Yeah I know - I've had a few of them lately! But at the same time we've been having a whole lot of fun too.
First off was the Sonisphere Festival. That was totally awesome. With some trepidation we took Captain Chaos with us. Yes, for four nights of camping and 3 days of rock and metal festival we took her. And you know what? She was excellent. She did as she was told, held hands when she needed too and had a great time from the first band hitting the stage to the last. I was very surprised at the number of people that commented on her or took photos of her having a great time with her siblings. People would see her and give big, genuine smiles at her.
But what about the festival? I hear you say. Well maybe not, but I'm going to tell you anyway. It was fantastic. The crowd, the facilities, the location, the staff - I couldn't really fault anything about it. We saw most of the bands on the two main stages so didn't get much chance to get around and see the bands on the little stages. Every band gave it their all. I did escape the family a couple of times and headed down the front to see Skunk Anansie and Iggy & the Stooges. Rammstein impressed me on Saturday night, I was converted from a casual fan to a real fan. As well as the stage show they sounded as tight and as clear as they do on record. As for Iron Maiden, what can I say that has not been said before. A true, honest and excellent performance. They are a band that never, ever fail to deliver and always relate to the audience. It doesn't matter what size crowd they are playing to they are never aloof or distanced from their fans.
So what else is going on? Well we went to visit the in-laws in Devon and went camping again. We stayed at Harford Bridge Holiday Park near Tavistock. This is the second time we've stayed there and it is a beautiful place with great facilities. I highly recommend it if you're having a trip to Devon. It is in a little bend in the Tavy River and right on the edge of Dartmoor.
The real highlight of our trip though was our visit to the local leisure pool where they have a water slide. Well the older two both threw themselves down it with out any worries whilst Captain Chaos watched from the water at the bottom. Then she decided that she wanted a go. So off she went with her sister to the top of the slide whilst we waited at the bottom wholeheartedly expecting to have to collect her when she changed her mind. But, no! Captain Chaos threw herself into the slide and plunged into the water at the bottom where I was waiting to grab her and haul her from under the water. From where we were with her earlier this year and being unable to get her in the pool to this is a fantastic change. We were so impressed with her and made sure that she knew it.
Anyway, I currently having a break at home for the week now and I will try to construct a more coherent (for me) post. But I'd just like to wish my Dad the best as he's recovering from his first course of chemotherapy with a little sickness and feeling shattered.
The week is here, the excitement is building, the checklist is growing. On Thursday we head south to Knebworth for our first rock festival with the kids. Yep, you read it right, with the kids. Originally we were only taking the eldest and the boy. However, after seeing several of Captain Chaos' escape attempts we decided that after several days of being at my folks she'd probably try to escape. So the feeling that having her close at hand with 4 pairs of eyes to watch her is going to minimise the bids for freedom.
So what's the event? We're going to the Sonisphere festival. Three days and more rock bands than you can shake a stick at finishing with the big draw for me. Iron Maiden. I've lost count of the number of I've seen them but never, ever been disappointed by them. On top of that there is a whole host of bands that I'm looking forward to seeing. The German industrial metalists Rammstein who I believe put on an amazing show, Alice Cooper, Iggy and The Stooges, Anthrax and Slayer. The list goes on and on.
I'm pretty sure that by the time we get home on Monday we'll all be shattered and totally rocked out. I shall no doubt comment here and post a few photographs of the event.
The last few weeks have been a wave of both highs and lows in the family. We found out that my father has lung cancer – the consultant confirmed the diagnosis and also mentioned that it’s a single tumour, wholly contained within the lung and is, therefore, treatable. Not only that but it appears that the symptom that took him to the doctor’s and got him an x-ray and MRI is something entirely unrelated! Sometimes fate smiles down on us and makes us think there is no such thing as coincidence. But keep fingers crossed and prayers said for him (depending on religion or secular leanings) in the near future as we find out what the next step is. The high was my brother and his girlfriend had their number two boy yesterday – sharing a grandmother’s birthday! This adds another family birthday to the long list in June – there must be something in the water. And then my parent’s dog, the old thing she is, had a stroke – fortunately, despite her age, she is living up to that adage that ‘there is life in the old dog yet’ and she’s still as daft as anything.
But this leads me to this song. It’s a song that means more to me as each year passes and falls into that category of stopping me in my tracks. Today’s tune is Time Stands Still by the Canadian trio Rush from their album Hold Your Fire in 1987.
That axiom that as you get old time seems to speed up is turning out to be true. I turned 41 a couple of weeks ago and, to be honest, I don’t feel like that. I don’t feel responsible enough to be doing what I do, having my own children to deal with and ensure they are on the right track, to own a home, vehicles and dogs. What happened to the last 35 years since I left school? How many people have come and gone from my life without me appreciating them? What experiences have I discounted as nothing out of the ordinary and I’ve not savoured properly? We don’t even seem to have the time in our lives to enjoy all the things we have. Something is always pushing us on to the next job, next situation and we rush forwards powerless to stop it.
To me this song very simply and succinctly says how I feel and what I want.
‘I’m not looking back, but I want to look around me now, See more of the people and the places that surround me now’
I don’t always want to look back at the past and I do want to go forwards through life but I want the time to enjoy the moments when they come. There are friends that I want to meet, places I want to go. When these times do come I stop and close my eyes like a camera shutter, trying to capture that image, and use my other senses to take in the memory, to savour it there and then and record it to memory. For me these are often simple times and situations.
A few Sunday’s ago we took the kids swimming. Usually this has been a fraught affair with Captain Chaos yelling her head off and the resulting stress being passed around. But this Sunday was different. It was a beautiful day, hot and clear. The light was streaming in through the large windows illuminating the water in the pool, the water was warm and Captain Chaos very quickly calmed down and actually began to have fun and enjoy herself. For an hour it was stress free. No one had to be told off for misbehaving or because we were getting stressed out, everyone had fun and that sight of the five of us relaxed and enjoying that moment is something I wish I could have held a little longer. I think we miss too many of these moments.
The final verse of the song always hits me with it’s simple truth:
‘Summer’s going fast, night’s growing colder Children growing up, old friends getting older, Freeze this moment a little bit longer, Make each impression a little bit stronger. Experience slips away, experience slips away... The innocence slips away’
I must add that I wrote this a week ago but have been so busy and tied up with other things that I’ve not managed to post it. I’ll have to throw a thanks out to Melissa’s latest post (http://deleeze.blogspot.com/) about reaching ages for reminding me this was still sat as a draft.
I turn my back to the wind To catch my breath Before I start off again. Driven on without a moment to spend To pass an evening with a drink and a friend
I let my skin get too thin I'd like to pause No matter what I pretend Like some pilgrim Who learns to transcend Learns to live as if each step was the end
(Time stand still) I'm not looking back But I want to look around me now (Time stand still) See more of the people and the places that surround me now
Freeze this moment a little bit longer Make each sensation a little bit stronger Experience slips away Experience slips away
I turn my face to the sun Close my eyes Let my defences down All those wounds that I can't get unwound I let my past go too fast No time to pause If I could slow it all down Like some captain, whose ship runs aground I can wait until the tide comes around
(Time stand still) I'm not looking back But I want to look around me now (Time stand still)
See more of the people and the places that surround me now Freeze this moment a little bit longer Make each impression a little bit stronger Freeze this motion a little bit longer The innocence slips away The innocence slips away...
Summer's going fast, nights growing colder Children growing up, old friends growing older Freeze this moment a little bit longer Make each impression a little bit stronger Experience slips away Experience slips away... The innocence slips away
Following on from yesterday’s prophetic(ish) title I’m stealing from Revelations 12:12 as the introduction to what is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal songs ever by a band who, in my opinion, are hard to beat as a live act. Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast. This is another of those records that filled my formative years. I remember buying it one lunch time, taking a £5 note to the shop around the corner from me and coming back with the album in a brown paper bag. I rushed upstairs to my folk’s bedroom, the temporary home of the record player during redecoration of the living room, and got the album on and playing loud as I could without getting in too much trouble.
The Number of the Beast opened the second side of the album, and that makes me feel old to say that! A creepy Vincent Price type voice quietly spoke the introduction of Bible quotes from the Book of Revelation before the guitar riff kicks in followed by the slightly desperate, breathy opening lines from Bruce Dickinson “I left alone, my mind was blank, I needed time to think to get the memories from my mind...” culminating at the end of the first verse in a very guttural scream.
As you can imagine in the early 80s our conservative cousins across the pond decided that this was all terribly demonic, a celebration of evil sent to corrupt the youth and eat puppies...or something. There were many protests to disrupt the supporting tour in the States and declarations of the band being “Satanists”. So what’s the song actually about? Well it’s was inspired by two things. One was a nightmare about being trapped in Hell that the band’s bassist (and founding member) Steve Harris had after watching a horror film and then based it around the story told in Robert Bruce’s 18th century poem Tam o’Shanter. It is certainly a tale of warning, of being trapped by the evil he sees but is unable to decide is just his imagination or something that is actually happening to him. To me it’s a song that works in it’s simple storytelling style coupled with Bruce giving an appropriate voice reflecting the emotions of the character from the disbelief through frustration and fear and finally to vengeance once he is finally trapped.
So what about the band? Iron Maiden certainly aren’t the darlings of the airwaves. They’ve never had a lot of airplay yet still managed to sell over 70 million records and sell out tour after tour after tour over the last 30 odd years. What do they have? For me it’s the fact that they are pretty much the man in the street. They have no egos to speak of and are not spoken of in the press as scandal makers mired in drink, drugs, woman and everything else that gets tied up with the Rock n Roll machine. For many years now they’ve taken their families on tour with them and even held paying jobs! Bruce Dickinson is a qualified commercial pilot and works for Astraeus airlines. This led to a tour in which the band chartered a 757 (Ed Force One), piloted by Bruce, where they could take the show to places that in the past bands could never get to (mainly due to the accountants). I met Bruce at Sheffield railway station on the afternoon they were playing at the City Hall. I was sat waiting for some friends passing the time drinking coffee and reading my book. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a chap in a bright orange jacket walk past me and meet with his wife and youngster who were sat behind me. I was certainly rather taken aback at this as it’s not what you expect from such big stars.
They now have a line up with three guitarists Dave Murray who has pretty much been there since the start, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers so have a really great, deep sound and with the longer songs there is plenty of space in them for all their skills to be heard. Nicko McBrain has been playing the drums with them since 1982 – and he really can play! Nicko certainly makes it into the top ten percussionists for me and is looked upon by other drummers as an influence – Tommy Lee (Motley Crue) once described him as an octopus after watching him play. I remember Nicko appearing on the Sooty Show (Sooty was a hand puppet) when Sooty wanted to start a band. Since then a Sooty puppet has regularly attached to the front of his kit.
The last member of the band is Steve Harris. Steve started the band in 1975 and is certainly a very strong driving force. He has written the lion’s share of the song and lyrics with a myriad of subjects and influences. From the books of Dune by Frank Herbert (To Tame A Land), Poetry (Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Dance of Death), Wars (Tailgunner, The Trooper, Paschendale), religious zealotry (Holy Smoke, Montségur) to fantasy/sci-fi type numbers (Seventh Son of a Seventh Son). Steve also has a readily recognisable sound from the flat-wound strings he uses (and changes daily to keep the bright sound). Many of the bass lines gallop along – very appropriately demonstrated in The Trooper about the Charge of the Light Brigade.
I’ve seen Maiden play many, many times. I first saw them in 1988 when they headed the bill at the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington. I’ve seen them in places like Whitley Bay Ice Rink, Wembley Arena and Sheffield City Hall and never, ever been disappointed. From the second they hit the stage to the final encore you know they are giving it everything they’ve got.
Now I’m 22 years older than my first concert experience with them and now my kids are regularly exposed to Iron Maiden in the car, my eldest has Can I Play with Madness as a ring tone on her mobile phone and they’ve watched the videos on YouTube and from DVDs. So I’m really looking forward to the end of next month when we go away to the Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth as Maiden are closing it out on the Sunday night. I have a feeling they are not going to disappoint.
Woe to You Oh Earth and Sea for the Devil sends the beast with wrath because he knows the time is short
Let him who have understanding reckon the number of the beast for it is a human number its number is six hundred and sixty six.
I left alone my mind was blank I needed time to think to get the memories from my mind What did I see? Could I believe? That what I saw that night was real and not just fantasy Just what I saw in my own dreams were they reflections of my warped mind staring back at me? 'Cause in my dreams it's always there the evil face that twists my mind and brings me to despair
Night was black was no use holding back 'Cause I just had to see was someone watching me
In the mist dark figures move and twist was all this for real or just some kind of hell 6-6-6 the Number of the Beast Hell and fire were spawned to be released
Torches blazed and sacred chants were praised as they start to cry hands held to the sky
In the night the fires are burning bright the ritual has begun Satan's work is done 6-6-6 the Number of the Beast Sacrifice is going on tonight
This can't go on I must inform the Lord Can this still be real or just some crazy dream? but I feel drawn towards the chanting hordes seem to mesmerise...can't avoid their eyes 6-6-6 the Number of the Beast 6-6-6 the one for you and me
I'm coming back I will return And I'll possess your body and I'll make you burn I'll have the fire I'll have the force I'll have the power to make my evil take its course
It's that time of year again. The sun is out, the temperature is rising, clothes are shrinking and getting thinner and seasonal songs are getting played on the radio.
The song I always listen out for to singnal the start of summer is that great song by Don Henley, Boys of Summer (The music was written by Mike Campbell from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.) I remember buying the 7" single in the record shop, that now dying breed of retail outlet. I spent many hours in the record shops, flicking through the racks of vinyl searching for something to catch my eye. If it did I'd pluck it out of the rack and, if it wasn't too busy, I'd ask the guy behind the counter to play some of it for me. Those independent record shops were a treat. They always had an ambience to them. You know that the guy behind the counter, usually with coffee in hand, was there because they were an enthusiast too. An aficionado of music. They were someone that you could ask questions of. They would order you that obscure record from the thick catalogue behind the counter. They were always much more than a simple shop. See, I’m off on a tangent again!
The Boys of Summer was released in October 1984. This is one of the reasons that I always listen out for as the weather changes – it’s so out of place! Other summer songs are always bright and bouncy, enticing listeners to frolic and catch the rays whilst Boys of Summer is much more haunting.
The theme of the song is an introspective. A change between the ages of man, youth to middle age (a good reason that it means more to me as the years go on), and looking back. It also speaks of that permanence of emotion in the hook line of the chorus “My love for you will still be strong, After the Boys of Summer are gone”. When it first came out it struck a chord with the 15 year old me. I wondered about relationships, watched girls I was too shy to speak to spending time with the boys on holiday, thinking that I could, and would, offer that feeling for more than just a few weeks. Ah, that imagination of youth!
It is, without doubt, one of my favourite songs. I saw the Eagles playing Wembley Stadium in 1996. They were supported by the excellent Kenny Wayne Shepherd – a fantastic young blues player. Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Don Henley all performed a couple of numbers from their solo material. Needless to say this song was performed and pretty much made my day.
Nobody on the road nobody on the beach I feel it in the air the summer's out of reach Empty lake, empty streets, the sun goes down alone I'm drivin' by your house Though I know you're not home
I can see you Your brown skin shinin' in the sun You got your hair combed back and your sunglasses on, baby And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong after the boys of summer have gone
I never will forget those nights I wonder if it was a dream Remember how you made me crazy? Remember how I made you scream? Now I don't understand what's happened to our love, But babe I'm gonna get you back I'm gonna show you what I'm made of
I can see you Your brown skin shinin' in the sun I see you walkin' real slow and you're smilin' at everyone I can tell you my love for you will still be strong after the boys of summer have gone
Out on the road today I saw a deadhead sticker on a Cadillac A little voice inside my head said, "Don't look back. You can never look back." I thought I knew what love was, what did I know? Those days are gone forever I should just let them go but
I can see you Your brown skin shinin' in the sun You got that top pulled down and that radio on baby And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong after the boys of summer have gone
I can see you Your brown skin shinin' in the sun You got that hair slicked back and those wayfarers on, baby I can tell you my love for you will still be strong after the boys of summer have gone
Pretty much since about the age of 10 or 11 I have been a big fan of the Police. I remember unwrapping my copy of Zenyatta Mondatta for Christmas one year and needing to play it straightaway. I think the Police have a great sound. The trio of Sting (Gordon Sumner), Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland playing that mix of rock and reggae (often described as part of the ‘New Wave’ style) reached out to a mix of audiences. As musicians the three of them are very accomplished. Stewart Copeland easily makes it into my top ten percussionists – I love to watch him play. As lyricists s they always provided interesting and clever lyrics – from the story of a prostitute in Roxanne, the troubles in Northern Ireland in Invisible Sun to the clever anti-love song lyrics of Every Breath You Take to a very love song type piece of music.
As you can imagine after they went on a extremely long hiatus following the Synchronicity album and tour I was gutted. They were certainly the first band that I wanted to see live. After this I did get to see Sting a few times and he would play a few Police songs, but it wasn’t what I really, really wanted to see.
So Fast Forward a good few years and, again, you can imagine my delight that they decided to reform and do a final tour. I was over the Moon! I kept my eyes out for the concert dates and managed to get tickets for myself and a few friends (and of course the better half) at the Millennium Stadium. However, fate, as it is its wont decided it had other things in store. Captain Chaos was struck down seriously ill with a sepsis. I know I say this a lot but this certainly is a story for another post. It’s still early days on this blog and I will eventually get around to it. So, after seven weeks of stress and worry fate decides, much to our relief the hospital planned to release her the week of the concert. That left us with a no brainer, the tickets had to go.
However it transpired that fate, with its notoriously fickle finger, decided I’d get one final chance to see the Police. Due to Sting suffering with a sore throat first time around a number of concerts were cancelled and rescheduled. This meant that there were some returned tickets available and, needless to say, I pounced on a couple of them. And in fate’s grand scheme of things (and maybe compensation) these tickets where a lot closer to the stage.
The day of the concert came around and I was very excited. I remember driving to Manchester, grabbing a fine dinner with Sarah, walking to the venue and descending the many, many steps to the arena floor. But after the support act I remember very little specific about it. I just remember singing along to every song, clapping and cheering and being in awe of seeing those three musicians playing together. I had waited nearly thirty years to see the Police and I was determined to enjoy every single second they were on the stage.
I say I forget the details but one song that stuck with me is King of Pain. Of all the many, many Police tracks, of which there are very few I skip over when listening to them, this one is a favourite. It’s one of those songs that if I hear it once I have to play it several times. There is something about the music and the lyrics that fascinates me. It’s a very personal song that I believe was a tough one to for them to record as Sting wouldn’t accept any input from Andy or Stewart. A sign of the fiery personal relationships that drove divisions in the band during the eighties. The imagery of despair in the verses and the chorus requesting that release from whatever demons are haunting him but the feeling that nothing is ever going to change. But enough from me…
There's a little black spot on the sun today It's the same old thing as yesterday There's a black cat caught in a high tree top There's a flag-pole rag and the wind won't stop
I have stood here before inside the pouring rain With the world turning circles running 'round my brain I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign But it's my destiny to be the king of pain
There's a little black spot on the sun today (That`s my soul up there) It's the same old thing as yesterday (it`s my soul up there) There's a black cat caught in a high tree top (it`s my soul up there) There's a flag-pole rag and the wind won't stop (it`s my soul up there)
I have stood here before inside the pouring rain With the world turning circles running 'round my brain I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign But it's my destiny to be the king of pain
There's a fossil that's trapped in a high cliff wall (it`s my soul up there) There's a dead salmon frozen in a waterfall (it`s my soul up there) There's a blue whale beached by a spring tide's ebb (it`s my soul up there) There's a butterfly trapped in a spider's web (it`s my soul up there)
I have stood here before inside the pouring rain With the world turning circles running 'round my brain I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign But it's my destiny to be the king of pain
There's a king on a throne with his eyes torn out There's a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt There's a rich man sleeping on a golden bed There's a skeleton choking on a crust of bread King of pain
There's a red fox torn by a huntsman's pack There's a black-winged gull with a broken back There's a little black spot on the sun today It's the same old thing as yesterday
I have stood here before inside the pouring rain With the world turning circles running 'round my brain I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign But it's my destiny to be the king of pain
King of pain I'll always be king of pain I'll always be king of pain
One of the major loves in my life is music. I have a pretty eclectic taste and my only criteria for is that it’s not from one of these manufactured bands. Yes, I know it’s not a new phenomenon it just that in recent years it detracts new listeners from actually listening to those that really work hard at what they do. Anyway, this is sort of wandering from the point. Certain songs and pieces mean a lot to me. They invoke a reaction, stir a memory, take you right back to a time and a place.
For a long time I’ve been a fan of Bruce Springsteen. I love his sound, his subject matter, the way he sets the scene and tells the story. Like, I suspect, many people Born To Run is my favourite Springsteen song. I’d go as far as to say that it is, without doubt, one of my favourite songs full stop.
In 2006 Captain Chaos required some major open heart surgery. Her second heart surgery before the age of two. This time it was to repair or replace her mitral value and resection her aorta. So pretty major stuff and more grey hairs for Mum and Dad! We were sat in her hospital room, the anaesthetist and the surgeon had both been in and discussed the plan for the day and her pre-med administered. As we sat there, awaiting the nurse to take us to theatre, it came to the last song on the radio breakfast show. With Captain Chaos cuddled down in my arms and all dozy from the pre-med Born To Run came on the radio. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. As the song drew to a close the nurse came to take us down.
Since then Born To Run has held an even more special place in my heart. It takes me right back to that room, to that day. It reminds me of the amazing jobs that the medical staff do, of how lucky we are to have Captain Chaos in our lives.
Unfortunately YouTube doesn't want me to embed the video but here is the link to it: Born To Run
In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines Sprung from cages out on highway 9, Chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin' out over the line Baby this town rips the bones from your back It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap We gotta get out while we're young
'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend I want to guard your dreams and visions Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims and strap your hands across my engines Together we could break this trap We'll run till we drop, baby we'll never go back Will you walk with me out on the wire 'Cause baby I'm just a scared and lonely rider But I gotta find out how it feels I want to know if love is wild girl I want to know if love is real
Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors And the boys try to look so hard The amusement park rises bold and stark Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight In an everlasting kiss
The highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive Everybody's out on the run tonight but there's no place left to hide Together Wendy we'll live with the sadness I'll love you with all the madness in my soul Someday girl I don't know when we're gonna get to that place Where we really want to go and we'll walk in the sun
But till then tramps like us baby we were born to run
Well - I trained to cook, spent 10 years in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in that big city of London before returning home to count spuds - via some programming.
