Hi! It’s Nippy November

I love November because all the trees are bare and I can watch the squirrels leaping about the branches. We also have pheasants that hang out in the undergrowth pulling all the plump birds and groovy chicks. One particular cock pheasant is so proud of himself that he parades along the top of the kitchen garden wall, strutting his stuff. I hope the fox doesn’t catch him, he really is asking for it!

The Smiths – for those of you who were unable to see the broadcast here, exclusively, is the unedited interview:

Q. Tell us about that legendary performance of Hand In Glove on Top Of The Pops with The Smiths in the Eighties.

We just turned up and did it. Morrissey was in front of the stage watching us and, just enjoying himself. I just decided to go with the flow. There was no rehearsal, which is what I really liked about it, that it smacked of the sixties where you just walked off the street and just did it how you were. It captured that feeling and that’s why it worked with The Smiths. It was a great bridge between the sixties and the 80s, this huge leap in one less than three-minute song.

I also enjoyed doing Jeane with them. It was really emotional. I never knew what Jeane was about. I remember asking Johnny about it. He just said, "I dunno. I think it’s about his mum!"

The other song we did was "I don’t owe you anything", but I used to change the lyrics – instead of ‘too freely on your lips’ I would sing, ‘two freckles on your lips’…which amused Morrissey no end. Everybody thinks that Morrissey is really miserable. My experience of him was always rolling about laughing because he has such an incredible sense of humour. It’s easy to muck around with him. So my knowledge of him is as someone with whom you can have a good laff!

Q. So if you didn’t like the music at first why did you decide to do three songs with them?

I did "I Don’t Owe You Anything" first and I quite liked the sound of my voice and I actually enjoyed singing. I hadn’t sung for so long. I felt a great sense of freedom, liberation. We later did Hand In Glove in a completely different studio and then Jeane with just Johnny and Morrissey in another studio. Morrissey was not supposed to be on the tape but he did lots of wailing and moaning in the background (laughs). I don’t know what to say about that really!!! (more laughs).

Q. What do you think of Morrissey’s lyrics? Did you think they were offensive? Were you concerned about it before you met him?

I wasn’t concerned about that. Maybe he was selective in what he played to me. At that stage he was writing mostly homoerotic material. To actually admit to liking The Smiths was virtually coming out…. I remember George Michael saying to me that he always listened to The Smiths in the shower before he went on stage- and that was the first time I knew for sure about..(laughs) So that didn’t concern me, no. I just thought it strange that they would want to work with me, to ask me to do a spin on that.

Q. What was it like to be idolised by Morrissey?

Quite nice. I’m quite used to it (Sandie pulls a face - quite tongue in cheek). I’d recommend it for anybody – it’s very nice to be idolised by Morrissey. They should bottle it! (Laughs).

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

• War! Uggh! What is it Good For? Absolutely nothing! I was really touched by those of you who took the trouble to respond by personal email to me regarding my newsletter about active pacifism. If you are interested in further food for thought about Iraq you can go to http://www.bluegreenprint.co.za
  
  
• Winter Blues:
  Q: Hi Sandie just wanted your opinion on the above subject! Having
  read your book, and heard numerous interviews, I know that you have suffered with depression in the past, and wondered if you feel that you can ever fully recover from it? I have suffered with this illness for most of my adult life and wondered if it really ever goes away?
  
  You have mentioned that your particular bout of depression was caused by the unhappiness you were having, whilst your career was directed by the hands of others, whereas, I'm really not sure where mine comes from! I seem to be going along ok, only to be knocked sideways by it. I'm worried just how soon it'll be before the next one comes along! As they seem to be more and more frequent the older I'm getting! I've seen so many people over the years, and taken SO many tablets! But I would really like to know, from someone who seems to have gone through it, and come out the other side, if it really ever goes away? I guess that maybe it's something we just have to get on with! Well as someone once said "pourvu que ca dure"!!!!
  
  A: Good to hear from you. I think you may have misunderstood. In my book I use the word "depression" in the common usage way of feeling down. Luckily I have never suffered from clinical depression or had to have treatment for it. For me, as for everyone, life is full of ups and downs. I am a Buddhist and I use my practice to celebrate the ups and to find hope and a way forward with the downs. I do not know your clinical diagnosis. Neither do I have a crystal ball! So I don’t know what the future holds for you. However I do know that everything we are today is a result of what we have said, thought or done in the past and everything we say, think and do today makes our future. So therefore what we become is completely up to us. Whether we are defeated by an illness or a circumstance or whether we use it as a source for our development and fulfilment as a truly humane human being. It’s up to us. If you were a Buddhist the guidance would be to use your daily practice to get the best possible diagnosis and treatment and to work collaboratively with your doctor or therapist for the best outcome for your life so that you can create value from your experience - to take responsibility for your life, your heath in a pro-active, empowered way. Try reading a book called, "Modern Buddhist Healing" by Charles Atkins. You can get it from Amazon. Have a great life journey! Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
  
  
• This month I have been listening to Gotan Project on Yabasta Records.
  Keep wrapped up warm for winter – unless you are in Australia or India!