“According
to Chinese mythology, you were born in the Year of the Pig, which
bestows the traits of ‘sincerity, purity, tolerance and honour.
You want to do everything right. You’ve got a fine feeling
for aesthetics and a flair for authenticity. We seek your common
sense advice and enjoy your convivial company. You delight in
country living. Rustic sensuality and off-colour jokes tickle
you silly. Gourmet food is no stranger to your lips either. …you’re
a bona fide bon vivant!’ (White, Suzanne. The New Chinese
Astrology). As you were born in 1947, apparently this makes you
a Fire Pig that ‘believes strongly in the future and sincerely
wishes to work towards political and moral progress, to help establish
brotherhood among men’ –
a homebody combined with a crusader zest, particularly assisting
people in the creative arts area, according to White.”
OINK! OINK!
Apparently
according to predictions, this current Year of the Horse is an up
and up one for me, as I scale the mountain of happiness. I can’t
wait ….
- Ten
Questions – the first five to get the right answers were,
Alan and Gail Cochrane, Ian Macauley, John Leahy, Dougie Murray,
and Stephen Wright-Bouvier? Prizes are on the way.
- Ask
Me Any Question: Well that will teach me. It will probably
take a year to answer all your questions – but I’ll
make a small start right now.
-
Doug Sparks from Los Angeles asks -
Q:
Out of all the songs you’ve written do you have any personal
favourites?
A: I have a sneaky liking for the very first song I
wrote when I was 18 called “Till The Night Begins To
Die”. It was featured on an album in 1965 and I remember
feeling so excited to be singing something I had written.
It is a really simple idea but has those mean and moody sounds
that current bands like St Etienne and Portishead are inspired
by – or so they tell me.
Qs: Do you still feel the urge to write? If so, how
does it manifest itself?
A: Good question. Ideally I would have like to have
found an ace music collaborator but have not come across the
right person yet – so I remain a musical bachelor! Seriously,
I still write songs from time to time but don’t feel
incentivised unless it is for a specific project. At the moment
my writing skills are being used in marketing copy, psychiatric
assessments, TV treatments and devising creative career paths
for other artists and of course - the monthly newsletter….
So I am a bit busy right now.
Q: What are your biggest passions right now?
A: I am a very passionate lady so everything I do is
based on a passion. I have loads of them. One that springs
to mind is the West Indies. It is a very deep passion. So
much so, that I keep photos of it in my office to continually
inspire me. I love the people and the culture of the smaller
islands, far away from the tourists and the influence of Western
hyped up consumerism. It gives me a space to reassure myself
what life is really about, how enjoyable it can be, that cultivating
great relationships is the basis for a happy life, how bigger
is not necessarily better, and that less is sometimes more.
- Lana
(age?) writes her questions from her granddad’s email address
-
Qs: Do you have a best friend? Can I be your best friend?
A: I have lots of best friends all over the world–
mostly women (but lots of men too!!!), some of whom I have known
for up to 25 years. I don’t see a lot of them a lot of
the time but we are so close that time and distance do not matter.
I am a shy person by nature and always used to find it difficult
to make new friends until a very old friend, Kazuo gave me this
advice: When you go to a party or have to go into a room full
of new people, instead of thinking about yourself and the impression
you are making, arrive prepared to make friends with everyone
you meet. It works. Try it! However many friends I have I can
always do with more. In Buddhism we call them “Treasures
of the Heart”. In that sense I feel very rich. So, YES,
Lana, you can be one of my best friends too…as long as
you tell your granddad you are using his email to write to me!
- Finally
Neil Wallis from Birmingham UK asks –
Q: Have you considered asking fans to send in their
top three songs to enable a definitive Top Ten of your songs
to be compiled?
A: No, I hadn’t. What a great idea. Neil’s
choices, and reasons why, are:
1. Girl Don’t Come – personal reasons
2. Nothing Les Than Brilliant – should be your theme
3. Words – a wonderful cover version
NOW IT IS OVER TO YOU – PLEASE SEND YOUR TOP THREE CHOICES
- Your
photos: Thanks to all of you who have sent your photos in. Sheridan
will be doing the collage over the next month. So hurry up and
send yours if you want to be included.
- Stage
Two: Sheridan promises that Stage Two of my official website will
be up by 20th March. So please keep checking.
26th February
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