It Came From Memphis

Okay, so my post about Bobby G was written in a state of some dudgeon, not high dudgeon exactly but there was dudgeon in the area. I felt (and feel) let down on Jim's behalf that they aren't going to be on the bill, as it would help sell tickets for what is, let's face it, a pretty offbeat show. I've had an email from a mate of the band and a man with a great love of the music, pointing out that "Primal Scream were the first band ever to give Jim a gold disc for his services - something which astounded me. The second (and last) was Spiritualized." This was news to me, though I've seen the disc on Jim's wall - you'd imagine Dylan, or Aretha, or the Stones, or one of those living legend types, would have had the good manners to offer the man a shiny circular wall decoration somewhere along the way, but no. So, for that, respect to the Primals and all who sail in them.

We're currently putting together our crew and our gear for our planned Barbican shoot, which is likely to be a guerilla-style operation. A great friend of mine, Nick the Doge, is helping out with this - his peculiar twin careers, as a builder and a director, have prepared him perfectly to deal with the scams and jiggery-pokery that go along with this industry, and he knows how to get stuff for free. Also, as an ex-boxer, if he's pissed off with someone, it tends to get their attention. And he has never, to my knowledge, worn a baseball cap. His mate Jim, former BBC cameraman turned highly successful soundtrack composer, has offered to crew for us, going back to his roots on Top of the Pops. And my co-producer, a former studio director, will take on running the box, using the Barbican's automated camera system, making sure we don't miss a trick. The difficult thing for me, as director, is that the cameramen on the floor won't have headsets - it's going to be a matter of going with the moment, allowing the guys to shoot from the hip. Of course, I'll have been there for rehearsals and I'll have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen and where, so we won't be flying blind - or not entirely, anyway.