OK, so technically it would actually be my first album. And of course, I first have to have a band, and learn some songs, and other details. It’s a project that’s been in the works for about 40 years. But don’t make like I’m procrastinating or anything. As you well know, I’ve been working on band names, and a playlist, and other essentials. (As a former managing editor I knew who was famous for his malaprops used to say, there I go again, putting the horse before the cart.)
And now, my cover art. Never mind that cover art is a passé art form, because people don’t put covers on their MP3s. I don’t care. I love album covers. Art for art’s sake, and all that. Let the Philistines sneer. Or the modernists. Or whoever is inclined to sneer, let them.
Bottom line, today is another really busy day, and I have two or three little ADCO projects I have yet to start, and finish, by the end of the day. So just to say I posted something, here ya go.
The backstory: This VERY out-of-tune piano was in the hallway outside our room at the bed-and-breakfast where we stayed in Oxford (that’s the exterior below). No one but me touched the piano while we were there. I would have known; immediately on the other side of the wall it’s up against is the head of the bed I slept in.
What am I playing? Well, my right hand is playing the opening chords of “Let it Be.” My left hand is just posing. I never really even learned to play the piano with one hand, much less play with two at the same time.
Anyway, I’m the front man. I don’t need an actual talent.
As for my costume… there’s no costume; these are my real clothes. I liked wearing them for this because something about the ensemble made me think of the “Our House” video by Madness. (Watch the first 45 seconds to see what I mean.) And no, I didn’t get that hat to wear in England (although lots of guys there actually DO wear them, and by no means are they all tourists). I’ve been wearing that very hat for more than 30 years. Not every day, of course, but often on weekends.
And finally, the credit. My wife shot this picture, quite reluctantly (and hurriedly, lest another guest see her doing it), at my request. She’s very patient. And she’s always paying me compliments. For instance, when she caught me using my digital recorder to record the sounds of the coffee shop at Blackwell’s book store in Oxford, she said “You’re very different from traveling with Mary.” Mary being her friend that she backpacked around Europe with just before she met me and I started monopolizing her time.
I took it as a compliment, anyway.
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Knowing you value the opinion of anonymous chatter on the Internet [not!]…
I still opine —
Great photo from your better half!
She is probably the only person on the planet who could successfully take it. It captures a genuineness that beckons us to a place in time when genuineness was appreciated.
Having been a tepid reader of all things political at “The State” for many years — and following your blog — I have come to appreciate your insights into genres other than “news,” and always learn something from your literary junkets. Music is indeed the universal language — may you find your voice and much success!
Oh great, 16 renditions of Chopsticks on an out of tune piano.
Good hand position, Brad. Fingers not flat but also not too sharply curved over either, flat wrists. You look like a guy who plays the piano, in any case!
http://nerdboyfriend.com/
You’re a perfect fit for their aesthetic.
And Phillip–2/6 is your Trinity Cathedral Concert right!–free admission, folks! Come see the beautiful renovated space and hear some lovely tunes! My last piano teacher used to describe proper hand position w/r/t Michelangelo…
Oops. Just had to correct the post. That’s where we stayed in OXFORD, not in London.
http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/feb2009/4/0/Gilbert_OSullivan_848148945.jpg
The askew piano bench, the way you are sitting on it, and the bucket hanging in the background may incline some to think that you are about to milk the piano, not play it.
Is that a chamber pot? Maybe it is for tips.
Yep — don’t shoot me, I’m only the piano player. That sort of thing…