Live a Love of Life: Reflections & Recollections of the James Album, 'Seven'.

Introduction

As someone who suffers from a chronic health condition, the Covid-19 outbreak is a nightmarish, terrifying situation, & as I am in the "extremely vulnerable" category & have been told to self-isolate by the Cystic Fibrosis team that treat me at the hospital I attend for the foreseeable future, I am going to try & write about the art, literature & music that I adore to try & help keep me on an even keel & try & prevent me from going insane with worry & anxiety. This new situation is very scary for all of us, but for those like me who are in the Extremely Vulnerable group, & for their their loved ones & carers, it is a very stressful & frightening time. With all that in mind, I thought I would begin by sharing some of my thoughts on an album that had a huge effect on me when it was released back in 1992. I'd discovered the band James about two years earlier when I first heard their glorious dance epic 'Come Home' on the radio. I then bought the album it resided on, Gold Mother, & a VHS tape of a live concert they performed at the G-Mex in Manchester which stole my heart & sealed my growing obsession. This new album, then, I anticipated with great excitement. I actually bought it on the day of its release at an Our Price store at London Waterloo station where I was passing through on my way to Portsmouth for an audition. I didn't have a CD walkman (only a tape walkman) so I couldn't listen to it immediately but instead gazed longingly at the artwork on the inner sleeve & read the song titles over & over whilst I was on the train, wondering what they would be like & how they'd sound when I finally got the chance to play them later that evening. Intriguing titles such as 'Live a Love of Life', & 'Next Lover' jumped out at me... my imagination was in a whirl.

And so, some 28 years later, here is my review/personal take on the songs that make up the glorious, but at the time, much maligned by the music press, James album, Seven.

James - Seven

"What is common to Jewish-Christian and Zen Buddhist thinking is the awareness that I must give up my "will" (in the sense of my desire to force, direct, strangle the world outside of me and within me) in order to be completely open, responsive, awake and alive"

- Erich Fromm, 'Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism'.

"This is an invitation to leave yourselves behind."

- Tim Booth, Live Introduction to 'Sound'

1. Born of Frustration

'Born of Frustration', the opening song on the album, is the song that really caused all the trouble between James & the indie music press at the time & particularly with the NME. Although previous to this song's release, the music press had been, in the main, pretty supportive of James, this now changed immeasurably. 'Born of Frustration' introduces us to what James were always destined to do & which is a huge part of their box of tricks: glorious, anthemic songs that work well in a large arena. But the real bone of contention was the "la la la" refrain, which immediately brought howling derision from the little indie fascist community who quickly labelled James another Simple Minds. I could go on for hours here, but I will try to be brief. Simple Minds had become, by the early 90s, a dirty word in alternative music. I've always had a soft spot for Simple Minds & their first five, Post-punk, European Disco style albums are New Wave masterpieces. But they then grew into a quite different creature, shedding their strangeness & embracing a big soundscape sound whilst filling stadiums across the globe. This, of course, was anathema to the blossoming indie scene of the time & hence the change in the music press's opinion of them from one of support to sneering contempt. And so, they now decided to lump James into the same bracket: once loved, now despised. But anyway, onto the song itself. I, you won't be surprised to hear, loved it, & although it lost its sheen a bit for me for a while due to it being overplayed, I think it's a majestic song & I often play it still now. Wide-screened with wonderful trumpet lines, singer & lyricist Tim Booth (Boothy from here on) at his most questioning & impassioned, it has some intriguing lyrics, firstly concerning the nature of mind & reality itself:

"You're all an illusion...
You're only in my head you don't exist.
Who am I fooling?
I don't need a shrink but an exorcist."

before the singer turns his attention away from his own state of mind to probe these deep questions...

"All this frustration, all this frustration,
Who put brown owl eyes on the butterfly's wings?
All this frustration, all this frustration,
Who gave the leopard spots & taught the birds to sing?"

leading us to the closing of the song with the thought that perhaps the whole idea of faith is also one of frustration & uncertainty itself:

"The world is spinning endlessly,
We're clinging to our old beliefs."

This is incredible stuff. And as much as I might step to the defence of Simple Minds on occasions, (and actually, who couldn't love a band that had written the majestic working class song 'Waterfront'?), 'Don't You Forget About Me' - the song that 'Born of Frustration' is usually directly compared with - doesn't come anywhere close to 'Born of Frustration' in terms of melody, searching vocal & lyrical content. But 'Don't You Forget About Me' does work very well as the soundtrack to the brat pack film The Breakfast Club, whereas 'Born of Frustration', with its deep philosophical pondering, most certainly wouldn't.


2. Ring The Bells

I had already heard 'Ring the Bells' before as a live version of the song was on the Live video that I had. It's a wonderful uplifting number, or, as Boothy introduces it to the audience, "it's very pretty, I think you'll like it." It also finds him using his falsetto to give the song wings during its soaring crescendo. Again, it has been a staple at James concerts since it was written &, for this reason, it also lost some of its sheen for me due to it being a tad overplayed. But it still generates waves of positivity, & is there any better way to respond to a bully or a person, or even a society that has hurt you than this:

"When you let me fall, I grew my own wings...
Now I'm as tall as these skies...
When you let me drown, I grew gills & fins...
Now I'm as deep as the sea...
When you let me die, my spirit's free...
There's nothing challenging me."

Beautiful, priceless words. And a perfect lesson in how not to remain a victim.


3. Sound

This was another song that I'd already heard as it was the lead single before the album's release & it was & remains a thing of wonder. Even my friend, Pete, who hates James, bought the 12" single because he thought it was so good. It is six-minutes plus in duration, is strange & epic, & is more a piece of art rock dance music than a conventional song with a verse/chorus/verse/chorus/mid8/chorus structure. At the time of it's release, I also bought a wonderful salmon pink James T.Shirt with the legend 'We Are Sound' written on the back (it has been sadly lost, somewhere along the way. My wife Lydia jokingly said to me when I told her, "Hmph! I wonder which of your past birds has got that T. Shirt, then!), which, as it was the baggy era, was absolutely enormous on me & whenever I wore it, my aforementioned friend, Pete, would announce, "Ah, I see you're wearing your James dress again!" It did go very well with my Adidas Gazelle, however!

'Sound' is really a scintillating call to be completely open to life. It is an invitation that is trying to encourage the listener to experience things deeply, to be open to new experiences & to not be hemmed in by the personality, which most people wear & use as a kind of defensive armour of the body & soul...

"Fall into a spin,
Shed another skin,

Strip away all your protection..."

It's as if Boothy is encouraging (and even imploring) the listener to open up to the song, the power of the music, to experience & in essence, to life itself. In Daoist terms, I guess it would be along similar lines to the idea of shedding the limitations of the Acquired Mind, trying to experience things without all the stuff that is loaded on to us from the moment we begin to learn what is seen as acceptable, right or moral, whether that be from parents, from teachers at school, from the media, the TV & every other platform which tries to inform us what to think...

"Come, dip on in...
Leave your bones, leave your skin...
Leave your past, leave your craft,
Leave your suffering heart."

The piece builds gradually up to a towering crescendo which has Boothy imploring the listener, with desperation in his voice & megaphone in hand:

"For God's sake, do something out of character!"

Before the music winds down to a close as if a storm has passed & you glance up to see the sunlight flickering through the clouds & reflecting on the leaves outside the window. For me, 'Sound' is a truly magnificent work of art. Tim Booth has prodded, encouraged & implored his close listeners to cast off their body armour ('Chain mail', for example) for his entire career, & this song for me is probably a James manifesto. So much of what they're about is encapsulated in this piece of music, especially when they perform it live. It is ecstatic, euphoric, & it is dance music whilst being so much more than just dance music at the same time. It is dreamy but thoroughly engaged with life & not drop out stoner music. It is also ahead of its time, a kind of proto Zooropa-era U2 as well, & I wish Brian Eno had produced a version as I would have loved to hear what he would have done with it but he wasn't to produce James until their next album, Laid. What is there left to say? A wonderful piece of music, especially when they play it in concert.


4. Bring a Gun

Again, this was a song that I'd already heard before as it was on the live at the G-Mex video, & it was actually this song, not 'Born of Frustration', that first made me think that, musically, James had a song that had similarities with Simple Minds, as the wah wah guitar sounded remarkably similar to the guitar part in the early Simple Minds song, 'Love Song'. I loved the message & feel of 'Bring a Gun', which was a howl of rage against beige, boring Thatcherism & dull, grey Britain in which only dullness was allowed:

"Get a license for that grin or they'll lock you away,
If you show that you're happy inside, you're going to get busted.
The only law we allow round here is one of organised grey..."

One antidote to all this, of course is, as the song says, to have a party. And, in normal circumstances, just as Madonna knows, who in their right mind would want to argue with that?


5. Mother

'Mother' is a powerful antiwar song, which has a slower, American blues feel that has the somewhat rather startling opening lines:

"This war's a mother-fucker,
How many sons will we kill today?"
I can't help but feel that most of the song is from a soldier's mother's point of view, as she addresses the leaders who send their sons & people off to war & often to their deaths. It is a powerful, haunting song that lingers long in the memory.


6. Don't Wait That Long

This was one of my favourites on first listen, & I still adore the dreamy feel that it has. Like 'Sound', it weighs in at close to seven minutes & this brings the brooding atmosphere out to the full. I would imagine that this lyric was written in part about Boothy's break up with the mother of his son, as some of the lines have a self-lacerating feel that mirror the famous, perhaps infamous, reflections of "After thirty years, I've become my fears, I've become the kind of man I've always hated" that James aficionados already knew from 'Come Home'. But, lyrically, what I remember 'Don't Wait That Long' for the most was the quite brilliant line that suggested that God/the creator was perhaps not a man, that Man God in the Sky that most of us were taught about in school or church, but, intriguingly, a woman, or certainly a She, a feminine force:

"God made me to Her own design,
Bad planning... too many flaws."

I immediately found this to be an extraordinary, beautiful idea. Even as an atheist, I found the notion that whatever creative force it is that is behind the fact that Something rather than Nothing exists, makes far more sense if that force is feminine. It opens up the mind to many layers of speculation, but as Nature is often referred to in feminine terms (Mother Nature being the most obvious), why shouldn't the force that created nature be feminine also? And it's hardly surprising that men have tried to take the credit themselves by creating a masculine Sky God father, is it? Boothy explores this idea further on the title track of this album, 'Seven', which is still to come, & also on the dreamy, magisterial album that was to be released a few years later, his album with Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti, Booth & The Bad Angel. As a young man who first heard this song & then thought about what Boothy was suggesting, it was beautiful, thoughtful & exhilarating stuff, as it still is. Decades before the current New-Ageism fad that has become a thing so full of cliches, banal nonsense & Bad Faith, Boothy was actually teaching all of us who took the time to listen to consider & behold the Divine Feminine in the universe.


7. Live a Love of Life

The title of this song, 'Live a Love of Life', is, along with 'Stay Beautiful' by the Manics, my joint-favourite song title of all time. It's a wonderful phrase & it was one of the titles that really jumped out & intrigued me the most as I gazed at the inner sleeve of the CD as I travelled on the train after I'd just bought the album. Yet the song itself is not at all how I expected it to be. I actually thought it would have a similar uplifting feel to the future James track 'Waltzing Along', that is, an upbeat take on the wonders that life can offer & how to navigate its troubles. But how mistaken I was. For to my ears, it doubles not only as an attack on abusive fathers in general, but also to the biggest father of all, the God of Christianity for allowing His Son to be crucified, whilst still finding room to wrestle with the identity of Jesus himself:

"I don't believe Jesus was a human being,
I've never met a prophet whose sheets are clean,
Only in a film could He be so cool,
But only in life can fathers be so cruel."

And that's not all. For as Boothy later sings, we are also all trapped in a system that hinders our best impulses:

"Open your eyes & what do you see,
The system made to crush our needs,
The Saviour nailed to every tree."

It's a chilling vision that Boothy conjures up here, & he goes on to accuse our governments, & organised religion for their values & for their hypocrisy, turning the title of the song, instead of a celebration of life, into a damning accusation:

"Where's you're love of life?
Show me your love of life!"
It's a strange, unnerving song with many ideas & notions to contemplate. And despite much of the accusatory nature of the lyric, the encouraging ideas still shine through like a beacon, imploring the listener to try & do exactly what the glorious title of the song says: 'Live a Love of Life'. I think it's a brilliant phrase. They should have had it emblazoned on a T. Shirt!


8. Next Lover

Aaahhh... what dreamy, romantic raptures this song sends my soul into. Along with 'Live a Love of Life', it was this title that had sent my imagination into overdrive when I first saw it on the inner sleeve. And what a glorious, Film Noir-kissed piece it turned out to be when I finally got to hear it. One of the things I so admire about Boothy's lyrics, & why they have always spoken to me on such a deep level, is that he has a foot in two camps that are normally opposed to one another. On one side there is the world of the spirit, or the unseen, where he explores ideas about God, Spirituality, Energy, & emotions, etc, but on the other, there are lyrics that are firmly grounded in our physical reality, in our biological bodies & our physical senses. These two subjects are quite often polarised as they seem to be in complete opposition to one another. But in Tim Booth's case, judging from his lyrics & interviews, this is not the case. He certainly doesn't seem to favour or privilege one over the other or debase one at the expense of the other & in this he has taught me so much over the decades, & I know from talking to my wife Lydia (who is an acupuncturist & is extraordinarily knowledgeable about Daoism & Ancient Chinese Thought) that many of his ideas directly touch on those of Daoism & Ancient Chinese philosophy. I also hear references to the psychologist Wilhelm Reich, & even that famous atheist Friedrich Nietzsche (particularly on the B.Side 'Long To See', which I can never listen to without thinking it's inspired by the chapter on the Hermit in Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra.... I would love to ask Boothy if this was so if I ever got the chance!) But in Boothy, as in myself & Lydia, none of these ideas seem to clash. They sit beside each other harmoniously & seem as natural as yin & yang. Of course there is an unknown world that we long to know of. Not one single person knows for sure what life is, how it started, what thoughts are, where we came from, or anything of that nature. Let me repeat: None of us know FOR SURE. Of course, we can speculate, we have mountains of information that we can explore: science, philosophies, religions, etc, & we must then make our choice based on that limited & probably incomplete information that is available to us. For me, weighing up the evidence of my own life experience & learning, I'm an atheist, but I wouldn't for one second say that I know that the atheist position is definitely true, because I can't say that, & because as I get older, the only thing I can say for sure is that I know hardly anything. ("The further you go, the less you know" as Boothy sings in 'Five-0'). I'm digressing slightly but what I wanted to say is that one of the reasons why I love Tim Booth's & James's work so much is that they explore ideas about spirituality whilst exploring the drives & needs & desires of the body with equal intensity. Boothy certainly hasn't become dead from the neck down just because he is vitally interested in matters of the spirit. And my goodness, his lyrics are as romantic, sensual & as celebratory of sexuality as any of the other singers that I love & revere so much: Brett Anderson, Marc Almond, Anna Calvi, Ren Harvieu, etc, though why he doesn't get the credit for this rather baffles me. Take for example his oceanic solo song 'Fall in Love with Me', which simply drowns in jouissance & the euphoria of blissful sensuality via the flowing tides, the moon... Anyway, I digress again... onto 'Next Lover'!

The first verse contains these sparkling lines:

"Who are you dreaming of now,
Is she flesh-real, or bloodless fantasy?"
It sets the scene perfectly for what is to follow. An exploration of sexual longing & desire, female beauty, the imagination versus reality, & how desire can influence our thoughts & behaviour on a grand scale. After first addressing the way that the motive of desire will directly affect our behaviour towards the desired person:

"We will laugh at the worst of your jokes,
Steal a kiss if we can,
Buy you flowers & gifts,
Every move is a plan."

we move away from the more outward signs of desire to a kind of exploration of the nature of desire itself & about who really has the power in this situation, the one who desires or the desired object:

"We are driven by things you can't feel,
Are we stealing or are we the steal?"

Before Boothy turns inwards to describe this earth-shattering emotion that he is experiencing:

"I'm so full of desire, I've forgotten your name,
I'm so full of desire, I could burst into flame,
I'm so full of desire... I can't hope to control,
This desire is closer to pain...
River runs where all rivers go...
This desire will not be contained!"

The yearning in Boothy's voice as he reaches this crescendo is a perfect reflection of the lyric, & after this the song falls breathlessly to a close with a gentle slowdown featuring more plaintive "la la la la las". For me, it is the "River runs where all rivers go, This desire will be contained," lines that have the most power, for it explores in beautiful poetry ideas that I've come across not only in college, but through Lydia's studies as well. Freud believed that desire was an energy & that this energy could not be removed, but either had to find an outlet (sublimation) or be repressed. And as John A Sandford says in his book Fate, Love & Ecstasy, "Have we not learned from psychology that to feel shame about sex & desire is to repress it and incur a neurosis as a consequence?" (Sandford, J.A. p. 12) I think this lyric touches on this fact, & it is remarkable how similar these two lines are to the Daoist teaching that "you cannot end desire, for that is impossible, you can only end that which is capable of desiring." In other words: "River runs where all rivers go..." I think this song is a wonderful exploration on the nature of desire & it is a song full of longing that I still listen to often, & it has intrigued me in many different ways over the years, depending on which period I've been in my life when I have listened to it.

9. Heavens

My, oh my. That last chapter was a bit long, wasn't it? Anyway, onto 'Heavens'. This is a wonderfully philosophical song, that has a real sense of shimmer running through it, & when I hear it, in my mind I feel like I'm on a bridge looking down at a stream flowing along in Spring, with sunlight reflecting & sparkling on the surface & on the glimmering fishes that are swimming just below. And is there a more concise summing up of the problem of the human condition in a pop/rock song than this:

"I've been looking through microscopes to see how all life begins,
I've been training my lens on the stars to see where it ends,
But it's this living in-between that is bringing me down
To a land that's lost in dreams."


10. Protect Me.

This song is a rather simple lullaby, a pause for breath between what we've heard already & what's to come on the soaring, last song of the album. It has a slight bluesy feel, but I have to admit that I probably prefer to listen to the live version, where Boothy's delicate vocal is accompanied only by a plaintive acoustic guitar.


11. Seven.

'Seven', the final song on the album, is a stunning closing number & is in many ways a summation of many of the themes that have already been explored. It's a total mystery of a song, from the lyrics right through to the title itself, 'Seven', which isn't actually sung at any point. What does the Seven of the title signify? Is it because there are seven members in the band? Is it a mystical reference? Seven is a mysterious word that has many implications & is full of religious symbolism. There are also the Seven Deadly Sins. And Seven is also the title of a different, but equally enigmatic song by Prince. I don't know if there's a definitive answer, but it is a powerful, haunting song full of meanderings, spine-tingling trumpet, ideas about letting go of trauma & becoming more free by doing this, & as always, it comes jam-packed with emotion & intriguing lyrics:

"God made love to me,
Soothed away my gravity.
Gave me a pair of angel's wings,
Clear vision & some magic things.
God is love to me,
Thank you for those things."

I think this says so much about Tim Booth's lyrics & outlook. The ultimate union, as he puts it, would be to make love with God. And what is God? Well, God, aside from the God of Christianity, means many things to many people. The Greeks had lots of different gods, & just as many goddesses as well. I think the clue here is that God means something different to each one of us. Boothy reveals that in this lyric, God is love. What a wonderful idea. And, of course, the key line: "Thank you for those things." How many people feel genuine gratitude for the wonderful things they have in their lives? Love, friendship, good health, no financial concerns, the blue skies, the sea, etc, instead of tearing themselves into pieces over things they CHOOSE to get upset about? I have my doubts. Maybe this terrible current crisis will make people stop & take a second to think about the incredible things they had but which they perhaps took for granted? Who knows. And the final lyrics of 'Seven', & the album of the same name also, are:

"Understand the world we're living in,
Love can change anything."

Indeed.


Conclusion

So, gentle reader, as I'm sure you will agree after reading my blog up to this point, what a journey it's been for me so far with Boothy & James during my life. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we are living through a very serious time at the moment & because I have cystic fibrosis, it is very scary indeed. Lydia & me may well be self-isolated from other people for months. And it's not only this new virus that is so scary, there are my usual CF treatments, hospital visits & admissions to navigate & we are unsure as to how the CF team are going to be able to do this. We also have to make sure we don't run out of anything (food, essentials, medication, medical equipment, etc) or go out of our minds with worry & anxiety. I'm sure Boothy & James will help psychologically & emotionally during this period, as they've already helped us immensely over the years. For instance, the amount of times I've had them playing quietly in my hospital room during many unpleasant medical procedures is very many indeed.  But it's not only during scary times that they have inspired me, in fact that is far from the case. For over the many years, Boothy & James have encouraged me, soothed me, challenged me & educated me. Made me more open & accepting. Taught me how important it is to treasure every moment. And my wife, Lydia, who is arguably even more obsessed with James than I am, truly adores Tim Booth, & many are the stories we have that are centred around him. Out of many things I could choose, & one I've not really mentioned as yet, is Boothy's astonishing dancing. It is freedom personified. And my good lady has become something of a Queen of Five Rhythms dancing thanks to being inspired & introduced to it by him, travelling as far afield as Sheffield & Brighton to attend their classes. And for me personally, one of the things I love to do is create my own covers for our i-pod & i-tunes library. Here is one of my favourites:



And in our everyday lives, they are pretty much always a part of us, even when our picture gets snapped unknowingly by a friend when we are simply enjoying listening to a live band playing down at the local pub whilst sporting a James shirt!...



And then, there are the truly sublime, time stopping moments. Such as when we had just moved down south to start our new life & James played at our local hall with support from Echo & The Bunnymen. Usually, Lydia always stays with me in our seats but on this occasion we had a friend with us who could stay with me, which left Lydia free to go & stand downstairs & get as close to the stage as possible. We were already gliding on air with all the excitement of our new life, Lydia's new career doing something she adores & believes in deeply, when an extraordinary happening took place. For during 'How Was It For You?' Boothy made one of his regular trips out into the crowd via the shoulders of the audience. And before long, he reached Lydia. He held her hand & they gazed into each other's eyes & souls as he sang the unbelievably sexy, teasing lines "Do with me what you want, but don't tell a soul, Don't tell my soul!" right through to the repeated crescendo finish of "such a feeling... whoa!" that ends the song. It was truly extraordinary to witness & with the spotlight shining on them both, it was as if time stood still, the intensity of the energy between them enough to have lit up the entire concert hall. I'll put a link to a live version of 'How Was It For You?' at the end of this blog & I'm sure you will agree it is one of the sexiest songs ever written, complete with building excitement that reaches to, quite literally, an orgasmic crescendo. All I can say in conclusion is that my very fine lady, as you can no doubt appreciate, envious reader!, was an ecstatically happy girl that night!

Another, & probably the most memorable occasion with Boothy & ourselves was when we saw James at Wolverhampton Civic Hall in December 2016, on our wedding anniversary. We were in the first row of the circle & Boothy had been on many trips out into the audience during the main set. But just before the encore, Lydia said to me, "Okay, Bunny... using our intention, we're going to manifest him standing right here next to us singing. Let's see if we can make it happen." Then the house lights went down & the piano intro to '(Just Like) Fred Astaire' began & Boothy suddenly appeared one block away from us. I remember thinking, "Oh no!... If only our seats had been ten to fifteen to our left, that would have been us." And then he started walking along the front row towards us... he got closer... & closer... & closer. And then, all at once, whilst I struggled to hold myself together, he was standing right there in front of us, holding our hands in his, all of us gazing into each other's eyes as he sang the final verse & chorus of 'Fred Astaire'. Time literally stood still as the beauty & wonder of the moment enraptured us. It was captured by a fan beside us who sent us the video & everybody around us was crying with emotion. It really was an unforgettable moment & it summed up our relationship with Tim Booth & James in a crystal ball.

James have also played a huge part in helping to form or cement friendships. When we lived in north Wales, Lydia & me went to our local Wine Bar as there was an open mic night being held there. As I hoped to be able to sing a couple of songs, I asked the chap who was running it if he could accompany me on guitar but he shook his head & instead pointed me in the direction of the house keyboard player, a chap called Phil. As is usual, I thought I'd start by asking him if he knew any songs by the most played & well known artists on the scene: "Hi Phil, I'd like to sing a couple of songs tonight, can you play anything by the Smiths or REM?" The affable keyboard player replied, "Hmmm... not really." I then asked him, "Anything by James, perhaps?" The keyboard player's eyes lit up: "Mmm, let's see... Only everything they've ever done!" And so was to begin a deep friendship that has lasted over fifteen years & which led to us playing most of the James back catalogue at various open mics over a period of around 8/9 years. We are still great friends now & are actually hoping to somehow be able to play some songs online via Skype or something of that ilk, but who knows if this will be possible. Either way, without James, one of my best friends may have remained unknown to me. And then there's our friend down south, Aaron, who has been a godsend during this current crisis, getting us fresh fruit & veg, my mountains of medication from the chemist, as well as some extra goodies as an extra, much loved surprise. He is also a great admirer of Boothy & let me just say that he & my good lady have almost traded blows when we've seen James together in concert as they have endeavoured to get their hungry paws on the man himself. And, it has to be said, it's not hard to see why, is it?

This Pic, I think!, was shamelessly lifted from Tim Booth's Official Twitter Account (Hope you don't mind, Boothy! I'm sure he won't... I mean, if this was me I'd have it plastered everywhere!):
https://twitter.com/RealTimBooth?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor


And so, what now? Well, in a different way, during a time of great worry & fear, Boothy & James are always here for us. Hopefully they will soothe us, help us try to make sense of what's happening & in classic James style, help us to make the most of life even at this terrifying time. And wherever possible, & despite our current fears, to make the most of every day.

And on a more general level, in summation, Tim Booth, James, the album that I've discussed here & all of their other work, seem to me to suggest that openness to experience, gratitude for the good things we have in life, the courage to follow change & opportunity, love & romance are what makes us who we are & are what we need to hold on to to make our lives the richest experience they can possibly be. And questing. Or questioning. Encouraging us to never stop searching, to try to understand the world we're living in, never stop learning, & to let ourselves cry at the sadness of the world when necessary, & laugh at the wonder of it all whenever we can.

And perhaps, like Boothy sings, Love can change anything. It's a beautiful thought.

Live a Love of Life. x


Art by Nikki Smith



- Tim Booth Love Life album artwork by Lee Baker

- Lydia in Glastonbury, 2017


James - 'How Was It For You?' (Live at the G-Mex, Manchester. Dec 1990):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PryPwous3u0