Thursday 22nd of March, 2001
Sluggish morning. Start diaries.
Get into writing a new piece - loads of strings and forward motion. It becomes clear that it ought to be called Showdown in Oiltown. It's that sort of piece. If you know if a very small corporation that's a bit strapped for cash, I have just the piece ofr their corporate video...
I's not really finished, of course, until I add the superfluous Mellotron Choir. Nothing ever is.
I also try to do something using dice to suggest titles and instrumentation and so forth. Only partial success (that is to say, predominantly a failure).
Big cheese sandwiches for lunch. Switch to Fifth Elephant - still in a Pratchett sort of a mood.
Have to have a lie down at 6:00. I intended to have bath before I went out but, of course, the light in the bathroom is still not working.
I set out and find that the Innes CDs are in the hallway. This is prompt delivery, the company (a Yorkshire desgin company who are doing it as much, I suspect, for love as anything else) are to be commended.
Set off for Zarathustra's. When I get outside, I'm surprised to discover that it isn't as cold as it seemed to be indoors. Hmm. And there is a tinge of Spring on the air.
The club is very quiet. I seem to have that effect on venues, although perhaps I shouldn't admit it to the world. Just usperformers there, and there's a long wait for the start. I recognise one of the other people who's playing - I met him the last time I played here, and at the Bedford Arms last year (BBC Music day or somesuch): his name's Vince. At about 9:15 I go on and do a short set (five songs?). Enjoy it hugely. Reflect afterwards that I'm really enjoying playing at the moment. Should get out and do even more of it. Leave before the main act (Kathleen Haskard) goes on in order to get home and sleep. Walk across to Kingsway and catch 171. It's that "I'm the only sober person in the entire world" sort of time.
Stop at shop to get more cocoa. Can tell it's an affectation because I buy cocoa to which I add sugar rather than drinking chocolate (which is, after all, just cocoa with sugar in it).
Listen to selected tracks from the Innes Cds as I drink my cocoa - Theme, Godfrey Daniel, Lazy Days (resored from a dodgy tape?) and particularly Time to Kill, which I play twice.
Consequently late to bed.
Am I losing it?