philly state of mind

One this day four years ago, myself and the divine Mrs D arrived in Philadelphia to attend the HU Connexion 2018 Event. That whole weekend (we flew to the USA for a WEEKEND) seems like it's from another planet. 

1. We boarded an aeroplane
2. We went to another country
3. We stayed in a hotel
4. I spent a day and a half, in a room that was filled with over 100 people from all over the world
5. Not only were these people all clinically extremely vulnerable, but nobody wore a mask
   

Madness!

I know I've spoken about this on more than one occasion the past. In fact, I spoke a little about it on a podcast that I was on recently. 

But talking about it on that episode, it hit me again how very important that short trip was.

We were in a pretty rough place at that time. It was just over a year since I'd lost my job. Since then I'd done a bit of short-term freelance work. And then promptly had the most physically and mentally debilitating relapse of my life. 

At the same point in 2017, I was going through the first of my two attempts to get PIP. I think by early 2018 I'd been turned down for the second time, so we were heading down the tribunal route. 

As well as all this,  I was getting no closer to finding meaningful work. And the month before the conference, Mrs D's employers decided that her job was actually a temporary contract. So that was that. 

The idea of going to Philadelphia had been rumbling under the surface since the start of the year - initially I was thinking about going with my Dad. 

But when we found about Mrs D's job, with everything else that was going on, we just thought sod it. Her last day at work was the Friday, and we flew out early Saturday morning.

And the whole trip gave us a massive boost. We could actually travel on our own, with a wheelchair.

Admittedly we didn't go that far while we were in Philadelphia but still. Baby steps.

Later that year we retuned to Italy (with my wheelchair) for a great holiday. I got my PIP settlement. And I got another temporary marketing contract, which helped to keep the wolf from the door.

Obviously - and perhaps most importantly - I met Kathy from FUMS and Patients Getting Paid in Philadelphia, and through her I now have a job that I love and am actually good at, which I can do from home. 

So yes. It was an important break for us. And because of that, Philly will always have a apecial place in our hearts.

remembering live music no.5

Nirvana, live in 1991

Nirvana, Shonen Knife, Captain America / Eugenius - Rock City, Nottingham, 3 December 1991

It's been a while since I've posted one of these. And I don't think I'll be heading out for a gig anytime soon. This memory was prompted by an earworm, which in turn was prompted by Little Ms D's current musical obsession. She loves Nevermind (she's a little too young for In Utero - "Daddy, what does 'Rape Me' mean?") and plays it whenever she can. 

So yes. I am old enough to say that I saw Nirvana play live. It's the kind of thing that sometimes impresses people. But less so when I say, "They were alright."

An explanation.

I was listening to something on Radio 4 a few years ago and in a discussion about favourite music, a female panelist came up with the perfect description. I wish I could remember her name because I've been using this line ever since. 

She said that Nirvana didn't change her life. They were just the end of a musical line that she'd been following through the 1980s. And that sums up how I feel about them. When you've seen Pixies and Sonic Youth, and heard Hüsker Dü, Butthole Surfers, Big Black, Killdozer, Mudhoney, etc… they weren't anything Earth shatteringly new. 

Now don't get me wrong, they were a great band, with great songs and a no-doubt charismatic lead singer.

Plus it was really exciting to hear "our music" being played on daytime Radio 1. I actually remember hearing Smells Like Teen Spirit being played in Nottingham's much-missed Selectadisc record shop and being blown away by how good bit sounded. 

And I'm not trying to say that I heard them first. As far as I'm concerned, that honour goes to my old friend Sally-Anne. We swapped tapes and she had all of those early Sub Pop releases and Dope, Guns & Fucking In The Streets compilations. 

So anyway I saw Nirvana. And they were pretty good. Tight and well rehearsed in the way of most American bands. But, because this was over THIRTY YEARS AGO, my memories are pretty scattered. 

1. I went to this gig on my own. I don't know why nobody else was around or could be arsed but there you go. I bumped into someone who was more a friend of-a-friend, gave him a lift home and he eventually became the singer in my last band. Strange. 
2. Captain America (the then-current band by Kurt Cobain's favourite musician, Eugene from The Vaselines) had changed their name to Eugenius by the time the gig happened. They didn't think that Marvel would mind. The past really is another country, yes?
3. Shonen Knife was very kawaii and buzzy and punk-pop-tastic. Too much sugar is bad for you. 
4. Setlist.FM has got this gig completely wrong, I think. I'm positive that the first song they played was Aneurysm. 
5. Kurt Cobain played a guitar solo while doing a forward roll. 
6. Krist Novoselic spent a good deal of the gig throwing his bass into the air. 
7. Nirvana had a dancer, who it turns out was the drummer in Derby band Bivouac. 
8. It felt like they tossed out …Teen Spirit early in the set. 

Weirdly in researching the date for this post (I threw away all my old gig tickets!!), I stumbled on this video report of the gig. I've no memory whatsoever of seeing a film crew there but some of these kids look like yr archetypal gormless Nottingham Rock City types. 

The interview with the band is the classic alternative scene, make-up-some-stuff-and-riff-on-it-to-confuse-the-interviewer situation. But interestingly, when asked about success, they seem to say their role is to point people to all the bands that came before them (from 4.29). 

A few years ago, I went to see Bob Dylan. I was lucky and got Good Bob that night so came into work afterwards saying that I'd never been in the same room as a living legend before. A colleague said, "Ah, but you were in the same room as Kurt Cobain."

To which I replied, "Yes, but he wasn't a living legend until he'd died."

Sad but true?

i was looking for a jab and then i found a jab...

... and heaven knows I feel CRAP today.

So yesterday I finally got my third COVID vaccine. It has been a LONG ASS time coming.

As a reminder, I had my second dose in May 2011. Then a few months later I caught COVID, just about the time my Neurologist recommended that I change from Tysabri to Ocrevus. After having my first two half-doses in November, I then had to sit tight before I could get another vaccine.

Until yesterday - oh, happy day.

The vaccine centre was a lot quieter than the last time I went. Because it's all over now, right? Or at the very least, we're in a place where we're all okay with over 100 people dying unnecessarily every single day, just because some people found that wearing a mask made their face a bit hurty.

The thing that remaned was the pride that the people who were working and volunteering there still clearly felt. Plus how pissed off they are that the UK government has basically washed its hands of them.

It took a while for us all to unpick what my MS Nurse was recommending for me - the letter I had was pretty confusing about whether it was a third dose or a booster. But eventually we went for a third full dose.

It was all good but today I feel like I've been run over. Bleeurgh.

Beats the hell out of getting COVID, obviously.

Please donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee.

news from elsewhere

The state of the world (destination: hell in a handcart) means that trying to keep up with a blog just seems a little bit... pointless.

Even if I chose to comment on *all of the stuff* (a task for which I am woefully inadequate), the shit show is changing so rapidly that, if I managed to think of anything salient to write, it would likely be out of date by the time I hit publish.

And all the whining about MS just seems so petty - I have a home and my family is safe and we aren't being bombed indiscriminately. 

All that being said, I do have some things I want to publish. But please be aware that I know that this is all very small beans.

Please donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee.