Hey all,
I’m lucky enough to have been handed 3 slots at this years Isle of Wight Festival.
I’m playing the Zebra Bar at 18:00 on Thursday (21st June) evening, and 16:00 on Sunday (24th) afternoon.
Plus I’m playing the Life’s a Beach Stage at 16:30 on Friday (22nd).
Hopefully see you there.
x
OiOi…
I am being interviewed on Welsh Radio at 9pm this evening. The chat goes out at 9pm on Radio Tircoed 106.5 in Swansea.
Tune in if you can/want to.
x
I was bored.
Here’s a tune I’ve been mucking around with.
x
Prost!
I don’t have a lot of internet availability in Germany, but I’ve managed to get some wifi for a few minutes.
I’m over in a town about an hour from Stuttgart getting treatment on my leg, and my spine.
Physically I’m a bit of a mess. When a woman that treats people that have been in wheelchairs for 30 years, looks at your spine, and says “Wow!”, you know you have issues.
I have/had vertebrae that were out of place and a spine as crooked as a politician. The ‘problem’ is, after years of playing through pain, and 5 surgeries, my pain threshold is through the roof. While that sounds like a positive thing, it isn’t.
Because I learnt to ignore the pain, I never did anything about is. Just got on with it. So 3 of my vertebrae, one rib and my sacrum have been completely in the wrong place for the best part of 25 years.
Yesterday I had all those vertebrae moved, and put back where they should be, while concious, and with no pain relief. If I had to describe the pain, it would be in BLOCK CAPITALS and contain quite a lot of swear words.
My back in agony, but my posture is correct and after another treatment today (that I’m dreading), I’ll be fixed and painfree for the first time in living memory.
Another thing, a bit random. When I woke this morning, I walked down to the hotel lobby to get tucked in to some food. I was quickly pointed towards the garden…where I saw this…
A leopard just pacing around the garden…
Just rolling about…
ANOTHER. NORMAL. DAY.
Yesterday, they played a film here in Germany. It was a film about the new technology they’ve been developing to regenerate spinal columns and muscle fibres.
The film features Windsurfing World Champions, Surfers, NBA Basketball players like Chicago Bulls Joakim Noah, and yours truly. Remember Who You Are was used as the main soundtrack of the film. Was pretty amazing to watch a film, in another Country, using your music. Very proud.
On the music front, I’ve been confirmed for this years Isle of Wight Festival. I’ll be playing on the Life’s A Beach stage again. As soon as I get the times, I’ll post them up.
I’m off to chill in the sun. The calm before the back breaking storm.
xxx
Hey all,
My mate Tim sent me some old tunes he had on his computer.
The first one is old bedroom recording of a song called ‘A violent mind’. It was from when we were in a band called Helen Keller.
It’s very rough, very old, and we were very young! But have a listen if you’re bored.
Helen Keller – A Violent Mind.
Here is another tune. A remix by dekalog of an acoustic song called ‘Always said too much’. The track was on the Kody album, ‘Polaroids from Alison’.
Kody – Always Said Too Much (Dekalog remix)
Much love. x
Hey all,
For anyone that is a regular listener to the G and Tippers radio show, you’ll have heard me quit last night. It wasn’t a spur of the moment thing and it’s not something I will regret doing.
Tim will carry on as usual, either as the Tippers show, or with another co presenter. So make sure you continue to tune in.
The last few months have been a real chore and I’ve actually dreaded 7pm every Thursday. When we started the show, in January 2011, I felt like we could grow and grow and become something significant in the World of radio. For the first few months that appeared to be happening, but after a while, I felt it plateaued, and then slipped backwards.
The direction of the show felt like it was drifting away from where I wanted it to go, and it almost felt like it was becoming samey and just another radio show.
We used to be in trouble every week for overstepping the mark. Now we’re rarely in trouble. That bored me. You can’t be a pioneer in anything, without over stepping the mark.
One day I may get back into radio, but first I need to get my own house in order. I am busy with a million different things, and the distraction of the radio show has become less and less welcome.
Thanks to Vectis Radio for giving us the show. And I hope, with some new blood, it can get back to where it was, and further.
Peace. x
Oi.
I am playing this years Bestival as part of my Dads presentation. He’s speaking on the Friday afternoon, and I’ve been invited to get up and play a couple of tunes before and afterwards.
x
This morning I woke to the tragic news that at 2:30 am, Lewis Mighty passed away peacefully in hospital, aged just 7 years old.
Lewis was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in 2008, at the age of 3. Since then the Mighty family have been raising money for Lewis to have ground breaking treatment in the United States.
The target was £300,000 and as I write this, the money raised stands at £242,000. The very thought that money, a piece of paper, should be the difference between life and death, should sicken every one of us to our very core.
The Lewis Mighty Fund (http://www.lewismightyfund.org.uk) is incredibly close to many peoples hearts, including my own. People all over the Country attempting incredible feats to raise money for Lewis. BBC’s ‘Secret Millionaire’ even featured Lewis’s illness.
Despite all the pain and anguish, Lewis, and his Mum and Dad, never complained. They just kept on going, and kept on ploughing through. Lewis, Perry, and Jaime are a true inspiration to all of us.
I had the pleasure of hanging out with Perry a couple of times, and he even came to support me at one of my shows in Derby. He really is a top bloke and for someone like him to be suffering like this is heart breaking.
Lewis was symptom free for 2 years and all of us genuinely thought the little star had defeated this horrendous disease. But on May 12th is was reported that Lewis had taken a turn for the worst, and the Cancer had returned.
Since then the entire City of Derby came together in support of Lewis. Hundreds turned out to candlelight vigils, and thousands sent messages of support.
On Monday night we launched an attempt to get #prayforlewismighty trending Worldwide on twitter. Several locals and friends across the Country bombarded the site with messages of support.
With massive stars from the World of music, Football, and film, joining in, #prayforlewismighty did in fact become the number one trend across the entire planet. A fitting tribute to an inspirational little boy, that has touched the hearts of all of us.
When I woke up this morning and heard the news, I, like everyone was truly devastated. As I write this, I am laying in bed with tears streaming down my face. But if a 7 year old boy can show such incredible courage, then so should we. As much as we mourn his passing, we should be celebrating what he achieved in a mere 7 years.
And more than celebrating his life, we should learn from it. If every single one of us wakes up every morning with the sole intention of being ‘more like Lewis Mighty’, then I really don’t see how we can go too far wrong.
In my eyes Lewis Mighty will always be a reason to be a better person. And I truly hope that Lewis passing will raise awareness of Neuroblastoma and therefore, save many other Children’s lives in the future.
In the past, I have completed two charity fundraising attempts for Lewis Mighty. (Videos at the bottom) But next year, when my leg is healed, myself and my friend Steve, will be attempting the biggest one yet.
Neuroblastoma is not well known enough, and awareness should be raised to this disease. I admit, before I came across Lewis Mighty, I had never heard of the disease either.
Next summer we’re swimming from the Isle of Wight to mainland England, walking the 191 miles to Derby, and then cycling on to Glasgow.
With every mental wall we hit, or pain barrier we are struggling with, one amazing little boy will push us through. A 7 year old boy with the heart of a Lion.
RIP Lewis Mighty, you are one special soul.
xxx
Oi.
Next week I am down in Surrey to record a couple of acoustic tracks. It’s part of a friends project, so I’ll get to try some new stuff out.
Obviously I’ve just finished the album so it seems like poor timing for a spot of free recording. I would say that’s ‘Ironic’ but thanks to Alanis Morrisette, we all know it’s not ironic at all.
I’m going to record a couple of acoustic tracks, ‘This Ones Love’ & ‘Nothing lasts forever’. I’ll use them as B sides for the next two singles. Whatever they may be!
I’m back on the Isle of Wight next week for a couple of shows. When I left last week, I didn’t get to say a lot of good byes. Hopefully we’ll be able to have a few jars at the shows next week.
Monday 21st – Quay Arts Centre, Newport – 8pm.
Thursday 24th – Wight Rock Bar, Ryde – 9:30pm.
Tell your friends! Then kiss them. With tongues. While naked. Covered in peanut butter.
I have a head ache. x
Hey all,
This is my first blog update from my new home. Not that that’s a particularly big achievement. They do have electricity, wifi and laptops up here, so it’s really just as simple as before.
I am up in Derby now, so hopefully, once my leg is healed, it will be a lot easier to tour. I have the whole Country pretty much on the doorstep, with no need for boats and crap.
The leg is healing ok and I’ve managed to spend a fair bit of time in the gym. I’m basically just swimming as I can’t do much else at all. But still, it gets me out the house and keeps me sane(ish).
Tonight is the first G and Tippers Show since I have moved. It’ll be a bit of a bodge job at first until we get to grips with the new set up. Mind you, it’s the bodge job part that listeners seem to like!
This weeks themes are as follows…
Ultimate dinner party? You’re allowed 6 guests. 3 alive, and 3 dead. Who would they be? And why?
Best/worst image you ever had? We all had a dodgy image when we were younger. Let us know what your worst one was, or indeed, what was the one that made you look ‘swell’?
Tweet us @gandtippers and let us know!
See you at 7pm www.vectisradio.com.
x