Where did it all go wrong? (a review of 2010)

Before "Sophie and Gary", before "Steve and Gary", before "Kitch and Gary" even, there was "Elvis and Gary". With me getting overshadowed as per usual.

In my first post of 2011, I’m going to look back at 2010 and see if I can remember much about it, and look forward to what 2011 might bring.

2010 was the year I ran away to Chirk to start work on the first Kings of Inertia album, and also the year I started my first blog. To date, the blog has made far more progress than the album.

2010 was the year I got back in touch with a couple of old friends from the Big Car Girls: drummer Dave “Dave” Taylor, who I hope is still on board for recording with the Kings after the Christmas hiatus; and guitarist Dave “Scotty” Scott, who I may yet drag out of retirement for a guest solo or two.

2010 was the year I played a considerable number of gigs (for me, that means more than one a month); reuniting with yet another ex-Big Car Girl, guitarist/vocalist Andy “Kitch” Kitchinson; reforming The Snags with singer Sophie Nieto; and getting dressed up head-to-toe in black leather to be Elvis Presley from his ’68 Comeback Special.

On a personal note, 2010 was the year that me and my darling wife Amy celebrated 10 years of being together as a couple. Ahhh! There’s probably a number of significant events that have slipped my mind – I’m sure Amy will remind me of them once she’s read this blog…

So what does 2011 hold? Let’s make some bold statements:

2011 will be the year that I complete the Kings of Inertia album and start performing my own original songs in public.

2011 will be the year I post to my blog on a regular basis (just what do I do with my time at work??) – I should start work on my memoirs just in case I become world famous…

2011 will be the year that I play a gig somewhere other than my home town of West Kirby – I dunno, Liverpool maybe. Or New York, where we’re headed for our one big holiday this year.

2011 will be the year I get my redundancy package and leave my dead end job, and finally have the opportunity to concentrate fully on my music. After I’ve finished work on our bathroom of course.

2011 will be the year that Amy and I both get to pack in our jobs and move to the South of France to start a new life. Don’t worry West Kirby, we’ll keep our house here as a little pied a terre – look! I can speak the lingo already!

Okay, let’s all come back here in 361 days and see how many of those statements we can tick off!

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Lennon, McCartney, and me

The John Lennon Peace Monument in Chavasse Park, Liverpool, unveiled on Saturday 9th October 2010 to celebrate John Lennon's 70th birthday.

So is this just a cynical attempt to cash in on John Lennon’s 70th birthday, hoping that people will Google the name “Lennon” and somehow find my blog?

Well… yes.

And then again… no.

But okay… perhaps. But hey, I’ve spent most of my working life in Liverpool, I can’t count the times I’ve walked along Mathew Street and past The Cavern, I’ve had several pints in such noteworthy The-Beatles-drank-here establishments such as The Grapes and The White Star.

The John Lennon Peace Monument

And only just today I walked up to Chavasse Park and took several pictures of the new “Peace and Harmony” monument that was unveiled yesterday in honour of John Lennon. So I reckon it’s okay to namedrop the odd Beatle every now and then.

Mind you, if I was a Beatle, I’d have been Paul McCartney (who has been spotted in my local Morrisons, albeit not by me) – I’m a left-handed-bass-playing singer-songwriter with a penchant for writing poppy love songs. And just recently, I almost grew a beard and moved into a cottage in Mull of Kintyre to record my first album. But went to Chirk instead (see my earliest posts).

Okay, I may not yet have written my “Yesterday”, but neither have I penned my “Frog Chorus”. I think I’m slightly up on the deal there then.

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