So recently, the lead singer of The Prodigy, Keith Flint, died.
This news was met with an outpouring of grief from all sides of the music industry
Uniformly, he was celebrated for his passion, talent and his humility – best celebrated by, of all people, James Blunt.
But there was one person who – for me – captured the essence of why Flint was so special.
Kathy Burke – an actor. not a musician – sums up his brilliance as well as the state of the music industry in just 19 words.
That’s not just about her brilliance with words, its her ability to get to the essence of what bands mean to us.
Especially when we’re young.
Where the music we like isn’t just about cultural currency or even generational inclusivity … but to actively demonstrate our independence from our parents choices and preferences.
A thing for us, not them.
Something that speaks to us but shouts at them.
If only planners had such insight …
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Cats, Comment, Love, Rosie
When I was young, I used to look at people who loved their pets as a bit weird.
Maybe ‘love their pets’ isn’t right … I mean overlove them.
Buying them presents.
Signing their name in birthday/Christmas cards.
Kissing them goodnight before you went to bed.
Maybe part of this is because the only pet I had as a kid was a goldfish.
There was a moment I almost – emphasis on almost – managed to talk my parents into getting me a doberman, but it fell short.
So my relationship with animals at home was severely limited.
Then I got Rosie.
For a street cat from Singapore, she struck gold.
She’s lived around the World. She’s been given treats and toys to her hearts content. She’s even had special cat houses and nooks built for her personal pleasure.
Hell, I have even done freelance jobs to ensure she could be flown inside the cabin of a plane rather than in cargo!
And what have I got in return?
Complaints. Loud meows. And a general feeling she’s always disappointed with the people who saved her.
But despite that, I love her.
I love her with all my heart.
In some respects, I regard her as my first child … demonstrated by the fact that when Otis was born, I went to great lengths to ensure Rosie still felt a valid member of the family.
If I heard someone say that prior to having a pet of my own, I admit I would have either wanted to smash them in the face or call an ambulance.
But it gets worse.
Oh yes … the man who wrote only a few sentences ago, that he was suspicious of people who ‘overloved’ their pet is about to admit being peak ‘pet overloverer’.
You thought it was bad when I spent a shitload of cash for a cuddly toy that was made to look like Rosie didn’t you?
And you’d be right to think that.
So I daren’t imagine what you will think when you learn that I paid an equal amount of stupid cash on this …
If that wasn’t bad enough, I really, really like it.
Alright … alright … I’ll let you have the first punch for free.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Culture, Relevance, Resonance
Once upon a time, coffee was something I enjoyed.
I was never a coffee snob – in fact, I still prefer a cup of Nescafe with some Coffee Mate in it – but I would treasure the taste and the moments I got to have it.
Part of this was also to do with the time of my life.
My appreciation of coffee started when I moved to Australia … where there was a real coffee culture, which basically translated to being able to legitimately sit outside a cafe for hours on end and people watch without fear of being arrested for stalking.
But now my relationship with coffee is different.
It’s no longer a pleasure, if anything it’s more like a medicine … because quite frankly, if I don’t have it, I’m even more useless than when I’m wide awake.
I know … you find that impossible to imagine don’t you?
But coffee changes how I look at the World.
Without it, it feels everything is moving at such speed that everything around me is slightly blurry.
Impossible to understand.
Improbable to achieve anything.
But with a big cup of coffee – or, coffee flavored power – it all changes.
I am present.
I feel I’m not going to be left [too far] behind.
I feel I might be able to convince others I have some capabilities.
And while we have seen countless ads in our time where someone sips a cup of coffee and then they’ve suddenly had the clarity to build a bridge out of straws or something … the reality is coffee doesn’t inspire you to do shit, it just makes you a slightly nicer human which – when you come to think about it – is probably more motivating and inspirational for an over-40 audience than 20 hours of brilliant Nike ads, and if not for you, it is certainly is for your family, friends and colleagues.
I don’t know about you, but it’s been a big bloody week.
So instead of writing some long intellectual post – as I normally do [cough, cough, splutter, splutter] let’s just sit back and celebrate the fine line that exists between illegal behaviour and street comedy.
I’ve got to be honest, I don’t understand why anyone would be angry about someone leaning their push bike against your wall – especially when one side of it, literally faces out directly onto a busy street.
But hey, there’s people who get angry that I like Queen, so there’s no pleasing some folk.
With that in mind, have an amazing weekend … I’m off to park my car next to someone’s wall.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Confidence, Culture, Emotion, Empathy, Insight, Italy, Resonance
So as you all know, I recently lost my Aunt and so travelled to Italy for her funeral.
On my return back to England – now with an ability to see through the tears – I realized there were many things in Italian cultural context that really reflected some of the unique values of the place.
From the signage that appeared on the aircraft hangers at Milan airport …
[yes, a bloody aircraft hanger]
… through to the stylish [at least comparatively to the UK equivalent, on the left] of their toy ‘play people’.
There is something so effortlessly stylish over there, proven by the fact things that shouldn’t work on paper, somehow do.
Now many would say that is the power of confidence, but I think it’s more than that.
I think the beauty of the Italian culture is their ability to be comfortable with being authentic.
Of course there’s exceptions … and yes, I’m definitely being generalistic … but there’s a wonderfulness in how much people seem to believe a successful life is more about how you live rather than what you have.
Or how something makes you feel rather than what it makes someone think about you.
Which is why I find Italian beaches are the happiest beaches because the undercurrent of competitiveness and social judgement that often infiltrates other countries sand and sea just isn’t there. Instead, there feels a common spirit of ‘happy contentedness’ … where the simple act of being in a place with people you love is embraced and enjoyed by all.
And when everyone loves and respects everyone else for living with that authenticity, then things like body shape and beach fashion just don’t really come into it … because at the end of the day, you’re not trying to impress others, you’re just comfortable being yourself.