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Dec 06 2021

TO WHERE I AM NOW

I woke up this morning groggy but well-slept after nine hours. Sunday I’m always ready for bed earlier than usual because I have to get up earlier for seshes in Oz. So last night by 2.30 AM I was fading. I’m one of those people that go to bed when I’m almost dead and I generally fall asleep immediately, I can’t go to bed if I have any spark of energy left, I have to wait till nothing’s left. I’m usually not up with the lark and more likely to go to bed with the lark. The talk of circadian rhythms, sleep cycles, relying on light and dark hasn’t ever seemed to be an issue in my life. We just like the night for many reasons, the quiet, the hustle and bustle is over, that beautiful silence, the calm, the ability to think, work undisturbed, the mysteries and magic of the darkness, wonderful.

Waking up, sleep in my eyes, quietly closing the door behind me as I left birthday girl to sleep on, I immediately noticed a strange sight by the front door – two boots, one of mine and one of Olivia’s filled with chocolate. There was even a giant chocolate Santa there as well as all kinds of our favourite sweets. It’s a European tradition, celebrated differently depending where you are – but not in England. Apparently the Dutch go crazy for it. If you’ve been a good kid St. Nicholas stuffs your boots on the morning of the 6th December (you’re supposed to polish them). Sometimes someone dresses up as St. Nicholas (who looks like a bishop) and comes and seeks out children to see if they’ve been good and give them presents. Who knew?

It was ‘filthy weather’ today, Portuguese style, that is rainy, actually drizzle, low clouds but still not really cold enough for long pants. Having said that, everybody else was wrapped up. I suppose an Inuit would be wearing shorts in a Portuguese December too, or maybe even a bathing suit. I trudged through small puddles, avoiding hundreds of umbrellas that were hiding people with no idea who was behind them or even in front of them as their heads disappeared below the arc of the top of their rain shield. I hit a grid that splashed water onto my legs striding on, trying to get to the pool – there’s something about swimming in the rain. In the pool halfway through swimming, a couple got in and I had to have a conversation with them about which way we swim in the lane. They didn’t seem to get that swimming against the swimmer in the next lane instead of in the same direction was asking for arm collisions as each lane is unaware of the next lane’s swimmers. For me with my thumb issue colliding with force is not something I can risk. I swam 70 lengths, went to the psychedelic psupermarket, then the bakery, but forgot to go to the lightbulb shop as it was miserable out there, dark, raining, traffic, blasting horns, umbrella bumping collision hell and I walked right past the shop without remembering to go in, so still no lava lamps.

Music today was Love and Rockets‘ fourth, self-titled, album (1989) which after Earth, Sun, Moon (1987) was rather too noisy for me, I thought that they were great when they were organic, softer more considered and only peppered with the raucous guitars here and there. It wasn’t musical enough for me, melodic enough, it wasn’t enough about the songs, it seemed to be more about the sounds. They used those simple ideas again but they were more consciously underground as if they felt like they were getting too commercial, too accessible. Ironically, it was this album that delivered their biggest hit, So Alive, that found itself sitting at No. 3 on the mainstream chart, sandwiched between Bobby Brown and Richard Marx with Prince at No. 1 with Batdance. I guess I wanted more songs like The Teardrop Collector and No Words No More but it’s their band and I’m sure the 500,000 people that bought the album liked it a lot. It’s amazing what a hit does for your visibility, it seems to me in the end whoever you are, whatever you do, people will like you, they just have to know about you – the same thing happened to us as happened to them with Under The Milky Way.

Music Of The Daze

Written by Marty Willson-Piper · Categorized: Blog

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there's any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

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Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵 📷 @oliviaelek Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵

📷 @oliviaelektra 

#danelectro #danelectrobass #redeyerecords #pleasantrylane #pleasantrylanestudio
You usually don’t spend the day in the studio an You usually don’t spend the day in the studio and the night at a gig but if you put the studio next to the gig then there’s a greater chance. So @salimnourallah did just that, he put the gig and the studio next to each other and made it possible for me to spend the day recording and the evening playing live 🎵

📷 @drewliophoto 

#galacticheadquarters #happinessarecordlabel #pleasantrylanestudio #salimnourallah #oliviawillsonpiper
TO WHERE I AM NOW A visit in the studio today fro TO WHERE I AM NOW

A visit in the studio today from old mate Mark Burgess from The Chameleons who has been hanging in Texas recently. I was thinking about the two of us growing up in the northwest of England and all these years later finding ourselves in such an unlikely spot together. We fixed a few issues in the universe and I carried on recording some guitars until Mark had to leave. Mark had played at the Galactic Headquarters next to the studio this year as Olivia and I had four years ago and this reminded me to remind myself to remind everyone to remind their friends that we will be playing there with Salim on Saturday, New Year’s Eve, for the ultimate in intimate performance. You can get tickets here (follow link below).

CONTINUE READING: https://martywillson-piper.com/2022/12/to-where-i-am-now-1045

KEEP IN TOUCH: https://linktr.ee/mwillsonpiper

📷 @salimnourallah 

#markburgess #thechameleons #chameleonsvox #pleasantrylanestudio #happinessarecordlabel #martywillsonpiper #oliviawillsonpiper #moatband
📷 @argirgirl 📷 @argirgirl
TO WHERE I AM NOW Sadness manifested in a buildin TO WHERE I AM NOW

Sadness manifested in a building, today we went to visit Paisley Park. Prince built Paisley Park in Chanhassen, about twenty minutes southwest of Minneapolis. It opened in 1987 and he recorded his later albums there. Apart from Prince, REM also recorded and mixed Out Of Time there, recording Kate Pearson’s vocal on Shiny Happy People vocal. Madonna had Prince play guitar on three songs from Like A Prayer and the two co-wrote Love Song, finishing it remotely due to Madonna not being able to stand the cold weather and the rather desolate location of the studio. Of course, there are things around but it’s not in the city and it’s not in the countryside, it’s in a suburb, no distractions, just what Prince wanted.

CONTINUE READING: https://martywillson-piper.com/2022/12/to-where-i-am-now-1032

KEEP IN TOUCH: https://linktr.ee/mwillsonpiper

📷 @argirgirl 

#paisleypark #prince
Marty & Pablo! 📷 Rod MacQuarrie Marty & Pablo!

📷 Rod MacQuarrie
At last, a proper door stop. 📷 @judgeschamber At last, a proper door stop.

📷 @judgeschamber 

#grammysitting 👵
🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵 31 December - DALL 🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵

31 December - DALLAS
7 January - CELINA
12 January - HOUSTON
14 January - AUSTIN
15 January - SAN ANTONIO

With @salimnourallah and @joereyesmusic

More info here: https://mailchi.mp/e47ede06acd6/texas-acoustic-dates
Doors & Delays 🎸 @workshop21_guitarclinic #the Doors & Delays 🎸

@workshop21_guitarclinic #thedoors #fenderstratocaster #fenderhotroddeville #nashtelecaster #rickenbacker
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Songwriting & Guitar Guidance with Marty Willson-Piper
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"These are awesome sessions that I highly recommend for guitar players of all levels. Very informative, frank discussions on everything related to guitar and music in general. Definitely a must for anyone pursuing songwriting."
(Stephen G., VA, USA)

"Marty knows how to bypass scales and get to the heart of feel and timing. His musical knowledge spans multiple cultures and genres. Perhaps most importantly, Marty is a cool dude. I highly recommend his guitar guidance." (Jed B., MN, USA)

"Ok, so you’re sitting in your home and Marty is across the world but is actually right here teaching you how to play guitar and write songs. He is a delight to talk to and he is your teacher, meaning he wants to see you get something out of his lessons. You know he’s paying attention and wants to steer you in the right direction. I am so grateful and humbled that he offers his time in this manner. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who admires anything from his enormous body of work. How often do you get to learn from somebody that inspired you in the first place? Amazing." (Ann S., CA, USA)

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there’s any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

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