On a 19 inch snow day during a brutal January, Johnny McEnhone, Karen Anne, Mike Ogletree and I convened at Blaggarts on West 35th Street. Fellow Scots Johnny and Mike were discussing seccesion and Karen and I were discussing the solitary nature of writing songs.
It is an odd thing, and I am sure I am misquoting her (last minute, no recorder) but Karen mentioned how while "How Long" appears to be a love song it is actually a very personal look inside her heart. Written post her return to Brighton after attempting to break big in London, Karen explains "the words and the melody came together at the same time". It was a solitary pursuit and a solution to all the things that were wearing on her at the time.
It's a cliché I realize, but life is always darkest before the dawn -at a low ebb in Karen's life, she dug deep and found art (pop art -admittedly!) and started tracking forward.
Meanwhile, Mike and Johnny were discussing secession (Scottish division!) , A&R folks and family. Needless to say, fascinating for a civilian like me. I know the biz fair to middling but if there is anything more interesting than Ogletree explaiing how hard it is to replicate his recorded music om stage, you will need him to express it.
Johnny is a legendary rock and roll mind, and he has been up the UK charts over and over again. Everything he says is worth listening to, and he helped us tons on our 80s revival project. But he is also a shy one (he wouldn't let me take his pix!!!) and like me a bit of an introvert who appears to be extroverted.
Some of the stuff I learnt I will dribble out slowly, some faster.
May Day is D day for Ramona and I can't wait.
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