Party On!

This weekend, the My 80s radio show celebrates its first anniversary at Mad Wasp Radio. In the run up to this momentous occasion, I have been back in touch with some of my former Favourite Five guests,  to ask them to choose their favourite 80’s dance floor fillers, which will be played in our special party show this Sunday from 7pm.

The tunes I will be playing are as wonderful and eclectic as the artists who have chosen them, so be sure to listen in as some of the decade’s much-loved musicians takeover the My 80s playlist and introduce their choices. I’ve a few little treats lined up for the listeners too, including our very own ‘Batesy’, Alan Read, returning with another Our Choon.

It’s the perfect way to end the week!

 

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More Eighties For Free on Father’s Day

A little treat for all the dads this Father’s Day, or for anyone wanting to escape the World Cup – actually, for all fans of 80’s music, whether or not you’re celebrating your paternity or avoiding the football frenzy – the kindle version of More Eighties will be FREE on Amazon this coming Sunday and Monday. 

For those readers who don’t own a kindle, simply download the free kindle app to read the book on devices including PC, mobile and laptop.

The third and final book in a trilogy on Eighties’ popular culture, More Eighties explores how the decade provided a backdrop against which creativity and individuality flourished, the social and political factors which shaped the music of a generation, the changing role and influence of record companies, and why the era remains a golden age for so many of us.
Featuring interviews with artists including:
David Ball – Soft Cell – Martyn Ware – Heaven 17 – Dave Wakeling – The Beat – Pauline Black – The Selecter – Eddi Reader – Fairground Attraction – Rusty Egan – Visage – Jona Lewie – Suzi Quatro – Andy Kyriacou – Modern Romance – Nathan Moore – Brother Beyond, and Junior Giscombe.
Reflecting the diversity of the UK charts during that time, this book offers recollections, insights and observations from those at the forefront of British music during the most exciting, transitional period in its history. With a foreword and commentary by Peter Coyle, former lead singer of the Lotus Eaters, songwriter, and the man responsible for introducing karaoke to the city of Liverpool, completing the eclectic mix.

If you could leave a review on Amazon when you’ve finished More Eighties, that would be great. Not only does your feedback help me with my future writing but it improves the book’s visibility on Amazon (don’t ask me how – their algorithms are beyond my comprehension!), meaning more fans of the decade are likely to find it.

Happy reading.

 

The My 80s Archives

The Favourite Five feature on the My 80s radio show, in which my special guests choose their five favourite songs from the Eighties, is proving popular with listeners. All My 80s shows are uploaded to Mixcloud, but just to make things a little bit easier when searching for a particular show, I’ve listed the shows by guest below. Happy listening!

Nik Kershaw

David Ball – Soft Cell

Mari Wilson

Brian ‘Nasher’ Nash – Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Peter Coyle – The Lotus Eaters

Clark Datchler – Johnny Hates Jazz

Nick van Eede – Cutting Crew

Junior Giscombe

Leee John – Imagination

Dennis Seaton – Musical Youth

Ian Donaldson – H2O

Bobby McVay – The Fizz

Tracie Young

Andy Kyriacou – Modern Romance

David Brewis – The Kane Gang

Clive Jackson – Doctor & The Medics

Eddie Roxy – Department S

Owen Paul interviewing me

Erkan Mustafa – Grange Hill

Paula Ann Bland – Grange Hill

Andy O – Blue Zoo

Helen McCookerybook – The Chefs

Steve Blacknell

Gnasher – Street artist & muralist

Jamie Days – Author

Alan Read – My 80s quiz master

John Bowen & Wayne Lee – 80’s Smash Hits penpals

Listeners: Tanya Raftery

 

 

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World Poetry Day

In my corner of the world today, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and daffodils are blooming in abundance throughout the village. A glorious backdrop for World Poetry Day, one which evokes images of Wordsworth’s wandering cloud, and perfectly sums up the hope which Spring always brings me. Hope is one of the themes underlying a poem I wrote, which Peter Coyle has used as the lyrics for his beautiful single The Year After You. Here is the poem as I originally wrote it.

 

The Year After You

 

You left on a Sunday, a day reserved for best.

That’s what was stolen from me as you took your last rest.

Wailing and sobbing, but feeling oh so numb,

Repeatedly asking how it had come to this meaningless, empty life without you.

No longer caring if I made it through

To the next day or even the next hour.

Sweetness and light turned sullen and sour.

 

I was smashed and broken when your birthday came and went,

Searching for a sign, something you had sent

To let me know you were still around.

There was nothing.

An overwhelming void where you should have been.

It wasn’t fair.  How could this have happened? What did it all mean?

 

No answers came, only platitudes empty of sense.

If time’s a good healer, the wait would be immense.

 

Cut to the core, my wound is soul deep.

Waking only to fill the gaps between sleep,

When I’m with you again, seeing you smile,

Hearing your voice for just a little while.

But those times become fewer and despite what they seem,

Reality hits: You can’t cuddle a dream.

 

Shutting out the world (It’s a scary place without you)

Or wanting to punch everyone in it.

There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to have you back for only a minute.

I know it can’t happen, but the notion beats reality.

A coping mechanism, saving me from insanity.

 

Then, slowly, like a new-born lamb finding its feet,

Shakily, unsteady, I venture from my retreat.

 

Life’s ride is still running, a gift there for the taking,

Even if the effort seems hardly worth making.

I vowed to keep good memories. How could I forget?

I promised you I’d be happy. That hasn’t happened yet,

But I’m starting to think one day it might.

The future bodes less daunting, less dismal, if not quite bright.

 

So, I sit listening to the songs we once shared together.

Moments of bliss, they will last in my heart, today, tomorrow, forever.

You will be with me always, that much I know to be true,

As I stumble along in the year after you.

More Eighties

Few authors will confess to having a favourite amongst their own books. It’s almost an unspoken rule that such an admission is akin to admitting to having a favourite child. (On the off-chance either of my kids are reading this, I love you both the same!) However, with the forthcoming publication of my next book, I can show no such impartiality in my work, as this has been the most interesting, rewarding and fun to research and write.

The final book in my trilogy on Eighties’ popular culture, More Eighties will be published by Fabrian Books on 16th May, 2017. Featuring interviews with Eighties’ artists including Dave Ball, Martyn Ware, Pauline Black, Dave Wakeling, Eddi Reader, Suzi Quatro, Rusty Egan, Jona Lewie, Junior Giscombe and Nathan Moore, the book explores how the decade provided a backdrop against which creativity and individuality flourished.  The role and influence of the record companies is also examined, along with a look at why music from the era has not only endured but grown in popularity.

In addition to contributing his insights, anecdotes and recollections of the Eighties, former Lotus Eaters lead singer Peter Coyle has written the foreword for More Eighties, perfectly capturing the core of the book’s objective. Another reason this book is top of my list.

I will keep you posted about details such as when it becomes available for pre-order and outlets, but I am happy to be able to reveal the cover for More Eighties today. Look out for it coming your way soon.

 

 

Everything You Can Imagine Is Real

Imagine a world where the works and words of Picasso are brought to life through music, performance, dance and poetry, against a backdrop of art representing some of the most recognisable faces in British history. That is exactly what happened last Friday evening at London’s National Portrait Gallery. In a scene reminiscent of the film Night At The Museum, where the past is brought to life in full technicolour and stereo, historical heritage played host to the Picasso-inspired Everything You Can Imagine Is Real. Curated and produced by Martyn Ware for Illustrious, the late shift event drew in an vast and diverse crowd, as eclectic as those performing.

Whilst I did manage to catch some of the other 28 acts from the packed programme, such as brilliantly astute poet Luke Wright, I was there for Peter Coyle’s performance at the end of the evening. Those of you who read last week’s blog will know that Peter’s next single, to be released on 3rd February, uses one of my poems as its lyrics. I have been privileged to hear both the first recording and the final master of that track, so I know how beautiful and pure Peter’s voice sounds even when it has been untampered. I couldn’t wait to hear him perform live the songs he had written to incorporate Picasso’s poetry. I wasn’t alone.

An impressive bunch of 80’s artists had gathered for the former Lotus Eaters’ contribution to the evening, including Brian Nash (Frankie Goes To Hollywood), David Ball (Soft Cell) and Nick Van Eede (Cutting Crew). A short time into Peter’s performance, I saw him glance over and smile at the person who had just stood come and next to me, Holly Johnson.

I don’t know if I can do justice in describing not only what I heard but saw, as an exquisitely delightful interpretation of the work of one of Spain’s greatest exports was delivered by one of Liverpool’s finest. Sublime. Immersive. Emotive. All of the above, yet so much more.

At some point in the future, I believe footage from Peter’s performance will be available via his website. In the meantime, here is a recording I took of him during soundcheck earlier in the day. Enjoy…

 

The Year After You

Writing extensively about the Eighties means I sometimes have to be more analytical than reflective. Holding up a mirror is not enough. You have to examine things in microscopic detail. However, irrespective of whether I’m writing about an historic event, a backstage anecdote or a fond recollection, there is an underlying fundamental thread that often defies methodical analysis. The people involved in these events.

I could write reams on the political significance and worldwide implications of the fall of the Berlin Wall, but just one image of the revellers celebrating its demise atop the landmark, shortly before its collapse, says so much more than I ever could. The revelation, during my interview with Ranking Roger, of David Bowie turning delivery boy ahead of his Milton Keynes gig in 1983, to ensure Saxa had his cans of White Stripe, only serves to emphasise the star quality of the man behind the legend. Even something as simple as recalling the first single we bought can evoke strong emotions, not only because of the music but the people associated with it too: the artist, the person who was with us when we bought the record, who we sang, danced or cried with to that track. Memories may be made of the sights, sounds and even smells of our past but the truth is, without people they are nothing. That is why it hurts so much to lose someone who has been an integral part of those memories.

Last April, after a cruel battle with a particularly aggressive form of lung cancer, Lee, my best friend and soulmate of 25 years lost his fight with the disease, at the age of 51. The months that followed are really just a blur, in which I honoured existing obligations on autopilot but have no clear memory. Photos from that time are the only tangible proof I have of my existence then. In most, I have a familiar big smile, but when I look at my eyes I see someone who truly did not know what day of the week it was. It wasn’t until the end of July when, thanks to the help of some wonderfully supportive friends, I began to write again. Although prior to that, I had begun to write poetry for the first time since my late teens.

A couple of months ago, I shared one of those poems, ‘The Year After You’, with Peter Coyle, who later told me “I only read the first two verses and I had to stop. It made me cry and so I had to walk away and come back to it later. It was very emotional and that is why I wanted to try and put it into a song. Even then it was difficult. It hurts just listening to it for me, because the words are so raw and sincere. There is a real beauty and strength to them. They have a direct link to the heart.”

That song was waiting for me when I arrived home one Saturday afternoon last November. I had been to London for a radio interview to promote The 80’s Annual, and had then gone on to interview Soft Cell’s David Ball for my next book. Coming home to discover one of The Lotus Eaters had turned one of my poems into a song perfectly topped off the kind of day my teenage self could have barely dared to dream about. ‘The Year After You’ is a deeply personal poem I wrote about losing Lee, so it will come as no surprise to know I was in tears when the track finished playing. Peter admits that in writing the song “I was very scared because the words to ‘The Year After You’ were so real and intimate, but it just gripped me and wouldn’t let go. It is so special to open up and allow someone else’s personal feelings and emotions to be expressed in the music, even when they are difficult emotions, but it is harder singing someone’s words because you have to assimilate them as though they come from your heart. You just hope that the writer sees that you are trying to reflect her honesty.”

I had only to hear the emotion in Peter’s voice, as he sang the words I had written, to know that. However, I was still uncertain when he suggested the possibility of releasing the song. It had taken a lot of deliberation before sharing the poem with him, so the thought of it being in the public eye was quite overwhelming. Understanding my reticence, Peter left the decision with me. The song was a gift to me, so it was up to me who should hear it.

Eventually, I decided there could be no better tribute to the man who had been by my side for most of my adult life, and whose loss had changed it forever. Besides, who was I to stop anyone from hearing this gorgeous creation, which may have arisen from sadness but has finished as a beautifully crafted message of hope?

So, early December saw Peter in the studio, mixing the song which I am pleased to announce will be released on 3^rd February. Currently, the track can be pre-ordered from iTunes and will also be available from various outlets such as Amazon and Spotify.

To find out more about Peter Coyle and his music, visit his website: www.petercoyle.com.