Hello,
This is the first time i'v done anything like this, i'm a novice.
I'v lived around campfires for most of my adult life(approx.20years), the last ten years the government of the UK have changed and manipulated the laws to make it virtually impossible to live that lifestyle and boy do i miss it.
I miss the kettle and the teapot, the smoke chasing you as you try and move out of it, the guitars strumming, fiddles fiddling, pipes blowing and voices singing, oh and lets not forget the riot Police.
You know its the only time in my life i'v been beaten up, my crime was playing music,my weapon was my guitar, a rag tag and bobtail, a motley collection of buses and trucks, horses and carts, benders and teepee's, hippy's and punks oh and must not forget the crusties.
Mrs.Thatcher threw us all out of work when she got into office then had the nerve to label us lazy and scroungers. We tavelled the country (UK) setting up a stage, any old field would do, preferably common land, and staged free gigs for anyone and everyone. It started with only a few and ended with half a million.
The show at the start was just whoever could play an instument or sing or steet theatre, jam sessions ect. developed into town bands comming along to play and towards the latter years name bands comming to play.
All this was the beginings of the now known festivals such as Glastonbury and T in the Park and many many more these days.The promoters earning fortunes the originaters kicked into touch, barred from even attending such gigs. I speak to people who came to the original free festivals and who go to the major fee paying festivals and the most common coments are the modern gigs are too tame. By too tame i don't mean touble free, we had very little if any trouble at any of the free gigs, what i actually mean is free-dom, free to be, free to do, free to be yourself and express yourself with respect for others. A bit like the internet.
I spent the last ten years or so fighting for my (and your)rights living on the streets, parks, derelict buildings, being hounded by the system, feeling friendless, lonely, letdown but not letting it get me down, just writing and singing songs about it.
The last few years i'v actually had a place i now call home, cheap rent, nice setting and have a few people i dare call friends one of whome loaned me the money to build a small music studio so i could record some of my music with a view to selling songs.
I write about life, not what i call slush(love songs). Most of them are philosophical, one or two are protest like Unclear Power, The Democracy Song, accoustic and electric versions.
The Normal Banned are normal people,living normal lives, in a normal world run by abnormal people.
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