Due to my recent explorations into the world of myspace, I've found myself this last couple of weeks in conversation with a local musician named Brian Stevenson, whose various bands I have seen in the past and who I have spoken to briefly but when he's been roaring drunk, a state which he has been in every time I've seen him play. He sang in a band named Junior Elvis, who are now split up, which may or may not be due to the fact that Brian likes to take his clothes off on stage and dedicate the songs to his penis and to his mam who "has cancer of the arsehole", and then change whatever lyrics were meant for the songs to whatever felt right at the time. There is something brilliant about him, even if his band members tend to hit him upon finishing the gig, if they get that far. Well actually the band he's currently in, Poindexter, are more sympathetic to his inspired drunken genius. But he records a lot of music on his own, and it's beautiful.
So we've been talking about philosophy and religion every day for the last week or two, but the message I got last night felt different. He lives in Saltburn, a seaside town (also home town of forum member Chuckles), which has a lot of artists and musicians living in it, and some very sheer cliffs with jagged rocks at the bottom, which have seen the final moment of many a sad Clevelander's days. Well, the other day, a Clevelander who Brian knew, who was also a singer in a band, threw himself from Saltburn cliffs and died. By all accounts it's one of the classic cases of coming off the medication too quickly; he was bipolar. He had a fiance, with whom he had quite a nice life, so it doesn't seem like something that was expected at all.
Brian opened up a bit in last night's message; I know he's had a religious youth which I think he has some issues with, but he told me a bit more than that last night, which I won't mention here.
Anyway, I've suggested we get off-line and go and talk some stuff out over a drink, since we're both obviously quite good at both talking and drinking.
So I guess the little detail from my day is that I am going for a pint in Saltburn with Brian Stevenson.
Take five or ten minutes to have a listen to him, if you would, and if you like it, maybe let him know.
www.myspace.com/billinghamforehead
(My favourite is
Now I Am Halfway Through)
