I started back running last week so I am in a very good mood. I must have put on a huge amount of weight as it has been a struggle. My muscles are all good but it's the breathing and the general bouncing of all those extra pounds that are the telling signs.
I ran all last week to a distance of 2 miles and it was hard, so I decided to run 4 miles on Saturday. That felt the same as the 2 milers. I ran 3 miles on Sunday and that nearly killed me so I have decided that this week it will be 4 miles all week culminating in 5 miles next Saturday and Sunday. I have a feeling that I may be pushing things but I am desperate to shed the extra weight.
I don't know if you've ever heard of Pledge Music (http://www.pledgemusic.com/). It is a website that musicians go to, to get funding for projects. We, the fans, stump up a pledge for the future release of the album. There are usually various options, signed copies, vinyl etc for differing costs. I am a huge fan of music outside of the record companies and my experiences of Pledge Music have been great. My musical taste is varied (everyone always says that) but I went on it initially to support Ginger Wildheart (main man with the Wildhearts) in his latest solo bid. It was a fantastic experience, regular video updates, enough that you actually felt part of the recording process. He eventually settled on a triple album for the pledgers with a single album making the commercial release with all the tracks chosen by the pledgers. If you like your rock music with a slice of punk pop, then Ginger and the Wildhearts are about as good as it gets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrNxrEZMMD4&ob=av2e
He also has some footage up from his last acoustic tour with a cracking version of "Answering Machine" a Replacements classic and "Take on me" yep, the old Aha classic. Excuse the bad language but it is a great cover of the song and performed as an homage rather than a mickey take.
As Pledge Music are an organised group, they send regular emails with other bands that are asking for Pledges. In the course of time one of my old favourites, Fishbone, released an album via Pledge Music. I am the proud possessor of a signed copy of "Crazy Glue" and very good it is too. Love Fishbone, one of the greatest live bands ever.
Another interesting find was a band called Apollo Run. I think they are excellent and amazingly so did both my daughters. I have pledged for their album as well and I am seriously considering buying their previous two albums even though I seem to have bought most of the tracks from spotify.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLCuyPsIKP8 (the song is called "Chasing Rabbits" and is available on Spotify although I suppose other good download sites are available). Check out "Myography" and "Nightingale" beautiful songs.
My other love is classical and I have been sad since Menuhin died, it really felt like the end of an era and it really was. He was the World's greatest living violinist and it really felt to me that it was a colder place without him. To feel the beauty of his playing listen to the Mendelssohn, Brahms or Bruch (Mendelssohn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbXBWj3B9qY)
But then I suddenly realised that we are actually living the new golden age of the violin. There are some exceptional talents out there, Tasmin Little (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrnFF_WPg7A&feature=related), Maxim Vengerov, Ara Malikian and many other up and coming names. Tasmin Little has been a favourite for around 18 years, she is consistent, ballsy and superb. Vengerov is the new breed, old and new in one, quite possibly the future. Ara Malikian is an anomaly, fiery and odd, I think he is exciting and his recording of Georgs Pelecis' "Meeting with a friend" is superb.
I have found myself getting into Parlour Music, short pieces for the violin and piano, the greatest being Fritz Kreisler's "Praeludium and allegro", a show stopper of a piece. Anything by Kreisler, Wieniawski and Sarasate work on so many levels, honesty, virtuosity, heart, soul and showmanship and I think it has been noticed by the record companies as I see so many classical CD's made up of these wonderful shorter pieces, perfection in five minutes.
I forget how important music is to me. When I run with my daughter, we talk all the way and it is something that we share, bonding moments. When I run by myself, I run with the sound of music in my ears, it is truly something that I look forward to in a different way. My dream was always to have enough money to buy the music I want and to go to the gigs I want. Life is peachy, I buy the music I want and I'm off to see Soundgarden in Hyde Park with both my daughters this Summer, life is good.
To end on a quote from the John Miles classic, "Music".....
Music was my first love
And it will be my last
Music of the future
And music of the past
(Another great song, look it up).
