The Shoulders of Giants

In my view we are all standing on the shoulders of giants. 

But ‘the giants’ are only a reflection of our collective Humanity.  For example, one of my main interests, as you may know, is in a positive attitude towards the future and the potential modification of world society through revolutionary change and the re-making of History.  But I wasn’t born with those ideas – far from it.  In fact, my childhood development was founded upon being part of a loving working-class, Catholic, quite socially Conservative family who were originally slightly horrified by how I’ve turned out. 

Albert Camus

But my folks were doing what they thought was right at the time.  And they were right at the time and we now still get along as well as we ever did.  Mum and Dad were always social thinkers.  Dad knew something was going on when I kept him up all night over a glass of Whiskey in 1981 arguing that ‘The Outsider’ by Albert Camus was the best book in the literary canon. 

Only for me to bounce back the following week with a thorough-going critical defence of Satre’s ‘Age of Reason’ trilogy.  That was my 'Existentialist' phase. 

Jean Paul Satre

Dad implored me to pay attention at school, read ‘Ireland’s Own' and go to Mass.  Of course I knew best!  All this was before I ran into Karl Marx and William Morris.

Paul Weller posing with my Scooter

Artists are standing on the shoulders of giants.   For example, Paul Weller put out a brilliant album called ’22 Dreams’ - it is flawless in my view.  But not many have picked up on the fact that the title track is simply an exercise in plagiarising The Electric Prunes.  

Meanwhile, my classic song ‘Hairy Ned’ is about a character I know from Slacky Lane, but the origins of this piece song go back much further.  Lots of years ago I picked up an album called ‘Scoop’, it was a collection of demos and out-takes recorded by Pete Townshend.  When getting ‘Hairy Ned’ together it seemed natural to borrow the chords from Townshend’s long forgotten classic ‘Mary’ from the aborted WHO 'Lifehouse' project which I’d always loved and tried to master.  Check it here -   

Hairy Ned preparing to be Best Man at the wedding of No Toes Percy and Samantha

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tXE67Q02ud0&NR=1



The same sentiments hold true for my song ‘On the Bombsite’.  Since I was 13 I was mad on The Small Faces and they were on Immediate records which was a small and pioneering Independent label owned by Andrew Loog-Oldham who also managed The Rolling Stones for a time. 

The Bombsite

The association with The Small Faces ensured I picked up everything on Immediate.  A consequence of this was my acquaintance with Duncan Browne and his very obscure number – you’ve guessed it – ‘On the Bombsite’.  Have a listen and see how much of a rip off merchant I am!
 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6I6GXIZeAD8

While I'm at it you may as well know that 'Friday Means a Funeral' lifts its' main line from Tom Waits' 'In the Neighbourhood'
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e9O3EodBDHU&NR=1

Thomas Allan Waits

Tom Waits has always been one of my heroes.  I don't talk about him much because for some reason it makes me sad when I think about him.  But I do love him very much indeed.  When I was starting off with The Cudgels it is well documented that Tom Waits was probably my biggest lyrical influence.

The way he constructed songs perplexed some people but not me - he is a non-musical musician but his music is timeless and actually very complex and concomitantly simple.  I'll probably have a Tom Waits song played at my funeral.  I used to play his records all the time and I had ALL his albums.  My family just got used to it and even Uncle Joe became a big fan - the Finstall Mount Hotel used to swing to Tom Waits!  Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs and Blue Valentine were the best.  'Kentucky Avenue' from Blue Valentine is one of the greatest songs ever written.  I think he is a GENIUS and a musical pioneer.  The music for 'Friday Means a Funeral' is a combination of 'In the Neighbourhood' and 'Sheep' by The Housemartins.