The Brief

I've posted one of the demos that I recorded for The Change last weekend on myspace. Its a song that I wrote four years ago, and has featured in most of my sets since then. Its about the moment when I was given my brief as a writer. When I signed a contract with Busker John/Beer Bottle Joe/or whatever else you want to call him.

Its not a bad attempt at recording it. Rushed somewhat for the sake of getting it done in time to send it off to the others, but The Brief should be a really strong song for us...it comes from the best kind of place for a rock songwriter. Its a very sincere song about a moment which seemed decisive for me at the time. It must still be now, because its shaped my life into the unshapeable existence that I'm in now.

We are rehearsing this weekend. Two full days of it. I will be going to work on Monday with bandages on my hands. I am very excited by what we are looking to do. I would like to bring a VJ into the mix as well for the shows, get someone who is really innovative and aspires to align rock music with the visual arts.

I also feel some trepidation. Not about the group and not about what we'll sound like. I'm pretty confident on that front. I think that I'm feeling something deeper than that at the moment. I miss people who are dead or estranged, I'm also confused about my station in the world. I seem to have a lot of people telling me that I'm destined for great things and it isn't in the brown nosing sense, but I'm suspicious as to the accuracy of their assumptions. There is something else at work here. Other people tell me that I'm talented. This is not the case...but I am very determined, and anything that might be misconstrued as talent is in actual fact a brief flash of inspiration gifted to me from above by God's grace. Any other writer worth their wait in salt would agree with me on this.

I think that its more about being a misfit. If you're a misfit, then you don't fucking fit! And so you end up in strange situations in life. What would they say other than 'you're going to be a big success buddy boy', what would the alternative be, how about 'you're going to be ranting outside the Oxfam shop door way, preaching about the end being nigh with a bald head and shit on your clothes!'

Doesn't sound like such a nice thing to say to someone who you've met and seems to be eccentric, does it?!!

Its going to be a really loud weekend.

Tom.