Membership of the 27 Club

December 22^nd – Like Morse or Lewis, there’s nothing the press like more than an unsolved mystery as this means it will run and run, always good for copy on a slow-news day. Band fans, too, like their heroes to be enigmatic and there’s nothing more enigmatic than a rock icon dying not only young but in, Dan-der-ran-dan, mysterious circumstances.

Don’t know ’bout you but I like my song lyrics to be a little more challenging than moon-June-spoon. I’m a great poetry fan and in that idiom, too, I like my verse to be of a quality that not only shocks my system with realisation but also taxes my mental agility with wordplay; as you can tell, I’m a wow at parties. By the time the soup’s finished two-thirds of the guests have topped themselves the others having left. So, what do I mean by the foregoing notes about song lyrics and poetry? Well, try this:

Teacher starve your child, P.C. approved

As long as the right words are used

Systemised atrocity ignored

As long as bi-lingual signs on view’

Or

‘PCP - a P.C. police victory

PCP - a P.C. pyrrhic victory

When I was young P.C. meant Police Constable

Nowadays I can't seem to tell the difference

Or how about:

P.C. caresses bigots and big brother, read Leviticus,

Learnt censorship, pro-life equals anti-choice, to be scared of, of feathers

Those words and lines are like a cryptic puzzle and the discovery of what they refer to brings with it a flash of light and understanding that is both attractive and addictive to me (sad old fucker). There are clues in those lines that allow the reader/listener to decipher the nationality of the wordsmith, and from that comes a pathway into the individual/s involved. When the opening paragraph is re-read further information is forthcoming too… But enough of subterfuge, time is short and Christmas is on the cusp.

There’s an exclusive club, The 27 Club to which most of us (those with any sense, a grip on their own reality and an unshakeable belief that they will see 80) would never want to be a member of. Brian Jones, Alan Wilson, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Pete Ham, Gary Thain, Leslie Harvey and Amy Winehouse (as well as our man of the moment above) are all members, so it’s a pretty exclusive club; however, when the doors close no-one gets to come out.

Deep thinking can greatly increase one’s enjoyment of life and the arts but it’s a double-edged sword. Oftentimes it can depress the thinker and after all their deliberations and reasoning, there’s a realisation seeps in that there’s pretty-well nothing they can do to change a set of circumstances or right a wrong. This can lead to an even deeper depression and can, in certain cases and under certain conditions, seriously threaten the health and welfare of the individual; but depression is just one of the symptoms. Self-harm or dietary punishments often accompany the depression as can the use of outside stimuli in order to gain release or equilibrium, as Steve Lamacq found out when he questioned the honesty and validity of the Manic Street Preachers and, in particular, the authenticity of Richey Edwards, the band’s guitarist and lyricist. Mr. Edwards (born this day in 1967) sought to prove his point by carving 4 Real into his forearm with a razor blade, an action that required 18 stitches to repair.

Those lines of poetry above were penned by Mr. Edwards who, at the age of 27, went missing and is now presumed to be dead even though no body has been found. There’s a story that will run and run. So far he’s been spotted in India, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote and his so-called mystery disappearance hasn’t been well served by his own words. When asked about suicide, Mr. Edwards replied:

In terms of the ‘S’ word, that does not enter my mind. And it never has done, in terms of an attempt. Because I am stronger than that. I might be a weak person, but I can take pain

Well I guess your reaction to the interview with Mr. Lamacq proved that point. Thing is, all that quote did was become a prop to support the belief that you’re still about, sunning yourself on some tropical isle and living off’f the royalties.

Like I said at the beginning, just fodder into the trough of red-top journalists…and a poet of your quality should still be in production, not just resigning himself to membership of the 27 Club.

FIFTH DESERT ISLAND DISC – Not in any particular order and as at 15/10/13

5) The Mob Rules – Black Sabbath – From the album Mob Rules – Recorded 1981 – Vocal/Ronnie James Dio – Lead Guitar/Tony Iommi – Bass Guitar/Geezer Butler – Drums/Vinnie Appice

Socio/political comment set to a roller-coaster of a track that kicks in after 2’ 52” of scene setting and never gives you chance to breathe after that. A drummer’s track if ever there was one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO6uBQJ35N0