THAT PEACEFUL PLACE:

A river, a tearoom, some smiles on greeting, a corner table
by the window with sunlight, good company, recounting stories,
catching up, re-connecting. Today I’m happy, on the other side
of the Moon. So far away from anywhere that it’s the quietest
place I know. Like when you leave your cell phone at home
or the internet stops working & that torrent of information
goes away for a day. Can you hear the sound of the world behind
the silence here? I can. Like that one time in the Sahara,
silence like no other, yeah, how could I forget about that?
Too busy dancing like a headless chicken to hear the moment
in the moment, but here, on the other side of the Moon, where
I once climbed the walls in frustration, fantasising about
worlds beyond the limits of my imagination, fuelled on colour
& speed, fantastic careers, intercontinental air travels,
the electric buzz of life on the other side of the tv screen.
I did all that longing here on the other side of the Moon,
desperate to leave & now I dream of resting here, between
the streets whose rhythms I’ve been able to predict since
I was three, whose people smile on meeting, drop a joke,
a look, a wink. Down by the river fishermen drift for the
weekend, children throw bread to ducks & the swans do what
that want. Danny Kay sings ‘Ugly ducking’. I look down at my
trainers, watching them walk up the alley to the chemists,
past the charity shops, the penny book stall, the bus stops
where we used to wait, the soles of my feet kissing the
pavements on the other side of the Moon when only a few
days ago they were kissed the stage at the Hollywood Bowl.

(K)

SENDING AN ELEPHANT HOME:

Awake ’till 4am, working on the book, following a groove without
distraction. Resumed at 8am, through to 14:00, luxuriating in the
sensation of another elephant slipping off my back attaching it to
a mail to my editor & pressing ‘send’ – Essex look more beautiful.

(K)

WITH GRATITUDE:

Thanks to being raised by a fabulous seamstress I learned to sew
& iron my own clothes by the time I left home, not that you’d
notice if you saw what I’m wearing this morning…
The downside of it is that I can’t stand other people ironing
certain items of my clothes or washing them or hanging them out
or folding them, because they do it their way…
The good people of this world always try to help lighten my load
by washing clothes for me, but they do it their way &…well…
it often makes more work for me than not. There’s a way I learned
to fold clothes that works just great, means I can pick a t-shirt
out’ve a pile & slip it on looking pressed & crisp & not with a
crease up the front. There’s a whole process for washing, hanging,
folding clothes that saves me time, because I’ve been touring for
so long & have had to develop a system for doing this stuff that
allows me to make the most of what little spare time I have.
I’ve perfected washing the right stuff in the right way, how to
hang it so it doesn’t stretch or fade in the sun, how to hang stuff
so it doesn’t need ironing & how to store dry clean clothes so I
don’t have to set up the ironing board just as I’m running out the
door for a train….ha ha ha. People, good people, are always
trying to help me, lighten my load, by taking care of these
processes, but y’know, more often that not, it makes more
work…bless

(K)

SO…:

D’you ever get those day’s where everything goes ‘off plan’?
I don’t mean ‘wrong’, just so different from what you had in
mind that it makes you question your sanity. Well, I’ve been
having that feeling stacking up for the past 24 hours, maaan
I been laughing at my own reflection, ’cause the dude in the
mirror is an idiot. Slow down boy, you juggling too many balls,
not enough time to stick the kettle on. Let go, let…

(K)

GET THE KETTLE ON I”M ON MY WAY:

After a day of rehearsal, slipping in classics for the coming
shows in Europe & beyond, we’re back in the studio making music.
Smith & Hyde in Essex.

(K)

SORRY SORRY SORRY SO:

Grumpy headed geezer at my wheel, running black top to the station.
Did you wave a cheery “Hello!”, did I scowl, hunched into the
windscreen, squinting through shade-less forgetfulness.My apology
text re-writes prefect the art of owning up, but I’m growing tired
of this geezer in my head with his hands on my wheel.

(K)

TAN LINES:

Thank God it’s raining! Put my shorts on & went for a barefoot
walk, pulled a chair into the porch & plugged in the lap top,
I can think again! The heat makes me drag knuckles on the ground,
think like a slug, slur my words, loose focus. Summer days suit me
best early & late, you can keep the middle! Thinking of looking for
a cooler place to live when it’s hot, everyday walking barefoot
in the rain.

(K)

A DRIFTER:

City day drifting between meetings, enjoying a quiet head &
east end backstreets, a cafe with a view of a road, a porridge,
tea & reggae package. London Japanese attitude food at Angel,
sun baked dirt & cracks & weeds, & walking, listening, trying
not to do anything between meetings. Catch an hour at Tomato,
where the vibes are still electric, where the light in the eyes
is still bright & where I’m increasingly drawn. A floor scattered
with artworks that excite me into wanting to make art. Find a
shadowed corner at the Barbican, listening to choirs practise
in the hall, whispered conversations I don’t pick pick up a pen
for once just let it all slip by, applauding coloured smoke
between the museumed towers of the 1960’s, making plans.
Driving late at night to park up, listen to the rain, heavy on
the roof, watch to the world turn fevered Pink in the broken
flash of thunder, smell nature turned electric, guttural rumble
at the back of radio waves carrying the shipping forecast.
These are the best times, quiet, hidden from view..

(K)

HOT:

Into city heat, blacktop switched for the steely twins,
cruising sunbaked stains & stinks before the rains wash it all
down the drain. Give me shade & cool, a place I feel calm & human.
This heat belongs on another island, feel free to take it with you
when you leave. Thinking cool thoughts.

(K)

EVENTUALLY COOL ESSEX:

Sleepless driver, shiver, fist, fever, fear, darkness the overcoat,
honeypot gold. Lipstick smiles wow! Money, look around.
Birthday Doha they closed the world, but you keep moving.
Shine, never sleep at the wheel. The sirens slip away shaking.
Sweet tart sounding out for a random drive. I just need some rain,
it’s been really heavy, chasing the swarm.

(K)