29 Apr 2026

April 2026 – CRAVE Island Castaway Part II: Music Playlist

by CRAVEGuitars | posted in: History, Introduction, Observations, Opinion | 0

Prelude

HEY UP PEEPS. HOW DO? SUP? WHAT’S COOKIN’? HOWDY PARTNERS. Super salutations! I come in peace. It seems unbelievable but we are already one third of the way through 2026 already. I trust you enjoyed the Easter celebration early in April as a harbinger of spring with lighter evenings and warmer days. Despite all the media‑fuelled doom and gloom, there is still plenty to look forward to in 2026. Let’s make this year better than its predecessors. There is no better time than the present. If one thinks about it, the present is all we have. The future we can hope for. As Nike say, ‘Just Do It’ (NB. From the company’s advertising campaign 1988‑1998).

“My childhood did not prepare me for the fact that the world is full of cruel and bitter things” – Julius Robert Oppenheimer (1904‑1967)

Regular readers will know my unwavering calls for comprehensive concord. I cannot emphasise enough that peace should be a profound ambition for everyone on this one and only planet of ours. Peace is not optional. Without it, humanity will ultimately be doomed. With it, we may just stand a chance. Personally, I hope we stand a chance but that requires significant change. We have to change. Peace matters, probably more than anything else for civilisation’s survival and advancement. This is not political, religious or even humanitarian, it is just plain old common sense.

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace” – Jimi Hendrix (1942‑1970)

This Month at CRAVE Guitars…

Back to more prosaic matters. I haven’t written much on musicology recently, so I thought I’d return to the subject this month. As this isn’t my first rodeo, I thought a quick recap on what has gone before might be in order. I compiled a, ‘Personal Top 20 Most Influential Guitar Albums’ way back in 2016 and ‘50 Albums of the Last Half‑Century(‑ish)’ in 2017. I also covered ‘The Story of Modern Music…’ in 14 parts from March 2019 to May 2020 (bar December 2019). In addition, there have been four major CRAVE Guitars genre articles (‘Dub Reggae Revelation’, ‘Adventures in Ambient’, ‘Heavy Metal’ and ‘Get Up and Dance to the Music!’) in 2023 and 2024. Last but not least, there was the article, ‘Musical Machinations’ in 2023 about access to music, so there is already a great deal of foundation to work from for this particular article. Time to take an alternative perspective.

“If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it; that surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die” – William Shakespeare (1564‑1616)

This month’s piece is definitely another one for the list‑o‑philes out there. I must re‑stress as usual that this is entirely for entertainment purposes only and has no intrinsic value beyond mild amusement for both author and reader. As usual, no AI has been used in researching and writing this article, just hard brain work. The CRAVEman images, however, are AI generated out of necessity. This month’s quotes are a relevant mix of islandic observations and musical wisdom.

“We live on an island surrounded by a sea of ignorance. As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance” – John Archibald Wheeler (1911‑2008)

The Rationale for the Article

Last month, in Part I of this two‑parter, I looked at what 10 pieces of vintage guitar gear that I might like to take with me to CRAVE Island. This month, I contemplate as to what playlist of music tracks one might like to listen to, when not playing vintage guitars, on the very same secluded idyll of CRAVE Island. As last month, The CRAVEman has been used to introduce and present this month’s line‑up. If you want serious vintage guitar topics, why not head off to the web site proper or watch this space for the next non‑fiction article.

IF you want to (re‑)visit Part I of this CRAVE Island extravaganza, follow the link below (opens a new browser tab)…

March 2026 – CRAVE Island Castaway Part I: Vintage Gear

For readers who may not be familiar with the concept, the format used here is loosely based on the long‑running BBC Radio 4 programme, ‘Desert Island Discs’. Guests on the show select eight audio recordings (usually music), one book and one luxury item that they would have with them if they were to become a castaway, stranded on the metaphorical desert island. The BBC radio programme was first broadcast in January 1942 (that is 84 years ago in 2026!) and there have subsequently been nearly 3,500 episodes and counting. I depart from the archetype but retain the spirit of the original programme.

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music” – Aldous Huxley (1894‑1963)

Now, here’s a thing… I started off this idea thinking about what might constitute a ‘perfect’ pop song, in the knowledge that there is no such thing. The two exemplars that immediately sprang to mind and started this whole shebang were, ‘Blur – Song 2’ and ‘Blondie – Hanging on the Telephone’. Then it sort of ran away from me at that point, and here we are now.

How far does one go? Top 10, top 20, top 30, top 50, top 100 and so forth. What to include, what to leave out? Does one go by merit or popularity? Does one go with sales or star status? Does one go by genre or gender? Does one go with vocals or instrumentals, groups or solo artists? Does one go with guitar‑‑centric or electronic? Does one go pure pop or not? Does one go with singles or album tracks? Does one go with personal preference or industry reputation? Does one go with British/American or global? My‑oh‑my, I had started something that was just gonna blow my brain or at least make it hurt a bit. What a conundrum. What a dilemma. How on Earth does one go about manoeuvring safely through this massive musical minefield?

Selecting such a small sample of just eight tracks of music to play on a desert island simply wouldn’t be enough for The CRAVEman. Even 100 would be cutting it thin but a ceiling has to be set somewhere. Despite the immense volume of available music (running into hundreds of millions on streaming platforms!), I’m always searching for ‘new’ music to listen to, so this was a challenging task. One presumes, at least for this exercise, that The CRAVEman doesn’t have access to Apple Music (or an alternative) while on CRAVE Island.

“I’ve been asked over the years to compile a list of desert–‑island discs. I couldn’t do that. If I was trapped on a desert island, I don’t think I’d want 10 songs to bring with me” – John Lydon (1956‑)

Defining the Selection Process

So, initially, one has to determine scale and scope. First – put an absolute limit on the list. Easily sorted, 100 it is. Second – come up with a set of ten sensible criteria through which one can select/eliminate a whole bunch of stuff (see below). Third – work on my own fallible subjectivity – it is my wish list after all. I abhor the idea of people including things just because they are ‘worthy’, rather than pleasurable (Oscar, take note!). Fourth – present it in a way that makes sense without being too arbitrary or confusing. That, on the surface, seems a sensible approach. Let’s see what the process came up with.

I decided from the start not to utilise any sort of ranking; selecting is one thing, ranking is a nightmare. I am 100% certain that readers will disagree with both the process and the outcome. However, it’s my article, so you can make up your own rules/lists to compensate for my perceived shortcomings and omissions.

“And those who were seen dancing, were thought to be insane, by those who could not hear the music” – Friedrich Nietzsche (1844‑1900)

In order to generate a diverse playlist, the main criteria used were:

Only one track per artist
A wide spread of genres
A wide spread of decades/years
A mix of singles and album tracks
No dependence on commercial sales numbers
No reliance on industry structure, record labels or marketing
Not just the BIG names or celebrity status
Ignore others’ opinions of ‘best’, ‘essential’ or ‘quality’
No geographical restrictions
No ‘novelty’ songs

“Let’s hope I never end up on a deserted island, because I could never make a decision on which three CDs to take with me” – Willem Dafoe (1955‑)

As it worked out, the date range covered the 1960s to the 2010s inclusive. Six decades seems a helpful bracket for evaluating contemporary music and one that has been used before. The most frequent decades were the 1970s to the 1990s inclusive. This is perhaps because I was too young to appreciate fully the rock & roll (and earlier) era(s) and because I am too old (!?) to appreciate the most recent musical trends… or perhaps these were the peak decades for creative modern music.

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything” – Plato (c.428‑348BCE)

Now… 100 songs seems almost too easy and not in the real spirit of a ‘Desert Island Disc’ playlist, especially as last month the ‘Desert Island Vintage Guitar Gear’ was limited to just 10 items. In order to placate and pre‑empt that easy criticism, I have emboldened a ‘top 10’. If I was forced to choose, those are the ones I could most easily live with in the spirit of the article. It isn’t enough, of course, but this is just a hypothetical exercise after all. I also assume that the music is available on physical media, as Internet connection may prove particularly problematic on CRAVE Island.

Alternatively, if I could take anything with me to CRAVE Island, it would be my entire collection of reggae music but that now comprises at least a couple of thousand albums, so I don’t think it will be allowed to make the trip. Why reggae? The genre is so rich and diverse that there is always something different to appreciate, depending on mood. There, that is my underlying bias declared for your scrutiny. Oh, and reggae suits the hypothetical location well.

“A bird, music and food – desert island items” – Michael Johnson (1967‑)

To avoid the debatable value of ranking, I’ve gone for a chronological approach. Where there is more than one song from a year, they are presented in alphabetic order. Time for the waffle to end, let’s dive straight in and take a retrospective musical swim…

The CRAVEman’s ‘Top 100/10’ CRAVE Island Playlist

The 1960s (7):

Ben E. King	Stand by Me	1961
Del Shannon	Runaway	1961
Louis Armstrong	What a Wonderful World	1967
Velvet Underground	Venus in Furs	1967
Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band	Dropout Boogie	1967
Jimi Hendrix	All Along the Watchtower	1968
Fleetwood Mac	Albatross	1969

The 1970s (30):

Black Sabbath	Paranoid	1970
James Brown	Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine	1970
Neil Young	After the Gold Rush	1970
The Doors	Riders on the Storm	1971
Pink Floyd	Echoes	1971
Johnny Nash	I Can See Clearly Now	1972
T.Rex	20^th Century Boy	1973
The Isley Brothers	Summer Breeze	1974
Rolling Stones	It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It)	1974
Bob Dylan	Hurricane	1974
Bob Marley & the Wailers	No Woman, No Cry (full live version)	1975
Roberta Flack	The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face	1975
Max Romeo	War Ina Babylon	1976
David Bowie	Heroes	1977
John Martyn	Small Hours	1977
Patti Smith	Because the Night	1977
Sex Pistols	Pretty Vacant	1977
The Stranglers	Peaches	1977
The Undertones	Teenage Kicks	1977
Blondie	Hanging on the Telephone	1978
Buzzcocks	Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)	1978
Dire Straits	Sultans of Swing	1978
Funkadelic	One Nation Under a Groove	1978
Kraftwerk	The Model	1978
Lee “Scratch” Perry	Roast Fish & Cornbread	1978
Steel Pulse	Klu Klux Klan	1978
Bauhaus	Bela Lugosi’s Dead	1979
The Clash	London Calling	1979
Joy Division	She’s Lost Control	1979
The Ruts	Babylon’s Burning	1979

The 1980s (22):

The Brothers Johnson	Stomp!	1980
Motörhead	Ace of Spades	1980
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)	Enola Gay	1980
Talking Heads	Listening Wind	1980
The Specials	Too Much Too Young	1980
Siouxsie And The Banshees	Spellbound	1981
The Teardrop Explodes	Reward	1981
George Thorogood	Bad to the Bone	1982
Gregory Isaacs	Night Nurse	1982
Robert Wyatt	Shipbuilding	1982
Rockers Revenge	Walking on Sunshine	1982
New Order	Blue Monday	1983
Public Image Ltd	This Is Not a Love Song	1983
ZZ Top	Bad Girl	1983
Pet Shop Boys	West End Girls	1984
Echo & The Bunnymen	People Are Strange	1988
Happy Mondays	W.F.L. (Wrote For Luck)	1988
Cowboy Junkies	Blue Moon Revisited (Song for Elvis)	1988
Transvision Vamp	I Want Your Love	1988
The Beloved	The Sun Rising	1989
The Cure	Love Song	1989
Stone Roses	Fool’s Gold	1989

The 1990s (26):

Depeche Mode	Enjoy the Silence	1990
Orbital	Satan	1990
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince	Summertime	1991
Nirvana	Smells Like Teen Spirit	1991
U2	Until the End of the World	1991
Radiohead	Creep	1992
Rage Against The Machine	Killing in the Name	1992
Stereo MC’s	Connected	1992
Cypress Hill	Insane in the Brain	1993
Portishead	Wandering Star	1994
Edwin Collins	A Girl Like You	1995
Everything But The Girl	Missing	1995
Garbage	Only Happy When It Rains	1995
Massive Attack	Karmacoma	1995
Pavement	Range Life	1995
The Prodigy	Breathe	1996
Blur	Song 2	1997
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	Into My Arms	1997
PJ Harvey	The Wind	1998
Placebo	Pure Morning	1998
Stardust	Music Sounds Better With You	1998
Chemical Brothers	Hey Boy Hey Girl	1999
Eminem	My Name Is	1999
Moby	Natural Blues	1999
Moloko	Sing it Back	1999
Suede	Electricity	1999

The 2000s (12):

Spiller	Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)	2000
Afroman	Because I Got High	2001
Four Tet	No More Mosquitoes	2001
Kylie Minogue	Can’t Get You Out of My Head	2001
Roger Sanchez	Another Chance	2001
Beck	Lost Cause	2002
X‑‑Press 2	Lazy	2002
Kasabian	Club Foot	2004
LCD Soundsystem	Daft Punk is Playing at My House	2005
Hot Chip	Ready for the Floor	2008
The Low Anthem	Charlie Darwin	2008
The xx	VCR	2009

The 2010s (3):

Warpaint	Undertow	2010
The Kills	Satellite	2011
Kurt Vile	Baby’s Arms	2011

“The only truth is music” – Jack Kerouac (1922‑1969)

That, my friends, is one heck of a varied mixtape, whether you agree with it or not. No doubt there are many obvious inclusions but also a few surprises. Everyone will have a different upbringing and, therefore, a different soundtrack to their lives. That is just as it should be. I don’t have any music heroes, so there is no artist veneration going on here. This is not purely a nostalgic exercise, it is also about the timelessness of great music that can still evoke emotions regardless of when it was created, who created it or when/where it is experienced. Music is inextricably linked with social change and is an integral part of human progress over the years. This article is but one miniscule attempt to document modern western culture through a selection of musical signposts.

You may well ask, “What, no Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Fleetwood Mac, Queen or R.E.M.?” or, “What, no Tom Petty, Oasis, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Adele or Ed Sheeran?” Heresy! I hear you shriek indignantly! Nope. Not for this exercise. I am unrepentant. I will acknowledge that I’m in a minority and that the omissions mentioned are very highly renowned popular and commercial artists. They just didn’t make my final cut. Apologies for your irate infuriation but I’m afraid that’s your issue, not mine.

So, so many fantastic tracks didn’t make the final 100. Great tracks from artists like, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Marvin Gaye, Beastie Boys, Killers, and many, many more came in and out again, right up to the last minute before publication. It was almost an impossible task to represent a selection that I could live with in total isolation on an unidentified tropical island for an unknown period of time.

“Without music, life would be a mistake” – Friedrich Nietzsche (1844‑1900)

To be totally honest, even 100 tracks wouldn’t satisfy a prolonged period of personal reflection on CRAVE Island. My passion for music isn’t just about repeating the past; it is also about discovering great new music from whatever period and looking to the future. Maybe a lot of that music won’t stand the test of time but it is great for ephemeral escapism. If that’s the case, how many tracks would be enough? Who knows? I don’t.

Even restricting the selection to a ‘top 10’ doesn’t bring the 21^st Century into much of a focus. No tracks from the last 15 years in fact. Sorry millennial musicians, you can’t quite make the grade. It doesn’t mean that there isn’t great music being made in the 2000s‑‑2020s, just that there is such strong competition from the last half of the 20^th Century.

“How I wish that somewhere there existed an island for those who are wise and of good will” – Albert Einstein (1879‑1955)

Final Thoughts on the ‘Top 100/10 CRAVE Island Playlist’

As mentioned up front, this particular ‘Top 100’ and its ‘Top 10’ subset is entirely my own creation and constantly changing in the real world, so best regarded as a ‘moment in time’ snapshot. I don’t expect anyone to approve it and I’m not trying to influence anyone based on it. It is just a bit of harmless fun to bring some cathartic levity to a dangerously scary world.

One interesting observation is the proportion of songs that are guitar‑centric. Now that may not be surprising given my predilection for vintage guitars. However, it isn’t quite that simple. Much of the 1980s synth pop boom, the 1990s sampled hip‑hop explosion and the 1990s‑2000s EDM tsunami featured large in my own personal musical evolution but had little contribution from the humble guitar. Another observation is the low proportion of Jamaican reggae on the list, given my overt preference for the genre more generally. The aim here was for variety.

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain” – Bob Marley (1945‑1981)

The 2010s and 2020s are woefully unrepresented in this list. Perhaps this is my age or perhaps it is just a reflection on the banal sterility of much modern music in the 21^st Century. Probably a bit of both. Time, as ‘they’ say, will tell.

Going back to the spirit of ‘Desert Island Discs’, it only seems fair to contemplate what book and what luxury item one would also take. I guess I have to exclude anything to do with CRAVE Guitars and ‘The Distortion Diaries’, as that would be too easy and too contrived. So, what are the two things that one might pack for that hypothetical trip to CRAVE Island?

The CRAVE Island Book – The CRAVEman doesn’t have written language, so I’ll have to substitute. No pretention here. In a senseless, cruel world, I will return to the pure innocence and naiveté of childhood when adult failures had not yet corrupted one’s life experience. I am neither embarrassed nor ashamed to suggest a children’s book. There were several children’s books about which I can reminisce fondly, including the Moomin novels by Tove Jansson. On this occasion, I’m going with, ‘Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat’ (1942) by Ursula Moray Williams – the original version with illustrations by the author, not modern adaptations that have diluted the impact of the story. It is a simple tale of a witch’s cat that longs to be an ordinary kitchen cat. There is a lot that adults can learn from the moral lessons within this story, if we open our minds to accept them. I am a voracious reader of fiction and there are many examples of pretentious ‘worthy’ literature as well as entertaining popular novels that could be chosen. However, we all had to start that halcyon passage to open the doors of adult imagination somewhere. Simplicity epitomised.

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats” – Albert Schweitzer (1875‑1965)

The CRAVE Island Luxury Item – Seeing as The CRAVEman already has his vintage guitar gear with him, he needs something on which to listen to his selected playlist. Music is useless unless there is something on which to store, replay and listen to it. Remember the venerable Apple iPod (2001‑2022)? The iPod was the spiritual successor to the iconic Sony Walkman. Seeing as there must be an electrical supply for vintage guitar gear, I am assuming that it is possible to recharge said portable music listening device. I was tempted to use the same principle to justify a fully–loaded laptop that would provide music replay, as well as all the other things that a laptop can be used for, such as write my own books, record my own music, etc. The fundamental notion here is about going back‑‑to‑‑basics so, if I can’t have the multi‑purpose computing device, a humble iPod (with earbuds of course!) would be invaluable. I wish Apple would reissue the iPod for a new generation with a decent amount of storage.

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent” – Victor Hugo (1802‑1885)

A quick reflection on the idea of a solitary existence while contemplating being castaway on a deserted island. Some people cannot exist without other people and some cannot function without the external validation by others. Some people manipulate others or are manipulated by them. For some, other people are the means to establish and impose their status and material wealth. Some seek control and power over others. Some seek an audience, some are just desperate for attention and emotional attachment. I cannot abide competition or conflict (I am profoundly non‑confrontational). I abhor political mind games and trivial time wasters. In which case, I (and The CRAVEman) are the antithesis of all these things. I don’t care for social structures, I don’t seek tangible wealth or human companionship. To me, the desert island castaway way of life would be blissful seclusion, away from the wants, needs, demands, responsibilities and obligations of others. Whilst not quite exhibiting the severity of hikikomori, I am very content in the absence of other humans, in fact, I would prefer it. I believe in something bigger than myself, expressed by the infinity of the universe. Who needs people? Besides, I don’t like people very much. Seriously, I would sincerely be satisfied in serene solitude on my own isolated island. Bring it on.

Time for The CRAVEman to pack up his vintage gear as well as his CRAVE Island playlist gear and get back on the CRAVE Airlines plane back to ‘civilisation’ and CRAVE Town.

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main” – John Donne (1571‑1631)

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Album of the Month’

As The CRAVEman is still cast away on a tropical desert island this month, it seems apt to stick with a recording that evokes a sense of music that originated on a real tropical island. It also doesn’t feature in the list above. OK, so this example was actually by a UK band recorded in Belgium but it’s the music that really matters. This month’s accolade goes to…

Misty In Roots – Live At The Counter Eurovision 79 (1979): Misty In Roots is a British roots reggae band formed in 1975 in London, England. The live album was the band’s debut release and comprises seven tracks covering 37 minutes. It was recorded during the ’Counter Eurovision’ event, which was intended as a creative alternative to the popular mainstream Eurovision Song Contest (NB. hosted and won by Israel). The Counter Eurovision event took place in Brussels, Belgium on 31 March and 1 April, 1979. The album is widely regarded as one of the best live reggae albums of all time (up there with Bob Marley & The Wailers, ‘Live!’ (1975)). In 2025, a special edition was released to commemorate the album’s 50^th anniversary, followed by the band’s 50^th anniversary tour in 2026.

I have to admit that this particular album was played frequently after it was released and it remains a firm favourite today. I don’t believe that Misty In Roots has made a better album since, sadly. The production of subsequent studio albums couldn’t capture the raw passion of the band giving 100% on stage. It may not be strictly authentic Jamaican roots but it’s a darned fine reggae album nevertheless. Well worth tracking down.

BELIEVE IN MUSIC!

“The wise man makes an island of himself that no flood can overwhelm” – Buddha (Siddhārtha Gautama – c.480‑400BCE)

Tailpiece

Another month, another article. I hope you found something in there to entertain you, just a little bit. We all need something to motivate us, to make us get up every morning, to keep going day after day in this brutal, fractured perverse world. If music has the power to heal, to evoke emotions and help to maintain our mental health, wellbeing and resilience, then it is something we all need right now, more than ever.

Once again, I have absolutely no idea what’s coming up next month. I guess we’ll all have to check in to find out, me included.

“Every island to a child is a treasure island” – P.D. James (1920‑2014)

Truth, peace, love, and guitar music be with you always. The CRAVEman, signing off for now. Until next time…

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’: “Hope is based on progress, resulting in a future that will be better than both the past and the present. Faith is that we will do it well”

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30 Jan 2026

January 2026 – CRAVE Guitars Articles: The First 100 and More

by CRAVEGuitars | posted in: History, Introduction, News, Opinion | 0

Prelude

GRACIOUS GREETINGS GENIAL GENTLEFOLK. Here we are again. A warm and wonderful welcome to the shiny new Gregorian year of two thousand and twenty six, albeit almost a month old at the time of writing. I hope the lavish lustre hasn’t been tarnished too soon. The ebullient optimism ignited by the prospect of New Year doesn’t last anywhere near long enough, resulting in the inevitable anti‑climax of the dreaded January blues. One might believe that a new year and a new quarter century should hold a whole host of opportunity and potential. The trick is to find where that opportunity and potential can be tapped into, in order to achieve whatever goals one might set oneself. Simple?! No. Not really. Shame. Don’t you think?

So, what objectives does CRAVE Guitars have in store for the start of 2026. To be honest, given punitive previous experience, it makes sense to be selective within an external environment of prevailing global uncertainty and volatility. There are several personal ‘projects’ from which I have selected four priorities. The first and probably most obvious is to acquire some more cool and rare vintage gear to share with everyone. The second is to publish ‘The Distortion Diaries’ at long last. The third is to develop further the stalwart stories of ‘el jefe’, The CRAVEman. The fourth and least likely to succeed is to make some progress on the much‑needed, much‑delayed CRAVEcave – to convert the house’s cold, dark, damp cellar into a warm, lit and dry CRAVE Guitars emporium of sorts (showcase, not retail). So, that is four declared objectives. I think that three of the priorities are achievable and one is a tad over‑ambitious, so I don’t think they are unreasonable as aspirations for the next eleven months.

This Month at CRAVE Guitars…

The subject matter for the first gleaming, glittery article of 2026 is to celebrate an achievement that will have gone totally unnoticed. The topic this month comprises a cursory retrospective of CRAVE Guitars’ articles (a.k.a. Musings) so far and what that might mean for the future. The rationale underpinning this exemplary epic episode is hitting the milestone of 100 articles published on the web site. Even though CRAVE Guitars has been around in some form or other since 2007, blog articles published on the website only began seven years later in 2014. Even then it wasn’t all smooth sailing, as we shall see.

This month’s ‘quotes of wisdom’ are, perhaps unsurprisingly, about the achievement of life’s milestones. For alliteration aficionados, all perfectly present and passionately precise! Very few images this month I’m afraid, as this is another one for avid list‑o‑philes. As usual, no AI was used in researching or writing this article just Real Stoopid (RS) hooman ‘blood, sweat and tears’ (NB. although widely attributed to Winston Churchill’s speech in 1940, the idiom derives from, “’tis in vaine to dew, or mollifie it with thy teares, or sweat, or blood,” appearing in the poem, ‘First Anniversary: An Anatomy Of The World’ (1611) by John Donne (1571‑1631)).

The First 100 Articles

I am sure that it wasn’t at all obvious to readers that CRAVE Guitars’ December 2025 Musing was the 100^th article published on the web site but it was.

It all started so very innocent and naïve, way back in November 2014, eleven years and two months ago at the time of typing. The embryonic web site had just gone live and the first blog was just two introductory paragraphs and a paltry 186 words. December 2014 wasn’t much stronger, still two paragraphs and just 263 words. At that time, I had no idea where this was going, if anywhere. The catalyst for writing blogs was simply a result of the IT platform used – WordPress – which began as a blogging tool before it also became a web site design tool. WordPress required a ‘blog’ post page at the time. One thing that was clear right from the start was that I couldn’t blog continuously, like many others do. In 2014, I was in full time paid employment, as well as an unpaid carer; I simply could not commit to the pressures of a blogger’s traditional online presence.

“Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments” – Rose Kennedy (1890‑1995)

Over the years, the length and complexity of articles grew significantly. There were multi‑part articles, like ‘A Potted History of the Guitar’ (9 parts – March 2018 to November 2018) and the even more ambitious ‘The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts’ (14 parts – March 2019 to May 2020) – the longest series so far. Both of these series have unfortunately since suffered from the imposed retroactive removal of illustrative images (see ‘Things I Have Learned’ below for more on that).

Some while later, came CRAVE Guitars’ shortest blog in September 2020, the ‘Hiatus’, a heart‑breaking statement at just one paragraph and 62 words. I only intended for there to be a short break but it lasted three years (!) until August 2023 when abnormal service was resumed with, perhaps my favourite article so far, ‘Dub Reggae Revelation’.

As a result of the hiatus, it has taken much longer to reach the 100 mark than originally intended. Since the hiatus, I have kept up the discipline of publishing monthly articles covering a diverse range of subject matter. I have tried very hard to vary the material over the years to keep things fresh and interesting.

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence” – Helen Keller (1880‑1968)

I haven’t regretted anything I’ve written so far, whether agreeable or not. That is, I think, called integrity. I am certain that I could have done things better but that benefit results from hindsight, evolution and learning (see below). I have enjoyed some articles more than others. I’ve already mentioned, ‘Dub Reggae Revelation’ as the zenith and the extremely short, ‘Hiatus’ (also aforementioned) as the nadir.

Up to now, there has been no comprehensive list of CRAVE Guitars’ articles in one place. The only other way to catalogue them is to wade through nine pages of Musings. In order to correct that particular shortcoming, here – without further ado – is ‘The First 100 Articles List’ (each link opens in a new tab)…

2014 (articles 1-2)

November	Welcome to CRAVE Guitars
December	Hi Everybody

2015 (articles 3-14)

January	Old Versus New Guitars
February	CRAVE Guitars Web Site Launch
March	Last and Next
April	New in at CRAVE Guitars
May	More ‘new in’ at CRAVE Guitars
June	From then to now (and back again)
July	Designs for Life
August	Vintage Guitar Supply and Demand
September	My Top 10 Vintage Guitars (So Far)
October	What’s New at CRAVE Guitars
November	What’s New at CRAVE Guitars (again)
December	What’s New at CRAVE Guitars (yet again)

2016 (articles 15-26)

January	The Guitarist’s Friends: Amplifiers and Effects
February	Why Do You Play Guitar?
March	A Temporary Change of Direction
April	A Matter of Personal Taste
May	New Stuff at CRAVE Guitars
June	What Does the (Digital) Future Hold?
July	Personal Top 20 Most Influential Guitar Albums
August	Guitars are Everywhere
September	Sitting in a Field Listening to Music
October	The South of England Guitar Show 2016
November	Where to Start with Vintage Guitars
December	A Year of Gains, Change, Losses and Optimism

2017 (articles 27-38)

January	Why music affects us in the way it does
February	Favourite Guitarists and Why
March	A Time of Change
April	How Much Music Theory Do You Need To Play Guitar?
May	50 Albums of the Last Half-Century(-ish)
June	At Last… New in at CRAVE Guitars
July	Happy Birthday: 10 Years of CRAVE Guitars
August	A Peak into the Pandora’s Box of Guitars
September	A Map Leads to Some Hidden Gems
October	What Qualifies as a CRAVE Guitar?
November	New In: Underdog Vintage Guitars
December	That Time for Guitar Lists and Stuff

2018 (articles 39-50)

January	The State of the Village
February	Dear Editor
March	A Potted History of the Guitar Part I
April	A Potted History of the Guitar Part II
May	A Potted History of the Guitar Part III
June	A Potted History of the Guitar Part IV
July	A Potted History of the Guitar Part V
August	A Potted History of the Guitar Part VI
September	A Potted History of the Guitar Part VII
October	A Potted History of the Guitar Part VIII
November	A Potted History of the Guitar: Epilogue
December	What A [Deleted] Year That Was

2019 (articles 51-62)

January	Old and New In at CRAVE Guitars
February	A General Update
March	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part I
April	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part II
May	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part III
June	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part IV
July	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part V
August	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part VI
September	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part VII
October	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part VIII
November	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part IX
December	Out With the Old, In With the Old

2020 (articles 63-71)

January	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part X
February	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part XI
March	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part XII
April	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part XIII
May	The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part XIV
June	Whazzup at CRAVE Guitars
July	More Whazzup at CRAVE Guitars
August	Even More Whazzup at CRAVE Guitars
September	Hiatus

The Hiatus – There were no articles published between October 2020 and July 2023 inclusive.

2023 (articles 72-76)

August	Dub Reggae Revelation
September	Adventures in Ambient: Music of Another Dimension
October	Return to and from Obscurity
November	Musical Machinations
December	CRAVE Guitars: Three Years in Review

2024 (articles 77-88)

January	A Brief History of the Bass Guitar
February	Zen and the Art of CRAVE Guitars Design
March	Artificial Intelligence takes on Vintage Guitars: Part I
April	Artificial Intelligence takes on Vintage Guitars: Part II
May	Artificial Intelligence takes on Vintage Guitars: Part III
June	Heavy Metal: A Periodic Table
July	The Fender Stratocaster at 70 and Counting: An Alternative Perspective
August	Get Up and Dance to the Music! Part I
September	Get Up and Dance to the Music! Part II
October	CRAVE Guitars Writing: An Introspective Inquiry
November	A Virtual Decade of CRAVE Guitars
December	CRAVE Guitars 2024 In Review

2025 (articles 89-100)

January	10 Things I Love and Hate about Vintage Guitars
February	Ikigai and Vintage Guitars
March	Eastern Concepts and Vintage Guitars
April	An A‑Z of Vintage Guitar Gear: in 150 Snippets
May	The Compulsion to Collect Vintage Guitars
June	Challenging Vintage Guitar Snobbery: A Cautionary Tale
July	The CRAVEman Cometh
August	‘The Distortion Diaries’: A Teaser Trailer
September	Vintage Guitar Gear Collections Within A Collection: Part I – CRAVE Guitars & CRAVE Basses
October	Vintage Guitar Gear Collections Within A Collection: Part II – CRAVE Effects
November	The CRAVEman Cometh… Back
December	It’s That Time of Year Again: CRAVE Guitars 2025 in Review

This ‘directory’ will probably re‑appear in due course under the CRAVE Guitars’ web site’s ‘Resources’ pages as an easy reference.

“Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead” – Nelson Mandela (1918‑2023)

Things I Have Learned

After 11 years and 100 articles (and goodness knows how many tens of thousands of words), you’d think I should have learned something, right? I also would hope that my skills as an author should have improved somewhat over last decade or so. Whether my abilities have indeed improved or not, I have no idea. Sometimes, though, it can be productive to take a step back, review, assess, reflect, learn and develop. The general rule is that incremental improvement is better than radical change.

The length and complexity of articles varies considerably. I have learned that more doesn’t always mean more and that brevity is something that I should seek to improve. However, I just can’t help my naïve, inexpert verbosity and tendency for pretentious flowery prose. Sorry.

“It’s when ordinary people rise above the expectations and seize the opportunity that milestones truly are reached” – Mike Huckabee (1955‑)

The content does need to have its prime focus on vintage guitars, although I have learned that focusing more and more forensically can be a rabbit hole down which it is difficult to retain objectivity and interest. There is only so much geekiness in nerd city that one can write about vintage gear before it becomes, well, dull and boring. American philosopher Nicholas Butler (1862‑1947) once said, “An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing”. I have regarded that as sage advice, so I try to nurture a broad intellect as a result. The mix of subject matter, I hope, counteracts the risk of dry factual content and inevitable repetitiveness. Did I mention repetitiveness? LoL. Variety also makes things a bit more interesting for me as well.

CRAVE Guitars’ approach has been, and still is, to publish one in‑depth article per month. Many bloggers publish much shorter excerpts far more frequently. My methodology is a personal preference and, therefore, a conscious choice. It is the way I work… and it is serious work as far as I am concerned, albeit unpaid. It is not a trivial hobby and it is not an idle pastime. I would, however, struggle to do anything more prolific.

For high frequency posts, CRAVE Guitars is active on social media, with at least one relevant post every day (except during the 3‑year hiatus). CRAVE Guitars’ social media presence kicked off in December 2014, shortly after the web site went live.

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as it is ever so on the road” – Jack Kerouac (1922‑1969)

The multi‑part series approach is one way to present a large volume of material in a digestible format. However, it also takes up a huge amount of time and energy to research, corroborate and write. Internet resources are – surprise, surprise – notoriously unreliable and inaccurate. Sometimes it is easier (but not necessarily better) to write a lot and to split it into a series. The problem with brevity for its own sake is that some potentially interesting material has to be omitted. Balance is therefore important. Duh! Splitting material over several articles is a matter of pragmatism as well as a concern for readers’ patience… and my own sanity.

I much prefer to use images in my articles. It breaks up the narrative and looks far more inviting to prospective readers. However, one component of the perfect storm that resulted in the hiatus was the aftermath of using images from Google Images to illustrate articles, only to fall foul of using copyrighted material. As a result, all non‑CRAVE produced images were removed from the web site and, retrospectively, from all CRAVE articles. This is not ideal but it is a harsh reality of 21^st Century litigatory culture and a key learning point. As ‘they’ say, ‘once bitten, twice shy’. (NB. A phrase that first appeared in the novel, ‘The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless’ (1751) by Eliza Haywood (1693‑1756))

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. It’s about creating yourself” – George Bernard Shaw

Regular readers will know that I also like to use credible quotes from wise people to help illustrate the narrative. I think this works well and adds some colour to an otherwise monochrome palate. Contrary to what you might think, it isn’t just an immature tacky expedient.

Regular readers will also know that each article ends with a CRAVE ‘Quote of the Month’. These are my own original pontifications on life, the universe and everything (thank you Douglas Adams). The first CRAVE quote appeared in November 2015 and one quote has been present in every article since (making 89 in total including this month – another 11 to go before that particular list also gets to 100). I hope that the quality of these amateur observations has also improved over the years. I particularly like this month’s quote btw. Some snippets may be controversial but, then again, aren’t the most insightful observations about the human condition often provocative and potentially divisive? I will continue to poke ‘the hornet’s nest’ (NB. A term first documented in ‘A Compleat History of Europe’ (1705) by David Jones) when I believe that a positive prod is needed.

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit” – Harry S. Truman (1884‑1972)

Arguably, one of my most irritating tendencies is probably my peculiar penchant for pathetically puerile alliteration. It is one of my go‑to literary techniques and I will continue to be childish and silly. Sorry again.

Possibly also irritating are my frequent nota bene (NB. Latin, literally meaning ‘note well’) references, often relating to obscure European literature. I find words and their etymological derivations fascinating, so I try to litter articles with random interesting non sequiturs (NB. from the Latin, ‘it doesn’t follow’). Sic! (NB. from the Latin adverb, ‘so’ and meaning in English ‘intentionally so written’, dating from c.1856). There ya go.

“Learning never exhausts the mind” – Leonardo da Vinci (1452‑1519)

Another irritating tendency for readers is probably my very robust opinions about the need to improve civilisation, society and our environment, which I strongly believe is essential for the longevity and prosperity of mankind and our dependency on the planet’s finite and fragile natural ecosystems. When will humanity come to its senses and establish a civilisation with a strong future that is peaceful, just and sustainable? I cannot come to terms with the utter insanity of destructive global geopolitics at the start of 2026 and, sadly, I can’t see it getting better any time soon. If there is one thing in this irrational world that I could possibly influence, that would be it.

Back to writing; some general structural, presentational and consistency needs improving, such as title capitalisation, blog format and grammatical style. These have evolved over time and are much better than they used to be. Probably best described as work‑in‑progress. My late wife (her passing was another contributor to the hiatus) used to proof read articles before publication. Sadly, that last‑minute check & balance is no longer available to me, so errors may well be present.

“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life” – Steve Jobs (1955‑2011)

I hope that one thing comes through loud and proud is my unwavering passion for music – playing it (badly!), listening to it, amassing music CDs and attending live music events. The vintage guitar gear collection manifested directly from these cravings (sic!). While my main hankering for music collecting is roots and dub reggae, my contemporary musical listening tastes are very diverse.

One thing is for sure, I have learned a great deal from all the in‑depth investigation that goes into compiling content for the articles. That includes the process as well as the outcome. So, even if no‑one else reads anything, I now have a much better understanding of many things that are of interest to me and hopefully to readers. It has also made me think quite profoundly and fundamentally about a wide range of things. The result is that I have become a bit of a ‘jack of all trades’ (NB. an expression dating from the 16^th Century, regarded as a negative abbreviation of the more balanced ‘jack of all trades, master of none but oftentimes better than master of one’, suggesting a more versatile and adaptable skillset – the origin dates back at least to 1592 and Robert Greene referring to William Shakespeare as a ‘Johannes factotum’). I regard ‘generalist’ and ‘expert’ as opposing ends of a continuum and, arguably, the ideal position being at some point along the continuum depending on context – they are not mutually exclusive.

“The best way to predict the future is to create it” – Peter Drucker (1909‑2005)

AI will undoubtedly impact on all forms of creative industry in the future, including writing, music and art, either directly or indirectly, whether we like it or not. I covered the implications of the evolving technology in the 3‑part series, ‘Artificial Intelligence Takes on Vintage Guitars’ (March to May 2024). That is the only occasion where I have used AI narrative to prove a point – AI doesn’t give a flying fig what the subject matter is – it is a process tool but nothing more at the moment. AI, for instance, has no idea and doesn’t care what a vintage guitar is, what it is used for, why it is valued or its relevance to anything else. AI algorithms can manipulate data but it has no real insight – it does not have original ideas about anything at all – it can harvest data and output information but it cannot provide knowledge. All other CRAVE articles are the hard work of my inadequate, fallible, spongy hooman brainium.

I have, however, used AI for images, particularly for The CRAVEman articles, as this is the only way that I can bring him to artificial ‘life’ and produce artwork about him, even with all its inconsistencies and errors. Also, copyright currently resides with the end‑user (‘the creator’) inputting prompts that are then interpreted by AI algorithms (‘processing’) to produce static images, video, text, audio, etc. (‘output’). So, for the time being at least, I am on safe ground copyright‑wise. Once again, I have learned that judicious balance is the key here.

While on the subject of The CRAVEman; he has become the outward looking face of CRAVE Guitars while the author’s identity remains private and intentionally enigmatic. Who I am matters not. No‑one wants or needs or cares to know who I am.

Wow! That is quite a lot of learning. I hope, though, it gives a bit of an understanding into the process of bringing content to the customer. So, will these learning points change CRAVE Guitars’ articles going forward? Probably not a great deal because of the inescapable, finite, common constant and constraint – the human element, i.e. me. That, I am afraid, you are stuck with, like it or not. Apologies again.

“Sometimes milestones are not measured by the accomplishments of society, but by those of integrity” – Tamara Ecclestone (1984‑)

The Next 100 Articles

When it comes to future articles, I usually try to work on ideas about three months in advance, if possible. I also try to get around to drafting at least one article ahead of schedule while still editing the imminent article to be published. This takes a lot of the deadline pressure off writing. Sometimes, I run into a blank and have to come up with something I wasn’t expecting, often at short notice, which can actually prove to be quite satisfying. Sometimes, the material prescribes an agenda, for instance, the aforementioned 14‑part ‘Story of Modern Music’, which effectively dictated subject matter for more than a whole year.

One of the problems of not buying much in the way of ‘new’ vintage guitar gear recently is that I don’t have a great deal of topical vintage gear acquisitions to write about at the moment, which is a shame. Writing a web site feature is one thing. However, it tends to take things out of context and sometimes it is nice to write about vintage gear within a broader canvas.

“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today” – Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882‑1945)

I have stated on many occasions that the work involved in writing comprehensive articles means that I do not have sufficient time to write/edit, ‘The Distortion Diaries’. I still haven’t been able to balance the workload to enable both in a way that I feel comfortable about. The pressure of deadlines mean that monthly articles tend to get priority over the novel, which is very, very, very frustrating. I must try to simplify and streamline article writing, so I can finally publish the fictional novel. Unfortunately, temporal manipulation (time travel) isn’t within my skill set to affect.

Some regular thematic content will prevail, such as alliteration, quotes, campaigning for a better world, musicology, etc. Some subject matter will prevail, such as The CRAVEman adventures and annual end‑of‑year reviews. When there is some vintage guitar gear to write about, that will take absolute top priority.

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try” – John F. Kennedy (1917‑1963)

I still have a question, which I kinda covered in my October 2024 article, ‘CRAVE Guitars Writing: An Introspective Inquiry’, so apologies for the reprise. Does anyone read the articles and are they worth doing? Now that is a very difficult pair of questions to answer. As far as stats go, it seems as though the volume of readership is very, very small. So, if the audience is so tiny, why bother? Ultimately, I do it because I want to write about these things, not because I want other people to read them (believe it or not) – there is a distinction, honest. As for the perceived intellectual or entertainment value deriving from the process, that is really not up to me to judge. I am self‑critical and I set myself very high standards but that doesn’t mean that what I write has any merit. Fundamentally, whether the content is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ has absolutely nothing to do with numbers reading something and, ultimately, valuing it. I don’t believe that there is an undeniable correlation.

Article writing is not ‘fun’ and it requires a substantial amount of work for zero return but, for some unknown reason, I feel compelled to do it anyway. I have tried over and over again to fathom where that compulsion comes from and, so far, I have failed to quantify the subjective cost/benefit attributes of doing it. I view writing in all its forms as work, regardless of whether the output is woefully under‑appreciated (Ed: a bit like paid work then!).

Will I run out of material? Yes, I will. Eventually. At which time, I will admit scraping an empty barrel (and mixing metaphors), accept it, and stop writing, rather than labour the point with disappointingly diminishing returns. Until then, it is business‑as‑usual. Whether the famine of inspiration dries up before article 200, we’ll just have to wait and see. At the current rate of one article per month, 100 articles takes 8 years, 4 months. That equates to mid‑2034 for article 200 ceteris paribus, so you might have to wait awhile to be certain. Having just passed one milestone, it is time to move onto the next goal; the journey starts here folks, with article (not room) #101 (NB. Room 101 was the torture chamber within Oceania’s Ministry of Love in which a prisoner’s worst fear was manifested, as described in the classic dystopian novel, ‘1984’ (1949) by George Orwell).

“Without a plan, even the most brilliant business can get lost. You need to have goals, create milestones and have a strategy in place to set yourself up for success” – Yogi Berra (1925‑2015)

Final Thoughts on the First 100 Articles

I want to stress at this point that I am not in any way an ‘influencer’ and I do not want to be whatever one of those is. I am not trying to be clever or to influence anyone and have zero ambition to be thus labelled. Unlike many is such a role, I do not have the right to preach. Just to be clear.

So then, one might ask, what am I? Just a regular nerdy old dude is the answer. Oh, and with the hurly‑burly The CRAVEman as my alter ego, guitar god and all round superhero. Duh! (NB. Hurly‑burly is an English ‘reduplicated phrase’ originating in the 16^th Century, as in the translation from Latin of, ‘The Despisyng of the Worlde’ (1532) by Christian theologian, Erasmus (1466‑1536)).

I believe I have two fundamental contrasting outputs. One is diligently researched factual objectivity regarding vintage guitars, basses, effects and amps, as well as a passion for contemporary musicology. The other is subjective flights of fanciful fictional escapism. ‘The CRAVEman’ and ‘The Distortion Diaries’ both fall into the latter category.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” – Laozi (6^th Century BCE)

The writing process varies considerably depending on what is being covered. Frequent short social media posts, infrequent long monthly blog articles, feature pages for vintage gear on the website and, of course, the long-gestating fictional novel. I strive very hard to be adequately competent at all four, which can be quite challenging while also attempting to eke out an everyday existence in this inexplicably irrational world. Ever the idealist.

Some of this I’ve mentioned before; so please forgive the repetition. So, what is my motivation? Why do I work SO hard at CRAVE Guitars et al? It certainly isn’t for pecuniary reward – there is none. Nada. Zilch. Rien. Nichts. Well, I’d like to be remembered for something, in terms of a lasting legacy. Such a legacy, however, requires sufficient numbers of people to recognise something to differentiate someone from all the other someones, who are possibly seeking similar somethings (if you get my intentionally convoluted drift!).

Will CRAVE Guitars ever realise some recognisable measure of success? I’m not getting into a definition of ‘success’ here. It hasn’t yet. Nothing happens overnight, right? Well CRAVE Guitars has been around for nineteen years and online for twelve. I don’t think it’s going to take off now, so I am resigned to a modest profile, which is OK, as I don’t actually sell anything. I am ambitious but I also recognise when something has reached its practicable equilibrium. Ever the optimist.

“We are what we do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit” – Aristotle (384‑322BCE)

I am, sadly, not privileged with an abundance of wealth, which is something that so many worthless people rely on to make themselves visible (and vacuous). It is SO hard to be good at something different, as there is SO little original thought or action these days. Hard work does ≠ appreciable success. I do not seek fame and the idea of ‘celebrity’ status is a total anathema to me. It would be nice, though, if there is some hard‑earned recognition for my efforts. I certainly do not want to be like everyone else and I am content with my harmless and unique misanthropic deviance from societal norms. However, all that is simply not enough in 2026, with nearly 9 billion souls on the planet, all wanting ‘more’ of everything. Greed and avarice are repugnant traits of innumerable immoral individuals. Ever the humblest.

One thing is for sure, I have every intention to carry on writing articles until the time comes when I can no longer do so, for whatever reason. I hope you’ll find that encouraging. I would like to understand what readers would like to see in terms of content. If anyone wishes to suggest relevant material, I would welcome it and, perhaps, even see whether I can do a good job at it, as a challenge.

I don’t usually believe in coincidences but publishing the 100^th article just happened to coincide with publishing the 200^th page on the web site.

“Listing your personal milestones is like storing a pocketful of sunshine for a rainy day. Sometimes our best is simply not enough…. We have to do what is required” – Winston Churchill (1874‑1965)

A Short Update on ‘The Distortion Diaries’

Reflecting on the past decade of article writing for CRAVE Guitars got me thinking again about my work‑in‑progress side project. With ‘The Distortion Diaries’, (TDD for short – not the International Airport Code for Trinidad), I have only latterly come to realise just why the novel is dissimilar from my other writing and why it has become so important to me. It may be blooming obvious but it simply hadn’t occurred to me.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished” – Laozi (6^th Century BCE)

Until now, excepting all my past writing as part of my paid profession, my unpaid amateur writing over the past decade or so has been available entirely via Internet‑based channels, such as web site features, blog articles and social media. Surprise, surprise, they are all digital media, only accessible on that thar hinterwebby thingummy. Thus far, nothing actually tangible.

‘The Distortion Diaries’ is, I believe, different. I want TDD to be read (primarily) in traditional physical book form, something palpable for people to hold, printed with ink on paper, one of mankind’s oldest means of widely sharing ideas, imagination and knowledge. TDD has the potential to become an expression of my creative spirit. Somehow, more ‘real’, genuine and authentic simply because of its physicality. Perhaps, this explains why I do not want TDD to become just another random record of an online opus made up entirely of binary ‘1’s and ‘0’s. How very ‘old school’ (NB. The term, ‘old school’ may originate from a pamphlet, ‘The Reply of the Country Gentleman to the Answer of His Military Arguments’ (1758) by Thomas Potter).

“The goal, and the ultimate achievement, is to make people feel as well as think” – Saul Bass (1920‑1996)

I desperately hope that someone, somewhere may (eventually) get to read The Distortion Diaries and it may even have the power to change their life, just a tiny little bit. This is an earnest wish. This epiphany is very recent and quite illuminating (and possibly a touch conceited). Apologies (again) for the soul bearing.

As final editing of TDD edges closer, any external assistance guiding me through the self‑publishing process that results in an actual physical book would be very gratefully received. A production run will be very low numbers, at least initially.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803‑1882)

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Album of the Month’

Much has been said in CRAVE Guitars articles about my predilection for reggae, particularly roots and dub reggae. Most of the genre derived from the small Caribbean island of Jamaica during the 1970s. However, the ‘Windrush Generation’ (NB. named after the passenger ship HMT Empire Windrush in 1948) resulted in immigrants from the West Indies arriving in the UK from the 1940s to the 1970s. This influx meant that a significant Caribbean influence was present in the communities of major British cities such as London, Birmingham and Bristol. This vibrant culture led to a surge in British reggae built on the back of Jamaican popularity and the global phenomenon that was Bob Marley. Often overlooked, British reggae at its best was on a par with reggae from further afield. Consequentially, this month’s accolade goes to…

Pablo Gad – Trafalgar Square (1979):

Pablo Gad was born in Jamaica (date not known) and moved to the United Kingdom in 1974. He toured regularly with the London‑based reggae band Black Slate, becoming one of the most socially conscious and often outspoken UK‑based roots reggae singers. In 1979, he released his debut solo studio album, ‘Trafalgar Square’. The current CD release of the album on Secret Records comprises 11 tracks over 50 minutes including his most well‑known track, ‘Blood Suckers’ in both vocal and dub versions. It’s not a challenging listen and it may not be an exemplar of the genre but it stands out to my ears.

Pablo Gad may not be a familiar name to those whose interest lies mainly in mainstream pop reggae. However, ‘Trafalgar Square’ is, in my opinion, a hidden gem of the effervescent British reggae movement in the 1970s and 1980s. There are plenty of UK reggae artists and bands to discover, should you be so inclined. There is a growing interest in conserving the important musical heritage of that period with several homespun record labels dedicated to the task. Great stuff, worth checking out as complementary to the wealth of authentic Jamaican reggae.

BELIEVE IN MUSIC!

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” – Eleanor Roosevelt (1884‑1962)

Tailpiece

Well, that’s the first article of 2026 done and dusted. For next month, I think I will be returning to a back‑to‑basics article. That will rely on some preparatory work to be done before I can confirm. I hope you’ll come back to visit at the end of February to find out what’s in prospect. In the meantime, the nagging ‘call of stuff’ beckons.

“The moon is the first milestone on the road to the stars” – Arthur C. Clarke (1917‑2008)

Truth, peace, love, and guitar music be with you always. The CRAVEman, signing off for now. Until next time…

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’: “I don’t pray for a miracle. I pray that we become wise enough that we do not need miracles”

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31 Oct 2024

October 2024 – CRAVE Guitars Writing: An Introspective Inquiry

by CRAVEGuitars | posted in: Introduction, News, Observations, Opinion | 0

Prelude

YO GOOD PEOPLES. Welcome once more to the virtual hamlet of non sequitur‑ville, population c.1. You may have noticed my annoying application of asinine alliteration, idiotic idioms and my tendency toward meandering narrative prose (duh!), so perhaps it’s some sort of disorder worth looking into. As hinted at previously, CRAVE Guitars is deliberately changing things around a bit this month. Nothing like a bit of variety, eh? You may well be grateful of a short(er) article after several recent rather lengthy and convoluted tomes, so I’m content to oblige on this particular occasion.

At the time of publication, autumn is wending its inexorable passage towards winter, so here’s a snippet of classical pertinent poetry to get you in the mood for some further flowery philology.

“There is a harmony in autumn,
and a lustre in its sky,
which through the summer is not heard or seen,
as if it could not be,
as if it had not been!”
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792‑1822)

Is it just me or do most sensible people wish for a world free from bellicose brutality? If only sensible people ran the world. If only the message would get through to said belligerent barbarians seemingly devoid of any form of reasonable moral compass. War = Bad. Peace = Good. Simple. The relevance, use and impact of words and their ability to generate positive change will become clear… eventually… I promise.

“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world” – John Keating (1927‑)

This time around, I thought I would spend a few moments of superficial but personal self‑analysis, something that I normally feel very uncomfortable about. Perhaps that’s the stereotypical reserved Brit syndrome, I don’t know. I rarely discuss myself, especially in the first person, so this is a very unusual post. While I might refer to this topic somewhat flippantly and to some extent facetiously, it turns out that, perhaps, the author presents somewhat of an enigma and a conundrum.

This exploratory examination is also probably something that will be of little interest to many readers so, if you want to quit at this point, that’s absolutely fine. Thanks for looking in. However, as this change of approach will impact on CRAVE Guitars business‑as‑usual output for a (hopefully short) while, it probably warrants a bit of explanation. If the idiom that ‘those who can’t write, write about writing’ holds water, well, here is all the evidence required for condemnation. Sadly few images this month, only thousands of words.

“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write” – Martin Luther (1483‑1546)

What I write

This article is something like the 84^th since I started CRAVE Guitars’ online presence back in 2014 (more on that next month). Apart from the extended ‘hiatus’ (2020‑2023), articles have been published at the rate of one a month. I don’t actively engage with any other form of writing other than to keep a personal daily journal and the unavoidable daily communications.

As a professional bureaucrat for over three decades, I wrote a great deal of business documents, briefings, academic learning materials, strategic and business plans, project and performance management reports, speeches, presentations, etc. etc. All very ‘real’ and original in their own way; nothing particularly enjoyable or satisfying though. My frustration with organisational writing is that it was all ephemeral and didn’t make any noticeable difference to humanity, at least not directly. Looking back, there was no legacy of lasting change and nothing to show for all the hard work that went into it. Nothing ‘me’. The discipline, though, did teach me how to write but only in a structured, formal way. I would hate to think all those years of ‘training’ were for nought.

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do” – Thomas Jefferson (1743‑1846)

For nearly the past decade, I’ve been writing about my near‑lifelong craving (sic!) for vintage guitars. Why? I love ‘em. Plain and simple. To me, they are an ‘amour-fou’ (an obsessive passion). Writing about vintage gear has (generally) been rewarding. It started with features on my own vintage guitars before branching out into features on brands, amps, effects and, latterly, bass guitars.

Over time, writing also extended to blog articles and that broadened out even further to include many other related topics – to a greater or lesser extent. Now, I’m writing about writing about vintage guitars et al. The next stage, as we’ll see later, I’ll be writing about writing about writing, all of which is getting just a bit circular, a bit like the mythical Ouroboros (NB. an ancient Egyptian and Greek symbol depicting a serpent consuming its own tail).

I will return to the topic of vintage guitars in due course; I’m just taking a pause from the risk of getting stuck in a barrel or dredging a rut (as well as mixing metaphors for fun, another annoying trait – apologies). I need to come up with another, different obtuse angle… or even a cute angle (lol) on vintage guitars, hopefully something not done by others.

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading” – Buddha (Siddhārtha Gautama – c.480 400BCE)

Article writing about vintage guitars is one thing and it supports the CRAVE Guitars ‘brand’. However, I would like to do something different. Something non‑factual, something light and frivolously engaging, something that bestows some lingering fascination and perhaps something to stimulate debate. The value of the arts lies in its ability to provoke an emotional reaction, rather than simply to represent reality in some way. Discuss…

“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality” – Edgar Allan Poe (1809‑1849)

I could write about many subjects other than vintage guitars and music. I have several other keen interests, although none quite as all‑consuming. However, generally speaking, writing about other disconnected things on this platform would divert focus away from vintage guitars and music.

Language is an interesting area of study. In many ways, language is like music, to be played and crafted into something ostensibly magical. Like music, language can be composed either well into a thing of beauty, or badly into a reprehensible ugly mess. I am fascinated by words and the way in which we can construct the vernacular in novel (sic!) ways. This might explain why I use a broad vocabulary in a discursive, arguably prolix, way. Why use one common word when several obscure ones will do (sorry, Mr. Jefferson)? Languorous language is rejected and embellished English rules Britannia, at least this tiny corner of it. One is not attempting to be ‘too clever by half’ (NB. A ‘Britishism’ used in, ‘The Interpreter’ (1958) by George J. Whyte‑Melville). Honest guv’nor. At least my particular portion of precisely practised poetic prose is entirely first hand. No plagiarism and no AI here.

“All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then I can turn the world upside down” – Friedrich Nietzsche (1844‑1900)

Latterly, I have been hampered by issues of copyright over images. For instance, I would really like to take a look at guitars as they have appeared in the visual arts throughout history (fine art, popular culture, film, etc.). However, to do that really requires images of the artworks to support the narrative. Without images, such an article (or series of articles more likely) would be utterly pointless. As a non‑profit entity, I cannot publish images without permissions and royalties, thereby rendering the entire concept moot, null and void before it even gets off the ground. Sigh.

“Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way” – Ray Bradbury (1920‑2012)

Why I write

A more difficult question requires a moment of introspection. I sometimes wonder what motivates people, me included, to write. Thus far, a good enough answer eludes me. One thing might be that I just feel compelled to write (not convinced). Another might be a wish to leave some sort of tangible record (if not possible to do so in other ways). Yet another may be that I simply enjoy the writing process (again, not convinced), regardless of whether anyone actually takes much notice. I have tried to estimate the audience and it is likely to be no more than a handful in total. In the end, it seems I can’t not do it (excuse the double negative).

An issue with writing for a virtual platform is that it could be wiped out entirely in an instant, never to be recovered, even if anyone wanted to resurrect it. Recently a malicious incident at my Internet Service Provider caused a near‑catastrophe; fortunately, everything was recovered after a few difficult days. Alternatively, once I end my tenure on this planet, CRAVE Guitars’ documents will disappear overnight. Forever. So much for a lasting legacy, eh?

So… if the absolute readership level is so trifling, the only possible conclusion I can reach is that article writing seems to be an immense amount of hard work and effort for such a small audience. Does that actually matter? Which brings me back to thorny question of why I bother. Perhaps the change of direction for a while might help to aid such contemplation. Perhaps it may be time to review my ‘return on investment’ and divert some effort from feature and article writing into another personal pet project, just for a while. The slowdown in acquiring vintage guitar gear also points in that direction.

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are” – W. Somerset Maugham (1874‑1965)

Is it just that I’m just a bad writer? I hope not and I trust someone would have the courage to tell me if the content was genuinely awful, either in subject matter or narrative style. It seems, though, that I need to have some sort of restless creative outlet, something to relieve the intense pressure cooker raging in my chaotic cranium.

All in all, not a very deep analysis so far. There must (must there? Really?) be some other reason why I feel the urge to put fingertip to keypad and compose unfocused prosaic narrative for other folks to consume. Just a thought? How does one go about measuring competence in a subjective field such as writing?

Which brings us onto my idiosyncratic writing process. Pretentious? Undoubtedly. Profound? Perhaps, occasionally. Original? Is anything original these days? Entertaining? I would like to think so. Pointless? I hope not. I attempt to carve and mould my own distinctive style, rather than copy the approach taken by those far better at it than I will ever be. My unusual technique has developed into something weirdly eccentric and eccentrically verbose. I know that. I can’t help it. An eclectic style can certainly be divisive. Readers will probably either love it or hate it – no middle ground. I cannot, however, be apologetic for the facts. Sorry folks.

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing” – Benjamin Franklin (1706‑1790)

Why I do not allow comments

Apologies for hobby‑horsing for a moment. Time for a little biased judgemental opinion. You may have noticed that CRAVE Guitars’ does not allow comments on blog articles. Like most dudes with a massive superego and crippling self‑doubt, I am inherently super‑sensitive and have an innate fear of criticism and rejection.

I invest a considerable amount of time and effort in researching and writing monthly articles, probably 7‑10 full working days per article. So much so, that I am not prepared to submit my efforts to ridicule by acerbic trolls who put absolutely zero time, effort and intellect into being confrontational for no other reason than they can. I am willing to forgo the occasional positive comment in order to evade many negative ones. I welcome constructive criticism but I will not lay myself open to ignorance, reactionary contempt and derision.

Anti-social media has sadly become a vitriolic battle ground for the disgruntled to promulgate their abhorrent brand of ‘free speech’ (Musk et al take note). In the ‘free’ world, it may be a right to express one’s opinion but true rights carry significant moral responsibility in order to balance out deviant extremes. Freedom is not about being able to do and say whatever one wants with impunity. ‘Free speech’ is not a poorly conceived unilateral entitlement, it carries with it weighty conscience and considerable consequence. Hard fought for freedoms are a privilege within tolerant societies and should be cherished and nurtured, not abused on a whim.

“Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good” – Buddha (Siddhārtha Gautama – c.480 400BCE)

Don’t get me wrong, I am a staunch anti‑censorship advocate but, let’s be honest here, that isn’t what these self‑appointed critical pseudo‑moralists are all about. These self‑styled evangelists want selective liberties that support their prejudiced dogmas and insist on selective suppression of anything that does not accord with such partisan doctrines.

A quick soapbox aside… I have a similar anathema to the PC minority brigade wanting to re‑write established literature to remove or alter what they feel is inappropriate. I would go as far as to suggest that it is a wrongdoing against history and a precipitous thin end of the wedge. If we condone the censorship of authentic literature once, where will it end? If we don’t take a stand, one can envisage the repeated re‑writing of literature over time until it bears little resemblance to the original. Literature, for good or bad, should be respected intact and we can learn from the cultural context it provides.

The eradication of swathes of authentic heritage on the whim of a few just because they ‘don’t like it’ (however intellectually argued) is unconscionable to anyone with any common sense. Exactly who decides how selective censorship is used? Who decides the revisionist version of history on behalf of humanity? Who decides what previous generations’ art is culturally acceptable or not? Who decides what future generations are permitted to read/see/hear? Discuss…

I do not shy away from genuine, healthy debate (whether ‘intellectual’ or not) but I abhor confrontation, especially pointless assaults based on indoctrination or proselytization. It is even worse for disagreements on petty principle to be played out visibly in the public domain. I’ll leave all that contemptuous cacophony of cruelty to self‑opinionated ‘influencers’ and ‘celebrities’ and their trite, trivial tantrums.

Neither do I wish to commit far too much of my life wasting time and effort on people who have no special interest in the subject matter. If someone really wants to get in touch, they can – the e‑mail address is at the bottom of every page on the web site. All I ask for in any communication is authenticity, integrity, dignity and respect. Everything else will be summarily blocked and deleted.

People, eh? Not a fan. ‘Nuff said. (NB. A colloquial idiom and contraction of ‘enough said’, implying the end of discussion, first documented in 1778 by playwright Henry Brooke)

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple” – Jack Kerouac (1922‑1969)

Deep Thinking

Apologies folks, we’re going on a quick diversion for a trifling titbit of cognitive psychology. That’s the discipline which helps us to understand how humans obtain, process, store and use information. It is about perception, memory, language, attention, creativity, intuition and reasoning. Don’t panic! It will make sense. The idea of deep thinking is not new, Greek philosopher Socrates (c.470‑399BCE) suggested that we reflect on and question the world around us.

Having tried many times over many years, it seems that I am totally incapable of diving deeply into my own internally‑focused thought processes to resolve who I really am, what I really need and why I am the way I am. I simply cannot ‘find’ myself, using common parlance. My inner psyche remains concealed from me. Yet, I seem to have little difficulty contemplating universal unknowns, suggesting an external focus. Perhaps, I thought, it was worth investigating what’s going on.

“Creativity is intelligence having fun” – Albert Einstein (1885-1955)

The author’s dipolar struggle may explain a lot while also raising many questions. It appears, for want of an emotive label, to make me a ‘conflicted soul’. This is not a medical or psychotherapeutic prognosis, simply an entirely amateur observation. However, it triggered some shallow yearning for insight. For the list‑o‑philes out there, this is one of only two this month. Enjoy.

Twelve traits of deep thinking people include:

Introverted – Reserved and quiet. A loner who doesn’t seek social interaction and actively avoids contact with people. Reclusive
Observant – Say less, observe more. Pausing before reaching a conclusion. Not easily swayed by popular opinion
Quirkily humorous – Silly, juvenile, witty, comical and often self‑deprecating, often misunderstood
Avid reader – Thirsty for knowledge with an innate need to learn more and expand understanding
Forgetful – Overlook trivial social obligations and daily chores, as these things don’t much matter. Easily distracted. Tendency to overthink. Hard to relax
Intensely curious – Highly inquisitive. Never bored. Question assumptions. Interested in BIG issues. Passionate for learning and knowledge. Embracing of ambiguity and complexity
Forward planner – take time to think about the future and where to fit in (or not). Strategic and not detail oriented
Problem solver – Analyse patterns, identify potential obstacles, build innovative approaches and develop potential practical solutions
Socially awkward – Dislike many culturally accepted norms, roles and expected behaviours on a daily basis. Meaningful conversations matter, not small talk
Fiercely independent – Highly self‑reliant, content with solitude as a conscious choice. Doesn’t seek contact with, or dependence on, others
Creative – Artistic, imaginative, inventive, original, resourceful. Interested in the new and different (NB. ‘new’ implies ‘different’ by default)
Empathic – Emotionally sensitive. Compassionate and understanding, able to see both sides of a situation. Open minded

I check at least 13 out of the 12! So, does that make me a deep thinker? I genuinely don’t think so. What I do know, though, and this the point, I don’t think like other people. I never have. What does this actually mean in the real world? How long have you got? It also might explain why I don’t know what to do when (if!) I ever grow up. I fear that I will (have to) grow up one day. It may account for my aberrant behaviour, delusional thought processes and deviant misanthropic attitude. I said this was going to be short, so the answers to these querulous questions are possibly best left for another time and place. If at all. Ever. Don’t hold your breath.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its reason for existing” Albert Einstein (1885-1955)

Ambitions and aspirations

I am long past being driven, self‑seeking and ambitious. That was my decades‑long professional life working for ‘the man’, thankfully now behind me. Now, it is (largely) up to me what I do. My post‑employment lifestyle doesn’t accord with ruthless go‑getting, not that I ever had a game‑playing ‘killer instinct’ anyway. The rat race (NB. The term rat race dates back at least to 1783, used to describe a literal race between rats, now used as a metaphor for a pointless and relentless, competitive struggle) is now for others to endure. I still have lofty aspirations. Probably deluded ones but aspirations nevertheless. Doing something that matters is a key stimulus.

The one thing that I would like to achieve is to be a better human bean. Failing that, I would like to play guitar better and learn the language of music. Failing that, I would like to write better. It seems important to me to have my work valued and appreciated – for some sort of external validation (not very Zen). In addition, for some reason I really cannot glean, I yearn to leave some form of lasting legacy behind; a simple mark on the universe rather than the total obscurity of being just one anonymous, invisible momentary placeholder in the 8+ billion transient souls on this infernal rock of ours. Basically, I do not want to be forgotten – as if I’d never existed.

“Fiction is an improvement of life” – Charles Bukowski (1920‑1994)

That’s it in a nutshell. That’s not too much to ask is it? Probably. So what? A knotty question that leads me neatly onto…

This is IT – The Distortion Diaries

If, by this point, you are wondering where all this is going, it is now time for the ‘BIG REVEAL’. I have hinted that I would be changing my approach for a (hopefully) short period of time and that there was a genuine reason for doing so. Now is time to divulge my poorly premeditated plan. The result is… ‘The Distortion Diaries’.

Last year (2023), I wrote a first draft of a fiction novel. As already mentioned, I wanted to do something different. Something imaginative and original, not factual and not opinionated. I intended to undertake a first edit earlier in 2024 and to expand the content considerably during the summer and be going through a second, harsh edit around now. Unfortunately, other unavoidable activities and my diligent approach towards research and writing CRAVE Guitars articles has prevented me from sticking to the plan. With everything else going on, something had to give. Capacity is finite and there simply wasn’t enough of it to dedicate to a novel as well. Such a venture requires better than that.

So… the aim is to make a bit of space and time to do some of the focused work on the novel. Writing fiction is quite different from articles and presents a new discipline. It isn’t something that can be picked up and put down on a whim. It takes lengthy periods of comprehensive concentration. If the novel is ever going to reach fruition, it implies a bubble of space and time in which to do it.

“Description begins in the writer’s imagination but should finish in the reader’s” – Stephen King (1947‑)

When I started writing ‘The Distortion Diaries’, I intended it to be a fictional part‑biography of a wannabe musician. However, very early on, I realised two key things. The first key factor was that the subject matter on its own could not avoid cliché – it would be utterly predictable and therefore probably exceedingly dull. The second key factor was that such a story would be very short unless there was a significant amount of irrelevant, boring filler (to be avoided!). So the shape and style morphed into something completely and utterly different. Once I’d had the epiphany, everything fell into place. Like the CRAVE Guitars name, the title, ‘The Distortion Diaries’ has multiple meanings.

‘The Distortion Diaries’ could now be described as a rom-sex-com-music-bio-mystery-drama-thriller-fantasy about man’s eternally favourite tripartite – sex, drugs and rock & roll (not necessarily in that order). Oh, and the meaning of life (42, according to author Douglas Adams), as well as a coming of middle‑age saga. That is a very broad ‘genre’ mash‑up. It could potentially prove to be a disastrous mess, even with careful handling.

‘The Distortion Diaries’ will carry a strong ‘Parental Advisory’ warning, for two reasons. One is that parents should probably not read it. Another is that it is extremely explicit. The latter is something that authors try to suggest rather than be overt. Why? I find political correct avoidance of fundamental human motivations and behaviours exasperating and represent a centuries‑long unwritten rule just begging to be broken, whether people like it or not. Nobody forces someone to read something, it is an entirely discretionary activity. If you don’t like it, go and read something you do like. Your choice.

“Words can be like X‑rays if you use them properly – they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced” – Aldous Huxley (1894‑1963)

‘The Distortion Diaries’ is very different from your average high street and supermarket pop novel. Neither is it ‘pulp fiction’ (NB. Popular grimy and lurid genre novels printed on cheap paper, called ‘pulp’, dating from the early 20^th Century). This ‘epic’ work is written intended for universal consumption and represents an uncompromising condensation of mainstream mundanity, intense sexuality and serendipitous happenstance. The Distortion Diaries is a colourful tale about the monochrome lives of plain ordinary people with a controversially unorthodox denouement. Let’s not get carried away, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ or ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’, this is not. Sorry ‘bout that.

“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story” – Frank Herbert (1920‑1986)

The story eschews traditional three‑act structure and attempts to avoid bland ‘creative writing’ clichés. Neither does it fall into the beatnik‑style stream of consciousness one‑act structure. It does, however, attempt to tell a straightforward story while also trying (hopefully) to subvert expectations. The only formulaic concession is its adherence to a well‑trodden linear, episodic diary‑type structure (the hint is in the title folks!).

Who is my writing inspired by? No‑one in particular. Just good writing in whatever form. Who is my writing like? I would never be so vain as to venture comparison. Who is The Distortion Diaries written for? Everyone (adult) and no‑one. I guess I wrote it for myself. Why should anyone read it? Difficult one. Perhaps someone seeking a temporary, idle distraction from the hard realities of birth, life and death. What do I like to read? A very diverse range of fictional works with few particular commonalities. Moving on…

“Words have a magical power. They can either bring the greatest happiness or the deepest despair” – Sigmund Freud (1856‑1939)

The novel’s synopsis is a crucial summary that tests from the outset whether there is anything worthwhile to the concept. The following outline is intentionally vague and ambiguous. If too much is given away in a ‘teaser trailer’, it won’t hold any surprises later on.

“The Distortion Diaries.

Terry plays in a band. He doesn’t have a Girlfriend. He hasn’t had a Girlfriend for some time. Terry has a dreary job in IT. He lives alone with his feline overlord. One day, Terry decides to document his wretched existence in a journal. Rather than the journal reflecting and recording Terry’s dreary life, the journal begins to change it. A Lot. Is Terry’s life pre‑determined by fate or is his destiny in his own hands? Only his journal knows.

Based on a false story”

Intrigued? I hope so. Even I was pleasantly surprised how it turned out, even in rough first draft form. No profound insights into existential enquiries on this occasion. Let’s be clear, this is not serious literature; it is purely for entertainment purposes. Light and fluffy it certainly ain’t though.

“What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure” – Samuel Johnson (1709‑1784)

Mock‑up cover artwork has already been designed, although I feel it’s a bit premature to publish at this juncture, as it may change drastically. Sorry folks. Hopefully, I’ll drop that if/when there is a future update.

I guess it could have been called, ‘The Karma Chronicles’ but I prefer the chosen title. Just to set the record straight, it is NOT in any way autobiographical. The fact that I play guitar (badly) and I am owned by a cat is neither here nor there. As a ‘writer’, I do occasionally steal the ‘good stuff’ from my own repertoire, so there may well be the odd choice phrase from CRAVE Guitars’ articles appearing in the script.

At some point, I will have to produce a more detailed ‘pitch’ that summarises the content but that will come once the task of expanding the narrative, fleshing out the characters and editing the full novel for coherence has been completed. I think the ‘pitch’ is important, as it provides an important reality check during the process. If the ‘pitch’ doesn’t work, the whole thing won’t work. Simple as that. I hope to finish writing and editing the novel in 2025. No pressure then.

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story” – Terry Pratchett (1948‑2015)

Ideally, I would like to go against the norm (nothing new there!) and self‑publish this little vanity project of mine. I have absolutely no idea how to go about self‑publishing or even if it possible, let alone feasible. Then there are the not‑inconsequential issues of distribution and sales. That, though comes much later. Currently, there is nothing to deliver and peddle. So, first things first.

The trick, if there is one, is to find a way to build an identity that cuts through and stands out from the thousands of other works churned out every day, week, month and year. CRAVE Guitars hasn’t succeeded yet (sadly), so it is clear that there is absolutely no chance of a breakthrough by simply existing these days. If anyone has any bright ideas or can help bring this assignment to fruition, please let me know.

Readers may have noticed over the last decade that I do not seek fame and fortune. I keep my private persona very much out of the limelight and I try to remain intentionally anonymous. For this reason, ‘The Distortion Diaries’ (if it ever enters the public domain) will appear under a nom de plume (the pseudonym has already been decided, to be revealed at a later date). I shall endeavour to remain an enigma hiding behind the keyboard’s shadow.

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed” – Ernest Hemingway (1899‑1961)

I did contemplate publishing ‘The Distortion Diaries’ in serialised form on the website. I decided against it for three main reasons. The first is that a purely fictional tale doesn’t really ‘fit’ with the CRAVE Guitars ‘brand’ – basically it has nothing to do with vintage guitars. Even if the novel’s protagonist is a guitarist, the stretch is too far to make sense. The second is that it is, as mentioned above, extremely explicit, which isn’t what I want CRAVE Guitars to be known for. The third is that the duration of a serialisation would side‑line all other subject matter for a couple of years, which I am not really prepared to do. However, if it is ever published, I am sure that I won’t be able to resist promoting it here.

If, as forecast by my overly well‑telegraphed lack of confidence and low self‑esteem, I don’t get anywhere with writing and publishing it as a novel, I may decide to abridge it and publish sanitised excerpts on the web site. It would not be an ideal outcome but possibly better than it being lost in the infinite void of forgotten and cancelled dreams, like the noblest endeavours of so many other wannabe authors.

“Words do not express thoughts very well. They always become a little different immediately after they are expressed, a little distorted, a little foolish” – Hermann Hesse (1877‑1962)

20 Questions

What follows is a mock ‘interview’ with the author of ‘The Distortion Diaries’

Will ‘The Distortion Diaries’ ever be published? Probably not but I hope so.
Will it be an international best seller? Definitely not.
Awards worthy? Not a hope in hell – and I’ve been there.
Required academic reading? Hah‑ha! You’re kidding, right?
Will it be worth a punt? Our protagonist insists on that being the case.
Is it sordid and seedy? Yup, for sure, for sure. Full of sleaze and exploitation.
Unhinged? Not even close. Bad things do happen but so do good things.
Is it edgy? It depends on the reader’s perspective. I try to manipulate ideas, as well as to challenge assumptions and undermine preconceptions.
Is it controversial? Hopefully it will generate credible debate. And criticism. Lots of criticism.
Will it offend people? It is not intentional but, inevitably, someone will always find something to complain about.
It sounds divisive? Like Marmite. Lots and lots of Marmite.
What’s all this about ‘distortion’? It has multiple meanings. You’ll have to read it to find out.
Is it a feel good or feel bad story? It doesn’t matter, as long as you feel something.
Isn’t it just the same old tortured muso type, struggling in a tired pop music industry cliché, overcoming the odds? I haven’t read every genre saga but I don’t believe that it is overly derivative. Nothing is truly original these days.
Will readers learn anything about the human condition? If they are open‑minded, possibly. The male experience is woefully under‑represented in contemporary fictional literature. This may help to address the imbalance.
What message is it trying to convey? Whatever the reader wants to deduce.
Will there be other stories or sequels? Who knows? I don’t. I have some ideas for a cunning spin‑off though.
If you had to use just one word to sum up the story, what would it be? Compelling.
How will people be able to read it? To be determined. It’s too early to say.
Who would you like to direct a movie of the story? Irrelevant. It’s never going to happen.

I personally do not seek social recognition or even the prospect of it. However, I would like to think that the product of my creativity might one day be admired. That would be a bonus rather than a rationale. Simply a desire to stimulate thoughts through my work and the knowledge that such thinking exists, albeit ephemerally. My satisfaction and reward comes in the execution of the process to the best of my ability (good or bad). I may write the story that no-one will ever read. However writing it is my achievement and my only necessary reward. Any success would constitute welcome deferred gratification. Very Zen.

Final thoughts on the power of words

I started off by saying that words have the power to generate positive change. Well… CRAVE Guitars’ features and blog articles haven’t really achieved that, have they? So, will The Distortion Diaries change the world? Sadly, it won’t. However, in the meantime, it might generate some harmless satisfaction and gentle fulfilment as a diversion from our otherwise mundane existences.

Closing the loop started at the top of this article… Should I attempt to change the world? Yes, absolutely. We all should do our bit to promote a better civilisation, society, communities, families and ourselves. We should not accept anything other than peace. We are, after all, partly responsible, even accountable, for how things are today, tomorrow and all the days thereafter. Future generations will scrutinise what we did to our planet and species.

“So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell: ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!’” – Howard Beale (character in the film, ‘Network’ (1976), played by Peter Finch).

Together, if the collective will is there, a united movement for a better world can achieve greatness. Easily said, hard to accomplish. It is way too easy to abrogate our moral and ethical duties, and look to others for blame, redemption and salvation. The lame “it wasn’t me, I didn’t do it” argument is simply not good enough.

“I didn’t do it, nobody saw me do it, you can’t prove anything” – Bart Simpson

Great words, carefully chosen can help to bring about great things. There are not enough vocal advocates for good. There are fewer vocal advocates who have the means for good. There are even fewer vocal advocates with the will and the means for good.

“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea” – Buddha (Siddhārtha Gautama – c.480 400BCE)

Poorly chosen words can do a great deal of harm, as can carefully chosen words of bad people. Most of the rhetoric we hear from those in positions of power today is largely negative and critical. Propaganda obscures the truth such that we no longer know what truth is. War has never brought peace, only cataclysmic carnage. Only diplomacy through sincere words can stop war and deliver lasting reconciliation.

“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill” – Buddha (Siddhārtha Gautama – c.480 400BCE)

You may say that such a simplistic stance is all a bit of ‘pie in the sky’ (NB. a phrase coined by itinerant immigrant labourer Joe Hill in 1911 to describe unrealistic goals), and an outmoded hippie pipe dream (NB. a 19^th Century phrase referring to the dreams experienced by opium pipe smokers). You may say that such hope is just delusional romanticism and impossible wishful thinking? Guilty as charged. One has to have hope in a better humanity, otherwise we are all doomed. Time to change, then.

“I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act” – Buddha (Siddhārtha Gautama – c.480 400BCE)

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Album of the Month‘

As I’m changing things around a bit, there is no relevant reason for this month’s selection. So… what was the first ever album you bought for yourself, with your own money? Well, the simple answer to that question for me was…

Pink Floyd – Meddle (1971). ‘Meddle’ was the 6^th studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd. It was released in November 1971 on the Harvest record label in the UK. The first side of the album comprises 5 tracks including the opener, ‘One of These Days’, while the second side is a single, epic 20 minute track, ‘Echoes’. The cover art is a strange photo of a submerged ear, designed by Storm Thorgerson at Hipgnosis, the trendy design studio of the time. Hipgnosis was famous for creating other Pink Floyd album covers, as well as artwork for other famous rock bands of the time, such as Led Zeppelin, Genesis and Yes. To me, ‘Meddle’ marks a watershed between early Floyd and later Floyd, as well as a personal transition from pop music to serious ‘real’ music. A coming‑of‑age LP in you like.

Why was this album my first? DJ John Peel played the album in its entirety on release on his late night show on Radio One in the UK. I hadn’t heard anything like it before and it ‘blew my mind’ (man!). I guess most people have that ‘one’ album that changed their life. ‘Meddle’ was that one for me. I just had to own a copy. It still stands the test of time today.

“Music is the universal language of mankind” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807‑1882)

Tailpiece

Well, there you have it. That turned out longer than I’d anticipated and took more time than I had allowed for. I haven’t made much time or space for writing fiction so far. Sigh. Note to self… be more succinct, pithy, brief, concise, epigrammatic, etc. Second note to self… use less tautology.

So, a new perspective and a new side venture for CRAVE Guitars. Not a core CRAVE Guitars activity but a definite spin‑off. ‘They’ say there is nothing like a bit of variety, so a change in style and content for a few articles can’t be a bad thing in my opinion. Right? Remember, you heard about, ‘The Distortion Diaries’ here first. Write on.

You may have noticed that I regularly splatter the odd quote throughout CRAVE Guitars articles. These aren’t just random asides for no reason; they are relevant to the exposition and, hopefully, add some essential colour to an otherwise monochrome pallet of words. This month, the selection of quotes is particularly pertinent and, I hope, a little thought‑provoking. If only my meagre, mediocre mind could articulate such inspiring ideas in so few words.

To quote actor Patrick McGoohan’s character, No. 6 in ‘The Prisoner’ (1967‑1968) TV series, “Be seeing you”.

Truth, peace, love, and guitar music be with you always. Until next time…

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’: “I would rather be an anonymous genius than a well‑known idiot”

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31 Mar 2020

March 2020 – The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts – Part XII

by CRAVEGuitars | posted in: History, Introduction, Observations | 0

Introduction

Before we get going, I can’t help but comment on the current crisis. We live in truly remarkable times. It seems unimaginable how rapidly and fundamentally the COVID‑19 pandemic has negatively impacted on our global society. Just one month ago, the coronavirus outbreak didn’t even register as a ‘thing’ in the last article. How quickly things change. Is the current madness possibly some Promethean portent? One can contemplate conspiracy theories until the cows come home; ultimately, it matters not whether it is intentional biological terrorism, divine intervention or arbitrary happenstance, the consequences of today’s events will undoubtedly resonate through our species’ future history (if there is any!).

With the very real threat of the ‘coronapocalypse’ doing its best to destabilise our fragile civilisation, thank you for bothering to pop in here and take a look at the latest in this series of articles. The cruel irony of documenting mankind’s musical history up to 2020 is not lost on me. If society, as far we know it, ends c.2020, this evidential record may, after all, tell the full story of man’s last days of making music on this Earth. One can only hope that there may be some surviving souls left to learn and convey the salutary tale of our artistic legacy to upcoming generations.

Anyhoo, as an idle distraction from looking into the abyss (paraphrasing German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche), we really should stick to the knitting (referencing American business author Tom Peters) – apologies for merrily mixing my metaphors. You may have thought that after 11 lengthy articles, several hundred documented global events and around 1,700 discrete music facts that we’d be done by now and we could simply move on to another topic altogether. Not quite. To me, the narrative remains a touch inchoate and there are a few things that I felt needed to be added in order to give more life to the sterile specifics.

Before we move onto the next morsel on the menu, it’s time for that regular monthly recap. If you would like to (re)visit the first eleven parts (and 370 years) of the story, you can do so here (each link opens a new browser tab):

The Story of Modern Music Part XII – Epilogue #1

So far this series of articles has chronicled more than three‑and‑a‑half centuries of musical evolution through a multitude of factual snippets. However, the trouble with facts is that they are just that, facts. There is little subjectivity associated with them. If nothing else, music is important to us because of the way express ourselves and how it makes us feel. Music may evoke strong memories or trigger deep emotional responses and will surely be different for every individual. What I want to convey in this article is how profoundly and vitally important music is to us mere Homo sapiens (which, paradoxically, is Latin for ‘wise man’, coined by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1758).

If you recall my previous 9‑part series on the ‘History of the Guitar’, that particular chronology covered several millennia, so it is clear that people have been making and listening to music for many centuries and, consequently, people have also been thinking, talking and debating music’s contribution to civilisation for a similar period. In many ways, the ‘History of the Guitar’ and the ‘Story of Modern Music’ make for good companion pieces and can be correlated and cross‑referenced.

Musicians are understandably a biased sample of the population. They are embedded in their craft to the point that, for many artists, life is an adjunct to music, rather than vice versa. What I want to explore with this article is the attachment that so many non‑musicians from hugely diverse backgrounds have to music in all its manifestations. While it is certainly possible for me to pontificate on such matters (as I’m sure you are well aware that I’m prone to do), it is better that the insights herein come from recognised commentators on the human condition and who have at one time or another over several hundreds of years made statements about music. Their vocabulary is far more eloquent and succinct than mine you’ll be pleased to hear. The source of these insightful anecdotes is a rag‑tag grouping of people with some historical stature, so as to bring some further credibility to the feelings we all may have about the subject matter.

The aim is hopefully to provide a completely different perspective on music in its infinite diversity, as well as be entertaining along the way. Is it just me or is there is some intrinsic irony in using only words to describe music without any melody or harmony involved?

The other advantage of this (first) epilogue is that it is significantly shorter than any others in the series so far. I haven’t tried to go for quantity here, rather I have endeavoured to document some quality observations. You may well recognise a few of these words of wisdom. Similarly, there will undoubtedly be many that I have omitted or missed, so feel free to fill in any gaps with your own favourites.

80‑ish essential quotes about music by non-musicians

The following quotes are in alphabetical order of the person, rather than any attempt to document the sayings in date order, as with the previous articles. I hope these fascinating and varied idioms carry you off to a different place, albeit temporarily.

Beethoven tells you what it’s like to be Beethoven and Mozart tells you what it’s like to be human. Bach tells you what it’s like to be the universe – Douglas Adams (1952‑2001)

Where words fail, music speaks – Hans Christian Andersen (1805‑1875)

Life is like a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up – Hans Christian Andersen (1805‑1875)

Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness – Maya Angelou (1928‑2014)

Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances – Maya Angelou (1928‑2014)

The most exciting rhythms seem unexpected and complex, the most beautiful melodies simple and inevitable – W.H. Auden (1907‑1973)

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life – Berthold Auerbach (1812‑1882)

Without music, life would be a blank to me – Jane Austen (1775‑1817)

Music is the voice that tells us that the human race is greater than it knows – Napoleon Bonaparte (1769‑1821)

A lot of music is mathematics. It’s balance – Mel Brooks (1926‑)

There is no truer truth obtainable by man than comes of music – Robert Browning (1812‑1889)

Who hears music feels his solitude peopled at once – Robert Browning (1812‑1889)

To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the music the words make – Truman Capote (1924‑1984)

Music is well said to be the speech of angels – Thomas Carlyle (1795‑1881)

Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist ― G.K. Chesterton (1874‑1936)

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song – anonymous Chinese proverb

Music is the soundtrack of your life – Dick Clark (1929‑2012)

Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without – Confucius (551‑479 BCE)

If one should desire to know whether a kingdom is well governed, if its morals are good or bad, the quality of its music will furnish the answer – Confucius (551‑479 BCE)

Extraordinary how potent cheap music is – Noël Coward (1899‑1973)

We are the music makers, and we are the dreamer of dreams – Roald Dahl (1916‑1990)

If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week – Charles Darwin (1809‑1882)

Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can’t – Johnny Depp (1963‑)

Most people die with their music still locked up inside them – Benjamin Disraeli (1804‑1881)

If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music… I cannot tell if I would have done any creative work of importance in music, but I do know that I get most joy in life out of my violin – Albert Einstein (1879‑1955)

It is always fatal to have music or poetry interrupted – George Eliot (1819‑1880)

Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music – George Eliot (1819‑1880)

You are the music while the music lasts – T.S. Eliot (1888‑1965)

Music causes us to think eloquently – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803‑1882)

Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife ― Kahlil Gibran (1883‑1931)

Where words leave off, music begins – Heinrich Heine (1797‑1856)

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent – Victor Hugo (1802‑1885)

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music – Aldous Huxley (1894‑1963)

Music expresses feeling and thought, without language; it was below and before speech, and it is above and beyond all words – Robert G. Ingersoll (1833‑1899)

I need music. It’s like my heartbeat, so to speak. It keeps me going no matter what’s going on – bad games, press, whatever! – LeBron James (1984‑)

The only truth is music – Jack Kerouac (1922‑1969)

You couldn’t not like someone who liked the guitar – Stephen King (1947‑)

Music in the soul can be heard by the universe – Laozi (6^th Century BCE)

It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf – Walter Lippmann (1889‑1974)

Music is the universal language of mankind – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807‑1882)

The great tragedy of the average man is that he goes to his grave with his music still in him – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807‑1882)

Music is the art of the prophets and the gift of God – Martin Luther (1483‑1546)

My heart, which is so full to overflowing, has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary – Martin Luther (1483‑1546)

Next to the word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world – Martin Luther (1483‑1546)

Music and silence combine strongly because music is done with silence, and silence is full of music – Marcel Marceau (1923‑2007)

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is ultimately to be at peace with himself – Abraham Maslow (1908‑1970)

I try to apply colours like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music – Joan Miró (1893‑1983)

I painted the picture, and in the colours the rhythm of the music quivers. I painted the colours I saw – Edvard Munch (1863‑1944)

Music brings a warm glow to my vision, thawing mind and muscle from their endless wintering – Haruki Murakami (1949‑)

And those who were seen dancing, were thought to be insane, by those who could not hear the music – Friedrich Nietzsche (1844‑1900)

In music the passions enjoy themselves – Friedrich Nietzsche (1844‑1900)

Without music, life would be a mistake – Friedrich Nietzsche (1844‑1900)

If you want to make beautiful music, you must play the black and the white notes together – Richard Nixon (1913‑1994)

Music is a whole oasis in my head. The creation process is so personal and fulfilling – River Phoenix (1970‑1993)

Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul – Plato (c.428‑348BCE)

Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything – Plato (c.428‑348BCE)

Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue – Plato (c.428‑348BCE)

Musical innovation is full of danger to the State, for when modes of music change, the fundamental laws of the State always change with them – Plato (c.428‑348BCE)

I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning – Plato (c.428‑348BCE)

Love is friendship set to music – Jackson Pollock (1912‑1956)

There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres – Pythagoras (c.570‑495BCE)

Music is a very big participant in everything I do, from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed – Zoe Saldana (1978‑)

I would say that music in our schools should be a must. When all other things pass away, music and art are still the things that are remembered. Music is one of the things, like the ability to laugh, that has kept mankind going for thousands of years. Music keeps us sane – Charles M. Schulz (1922‑2000)

There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats – Albert Schweitzer (1875‑1965)

If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it; that surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die – William Shakespeare (1564‑1616)

The earth has music for those who listen – William Shakespeare (1564‑1616)

The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils; The motions of his spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music – William Shakespeare (1564‑1616)

Hell is full of musical amateurs: music is the brandy of the damned – George Bernard Shaw (1856‑1950)

Music, when soft voices die, vibrates in the memory – Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792‑1822)

Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought – Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792‑1822)

How is it that music can, without words, evoke our laughter, our fears, our highest aspirations? – Jane Swan (1925‑2010)

Doctors can heal the body, but it is music that lifts the spirit – Mother Teresa (1910‑1997)

When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest of times, and to the latest – Henry David Thoreau (1817‑1862)

Music is the shorthand of emotion – Leo Tolstoy (1828‑1910)

No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious & charitable institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful – Kurt Vonnegut (1922‑2007)

Virtually every writer I know would rather be a musician – Kurt Vonnegut (1922‑2007)

Music is the art which is most high to tears and memory – Oscar Wilde (1854‑1900)

Music makes one feel so romantic – at least it always gets on one’s nerves – which is the same thing nowadays – Oscar Wilde (1854‑1900)

Music enriches people’s lives in the same way paintings and literature do. Everybody deserves that – Victoria Wood (1953‑2016)

Music is an element that should be part and parcel of every child’s life via the education system – Victoria Wood (1953‑2016)

I listened, motionless and still; And, as I mounted up the hill, The music in my heart I bore, Long after it was heard no more – William Wordsworth (1770‑1850)

Tailpiece

That was, I believe, quite an interesting yet valuable diversion. Hopefully, you can now understand the rationale for seeking perceptions that are far more articulate than the absurd utterings of a heretical hierophant like me. One more quote that I like, which I cannot attribute to anyone in particular but which seems relevant and appropriate to current tragic events is, “Sometimes music is the only thing that takes your mind off everything else”.

What next, I hear someone say? As American amateur anthropologist Robert Ripley might say, “believe it or not”, there is a bit more ground to cover yet so my labours require a little more perseverance. Having come this far, though, I hope you’ll stick with it until the very end, which is now in plain sight.

With the artifice of our flimsy and ephemeral culture unravelling before our very eyes, please take care, stay safe, be healthy, look after yourselves and extract solace from some of the great musical milestones covered in these particular periodical parlances (sorry, I can’t help the allure of pretentious alliteration). Perhaps, if there is a sliver of something positive to take from being so close to the wretched mortal precipice, it is to ‘take nothing for granted’ and ‘make the most of every moment’. Clichés perhaps but also truisms for our tragic times. Surely, to do otherwise is eschewing sanity.

It will probably be no surprise that I relish presiding in splendid self‑imposed isolation and seclusion. This conscious choice is less to do with any prevailing contagion but more to do with being a curmudgeonly reclusive misanthrope. As I am sure you are well aware, I can’t resist the addictive magnetism of cool vintage guitars, effects and amps so, in between these inane cogitations and avoiding the prevalent plague, you probably know where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing. I hope I’m still here for ensuing articles. Until next time…

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’: “The science of the universe is the rule book by which our music is created. The mystery of the brain is the filter by which our music is felt as emotion”

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