By my feet are a pile of documents from my (unofficial but acknowledged) JG Bennett archive of historic materials, dating back to 1949. These have been in boxes for some while, and are now about-to-be-becoming having-been-organised in a superb system called "Clampfile".
Also near my feet are researches into the company accounts of the companies of my former managers, Messrs. Alder & Fenwick. These make particularly interesting reading now, several years after the event, when I have assembled and absorbed the overall picture of their affairs for a period of years before, and after, their collapse. Their accounts for 1991, the critical year, were filed late. This made it harder at the time to get a clear picture of their business affairs. These are also Clampfiled for easy access & reading.
I am reminded of the comment of a major player from the City (the financial hub of more than London): "Lloyds' has done more to redistribute income than all of the socialist legislation" (close paraphrase). £8 billion was "redistributed" by the 1988-93 Lloyds' fiasco, and Marine 475 was the critical syndicate in the collapse of Messrs. Alder & Fenwick.
I have moved to Honegger from the first of the ProjecKt Four mixes. Pat's symphony of percussion is astonishing. Hopefully, the release of P4 will find Pat the acknowledgement this very underrated player deserves.
Last night Pat, Chris, Toyah and your Diarist went to our village pub for dinner. English pubs have become a very different kind of institution to the English pub of twenty years ago. Now, they tend to concentrate on being restaurants, perhaps with the / a bar adjoining. Last night the pub side featured a karaoke night, and intriguing renditions wafted through to the restaurant end. (In Japan there was a karaoke version of "Schizoid").
Pat, one of the most experienced Working Gigsters I know, was amusing us with his stories of working as a young drummer with Chuck Berry (about 18 years ago). And seeing Elvis in Las Vegas from the front row - more stories to that.
ProjeKt Two has been offered 3-5 live performances in Italy this July. Mainly open air, capacities 1,800 - 2,000. I am very keen to play in Europe, although performances in Italy are more like photo opportunities and occasions for a range of bootleg labels to extend the range of their catalogues. How to balance the privilege of playing music with this ongoing violation?
"May we have the clarity to see our work, the courage to embrace it, and the capacity to discharge it."
