was used as musical accompaniment on the Barbican Centre’s float in last week’s Lord Mayor’s Show. I had planned on going along to see and hear it but decided to get up late and watch it on telly instead. The BBC decided to cut to a short film about plumbers at the exact point the Barbican float floated by the cameras and so I never got to see it or hear my demo tape on the TV, which was a bit of a disappointment. The first time I’ll probably get to hear what has become of my 2 Dick Whitters songs in the hands of professionals and actors will be when I go to see the panto in a couple of weeks time. I can’t begin to stress how exciting this is for me.
God I’m old.
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I POD |
posted by jim on 8/11/06
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Until we all live in our own individual pods, headphones on and visors down, I suppose the people standing or sitting around me will always be a part of my cultural experience. My memory of what a great film ‘Charlie And The Chocolate Factory’ was will be forever tainted by the family at the back of the Odeon in Streatham who talked all the way through it and rustled about with their Sainsbury’s shopping bags. If I close my eyes and think about Bright Eyes’ fantastic gig at Somerset House, I can always see it through a sea of mobile camera phones and girls waving their arms in the air like that thin bird from the Corrs. When I went to see Jarvis Cocker last night in Brighton, I couldn’t just come home and say what a brilliant gig it was. How hilarious his onstage banter was and the genius of the new songs. I’d have to also talk about the nob jockeys stood in front of me and Mr Spoons, shouting a combination of “Jaaarviis” and worse, “Common Peeeopoolll!” in between every song and during the quiet bits of actual songs. I saw The Dears the other week. They were amazing too, although I might also have to tell you about how difficult it was to find a place to stand where somebody wasn’t recording or photographing shitty quality clips on their bastard phones. All that and the endless firework ‘displays’ that are October, November and no doubt December. What a miserable old twat I am.
My demo recording of ‘The Lord Mayor’s Show’, one of my
Dick Whittington songs, is being played on the Barbican’s float in the Lord Mayor’s Show on Saturday. I might go and have a listen. Back at that Barbican website, by the way, you can read about my, and other members of the cast and crew’s first ever pantomime experiences.
Tomorrow I must start recording new album demos proper. I’ve written about 12 songs and have a rough gist of what kind of record it’s going to be. I expect, as I always do, to win the Mercury Music Prize. Maybe I should actually enter it this time, shall we have a whip round?
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TUESDAY |
posted by jim on 24/10/06
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Returning from the Isle of Man, feeling a bit weird and slightly down. I’d just played my last gig for the foreseeable future. Looking at the ‘LIVE’ page on my website and seeing nothing is like unwrapping a new pocket diary from Woolworths on Christmas Day. We decided that maybe people had had enough of me singing for a while and I should spend a bit of time writing and recording a new album and trying to get that unpublished book published (it’s been a year since I ‘finished’ it and still no takers from publishers or literary agents, mind you that bloke from Bog Brother who can’t help swearing has signed a million quid book deal for his biography, so it’s not all doom and gloom in the publishing world). Hey, wouldn’t it be good if his book was written exactly as it’s dictated to his ghostwriter. “And then I was in this crusty circus band in Brighton fuck off! wankers! And then I auditioned for bollocks titfish! whist;le etc”. I sent another few sample chapters to an agent in the post this morning, I chose Recorded Delivery – not as safe as Special Delivery but at least I’ll be able to track and trace to see if the package reaches its intended hands. The man behind the counter in the post office of the shop that actually features in the book I’m posting asks me the Recorded Delivery question that’s supposed to make you paranoid and supersize your package to Special D, “Is there anything valuable inside?” And I say no. Nothing valuable. Just a few years of my life, some sleepless nights, reams of wasted paper and gallons of printer ink. Nothing valuable at all. Just my imagination (running away with me), all those nights out when I couldn’t concentrate because I had my stories on my mind, sneaking off to the toilet to scribble ideas on bus tickets and then waste more of my time trying to decipher what it was I wrote down in the dark at the Brixton Academy when I was supposed to be enjoying Beck. No, nothing valuable at all. In fact could you write instructions for the postman to do his best to lose my parcel, drop it in a puddle, hide it behind a radiator, or throw it away in the street with all his red elastic bands.
Spent a couple of days in Devon. Went to see my nephew appearing in a play at the Plymouth Drum Theatre. It was his first ever stage appearance, so quite a big way to begin: In a proper theatre with real grown up actors and a set etc. He was of course totally brilliant.
I should be recording demos. My computer monitor that I use in this process has broken and I need to sort a new one out so I can’t use it as an excuse to not get the hell on with it for God’s sake. I’m now going to stop writing this blog to weirdly go back to my latest new song, which is called ‘God’s Blog’, everyone’s doing them you know.
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STORMIN' NORMAN |
posted by jim on 9/10/06
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If my Cub Scout years taught me nothing else (other than that ugly stuff in Carter’s Baden Powell song) they made me aware of the importance of being prepared. Hence, knowing I had to get up at five in the morning to drive to Liverpool for a ferry ride across a rough Irish Sea to the Isle of Man I had my Kwells sea sickness pills ready and waiting. I lined my stomach with a couple of Weetabix that’s two Weetabix and had an emergency sandwich packed in my bag for the pre-boat car journey. So when the Sea Cat set off for Douglas in a gale force seven storm I managed to survive the two and a half hellish hours of being chucked about on the waves without chucking up myself. Unlike many of the other passengers, including Mr Spoons who had a horrific time, 180 minutes retching and roaring into a paper bag, horrendous. And Marcus T Manager who went to the toilet half way through the trip and never returned: instead choosing to spend the rest of the journey on the floor by the amusements arcade being sick. The contents of the closed gift shop kept falling crashing to the floor and the onboard TV sets that showed a picture of the vessel with the words ‘Welcome aboard Sea Cat’ led one German dude to point out to his friend, “Welcome aboard Sea Cat? More like Welcome Aboard Sea Sick.” Who says Germans have no sense of humour.
This was the inauspicious start to Team Jim Bob and Chris T-T’s two days of gigs and fun in the Isle of Man. This was my first time on the island and I was made to feel incredibly welcome. Lots of meals out – usually accompanied by about sixteen people, it seems to be a very community conscious place, nothing like my unfriendly hometown – I felt like the Queen.
The first gig was sold out, I’ve said it before many times but they are my two favourite words when combined together, I love playing sell out gigs, it takes away at least 80% of what makes me anxious about the whole process of being a performer. A great gig, perhaps too much audience talking and I wished I’d been more in control there but otherwise… Afterwards there was a small party and a good night’s sleep, with a pre-bedtime drunken promise from our host Gypo of ‘enough cheese and toast with various sauces to fill that big rug on the floor there for breakfast’. We did indeed get the spicy cheese on toast, maybe not quite as big as the sitting room carpet but we’re all entitled to boast a bit when we’re hammered.
Spent the Satur-day in Peel. A lovely little seaside town where I was thrilled to see Isle of Man man Norman Wisdom walking along the seafront. Remembering the episode of Father Ted where Ted says to Richard Wilson “I don’t beleeeve it” I resisted the temptation to shout Mister Grimsdaaaale! and do a funny walk with my cap on sideways. Went for a superb ice cream that made me feel sick and then had a pint in a pub with a pumpkin and walked along some steam train railway tracks to the second of the two gigs, this time at the Bay Hotel in Port Erin – I got you a postcard. I was doing a short set supporting Chris not-named-after-the-motorbike-races T-T and I had a blast. I love supporting and don’t do it nearly enough. There’s a lot less pressure and more time to get drunk. Yes, ignoring all I’d learnt in the Cubs I drank Baileys and gin and beer and some shots of something blue that could have been washing up liquid or Esso Blue paraffin for all I knew and stayed up till I could hear the birds whistling my name ouch . Simple schoolboy errors for getting up at six for another what would surely be rough sea journey full of puke and tears back to the English mainland. But hey, we came back home on the slow boat, which was the smoothest boat ride I’ve ever been on. Nobody so much as belched. Three cheers for us, hip, hip… For all the things I’ve forgotten, look out for Marc’s War & Peace length blog on the subject or ask me about it next time you see me.
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