David left for the family service at our local church with Beasts Singleton, myself to prepare our home and Christmas stockings for Little Horse Willcox. All of Toyah's stockings except one (a proper colourful Christmas moose) are large, thick socks which attempted to keep my feet warm at Sherborne Horse. (They failed, and Sherborne remains the coldest period of my life).
Bunny had a Christmas sock - not quite a stocking - placed next to the articificial bunny in the bedroom fireplace. Wonder Bun has four basic positions which he adopts when lying in the fireplace. One of them is a snuggling-up to the dummy bun, realistically fashioned of wood and straw. Bun has taken to eating this artifical rabbit's back, but has not yet opened his sock and plundered the treats within.
Volume Two of "Cirkus" is now assembled in outline. It is fascinating, hearing a live overview of all the Crimson incarnations between 1969-98, to recall two decades of press hostility towards a number of exceptional musicians playing some outstanding music. David & I are hoping that Virgin release this in March / April 1999: it will provide an opportunity for a new generation of listeners to make their own judgements; and an older generation to reassess this unikely group's contributions to rock music.
Hugh the Diseased telephoned on Christmas morning. He has been out of action for several days, one result of which is the delay in posting the Diary. Hugh's health and wellbeing over the holiday takes considerable precedence over this, but apologies nevertheless to Web visitors. Hugh had been afraid that he would miss Christmas with his Mother for the first time but, pitiable though he sounded, was heroically setting off to Marlow.
The musical accompaniment to this evening's Diarying is the Soundscapes performance at the Iron Rail, Northampton, of 16th. November. Earlier, the greatest hits of The Four Seasons attracted my interest, to celebrate and remember the members of the 1962-63 League of Gentlemen. At this time of year I remember family and old friends, and hope to meet with Tino, Stan, Gordon & Reg in the New Year.
The Soundscapes, now 19 minutes underway, have opened a space which bids me welcome. I am permitted to be whoever I am in this space, and in this place mundane time is held at bay. How music does this continues to baffle and amaze me; but I accept that this is so, and continue the attempt to understand its mystery. All the philosophical writings, academic studies of the ologies of music, Marxist commentary on "the social product of art" & the hegemony of particular musical / cultural forms, arguments on the "fetishisation of the inherent & delineated meanings of music", these and more, have no contribution whatsoever to make when I walk onstage to play music.
Response to a recent posting on the Guestbook:
The topic of House Mouse attracted several commentators, including Michael Peters who asks: why kill the mouse?
Today in a kitchen food cupboard I came across fresh mouse droppings. Why "kill" the creature that put them there? Because as a mouse runs its urinates. When it runs on kitchen surfaces it leaves a trail of piss, and then leaves faecal detritus in food and utensil cupboards.
Country people are not sentimental about animals. Animals have a function to serve, which is to be respected. As a human animal, I accept that I also have a function to serve. If there are too many of me to be supported by my environment, or if my behaviour is inappropriate towards the place which supports me, then I may well be culled by the agent / agency responsible for ordering the herd of which I am a part.
Before I became a vegetarian (1974) I stopped eating veal (as did my Mother) because of the conditions in which veal calves are raised. Here in the semi-country, the extensive planting of hedges and trees at our home have provided a growing and increasing habitat for wildlife. Les, 91 year old gardener, told Toyah he thinks we are becoming a wildlife sactuary (he exagerrated a little).
If I take life, whether vegetables, fruit & fish, or the turnip wrenched from a vegetable plot at Sherborne House - it screamed at me - or the mass of house flies which congregate in the attic during summer months, or a pesky House Mouse which has a penchant for walnuts and nocturnal finger buffets, I accept responsibility for taking the life that I take. This is placed on my debit account, and I have a debt to settle.
So, in conscience, these are the terms of engagement which I have proposed to the creatures of and near our home:
Dear wildlife, I respect & admire you. I watch you with amazement and wonder. You entertain & instruct me. You are beautiful. You prey on each other, and our fish. I accept that this is the way you live, and die. Outside the walls of this building I provide you sanctuary, and a place to make your home. If you wander inside these walls inadvertently (as do you birds, regularly) I will help you to leave. If you wish to remain & live within these walls, you are unwelcome. This is my deal: outside, be welcome & happy. Inside, be prepared to die.
Neither the friendly nor unfriendly traps have had any success to date, and I haven't been trying very hard. But neither anthropomorphism, nor a paralysing sentimentality, provide a framework for humans to address their responsibilities towards animals. In my view.
20.11
A second significant space has opened, and closed in turn, at Northampton.
My Hannukah reading is "Paradigm Shift - From the Jewish Renewal Teachings of" Reb Zalman Schacter-Shalomi. This follows the recent completion of Rabbi David Cooper's "God Is A Verb".
As an intended part of our Christmas lunch, Toyah bought several cans of Sainsbury's "Economy Kidney Beans - in water". When she opened the cans, all she found inside was water and not a kidney bean in sight. "That's about as economical as you can get" suggested a man from Dorset.
21.21
Soundscapes from The Painted Bride in Philly have now begun.
21.50
Another space has opened and welcomed me in. Time hovers, without demand that I move on.
"Mastery acts on what is below.
Artistry submits to what is above."
