I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve known since I can remember that I’ve always wanted to be a writer.
Music on the other hand is something I’ve had to discover. From fantasizing about being in a band as a kid to playing around with the guitar always left in the Quiet Room at college. From hearing about classmates getting gigs; wondering what it would be like to sing with them to deep and meaningful discussions about music with my old friend and “musical brother” Eddie.
I got my first drum during university; a little tribal thing with a clay base and proper animal skin (Egyptian I think). I’d jam with another musical friend of mine at the time (Steve) and sometimes we’d belt out a scorcher.
It was also during university that I first learnt to dance. Before then I was much too shy and self-conscious. But I had a good group of friends and we’d get on the dancefloor in a circle and it felt good. Since then the dancefloor’s been my thing. I’m not a drinker but I can still go out and have a good time (and I’ve gotten compliments too from friends, friends of friends and the admiring faces of strangers). It’s all about being comfortable in your skin and then you move in a way that feels natural to you; even when I air guitar - but then that’s because I’m a geek.
I met Chris just before I left for university but we didn’t get close until I came back. We’d have similar kinds of deep and meaningful conversations as I’d had with Eddie and we kept the fires burning for music whether we were in bands or not.
My first band was with Eddie and a guy we’d known since college called Si. He was the Butthead to Eddie’s Beavis, the Wayne to his Garth – you get the picture.
Looking back there was so much I didn’t know about music at the time that it’s no wonder we never got off the ground.
My second band was with my cousin and his workmates at the fairground. I’d been playing the drums for about a year having got a job and money and one day got a call from him. He asked if it was true that I’d got a drumkit. I said yes. He asked if I could play. I said I could keep a rhythm. He said that was good enough and I was in. I didn’t mention that I didn’t know much else but as fate would have it the lead singer was an ex-drummer and he taught me the basics.
That band fizzled out. I clicked with the bass player, probably because we were the only ones willing to have fun and mess about. Maybe it was because we were both on the rhythm section but we’d get a kick out of matching our fills. Everyone else pushed too hard to learn the songs which I get but you can’t work hard and have no fun (just as you can’t the other way round).
So I learnt rudimentary drums and a bit about band dynamics.
After that nothing much happened by way of music. Chris joined a jazz band and played Summertime or something. He learnt lots about the production side of thing. Became a great pianist… The drums eventually went into storage. I danced more and more during nights out and sang my heart out to records.
Little did I know that The Crunchy Biscuits were forming behind the scenes…
To be continued here…
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