In August 2011, I began teaching myself how to play a lovely old 3/4 classical guitar. I wish I’d begun years ago – not just because I’d be a better teacher for myself now, but it’s so much fun, with much room for free-styling, and much easier than I thought it would be. Oh, hoorah for the strings!
That said, here I type 14 years later, August 2025, and I now have several guitars, but only play a bit once or twice a year. I don’t give making music much time at all these days. I played keenly so long, got to enjoy exploring many songs that meant so much to me on a deeper level, but I know from this my limit of talent. I’m not going to master or even attempt note-fingering, so my limit – and by no means do I mean to underestimate this delightful ability – is to be able to adequately match the chords with the left and improvise the plucking and strumming with the right as the mood takes me. I think I peaked in my skill-set in 2012, with this Bowie song, a recording which is a relative gem amongst a lot of banality in my taping.
As The World Falls Down, written by David Bowie for the movie Labyrinth, 1986. A melancholy vocal and guitar fumbling, recorded January 2012.
The video helps. I like the eye imagery, I think it suits the song lyrics and esoteric mystical vibe of the film, and indeed the reptilian nature evokes something of the danger and uncertain undertones of the song and the motives of the Goblin King.
I recorded myself singing a lot of songs, and that was the best of the lot. I don’t have the desire, focus, time or solitude to give it what for any more, and have put my weight behind my writing. Only one-fifth of the views on that video have stuck with it to the end. I think it would be considered mediocre on its own terms. Seen in the context of my other work, it is kinda novel and cool. I shared it because I really like it, and to those who discover and take some pleasure from my works, particularly Derek, whenever that comes out, I think it will be enjoyable and a comfort; and in many ways I would be pleased for that recording to outlive me, if it can mean anything positive to anyone.
Here’s another that I threw at the world…
Starting and then stopping, Let Down and Lucky written by Radiohead, ruined by me 2011/12, with some video of something twitching in my bath. OK?
Whether I do ever get back into playing, or make further recordings, or dust off some of my archive, I would say I am nevertheless pursuing creativity and self-expression every day, and the guitar is on standby, and making me happy just remembering the magical potential of chords.
Nice Adventures Productions 