If you've visited my 'Other Interests' page, you'll know I love reading about the life of Oscar Wilde.  I discovered some really interesting videos at the Morgan Library & Museum web site.  A handsome leather-bound volume of Oscar Wilde manuscripts was donated to them in 2008.  Some of these have never been seen before and offer some intriguing insights into Oscar and his life and work.  For example, why is a handwritten manuscript of 'The Selfish Giant' written in his wife's handwriting?  The museum made six two minute videos with audio commentaries about this amazing volume and you can find them here.  Highly recommended!

 

I noticed there were broken links to the 'De Profundis' readings by Simon Russell Beale on my Oscar Wilde page here.  I've now fixed these,sorry!

 

My other 'Other Interest' is the life and times of Billy The Kid.  He doesn't figure in the news very often but in June 2011 he did so in grand style around the world when the only surviving tintype photograph of him was auctioned for the staggering sum of £1.4m ($2.3m) including buyer's commission.  The BBC News item is here,

Sorry, it's the first update in a long while, but I've not been idle!  I've created a brand new sister site over at johnsongs.com where I've put all my songs, together with MP3s, lyrics and technical notes.  I've also included on the new site lots of what I hope are helpful pages on many aspects of song writing and home recording, and there's also a new photo gallery of my studio.  These pages supersede much of the stuff here so I've removed what used to be the 'My Studio', 'Home Recording' and 'My Songs' sections that used to be on this site.  Please visit the new site and let me know what you think of it.

 

I've done some housekeeping, updating 'My Music Journey' for example, checking links and correcting places where links should open in their own new window, etc.  I've added some more guitars to my collection, so I've added some photos on the 'My Guitars' page.

 

I retired from my job in October 2010 so I now have more time to devote to song writing, recording, music in general and updating my web sites; although there's always a lot of DIY work to perform around the house as well.

My Dad passed away a couple of weeks ago at the age of 89.  He'd been declining since my Mum died almost exactly five years ago.  Yet another reminder of how speedily our lives seem to pass.  When I was a boy each year seemed interminable but now the years just fly by with alarming rapidity.

In my Dad's papers I found that he'd written down a lot of his thoughts during the past few years and on one piece of paper he'd written:  "I may have done a few things I've regretted but I never did anything I was ashamed of".  My advice to the young: follow your dream, don't waste a single day, cherish your loved ones and spend time with them, be considerate to all you meet along the way, and be able to say near the end of your life that you never did anything you were ashamed of.

 

I composed a short 'classical style' piece of music to express how I feel at the present time.  It's called 'Best Before Yesterday' and you can hear it at my new songs web site johnsongs.com.

New song, 'The Gates of Hell' added to the 'My Songs' page.

 

An old bass-playing friend, Denis, found this site and I've added a photo and updated his entry on the 'My Music Journey' page.  Great to hear from you again Den!

I just discovered that an old friend of mine whom I've known for twenty five years or more, bought a very special guitar back in 1981 and kept it in a cupboard, unused, ever since.  I think he gave up playing guitar a long time ago and had no idea he owned - wait for it - a Tony Zemaitis metal front electric !!!  My friend lives in the hills of Wales now and declined when I asked if he could bring the guitar with him if he came to visit his in-laws near here at Christmas: due to understandable insurance concerns he won't take it outside the house.  Today he sent me two pictures instead, so here they are below for your delectation.  The top is the work of Tony's master engraver Danny O'Brien.  The guitar is available for sale, offers above £20,000.  I wish I could afford it!

If you're not aware of the work of Tony Zemaitis then you're not a guitarist!  Famous owners include Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Ronnie Wood, Bob Dylan, and so on.  Sadly Tony died in 2002 at the age of 67.  Read more about the man and the guitars at the Zemaitis Guitar Owners Club.

 

 

 

 

 

A local newspaper, the Coventry Evening Telegraph, has picked up on my web site and published a full page feature in its 'Backbeat' column!  These weekly articles are a labour of love by Pete Chambers, Coventry's aficionado of the rock boom of the 60s and 70s.  Pete works painstakingly and single-handedly to chronicle the pop music boom of that era and to profile the people in this area who lived the dream - some more successful than others.  Those that did make their mark in a big way were the 'The Specials' and 'Selecter', both mainstays of the groundbreaking 2-Tone record label.  Keep up the good work, Pete.

Thanks again to the magic of Google, an old musician pal from way back has just emailed - Brian Meredith.  Brian was a superb drummer who played with me back in 1974.  I'll be updating 'My Music Journey' accordingly!

 

Incredibly rare photo added to the 'Billy The Kid' page under 'My Other Interests'.  It shows Pat Garrett's posse posing for a photograph after capturing Billy at Stinking Springs in December 1880.  You have never seen this one before!

 

Under the Home Recording page I've started a general Help page for new owners of the Roland Fantom X6 who are climbing a steep learning curve like myself!  Hopefully it will prove helpful.  If you don't own one but are thinking about it, pop in anyway.

Added recent photo of band member from way back, John Rushton, and updated his entry in the 'My Music Journey' saga.

 

Started a new page under the Home Recording section on how to load soundfonts in a Creative Soundblaster card.  Still under construction!

Excellent BBC Radio interview with Paul White, Editor In Chief, Sound On Sound!  Lots of inside info on recording techniques!  Reverb, compression, phasing, microphones, and lots more.  Have a listen now - click here.