talkmagic.co.uk

As we speak I am hanging round a music festival full of scruffy musicians who would be somewhat out of place in the social circles in which I frequent.
I look terribly important since I am the only there who does not have hair down to his shoulders. Or any hair come to that. I am sure all the musicians think I am some sort of record label executive wandering round the place.

I am in the company of a friend of mine who used to sell svengali decks for me but is now a big noise in the music business. He used to be in some group or other called Iron Maiden. I do not understand the music business but I have been informed that they are famous and play tunes that do not sound like Mozart.

He was also in a band called Cutting Crew that had a hit record about somone or other dying in someone elses arms tonight. My friend was awash with money in those days. Nowadays he merely washes which seems to be more than the other attendees of this festival do.

He has just written a musical about Houdini which he is going to give me tapes of. I hope Houdini wasn't a fan of heavy metal music-I am not sure I could take it at my advanced age.

My friend hires close up magicians at a venue in London that he is in charge of. I think he pays them which is more than he does with musicians. It seems that musicians are a very odd bunch. I am informed that bands play all the time for no pay. They will even travel to other countries and perform for no money and pay their own expenses.

Very odd. No wonder they cannot afford soap.

I shall stick to card tricks I think.

I am currently playing all my Bob Dylan CDs (and there are a lot ).

(Elton John Greatest Hits 1970-2002 currenty playing quietly in the background - Nikita I need you sooooooo!)

Mark Lewis, are you at Download festival by any chance?

My music tastes vary from classical music to the loudest heavy metal, but here are a few bands I listen to regularly:

Red Hot Chili Peppers (old stuff)
The Pixies (Trompe Le Monde... what an album!)
Joe Satriani (been hooked ever since I heard Surfing With The Alien)
Steve Vai (if you like Satch you gotta like Steve)
Rammstein (fantastic live show)
Nine Inch Nails
Metallica
Arch Enemy
Faith No More
Iron Maiden (going in December)
Korn
Machine Head
Nick Cave
Ministry
Pop Will Eat Itself
The Jam
Smashing Pumpkins
Trivium
WASP (excellent rock from Blackie Lawless and crew!)

OK, so it's mainly Rock/Metal, but I'm partial to a bit of Mozart when the mood takes me! There's more, but I'll stop here.

Yes! Another FNM fan!

I'm going to see Iron Maiden in December too. With their support of Trivium it should be one of the best gigs that I've ever been to in my entire life. Lucky Mr. Lewis gets to see em at Download though .

Well being a club DJ for many years, I am into the Dance Scene myself, House, Trance, Techno etc etc, but I do appreciate all generes of music and have been to many many concerts from Monsters of Rock at Donnington, to UB40 at the NEC, I have seen the Pet Shop Boys at Creamfields and Kiss at Wembely, I own the full Bob Dylan collection including the Bootleg Tapes (available from ligitemate shops), so in summary I love great music accross the board.

You like Bob! cool I have been playing him all day. I love Desolation Row (even though i still understand the meaning ). Yes i have all the Official bootleg CDs too.

Hmm magicians must have some pretty eclectic tastes, obviously. Here are some things I enjoy listening to, in no particular order

Tool, Mars Volta, System of a Down, Dresden Dolls, The Cure, Arvo Part, Conlon Nancarrow, John Zorn, Miles Davis, Mouse on Mars, Aphex Twin, Bjork, Meshuggah, The Handsome Family, Mahler, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, Death Cab For Cutie, Robert Fripp, Jethro Tull, Soul Coughing, Matmos, ......

Hi Stephen, Yes Bob is fantastic but I don't think he will be truly appreciated or understood untill after his death (which is a real shame), he is a real modern day poet. I find him to be quite humourus in his songs also.

Whilst on the subject of music I also prefer Vinal over CD's

Madness
Kiser Cheifs
Weird Al
Queen

I've got to love my Emo!!

Fall Out Boy
Panic! At The Disco
All-American Rejects
Senses Fail
Motion City Soundtrack
The Spill Canvas
Hit The Lights
Okay Go

Love them to bits!

My fav. bands/musicians are
Iron & Wine,
City and Colour,
Emiliana Torrini,
Massive Attack,
Björk,
mewithYou,
Natalie Merchant,
Belle and Sebastian,
Copeland,
Keren Ann,
Carla Bruni,
José González,
Ben Harper,
Opeth,
and From Autumn to Ashes
plus many many many more, but those are just the major ones that I listen to.

I must inform Cardza that my friend is no longer a member of Iron Maiden and hasn't been for some considerable time. He also informed me that they "were a noisy lot" and that an aged person like me would not appreciate their alleged melody.

He himself is reasonably melodious and although I do not understand these things I consider him to be a brilliant musician. I saw his concert the other night and I was astonished how good he was. I have never seen him perform in the 35 years I have known him.

You can listen to him here:
http://www.myspace.com/tonymoore4music

There is also a photo of he and me together in a local magic shop. If I find the link I will post it. It comes from his blog. Actually there is a link to it on the site I just gave to you if you but search around a bit where it says blog and Toronto.

I am not at some "download" festival whatever that is. I am at the North East by North East music festival in Toronto. Or at least I was. It is over now and all the scruffy musicians have gone back to their countries to smoke marijuana and inject heroin into their veins as I believe is common in that industry.

Years ago I once discussed showbusiness with Sooty's manager. Yes. Sooty the glove puppet. He told me that he had an opportunity once to manage pop groups and bands but wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. It seems that they are somewhat high maintenance trashing hotel rooms and suchlike. He preferred to stick with Sooty the glove puppet.

I can't say I blame him.

mark lewis wrote:You can listen to him here:
http://www.myspace.com/tonymoore4music

Not bad at all, I must admit.

I am not at some "download" festival whatever that is. I am at the North East by North East music festival in Toronto.

Oh, ok then . You posted your original post on the same day as the Download Festival in Donnington Park in the UK, that's why I thought that. Some way out, then .