Clear Waters

 

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Roger Waters in concert in London last night.

I'm no Pink Floyd fan but I have to say this was one of the most remarkable and spectacular rock shows I have ever attended.

And before I get much further into this, I'd like to make the point that Waters is clearly NOT antisemitic.

What he IS is outspokenly anti Israel's treatment of the Palestinians (along with being anti nukes, anti capitalism, and anti the military/industrial complex). That does not equate to antisemitism. If it did, then that label could be attached to a lot of us.

Waters has had the guts to stick to his musical and political guns for decades – and for that he surely deserves admiration rather than abuse. The political pygmies who have made headlines calling for a ban on his performances clearly have no interest in what he is actually saying, doing and singing about. They have their own agendas.

Of course, he is, for his own reasons, also extremely anti-David Gilmour. The overpowering light show that accompanied some of the most memorable rock songs of the Floyd/Waters past featured many images of his old band, but there was a lot of Syd Barrett and not one picture of Gilmour.

The only time during the evening that Waters allowed himself to get really nasty was when he addressed the accusation of antisemitism directed at him by Gilmour's wife, Polly Samson.

What he said about her is perhaps best not repeated here... let's just say this is a man who speaks his mind.

Oh, Suzahn...

 

A visit to the Night Owl bar in Finsbury Park, north London, is always interesting – but it was particularly so at a recent jazz jam session where I was introduced to Nashville singer/songwriter Suzahn Fiering, dropping in on her way from the US to Portugal.

Charming and talented in equal measures, Suzahn also whipped out a guitar that was quite amazing. She'd just picked it up from Snap Dragon, a company that specialises in fold-up guitars and which she endorses.

The picture above shows what her latest acquisition is like when it's unfolded (compact and cool) and below you can see what it's like when it's folded up – even more compact and ready to be put in a smart little carrying case and taken wherever a guitarist needs to go.

You can find out more about Suzahn Fiering at www.suzahn.com and about Snap Dragon at snap-dragon-guitars.com.

Porn Again

We've all done it. Drummers, that is. All looked longingly at those beautiful kits – often the ones that we can't quite afford and that we wouldn't have room to store anyway.

I already have the perfect kit for me: a DW Collector's Series in pure white (well, almost, give or take a few scrapes and scratches from gigging).

So why – when Wembley Music Centre emails me with pictures of all the latest DW kits to arrive at its London store – do I sit and start salivating over them? This is drum pornography, of course. We just like looking at pictures of these wonderful objects, even though we can't have them, and, in truth, we don't need them.

But if you're interested in percussion pornography, check out DW drum kits at the Wembley Music Centre. And if you actually want to own one of these great kits, hand-made in California, you'd better get on it. Prices for British buyers can only go up, thanks to all those good folk who voted for Brexit.

School Of Schlock

'School Of Rock' is a great film – and one of the best rock 'n' roll movies ever. It was too much to hope that it might be left as just that.

Today tickets are being offered for the 'School Of Rock - The Musical' on stage in London. A musical version of a perfect musical film? But wait. It gets worse. It's by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

I am old enough to remember the release of the 'Jesus Christ Superstar' album and its being talked about as a 'rock opera'. It was neither an opera nor rock music.

With 'Superstar' and everything that followed, in among the padding there was usually a memorable show tune. But Lloyd Webber must be a contender for the man least likely to ever have any kind of connection with the spirit of rock.

Buddy, Can You Spare £63?

I love Buddy Guy. He was one of the first truly electric bluesmen that I ever listened to. He was a wild and crazy showman, as well as an amazing guitar player. He was Hendrix before Hendrix. Seeing Buddy in concert, you could see where Jimi got some of his stuff from.

Unlike most of the great bluesmen, he is still alive, still recording and still gigging. But he is as likely these days to be singing about the realities of old age as he is about love and loss.

I was overjoyed when I saw that he would be appearing in London later this year – until I found that the cost of sitting in the stalls would be £63.

I'm sorry but that's too much money. Of course, Clapton and Bonamassa have gone the same way, and it costs a fortune to see these blues masters now. But if you're a young person struggling to live in London on a meagre wage, you'd best not be a blues fan. This music is for the old and well-off.

Those who really have the blues can't afford to go to blues gigs like this.

I'm lucky. I could afford to shell out £63 to see Buddy Guy. But I won't. On principle. Someone somewhere is charging too much

King George

According to Keith Richards, Charlie Watts once thumped Mick Jagger when Jagger referred to Charlie as "his drummer". Quite right too. But I suspect George Recile may not take such great offence at being known as "Bob Dylan's drummer".

He has served on Bob's Never Ending Tour for years and years (as have the rest of the Dylan band) and but when they pitched up at London's Albert Hall this week for five nights, they sounded as fresh – and hot and cool – as they ever did.

Recile, with his ability to switch from a delicate waltz to hard rock, from swinging jazz to a pin-drop-quiet ballad, is the perfect drummer for Dylan, always propelling the music forward but never playing too loud or too much. His two-handed New Orleans rhythms are a delight to watch as well as hear.

And Bob? Like all the reviews have been saying, he has found a new and remarkable voice to deliver his Sinatra-esque ballads as well as his tougher-edged material. His genius is undimmed.

Long may he sing... and long may George Recile play the drums.

My World Tour

Yesterday I had a quick meeting in Kenya before early-evening drinks in Australia. And prior to that I'd managed to tour the Greek islands and make brief stops in Florida and Chile.

Only the World Travel Market, in London, can allow you to tour the world this quickly... and to meet countless old friends and contacts along the way.

But as with so many gatherings these days, the main topic of conversation was how tough it is for all of us: those starting out as travel writers, those who have been writing for decades, the big travel operators, the small travel operators...

However, there was plenty of good humour and optimism too, so maybe we're not all cruising on the Titanic... even though it sometimes feels like it.

Go Figure

The Olympic Games.. There are arguments for and there are arguments against. The most eloquent argument against has been produced by the combined forces of the Mayor of London, National Rail, the Department for Transport, the Highways Agency and Transport for London.

It conveys in an instant — and visually — the argument against staging the Olympics in London. It is this brilliant map showing the impact of overloading an already overburdened public transport system.

The tube stations with orange rings around them will be "busier than usual" and the ones with red rings around them will be "exceptionally busy". I think the idea of this extremely helpful display is to show you which stations to avoid as you make your way around the tube network.

So just take a look at the map above... and everything should become clear....