Tuesday 5 October 2010

Nylon strung? Not highly strung .. almost perfectly pitched.... travelling, south and west, across the Severn wide and low at neap tide all bathed in golden sunshine…. then rain and hopes of summer Indian are seemingly dashed along with hope of clean redemption from the mess that is the Port of Talbot. Steely sprawl across the coast edge, a scar on any landscape but still, many toil there. Anonymous hotel, as per usual, all the same and…. there is some comfort in that. Then down to Arts centre villaged in the valleys, quaint and picturesque…real and lively with the lovely sound of welsh folk speaking like singing. Sound check for five minutes. All is well. The half hour up there in the lights goes by in a flash. Me clutching onto my electric,  classical axe…jamming with my happy voice. The crowd is warm and funny. I don’t say a word. Let the music speak. Hear the music ….Message Clear. Then up with George Jones and co. One of his dad’s songs. Emotional …powerful. What a great night and it went on and on. Every one pulling together to remember Micky Jones the man from MAN. Blasted with pumped up juices flowing all through. Job done. Said goodbyes. Curry in Swansea at the K2. No half and half for me though. Then boats and packing, sea and sand and ports of call and all. Playing guitar when ever, how ever I want. My arrangements changing and forming new bridges, whole songs strung together in a kind of out pouring then strangled, chopped up bit’s, songs half written…. all coming to life. I can pick up the nylon axe and free my head…run with it. I think some of it is completely new to me. Plugged in, classical fuzz, sounds great to me.

A big tide pushing along the northern coast of Cornwall, fishing in the thick of it. Almost caught a seal… I mean surfer. The seas are dying. If we continue to empty it at this rate there will not be enough sustainable stocks of fish by the year 2050.  I take a fish or two a year on hook and line. Japanese eat lot’s of fish and make beautiful gardens, fabulous electronics which I can’t afford right now and there isn’t enough mackerel for sashimi so it’s off to a zen garden to chill and chant. Do what I truly like with out let or hindrance
how I love those words!

Cooking later as per usual in my galley, my domain and in my element. Making food for people is surely one of life’s greatest pleasures….feeding the folk. Looking at an ebb tide …wondering if ‘tis time to go a wading in the evening surf for a bass or pluck some more…stringing strange chords together to see what happens. Later I re-invent For Dr Spock and marry it to Red Star. Gin and tonic …that’s the spirit. No pool to sit by just the rocking motion of the endless sea and right now, I’m not even on a boat. I write some book. I have to. It has been too long in the writing and any way I just found out what happens at the beginning….and at the end so it should be easy now. If it isn’t I shall blame you for distracting me for the last few years, you coming to gigs and then, I had to show up but ..I am glad I did.

Gazing at the Atlantic rolling in ten waves in a row. The weather has been lovely for days. Watching the surf rolling across the wide bay. Six white horses running in with the evening sun flashing through their opalascent tops. Beautiful! Let me tell you how I am feeling ...can't believe this is real.
Shopping for some thing unusual to eat at The Co-op. Cool shop compared to almost any other. Cool people run it or Tony Benn ain’t my hero. Cornwall is a strange land re-peopled by the new merchants….greedy with an unrealistic sense of entitlement. St Ives typifies the exploitative seam that runs through the place. Wake up! The artists of real merit upped sticks years ago. Half of them couldn’t have afforded a pastie in St Ives were they still around. Grumble and bloody moan. The pastie was shite. The dawn crept away like the uninvited non Cornish person who sold it to me should have .
Much later ....up a fresh water stream from estuary …pike is mine but only for a little while then back he goes to grow to be a bigger one or be eaten by his mother. Some more meditation….cogitation and a long digestion of recent events then….peace. Where is that guitar? Of course I nearly always know where but, then again, there are two now…sisters…electric sisters, with a classical mein, who wait to be caressed by these aching fingers. It will be a while. I think I am overdoing it.

Yoik on a beach. Chant in a zen garden. Gotta cut it all up and fix it together. Just found notes for a new song Can you feel me by your side – wrap your fingers around mine – I will stand between you and the darkest night.




at the Micky Jones memorial gig
with George and Son of Man
koi in pagoda pool

you don't yoik about some thing.
you yoik something ....







in the rock garden there is
the sound of falling water in a pool
the green home to koi
wind chimes sing in the gentle breeze
joy and sadness are together here
as the air is joined with sunlight
as I am joined with you 





edgarbroughton.com    http://edgarbroughton.com/

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you had a nice time away. Any chance of more fair days pay shows? We are in Evesham. We like the tribal video, cool!
Grace and Ben

Anonymous said...

Nice piccies.Good you back. New owners for us then? What is going on? Martin Broughton? Should be Edgar Broughton. Out Demons Out.
Dazza

Anonymous said...

What a feast.
I like the poem a lot.
Sam
x

Anonymous said...

so glad your refreshed, recharged, and re..ady to go!

cheers

tony
ps theres a Japanese, meditation garden only 10 miles from me .. you know what i may just go and see!

Anonymous said...

Very nice on the eyes. I like the journal style.
Jon

edgar broughton said...

Hi Grace and Ben. Due to demand I am offering 5 more fair days pay gigettes on my site so let me know if you want one.
Ah Dazza! What next? We are in a bit of a pickle mate.Still it can surely only get better up at Anfield.
Go see the garden Tony and thanks to all for your kind comments

Peace

Anonymous said...

Looking forward to meeting you tomorrow & picking up the guitar. Karen says I'm not to act like a crazed fan!

peace

Tony & Karen H

Anonymous said...

What an interesting summary of what sounds like a good trip. Read about both Man gigs and seems like you all did Mickey proud. Do you have an interest in all things Japanese? Not an obvious interest.

Kali

Anonymous said...

I like the way you write and the way your style changes according to the subject. I never know what I'll find here.
I too am interested in japan and it's culture and the food is wonderful if strange at times. I like the picture of the sea shore. It's very serene. I have it as wallpaper on my pc so I hope you don't mind.
I hope to see you live again some day. Good luck with it all.
George

Anonymous said...

It's official...Edgar Broughton is a lovely charming man. Karen says so & she is never wrong!

Cheers for the guitar mate. The action is incredible. Got a few funny looks waiting for the coach. Do Hohner make sub machine guns?

My grandaughter asked if she can have all my guitars when I die. Children...don't you just love 'em?!

love & peace

Tony H

edgar broughton said...

Hi Kali. I am interested in most things Japanese, especially their art and culture, iaido and more. I am fascinated by the way they mix the old and new together in modern life.

Thanks for the tip George. I tried the photo as wallpaper on my pc. I had the same thing for ages so it makes a change.

Glad you like the axe Tony.

Peace

AMIR RAOF said...

what is the key to heaven?

Anonymous said...

The sharp end of a katana,IED,AK47etc?

Anonymous said...

Q: What is the key to heaven?

A: Finding it!

Anonymous said...

Heaven is that well lit place with a big round, spinning door just as you fall into the infinite darkness, forever.
LIVE STRONG.
Love the sea pic too.

Max