Desert Island Books

The following is a piece I wrote for the ACCU’s CVu magazine in April 2010 as part of the Desert Island Books series. The ACCU is an organisation that promotes a professional approach to programming and the brief was to write about the books that have had the biggest impact on me as a jobbing programmer…

Band For A Day

Back in the early seventies when I was at university and trying, with limited success, to learn the bass guitar I was introduced to another student who was a drummer. I’ll call him John, not because I want to protect his anonymity, simply because I’ve long since forgotten his real name. At that first short meeting…

New Music Blog

Yesterday I created a new music blog, Crotchety Man. From now on anything I have to say on the theme of music will go to the new blog rather than here.

Band On The Run

Our drummer struck a deal with Mick, the Irishman who ran the Sydenham Conservative Club. The band needed somewhere to practise and the Conservative Club was looking to put on some entertainment. Mick offered us the use of an empty upstairs room at the club in return for playing the occasional gig. He would provide…

Guillemots at Nunnington Hall

I couldn’t sleep last night. Mary and I had been to see my favourite band, Guillemots, at Nunnington Hall. When I saw the concert announced in the Local Events leaflet that came with our National Trust magazine I thought they’d sell about a dozen tickets. Guillemots are no pop sensation and Nunnington Hall is one…

A Tale of Two Winters

It was February (1970?). About eight of us had cheap tickets to see Johnny Winter and support band Keef Hartley at the Royal Albert Hall.1 When the doors opened we were ushered up the steps around the edge of the round building. One flight, two flights, three flights of stairs we climbed. Then still more…

Inappropriately Dressed

I moved to York on the day of Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997, but I grew up in a south London suburb. My parents came from a working class background. One of my grandfathers worked in a biscuit factory for 40 years; the other worked on the presses for some of the national newspapers, cycling…

Fans and Groupies

Paul looked at Andy and said, “I think it’s time, don’t you?”. Andy nodded, grinned and took off his jumper to reveal a black T-shirt emblazoned with white letters spelling the word “Ando” (his nickname among close friends). Paul, who was sat next to Andy on the sofa, then took off his jumper to show…

In Heaven’s Name

Playing bass in a band was easier than I’d expected. You just put your fingers in the right place at the right time and twang the string. Agreeing which songs to play was harder. And the really difficult bit was naming the band. We spent many hours in living rooms and pubs trying to come…

A Musical Genesis

“I’ve got a good idea”, said Paul, “Let’s start a band”. It must have been early summer 1970. My brother, Lawrence, and our friends Paul and Howard were relaxing in the living room. It was true that I played the clarinet (a bit) and I had an electronic organ (which I couldn’t play), but the…