Doing the LOCKDOWN CHAT special feature on MMI has been interesting so far. I know we only had three thus far but I hope more people will share with us what they are doing at this really scary and uncertain time. I thought I would apply the same questions to myself, novel idea or am I just bored, I think the latter. And interviewing myself, is that a sign of the lockdown loco syndrome? You tell me. Indulge me and my nonsensical ramblings.
Am I indoors?
I am not self-isolating, I have thankfully no symptoms. so just complying with government instructions and recommendations. Go out the garden a lot as I can still see people walking around and not doing as they are asked and observing the social distancing, makes me angry a little that these individuals are flaunting the rules and in essence putting everyone at risk. Getting food is not a problem, although I have given up on the likes of Asda and Sainsburys, its Lidl all the way as its close and they have everything. Last time I went was Saturday, so due for a little excursion just for bread and milk, nothing major. I do worry that there are still shoppers getting to close and also there are greedy individuals that are going back more than once a day for supplies, but hey this is the nature of the human beast, I guess to horde and build a stock of supplies. I think it’s the actual silence during these last weeks that I have noticed, they say the silence was deafening, well they are right, just sit in the garden or the yard or the balcony if you have one and listen.
Listening material.
Well I think if you had said a year ago to me stay inside for 4 weeks I would have thought great, but after two weeks thus far, well two weeks and a bit now, I am going a little stir crazy, so I tidied everything in the little room, or the music room/office and started going through my CD.s and LP.s. Not just soundtracks or classical, no, lots of other genres, but as an ex club DJ there are so many great albums that I still have to discover, because when you DJ you like everyone focus upon the hits of the artist, so going through my collection I pulled out the likes of EARTH WIND AND FIRE, WAR, BRASS CONSTRUCTION, DONALD BYRD, GEORGE BENSON, JOHNNY GUITAR WATSON, RARE MOTOWN, and loads of PHILLY SOUND. And believe it or not am finding tracks that I have never heard or even tried to play.
But of course, I always return to film music, JOH BARRY has had a lot of airplay, as has JERRY GOLDSMITH and the Golden Age composers in particular KORNGOLD. I also try and go for something that is not ordinarily in my most played, STILLETO for example or even lesser known spaghetti westerns for example BANDIDOS. I suppose its about re-discovering in a time such as this. I also keep up with new scores or try to as that sometimes is hard, but there have been a few things around, CREATORS THE PAST for instance. Many new scores one discovers by accident, most of the time they are happy accidents so that is a positive. There are times however when silence is good too, time to sit and reflect and germinate any ideas that I have for MMI.
VIEWING.
What am I watching/ Well the easy answer to that is not a lot, mainly because there is nothing worth watching on the TV, so I do dip into a film here and there, but not that often these days. Again, with films I have been re-visiting movies from years back, ZULU, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, PLANET OF THE APES the original first two movies, EL CID, BEN HUR, 55 DAYS AT PEKING, THE WIND AND THE LION etc. The other evening I found myself watching a vintage SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM with Charlie Drake and Jimmy Tarbuck, well that was an experience, and was that really entertainment, more like suggestive, racist rubbish. I can’t believe audiences actualy got a kick out of stuff like that. But different time etc I suppose. I don’t watch the news, well just once a day, if I watched it all day like many are I think I would go off my head (more than I am already).
CHANGES.
After this is all over I think the way we live will alter drastically, the shops that have closed I think probably 80 percent of them will stay closed, people have got used to doing more online shopping, it was going this way anyway, the demise of cash is in sight also, its all card and contactless payments now, even the supermarkets will I think have to change the way they trade. Can we ever realy go back to large gatherings, concerts, football etc and even going to eat out I think will decline, thus eateries such as cafes, restaurants and all those coffee shops will be empty and worse will close. This has been such a shock to the system that I am of the opinion the way we lived will not return. But at least the pollution levels are lower, and the sea seems blue rather than a dirty mud colour these days.
Will we come out of this? Yes, we will but maybe or hopefully we will emerge from it different, with a kinder and more caring attitude, we will see. I do know that we have to realise we are not the only life form on this planet, and certainly also have to take into account that although we think we are the dominant ones, we are fragile and vulnerable. And also, we have to start being more considerate and appreciative of people that work hard to help us, before this a delivery driver was just that, a cleaner was also just a cleaner and the man or woman behind the counter in stores were there to serve us, now all these and more are our lifeline. Consider that when this is over.
MOVIE MUSIC INTERNATIONAL. (MMI) . 