A little bit of the rock face has been chipped away at today as I have recorded one chapter of the Bowie Day audio book. It is only a short story so it should be all recorded by the end of the week. I could have got it all done in one sitting but I spent a while catching up with the blog (even though I have only actually published as far as Friday at the time of writing this) and couldn't be bothered doing any more. As a work displacement activity, while at the same time trying to appear as though I was doing something productive, I tidied up the office a bit. I regularly take boxes home from the offices at court that originally contained reams of A4 paper and use them as filing boxes so I am able to store all the stuff that has been littering my desk and surrounding floor space. Every time I tidy up I come across something interesting (when I say interesting I am using the word somewhat recklessly) and today I found several wristbands from gigs. It isn't very often I go to a place that uses wristbands, most venues use the hand stamp, but as a hoarder I keep the papery wristbands and write on the back the date and the artist I have seen. When I die I am sure that even the most dedicated music archivist will probably drop them in the nearest waste paper basket but I am trying to keep them together along with flyers, posters, set-lists and other such gig flotsam - not that there is a great deal of that sort of thing available these days as most people rely on Facebook events. It would be a shame to lose the physical side of things which is why no matter how infrequently I do it I will always try and have something to put in the box. There is a challenge for musicians; print flyers and provide souvenirs for the more obsessive among your audience.
My gig diary for this week is empty so far apart from a choice on Thursday so I will have time to catch up on work unless I am alerted to something in the meantime. It is a double-edged sword really; I want to go and watch live music but I want to be working but I can't do both. Last Sunday I asked on Facebook for gig recommendations and George Gadd offered to come round my house and play for me. Apart from giving me the idea for an online video series, (I was thinking maybe on an afternoon tea theme - I've written it down so don't steal it), this occurred to me as the best of both worlds. I could have bands performing in my office while I work therefore I would be getting my fix of live music and fulfilling my obsession with writing a minimum of 500 words a day - it would be just like having the radio on.
This week's edition of The Sunday Alternative can be heard here.
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April housekeeping
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