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The Dave Simmons Soul Show BBC Radio One 1972-74
Here's my tribute to the Dave Simmons Soul Show including links to recordings of the original broadcasts on the YouTube channel Getting Mighty Crowded. I'm reposting because the channel has released a special video connected to this article. So proud!
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From grammar to graphic design
This is an updated version of Paula Bearzotti’s Learner Tale. Creators’ paths are rarely simple. Here is the testimony from Paula Bearzotti, a graphic designer who speaks with visuals the way others speak with words, and who has accepted to take a new look at the way she has learned, and continues to learn. You can expect something about design of course, but also grammar, algebra and computers. You can expect something about design of course, but also grammar, algebra and computers. The new version of this post includes mentions of encounters with exceptional creative individuals such as Laura Meseguer and Isidro Ferrer, plus a robot known by the name…
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Telling Bob Dylan’s Singular Story
Bob Dylan may be in his 80s now, "A Complete Unknown" has come along and changed the times, presenting Dylan as a young man again in the image of Timothéé Chalamet. I am no longer the 17 year-old who was bowled over by "Blood On The Tracks" in 1975 but this biopic made me want to share the story of how I went seriously Dylan. Here's the final episode.
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Is this the perfect time to discover Bob Dylan?
Have you seen "A Complete Unknown"? I recommend it. My door to Dylan was not a biopic but a biography which sent me in search of Dylan songs at a time when Dylan was no longer making music. Here's episode 2 of my story about searching for a complete unknown.
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My own search for Bob Dylan
The release of the Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unkown" makes this a perfect time for a whole new generation to discover a great artist. How does this compare to my encounter with Bob Dylan's songs during a quiet period in his career in 1972? I was 16, he was 31, and things were pretty quiet on the media front. Here's episode 1 of my story looking for a complete unknown.
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The Room Next Door
Is there a door to death? Seeing the new Almodovar film about assisted dying sent me back to something I wrote down in answer to this question after seeing my mother for the last time. Quite a journey, but one which shows what happens when metaphors get real. Let me try and explain.
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Songsmith Van Morrison And The Power Of Musical Resonance
Van Morrison is a great explorer of the power of resonance and in "Listen to the Lion" he gives us a powerful example. It's basically a love song, but it explores territories which are older and deeper than most love songs. It still resonates with me years after first hearing it. Let me try and tell you why.
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Vehicle of Change
My all time favorite automobile has to be a grey Morris Oxford Series II with red leather seats. It was our first family car which our dad turned up with one evening after work shortly before we moved house in the summer of 1964.
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The rocky road to becoming a guitarist 2
This is Part 2 of the Learner Tale told by Chester Kamen, a musician mainly known as a rock guitarist, in which he reflects on how he learnt his craft. He walks us through the experience of being a self-taught musician in a competitive field where he met and worked with Bryan Ferry, David Gilmour and Madonna among others. He also reflects on his new life as a rock musician in a jazz context. A whole new challenge.
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The rocky road to becoming a guitarist 1
The shortest path to becoming yourself is rarely a straight line, and learning to get there can take a lifetime. The Learner Tales series continues in conversation with guitarist Chester Kamen talking about how he learnt his craft and became a professional musician. He reflects on the learning path it takes to get to play with people like Bryan Ferry, David Gilmour and Madonna.
