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Jan 06 2022

TO WHERE I AM NOW

I started the day with the ‘eye thing’ but sat in front of the goggle box (seventies vernacular) until it passed. I had a sesh at 5 PM with Matt in Brooklyn and thought that I might have some time to listen to more sessioneer Fred demos beforehand but the eye thing makes you lose concentration, gives you a dull pain in the head and after breakfast and liquids, hot and cold, followed by dilly-dallying (17th century vernacular) it was time to speak to Matt. Matt, always a pleasure, made me forget my head and we solved all the world’s problems and listened to his songs. Afterwards, I remembered my head and reattached it before tea and got into the Fred demos which lasted all the way till dinner and then…

Both Matt and Dare had sent me emails months ago to tell me to watch a particular documentary on Netflix – My Octopus Teacher (2020). Tonight was the night. Brian in New Jersey had to postpone due to Covid issues and we usually watch something over dinner anyway, so although this was a little longer than an episode of a series it was only an hour and a half long. What a beautiful piece of work it was and it will have you amazed at how a man could form a relationship with a mollusc. Sensitive, fascinating and eye-opening, this incredible creature will astonish you with its skills, intelligence and ability to change colour, shape and texture as well as its ingenuity and quick decision making. Watch it if you can.

As America tonight tries to hold on to a democratic dialogue, here in free Portugal, the third most vaccinated country in the world after Pitcairn and the UAE, we longingly look out of the window and imagine what it might be like to walk into town. A message from the doctor to me today (not to inconclusive Olivia) came with a form that needed filling in to describe my present condition based on the fact that I tested positive on Tuesday’s PCR test. So, tomorrow I hope to get the nod, or at least an idea of when I can leave the house and make that beautiful walk to the psychedelic psupermarket, the bakery or into town. To wander down the aisles picking up products with abandon, to wildly run through the cabbages and the cauliflower, to immerse myself in the cereals, drown in the sparkling water and lie amongst the loaves. Crazy dreams.

As I haven’t had time to seriously sit down and learn my home studio as yet I was glad of my cassette player last night as I was tinkling along on my Strat through the Ibanez effects unit and came up with a really nice arpeggio and melody. How long will it take me to learn? What do I have to stop doing to give me the time to concentrate on this task? How do polymaths like Stephen Fry learn so much, achieve so much, have so much output? Where do they get the time? I suppose focus is the key, prioritising, so can we not luxuriate on the couch with ice cream and a Netflix series? Can we not watch the football? Must we dedicate 24 hours to our work in order to achieve our goals? From my point of view, it’s balance but you have to dedicate yourself to your dreams, so the scales are tipped.

Music today hasn’t been Gentle Giant’s Octopus (1972) because I was playing that album and posted it recently so I listened to Syd Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs (1970) as there is a track on the album called Octopus. The album was recorded in sporadic sessions after Syd left The Floyd in 1968. Although it was released in January 1970 in England it wasn’t released in the USA till 1974. It reached No. 40 in the UK charts. Octopus was released as a single. The album is a collection of songs by an eccentric genius who is falling apart and as it collapses in front of you, you still wonder at Barrett’s creative mind.

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

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

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🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵 31 December - DALL 🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵

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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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