Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Creativity, Culture, Luck, Music
When you’re as old as me, you learn life is about luck.
You also learn some people end up with a lot more of it than most others.
Might be their health.
Their looks.
Their families wealth.
Their connections.
The country they’re born in.
You name it, luck plays a big part in the life we all get to live – whether that’s good or bad.
But occasionally you meet someone who basically deserves all the luck they enjoy.
Not simply because they helped make it happen on their own, but because they operate at a different league in terms of their talent and capability.
I’ve met a few of those over the years and while it forces you to reconsider your own abilities, you can’t help be grateful to be in the company of someone who plays at a completely different level. Someone who opens up a whole new way of how you look at what’s possible – so even if you’re never going to be as good as them, you’ll be better than you thought you could be because of them.
It’s an honour and a gift to meet them.
What makes it even better is that in my experience, they’re pretty humble.
They know they’re good and they believe in their talent – but they never think that automatically means they’re better than others.
But this post isn’t about them …
No, this is a post about being born into luck.
The right family.
The right location.
The right bank account.
The right face in the right place at the right time.
Basically this is a post about Nick Laird-Clowes … the writer and singer of a song entitled, ‘Life In A Northern Town’ that was a worldwide hit in the mid-80’s.
This is the song:
Anyway, the reason I’m writing about him is that I recently read an article about how the song came about and in a relatively short article, I saw the most name-dropping I may have ever seen in my life.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than partial to a bit of that, but this is ridiculous.
Cop a load of this …
Musicians Paul Simon, Nick Drake and Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmore.
Then record company boss Geoff Travis and Radio DJ, Kid Jensen.
Wrapping it all up with the TV show, The Tube, and presenters Jools Holland and Paula Yates
It’s crazy. Almost as crazy as realising that with his name, his privilege, his city of birth and his circle of friends [for example, the classical musician in the song was also a model] … he’s the last person who has any right to talk about ‘life in a Northern Town. Mind you, I’m impressed he is talking about Newcastle – even if it has a hint of bitterness towards the place given that was where he was fired from his TV job – because most people with his life and background equate anything outside the M25 as ‘the North’.
But in terms of luck – at least in terms of connections and associations – Nick is a winner, even if his music career didn’t extend past that one song.
To be mesmerised by the whole article, check it out here … and note that despite having that one hit single, Nick has just released a 7 CD box set.
SEVEN CD’S!!!
WTF?
Seriously, how many remixes of one song can anybody ever need, let alone want.
Proof you can a shit load of luck but still be deluded as fuck, hahaha.