Diary: December 2018

2 December 2018, Pangbourne
Sodden newspaper on metal bench at Platform 2 of Pangbourne railway station.

2 December 2018, London
Got these roughs from Hackney artist Coline L’Archiver. We did a jazz/art workshop at Headway last week with the aim of producing artwork that might appear on T-shirts for a jazz event. Mine is the crappy Letraset thing, a case of do it faster, make it better.

And this from Errol.


4 December 2018, London
On a 'Best of Ennio Morricone’ album is a fab version of 'Gabriel's Oboe’ from the film The Mission played on flute, guitar and pan-pipes.

6 December 2018, London
Message sent to Hackney artist Coline L'Archiver
“Many many years before I became an artist at the Submit to Love studio at Headway East London, I worked as a writer in the music press. One day, for some reason, I was invited to the retirement party of Jack Hutton, the managing director of the company I worked for. Jack was an old jazzer, so the party was at Ronnie Scott's in Soho. It was a lively event at which Jack made a speech. He told stories from his past as a young reporter, one of which was the occasion on which he interviewed John Coltrane. Jack finished his interview by asking Coltrane if he had any advice. Yes, answered the master, “Have sex and travel”. Only when Jack returned to the office and repeated his gem of a quote to a senior editor did he learn that “Have sex and travel” is a roundabout way of telling someone to “Fuck off!” Jack's unhappy brush with a legend was the inspiration for my typographical piece HAVE SAX AND TRAVEL. It is a small detail in the rich tapestry of jazz, but one that nevertheless always makes me smile.”

20 December 2018, London
At Headway today during Christmas lunch, SD told me a story from when he was a young boy in Birkenhead. While his mother was ill in hospital - dying from cancer as it came to pass - his father employed a woman called Rose as a home help. According to SD, this woman abused her trusted position to run up massive bills and even to pilfer the contents of the young SD’s plastic piggy bank. When his father came to check the contents of the piggy bank and found it empty, he blamed and scolded SD for spending it all on sweets. A smack around the head is what SD got when he protested his innocence. SD said I was the first person he had ever told that story to. Unfortunately, he started the story by describing Rose as his “nanny”, which led instantly to cruel jibes from me about SD’s fellowship with Jacob Rees-Mogg.

21 December 2018, London
Paula, Sean and Sue Howard came round for pizza and a viewing of the film Elf, which coincidentally stars both Lou Grant (Ed Asner) and Professor Proton (Bob Newhart). Sean’s treat as an 8-year-old was to talk to Alexa, and he wasted no time in getting familiar. But unlike the adults we have introduced to her, he did not treat her as a slave. He spoke to her politely, asking questions such as who was the first Roman Emperor and which was the heaviest dinosaur. Alexa was polite back, even to the extent of her response to Sean’s declaration of his love for her. “Wow!” she replied, “That’s very flattering.”

22 December 2018, London
Saw MH from GAH at the bus stop today. She said she had been unwell with a cold and had gone to get her hair cut to cheer herself up, but it didn’t work. She also told me that when her husband T was still alive (he died in 2016), they had given up buying each other Christmas presents because they had everything they wanted. Nevertheless, each year Ted still bought her some Chanel perfume. Since his death she has bought it for herself, but told me she rarely had much use for perfume “these days”.

22 December 2018, London
Merry Wives of Windsor at the Barbican Theatre. Roll together off-the-shelf, writing-to-order Shakespeare humour, Are You Being Served, ‘Allo ‘Allo, The Only Way Is Essex and Carry On Everything and you get the picture. Great Christmas fun. It made me want to re-read all of Shakespeare’s comedies.

23 December 2018, London
In the 'paper' today. Labour leadership under pressure over Brexit.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/23/labour-leadership-is-at-rock-bottom-wont-be-forgiven-for-conniving-in-rightwing-brexit

28 December 2018, London
There is a coffee bar in Farringdon that does not take cash. I remember when it was difficult to pay by card. Retailers were suspicious. Card-reading machines were rare and banks did not repay the money very quickly.

30 December 2018, Los Cristianos, TenerifeColour combinations. Pink and grey has long been a favourite for me. The grey clouds and the pink sunset here at Paloma Beach is mesmerising. Add a pristine sky blue to those colours and the effect is sublime.