As a Gamekeeper’s son who has travelled a long way I have no hesitation in sharing my thoughts in this liminal space leading up to New Year’s Eve. Last year I became a Great Uncle. This year I am now a Grandad, which is amazing. Both are the result of modern family configurations. This balances my Mother’s declining health, plus various extended family members and friends facing big health challenges. We still see conflict and inequality around us, but I continue to believe that nature, people, art, music and critical inquiry are liberating. So staying on a positive riff, my various blog posts from this year (*) give details of a few of my interesting adventures in 2024:
- Selected photos of the Chicago ‘L’ (elevated train) from my trip with the kids in August 2024. I can see why the city gets used in films and TV so much, amazing place (https://tinyurl.com/2rn5vw4y).
- Two of my original compositions from the debut album by Three Bop. ‘Blue Lights’ is smokin’ cinematic jazz! (https://tinyurl.com/4vxnb4xt)
- An article published in Punk and Post Punk (Journal): “A cold case from 1984: Navigating subcultural memory, discomfort and uncertainty”, my autoethnography research into my early '80s indie musical past centred around a GLC Brockwell Park free festival (https://tinyurl.com/5n7nersb).
- My interview for the excellent StrawberrySwitchblade.net fan site: “John’s involvement in the band at the time and analysis of what they did provides a unique perspective on the Strawberry Switchblade story" (https://tinyurl.com/bdcr2hzu).
Music like life is a treasure hunt; you dig and dig and sometimes you find something (Ry Cooder, paraphrased). The featured picture shows my beautiful Mother Jean Cook holding me in the gardens of our Gamekeeper’s cottage. I am told my Grandson looks just like me! Me, I have a Three Bop NYE boutique hotel gig to get ready for ...
Happy New Year, John