A tidy house is a tidy mind (Monday 20th July)

Back in to the studio today after a week away – Ed on holiday, Rich working with another band in there and me working on a show called Pedestrian in Bristol. Slow start in terms of music after I suggest that the crypt has just got too messy even for us to work in. Rich and I start trying to tidy but don’t get far before we’re working on an incredibly sad little chord loop he’s written – whilst Ed tried to get his laptop to turn on. He swears a lot and we get the makings of a heart breaking song. Finally finish clearing up about half 3 (good decision – it feels like a lighter more spacious place all of a sudden.) Industrial “Hoover of God” brings sucks up anything in its path and terrifies Rich. He’s very sensitive bless him. Anyway, onward. Work our way through a palette of styles for an idea – through country and folk (Rich restringing the banjo but giving up on tuning it after about 20 minutes, leaves it to “settle”) and out the other side into The Hold Steady / Tom Waits (Heart of Saturday Night) territory. Trying to avoid the pull of sedate and beautiful when there are just the three of us in the room is hard. Finish at 7.

Saw Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and the other one (did history forget him because he didn’t get out and walk on the moon?) on the TV to celebrate 40th anniversary of the moon landing. Wonder if anything as outwardly spectacular and “other” as that will ever happen in our lifetime. I doubt it. Unless we get talking watches.