The Lyrical Larcenist Part 1

I mentioned being a long-time (almost serial) lyrical larcenist in my wedding speech. It appears my re-offending has no bounds. (Even after so many years of not being one, the teacher in me wanted to say recidivism, but you’ll be pleased to see I held back!)

I steal other people’s lyrics because I often find it challenging to decide what to say for myself. The more important something means to me, the fewer words I have.

Some people might call this laziness, but I now have an official piece of paper saying it’s my ADHD and is inattentiveness and the fact my mind has moved on to other things.

At the wedding, I nicked song lyrics, but for many years, I’ve been nicking anything that I liked the sound of. Therefore, I am a literary larcenist and a lyrical larcenist.

Most, if not all, books have dedications, and songs at gigs are often dedicated to people. Being all modern, I thought I’d dedicate this blog as well.

 

This blog is dedicated to T for everything and to all at AMC, past, present, and future, as well as to Monday nights. IYKYK (IYDKA – ‘if you don’t know, ask’)

Oldskool notetaking

I have a blue a4 exercise book I acquired at school and never used for schoolwork. It travelled with me to Australia in 1994. Once there, the first page became a list of addresses of my Australian friend’s family and friends whom I could call upon if I needed help or didn’t. It at first appeared to be like a British, ‘pop in any time’ The difference was the Aussies were not being polite; they almost expected you to turn up whenever you needed to and would be as insulted if you did not as a British person would be annoyed if you did pop in!

On those long flights and bus journeys, this simple book would be my solace (as would the diary my sister gave me and the only diary I’ve ever diligently kept), as would trying to figure out how to spend my money when I won the Aussie lottery in the years before the UK had one. In this book, I began to write lyrics, sometimes just a line or two, sometimes the whole song if it spoke to me. I still own this book, and some of the below is from there. In some cases, they have more meaning and resonance than they did over thirty years ago. Over the years, I have continued to add to it, and it is one of my most prized possessions.

Making you complicit in my crimes

This blog is about sharing some of this thievery with a group of people who have become an integral part of my life in the last few months: but also my family, my friends, and, most importantly, my fellow adventurer, the bucket to my spade.

(I’m hoping some of the AMC boys get my little dig at one of the rules)

 When the night has come, And the land is dark

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

The first one is from one of my favourite books, which was also made into a favourite film without destroying the book’s essence. The literary version is called The Body and is in an anthology of four books called Different Seasons. Stephen King is the author, and none of them are horror. Three of the books have been made into films; the first excerpt is from The Body, which became known as the film Stand by Me. The second excerpt will be from the film version of Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption (I think you’ll know the movie). The third book and film have the same title: Apt Pupil.

Strangely, as this blog and site are somewhat about my anxiety and depression, the final book is called The Breathing Method. I have adopted several such methods to help control my anxiety, but not the one in the book. You’ll have to buy Different Seasons to find out why I do not use this method.

‘The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of because words diminish them — words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they’re brought out. But it’s more than that, isn’t it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you’ve said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That’s the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.’

I know I go to AMC because there is a room full of understanding and, more importantly, non-judgmental ears. To paraphrase a friend here, it is both great and sad that rooms are full of such men every Monday night (except bank holidays).

King later (or maybe earlier, I can’t remember) adds to this:

The most important things are the hardest to say because words diminish them. It’s hard to make strangers care about the good things in your life [or the bad]

I have added ‘the bad’ here because much bad is inevitably spoken about at AMC, yet we also laugh and laugh a lot.

In The Shawshank Redemption, Red (who is Irish with ginger hair in the book, but I cannot picture anyone else but Mr Freeman in this role; that’s how good he is) says these lines: they describe how I have felt since my diagnosis for ADHD.

I feel I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain.

Pithy Lyrics

I also love a clever lyric; hence, I have a pair of Greggs Crocs (which some of you AMC fellas have seen). To many of you, that will sound strange and sad, so listen to The Lady in Greggs by the Bar Steward Sons of Val Doonican, and you will understand (listen to their back catalogue, too, if you enjoy a belly laugh or ten).

This is also why we had Terry and June by Nick Parker as our first dance at our wedding. Here’s a link to the video we made of the song (with Nick Parker’s fabulous editing help). I probably should have shared this with the psychiatrist who assessed me for ADHD because she would have diagnosed me sooner.

Both The Doonicans and Nick Parker have great merchandise. Click on the links to have a look for yourself. (I am neither a Doonicans nor a Nick Paker associate, so I do not receive any commission on purchases through these links -I just want to help good people in any way I can).

My Precious

A few additions to my big blue book are from my favourite book, The Lord of the Rings. I will write a longer blog about it soon.

Here are some lines that have grown in meaning over time, especially over the last few years.

The first explains a bit of my outlook on life, and the second is about some of what I feel about AMC.

When Faramir meets Frodo and Sam, he says, ‘If you seem to have stumbled, think that it was fated to be so.’

In the depths of the discussion at the council of Elrond, Gimli says to Elrond, ‘Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.’

 

I will let you read whatever you like into these.

 

Paraphrasing and parodying the Bard

My Grammarly is going to have a panic attack because of Shakespeare. Irony anyone? In honour of Andy and in the vein of Scott Doonican:

Rather proclaim it, BigT, through my host,

That he which hath stomach to this fight,

Let him enter. 

His company shall be welcomed,

And tea and biscuits will be given.

We would speak in that man’s company

That fears his fellowship to speak with us.

This day is called the Monday, AMC Day (except Bank Holidays).

He that outlives this day and comes safe home,

Will stand o’ tiptoe when the Monday is named

And rouse him at the name of AMC.

He that shall see this Monday and live old age,

Will weekly on the vigil speak with his neighbours

And say, “Tomorrow is Monday, AMC Day.”

Then will he strip his sleeve and speak his scars,

And say, “These wounds I spoke on Monday.”

Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot

But he’ll remember with self-admiration

What feats he did that day. 

Then shall our names,

Familiar in his mouth as household words,

Mike, Spencer, Sam, The Facilitators, and the newest Recco, and the Andys, too.

Josh, Tim, Nick, many Andys and me, to name but some.

In memory and to honour of the original Andy.

Be in their flowing cups of tea freshly brewed.

This story shall the good man teach his son,

And Monday Monday shall ne’er go by (except bank holidays)

From this Monday to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be rememberèd—

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he today that shares his soul with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition;

And gentlemen in Britain now abed

Shall think themselves lucky that they were here,

And hold their manhood’s intact whiles any speaks

That shared with us upon Monday.

What’s next?

For more lyrical larceny, please keep checking back with the site to read my This Is Me page (when I publish it). I did not want a boring About Me page for this website, and yes, I’m stealing from The Greatest Showman.

There will also be a blog about the heartfelt message I sent to our wedding band, The Leylines. They were the first band we ever saw as a couple, so we just had to have them at the wedding, and they are our mates too.

I nearly put this photo at the top of the blog until I realised they probably do not want their picture above the words lyrical larcenist – ooooops sorry.

So Sorry, My Friends, but it might get so gushy that you might have to Run for Cover. (IYKYK or find out what I have done here by following the links). Well, I Gotta Get Out of Here and put the tea on.

Sometimes, I am My Own Worst Enemy —I leave album 2 for another time.

OK, I can’t resist – You, dear readers, will find out that I need to Control things because I felt Broken and Alone with my thoughts In My Head, but I was not alone then and I am not now.

(I am not a Leylines Associate, yadda, yadda, yadda, but I might get a pint one day)

PS

I make no apologies for the number of brackets I use. (or, as the kids would say, sorry, not sorry). Please don’t tell my parentheses, I mean parents.