As the year draws to a close, I have realised that this is the year when I started to feel old. Given that I'm 61, it's not really that surprising. Age has started to catch up with me. I have stopped playing five a side football, not because I wanted to, but because it was becoming too painful to actually play. Then there was the ravages of a radical prostatectomy. I am still coming to terms with the implications of that. One of the implications is that when I need to go to the loo, I have to go ASAP. I've been lucky, U am not incontinent, as many people are after the op, but when I need to go I need to go. I was walking abck from football last night and I realised I needed to go. There was a large bush, up a small incline that offered a degree of privacy on public land, so I though "I'll just nip up there". It was another moment when I realised I was 61 not 16, it was slippery and difficult to climb. Had I not needed it, I would have made a plan B, but I was committed. I'm pretty fit for my age, but I am learning that there are limits.
I'm not interested in pretending I am 'down there with the kids'. The one place this has caused me a lot of thought is in the music I make. I think the band has managed to sound very current but also quite nostalgic. We've had a relatively busy year gig wise. A residency at The Dublin Castle (our final gig of the year is on Saturday 23rd, please come down) has reaffirmed to me my love of playing music. The lyrics I am writing ado tend to be reflective. There are references there that I guess you'd have to be my age to get, but my kids tell me that the music grooves and they love the ambience of the band. Recently we added brilliant Trumpet player Tom Hammond to the band. That makes our sound completely different. It works well with the new material. I am getting the hang of writing songs with trumpet parts. Being musically illiterate, I whistle them and Tom works them out.
There is a saying that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". As a dog owner, with an old dog, I know this to be untrue. Clearly you can't expect them to be puppies, but they certainly can learn tricks, especially where there is a reward. For me, it is the same with music. The reward is that I love playing. Doing gigs also gives us an excuse to get together with mates. I have actually started to realise that the concept of "being old" is a myth (unless you don't want to enjoy life). Things change, but they can change for the better. Clearly if you are debilitated in some way by an age related condition (dementia, mobility issues etc), that is a whole different kettle of fish, but if you are in generally good health, it's about adapting to a different pace of life.
When I was a 16 year old punk rocker, and I co-wrote Not All She Seems with Pete Conway, I never dreamed I'd be singing the song at The Dublin Castle 44 years later. I guess what would have supprised me even more, was that we'd be playing it as a far more punky thrash than when we first wrote it. Much of the set is now based on Ska music, but we always finish with a bang. This week, the band digitally released our first single. You can listen on Spotify, Apple music etc, here's a link to Spotify.
Life changes, things move on. Have a great Sunday
We've also knocked up a special video, we hope you like it. It even features The Tardis at Mill Hill Music Complex (yes really!).
In short, don't give up until you have to
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