Did Lockdown actually happen or did I imagine the whole thing?

 When I was a teenager, people would talk about the 'roaring twenties'. The post WW1 era of Jazz, prohibition and decadance. I imagined the women were glamourous, seductive and chain smoking. The music was up tempo sleazy Jazz. The age of talking films and Hollywood was dawning, the likes of Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin were comedy superstars. People had come through the first world war and wanted to enjoy themselves. FOr most of us in the UK, we went to the pictures for the big night out when we got paid. Of course, for most of the planet, it was nothing like that, but the tale that the TV told me as a youngster was of a golden era, before cynicism took hold.

Fast forward 100 years. It's 2023. We have recently lived through 'the pandemic'. It is perhaps the strangest period of any in the history of the planet. Unlike the two great wars of the 20th century, the world really was not that different when it emerged. There were no new countries, the political consensus was more or less the same as at the start of the pandemic. It was just as if someone pressed the pause button on our lives. Of course, many of us lost cherished loved ones, I certainly did, as any regular reader will know. But the more I think about it, the more I find it hard to believe the whole thing actually happened. From March to June, all I really did was lie in the garden, sunbathe, eat and drink beer. I tried not to think about anything. When I started to plan this blog, I thought I'd have a trawl the through the blogs I'd written during the lockdown period, come up with some pithy quotes and demonstrate that it was a very odd period. One that stuck out was this. I wrote it on the 1st April 2020, right in the middle of lockdown. 

 I love London, my London. My London is different to my mothers. I wish I'd asked her the bars, clubs, pubs that she loved, but I didn't. My London is different. My London is The Roundhouse, Bar Italia, Ronnie Scotts, The 100 Club, The Jazz Cafe, The Great Nepalese restaurant, The Globe pub in Borough Market, The Rake (around the corner from there), The Artillery Arms near Royal Artillery Court, Whitecross Street and Borough food markets, The pubs and Indian restaurants around Euston and Victoria. Perhaps my favourite areas are Fitzrovia (I worked around there for a couple of years) and Soho. I love Won Keys, The Coach and Horses, Gerard Street, but it is ever changing. 

I've been to all of those, apart from Won Key's, clearly something I need to put right ASAP. I realised that I was missing London desperately. Another hint was this, from a blog entitled "What you most want to hear during lockdown"

When I started to write this blog, it was entitled "Why I hate Zoom". Then I realise that I don't hate Zoom, I just hate the circumstances that have caused me to use it. If my kids were living in the USA and Australia and we were all having the time of our lives, I'd probably love it. As it is, when I use it, I just realise that it is a symbol of what we can't do, that we really enjoy. Life is a bit strange, it is like we are living Groundhog day. Every day, we do the same things in a slightly different order. The highlight is the daily press conference from number 10, when the latest hapless minister shares the death toll, tells us how many people got the bus yesterday and gives us some good news to soften the blow, such as that shoplifting is down or that the A43 roadworks have been completed.

I'd sort of forgotten about all that. Had you? Listening to the news about the Covid enquiry, I realise that my concerns were very different to those of the government. In fact, the more I learn about their behaviour, the more I wonder if it was all a collective neurosis and we all imagined the whole thing. 

As the full lockdown ended in Mid June, I was back in the studio almost immediately, with Charles Honderick providing some cracking vocals on what was the only track I wrote during the lockdown period. It is easy to forget that the whole "Black Lives matter" thing happened when the country was locked down. At the time the pictures of crowds pulling down statues was quite something. We'd not seen crowds at all. 

.

Time for a change

Nothing comes without a fight

Nothing happens just ‘cause you’re right

Nothing changes overnight

That’s why you need some organisation

Get your knee, get your knee

Get your knee Off my Brothers neck

The time has come, the time has come

The time has come for a change

Forget about conversations

You get nothing through mediation

You better get some organisation

If you want to get your rights

How much longer can you wait?

How many more does it take?

What sacrifice do we have  to make?

Before we get our rights?

Nothing comes without a fight

Nothing happens just ‘cause you’re right

Nothing changes overnight

That’s why you need some organisation

Get your knee, get your knee

Get your knee Off my Brothers neck

How many years, how many years

How many years do you think we can wait?

Get your knee, get your knee

Get your knee Off my Brothers neck

The time has come, the time has come

The time has come for a change

Copyright The False Dots 2020

The track was a real oddity in The False Dots history. A very different sort track to what we were doing at the time or since. It was a bit of an explosion of creativity following a hibernation. What is funny is that we wrote the song in the studio. We could never get it to sound good live. Very much a moment in time. Immediately after that we decided to write far softer and more upbeat songs with a Ska feel, it was almost like the closing of the chapter for me. 

The world has really taken a bad turn since the lifting of lockdown. Whereas lockdown was scary and touched all of us, the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza/Israel have the potential to escalate into something devastating for the whole planet. In hindsight lockdown was peaceful for many. My hope had been that it would be a period of reflection, where humanity, having stepped off the hamster wheel of the rat race, might actually decide to sort some of the long standing issues, such as poverty and inequality out. What we've got is actually far more horrible than I could imagine. We had time to reflect, but we didn't. We simply recharged the batteries of ignorance, bitterness, prejudice and hatred. Lockdown feels like a dream now. We've woken from our slumbers and found that the wolf is not at the door, he's chasing us back up the stairs and if we don't make it up in time and lock the door, he may well eat us alive.

Lockdown three years on - A few thoughts

 What were you doing three years ago today? I was sitting in Mill Hill Services club having a pint of beer, as lockdown was declared. It was expected and I thought I'd get a pint of draught bitter as I know it may take some time before I could have another one. We supped up when Boris made the announcement and all went home. I re-read the blog I wrote the day after, before writing this  - Why lockdown is the opportunity of a lifetime - when I was reading it, I was quite surprised to see how positive I was feeling about the whole thing. For me, the period of lockdown was an opportunity to reset many things. At the start of Lockdown, I imagined that I'd spend the period composing music. I didn't. All I did was lie in the sun and drink beer and write the odd blog. For the first time in my life I was willfully and deliberately lazy. I couldn't really be bothered to do anything and I felt far better for it. When lockdown was lifted, I found that the break had allowed me to recharge my batteries. For me as a musician, it made me realise I love making music and the band is just about finished making the resulting album of new material, which I think is the best of my career.

The False Dots · The False Dots - A finger in the sun

Whereas the day after lockdown, I wrote a blog, drank beer and lay in the Sun, three years later, tomorrow, the False Dots will play a gig at The Dublin Castle, a venue that is becoming our second home. This wouldn't have happened without the space of lockdown.

But no retrospective look at lockdown can be done without looking at the way our Prime Minister managed the crisis. I took a decision as lockdown was declared that I would not sit and snipe at Boris Johnson or his government. I felt it was important for the nation to come together. A virus does not discriminate. My father once told me that the second world war had taught him that sometimes the worst people in the world are the people who shine in a crisis. I genuinely believed that Boris Johnson would step up and carve himself out a place in history. 

At first, we did all come together. We'd step out and clap for the NHS. No one really argued. When Boris went down with covid, I prayed for him. I was horrified, as it showed that if it could nearly kill the Prime Minister, no one was safe. I didn't agree with every step the government took, but realised we were in uncharted waters. I am not quite sure exactly when the penny dropped, but it may well have been when Dominc Cummings went to Barnard Castle. Bit by bit, our eyes were opened. The government, who we had assumed were on our side and going through the same privations (I was unable to attend my aunt's funeral due to lockdown), were seemingly on an unending binge. The rules that applied to me and my business, did not apply at No 10 Downing Street. I think I watched every Boris Johnson nightly press conference during lockdown. Night after night we were implored to follow the rules. What we didn't know was that when he went behind those doors, it was party time. 

There seem to be a legion of Boris Johnson accolytes, claiming we need to move on and that he didn't 'knowingly' mislead us. Did I imagine all of those press conferences? Johnson's claim that he had to organise booze ups to keep up the morale of staff in No 10 Downing Street is sickening. If he wanted to thank staff, he could have sent them a case of beer and a card. Did nurses working like Trojans get a booze up and a cake with their mates? Of course they didn't and I know a couple who were completely burned out by the experience. 

I personally believe Boris Johnson should be in the dock, charged with criminal neglegence and corporate manslaughter for the way his administration managed the pandemic. Whilst his reckless non observance was repulsive, they were al grown ups putting themselves at risk. I think we can now see why so many caught the disease. What is the real issue is how vulnerable people were thrown to the wolves. Sending elederly people who were infected with covid back into care homes, with no mitigations, caused tens of thousands of needless deaths, deaths where the family couldn't say goodbye (unlike Johnson's staff who got a booze up and a cake). 

Should we find ourselves in pandemic conditions again, Boris Johnson has blown all trust that the British public had for our ruling class. What no one seems to keen to mention is that his Chancellor was living next door and must have known all about it. Why was he not before the committee, after all, he got a fixed penalty notice as well.

For me, one of the most disturbing aspects of Johnson's behaviour was that he has poured petrol on the bonfire of anti lockdown, covid denying anti vaxxers. They can claim, and it is hard to refute, that the people who ran the country and knew all the facts, were not following the lockdown rules, so they must have not really been too bothered about covid. I don't subscribe to this view, but Johnson has given them a very plausable argument.

One of the things that did interest me about the anti lockdown argument is that "Sweden didn't lock down and they did far better than we did". Unlike most covid deniers, I have lived in Sweden. When I was living there, several things struck me. Firstly, people followed rules. People put litter in the bins. If the government suggested observing basic hygene rules, people would do it. The second thing is that there are far fewer people in there cities. I recall going to the large department store in T-Centralen and being amazed at how much empty space there was. The rush hour public transport was nowhere nearly as busy as London. In short, the culture is very different and they did not have a government that sent infectious people back into the community. Lockdowns are very blunt instruments. My belief is that Boris was a week late in implementing it. If we'd have locked down when it was clear that it was needed, I believe we'd have seen far fewer deaths. 

Over the nine months before a vaccine was deployed, the NHS learned a lot of lessons in how to treat covid sufferers. The lockdown bought us time to learn those lessons and develop a vaccine. I believe that the Eat Out to Help Out policy was responsible for bringing the virus back. Rishi Sunal should have waited until the vaccine was available. 

Personally, distasteful as it was, I'd have forgiven Boris his beer and cake if he'd done his day job properly. As he didn't and tens of thousands died needlessly, I'd like to see him behind bars. AS he will get away with that Scott Free, if he gets booted out of Parliament for his antics, all I can really say is that's the least he deserved. 

How you can save the London economy when lockdown is lifted

 The mood music has changed and the wind is definitely blowing warmer with regards to the chill of lockdown. Hopefully by the end of the month we will have a 'roadmap' to freedom. As our thoughts turn to what we will be doing, we should all be giving a thought to how we can help London get back on its feet. many businesses have had their finances decimated by the lockdown. The hospitality industry has been especially hard hit, but there are other areas of the economy that are also suffering. We've made a list of ten things you might want to consider doing, to help hard presssed sectors. Why not print this off and tick them off as you do them. Of course we can't do it today, but lets start thinking about. 

1. Have a beer and/or a meal at your local pub/restaurant or bar. This sector has been hit harder than just about any other. Please bear in mind that many will take time to find their feet again, so don't be surprised if the menu is limited, they haven't got your favourite tipple or they are out of peanuts. Give them time and help them rebuild. If we don't support these businesses, they will not pull through.

2. Go to a grassroots sports event. The Premiership has an income stream from TV. The smaller clubs, for instance Barnet FC locally have no such lifeline. Get back on the terraces when they open. Spend some money on beer/tea/coffee/pies. For me, the day Hadley FC welcome back fans will be a very happy day.

3. Buy something from your local independent traders. Whilst many have been doing some business on click and collect, for most this has not replaced the lost turnover. Small shops selling clothes, gifts, Jewellery, musical instruments etc are deemed non essential and have had to shut. Make it worth their while reopening.

4. Get a haircut. Most of us are starting to look as if we've been stranded on a desert Island. Get your hair done, your nails buffed up etc.

5. Get your car washed. Car washes have been forced to shut. Help them get back on their feet. Most are small, family run businesses.

6. Go and see some live music. This sector has been closed for a year. Music is a key area for the UK economy, what could be better than seeing some great live music, whether it is in a small club or in one of our amazing big venues.

7. Go to the Theatre and see a production. Like live music Theatres have suffered. Help them get back on their feet.

8. Visit an attraction. London has many key attractions. It will be a long time before Tourism returns to normal levels, so what better time to check them out, before they are back to their normal busy levels.

9. Go to the cinema. Cinema's are another area that have taken a real pasting. If you love the cinema, get back in there.

10. Give a donation to your favourite charity if you have some spare cash. Charities haev had more work and less income. Help them do their job, so we can all get back on our feet. Although donating to a charity is not as much fun as going for a meal, seeing a band or going to the Theatre, sadly it is an area of the economy we'll need more than ever.

Coping with lockdown (or not)

One of the guys who works for me commented to me today that I seem to be the only person he knows who is dealing with lockdown and not cracking up. He'd told me he had 'writers block as he was obsessed with the horror of what is happening.  I gave him a pep talk about using the free time to write some new music and if he was having difficulty getting inspiration, to try and write something left field and out of his comfort zone. I've no idea if my words will help or have any positive effect. I said to him "Don't be in a position, in two years time, when you don't have the time then to do stuff that you could be doing now, and wished you had". Being creative is hard and cannot be forced, but sometimes you can reboot yourself artistically with a bit of reinvention. Bowie was the master of it.

One of the most pervasive aspects of this situation is that it seems to be sucking all of the life and postivity out of creative people. I have a confession, I went through a period when I was struggling. I've always had structure in my life, always worked towards goals. It is hard to have any goals at the moment. We've no holidays booked, no desire to book one. The only goal for the business is to survive until 'things pick up'. With my band, our singer is isolating, so rehearsals have almost become a self help group, jamming abstract ideas, to work out for a forthcoming album to follow the forthcoming album we were due to release in December, but have postponed indefinitely. We are having our first rehearsal of the year next week. We are also working on a track we are planning for release. The main purpose is actually to learn our new software in the recording studio. Today, the UK passes 100,000 deaths from Covid. That is a really awful number. I think it would be distateful to say too much about the reasons today. But if that doesn't make you feel slightly down, then maybe you need to take a look at yourself. 

But I am coping now. Whether I will be tomorrow, next week, next month, who knows? But I am coping. I've achieved this by making some sort of routine for myself. At the start of lockdown, I was drinking too much. This was mostly boredom. I am not a three bottle of scotch a day person, but I was having a few beers, sharing a bottle of wine over dinner and then maybe a nightcap. After a few weeks of this, I realised that this was not good for my health. I had a consultation about my Prostate cancer last May, which focussed my mind. I returned to my "not drinking for three days a week" rule. During the first lockdown, the weather was great, so we did lots of long dog walks and I did lots of sunbathing in the garden. The lack of traffic meant that the air was fresher, with less pollution from the M1. As it became clear that lockdown was lifting, we made plans for reopening the business. Risk assessments, improved ventilation and other measures. As we moved into August, things seemed good. Gradually the tide turned.

Now we find ourselves back where we were in March. It is frightening. What seems worse is that whilst we should be more positive, from a rational point of view, no one seems to be feeling anything other than bereft. There are three vaccines that seem to work. It should be the case that when we are open later in the year, the vaccines will mean we are in a much better place. But it seems to me that the mood music is negative. Listening to todays Boris briefing, I am worried that he is painting the wrong colours on the picture. I believe that his message should be more positive (perhaps not today, but generally) if he has the evidence that the vaccines work (which he certainly should have). We need to stick to the rules now, so we are around and healthy to appreciate the benefits of this later in the year. n the picture. I believe that his message should be more positive (perhaps not today, but generally) if he has the evidence that the vaccines work (which he certainly should have). My biggest fear is that Boris is not helping the nations mental health with his approach, both the rambling chaos and tardiness or the mixed messages from manic bohomie to dire predictions of doom. I do wonder whether he ever seeks counsel on what effect his words may have on someone who is struggling to keep afloat.  We don't even have our churches, mosques, temples and shuls for solace. The normal support networks are broken. Many are cut off from friends, family and work colleagues. I have 14 staff at the studio, I've not seen eight of them since March 2020. People I'd see every day. Some of my studio customers have seen me more than they've seen shielding parents this year. It is truly awful.

As to me, I have done various things to make myself feel better and more positive. Here are a few things (you know how I love lists).

1. I am not drinking during the week. That means I have something to look forward to and makes the weekends feel special.

2. I am writing some new music, this gives me a channel for my creative juices.

3. We have a family takeaway curry on a Friday. This gives me a degree of normality in my life and I look forward to it all week.

4. I play myself some Ska music every day. Ska always puts a smile on my face, we all need to smile.

5. I am building a portfolio of pictures from around Mill Hill, working out the best time of day and lighting patterns to get various pictures. When this is all over, I intend to get some prints made.

6.  On social media, I've done everything to purge negative influences, by blocking trolls and other people who I do not need in my life.

7. I've put down my pen, I was writing an auto biography, but I realised that I was dredging up extremely negative feelings about some episodes in my life. This is not the time to address these things. I should add, 90% of the book is fun and full of laughter. The trouble is there is a very dark 10%. I was getting fixated on this, it was not healthy and with nothing else to think about was destructive.

8. I am walking everywhere, unless it is not practical or possible. 

These things may not seem like much, but they have given me focus. In life we all fall. There is nothing wrong with falling, it is human. Picking yourself up is hard, especially when the future looks difficult. But picking ourself up is what we do. We get on with it. Hopefully we'll all live longer than a few months, if we do, at some time this period will look like a strange period in our lives a long time ago. Like the three day week in 1974, like the cold war, like the hurricane of '87. Like 9/11. I remember after 9/11 when I was working in central London, every time I heard a low flying plane I flinched. I stopped flinching a very long time ago

 As George Harrison said, all things must pass. This will.