ONE MORE GHOST BEFORE BREAKFAST

Here is Hans Richter's 1927 Short Surrealist masterpiece: "Ghosts Before Breakfast" re-scored.



The film initially had a soundtrack which was lost when the original print was destroyed by the Nazi's as 'degenerate art'.

This music - with Jacques Van Rhijn on clarinet, Don Brosnan on bass, Jed Woodhouse on drums, Clive Painter on guitar - was recorded at Clive's studio prior to the sessions for our re-score of Richter's full length magnum opus: "Dream That Money Can Buy" with which this amazing little film shares much. We later used some of it in the Nightingales in the Wasteland podcast but it has never had a proper airing.

The sun was streaming through the big windows and Jacques was on red hot form - quite blissed out I think.
A happy time.

Thanks to Bryan for finding the footage.

THE ALCHEMY OF INK AND BOOZE

The very talented Clive Painter made this beautiful montaged collage for the song 'Dorothy Parker Blue' (on which he also plays the guitar) as part of the project "Propaganda from the State of Love' we created last year for the Victoria and Albert museum.



It reminds me somewhat of the time we did a radio show with Jane Birkin in Paris. We were discussing Dorothy Parker and dreams and the way that literature can really wake you up when you are young. I grew up in a funny house in a strange little place at a peculiar time and the worlds described by DP seemed impossibly glamorous and far away - yet inspiring enough to be worth reaching for nevertheless.

Even though she became quite a tragic character, washed up and beached on a sea of martini and bad love, she seemed to remain insightful and self aware to the end. Now and again, I still enjoy reading her stories - even though, sadly, I've had to give up the martinis myself.

FEBRUARY IS HERE

The snow came today and London is transformed.

Builders and bankers having a snowball fight on Waterloo Bridge. A sort of hush. No buses and a curious camaraderie.

Heaven for let-off-for-the-day school kids.