Wizz - The Watched Man
The reason I draw him to your attention
is for a couple of things he had to say in our quick chat last week.
Having got all the good-old-days stuff out of the way - the health of
Cozy the cat and his impertinent query as to whether The Hat's Actual
hat was the Original Actual hat he had known or an Imposter New
replacement hat - we talked, amongst other things, about those two eternal
issues that hover around the edges of any gig anwhere. Money and Youth.
It was interesting, but sadly not
surprising, to hear again the familiar story of how hard it is to get
paid and how hard it still is for a journeyman musician to pick up
even reasonable money doing his or her stuff. Wizz mentioned some
venues I know well who failed to deliver more than door money. It is
a joy to play somewhere when this is something you don't have to
worry about. Even for someone who has seen it all and played the pit
and the palace like Wizz, it is still a depressing truism that a
professional and skilled creative artist can finish up working for
what bleedin' ball-bearing manufacturers call 'no-margin' and
sometimes even have trouble levering the money out of the venue at
all. I can recall in the heady punk days -when everyone was in a band
– certain cash rich venues in London had a policy where you had to
pay to play. Take it or Leave it. The Hat has written before about
how appalling some promoters and venues can be so I won't rehearse
that here again....
...and then what a delight it was to
hear. not unexpectedly, that refreshing view on youth. 'Blimey,' he
said 'thirty seven bands, that's brilliant'. His pleasure at hearing
my tale of all the new talent coming in for the Hebden Festival was
undisguised – and he also was quick to point out that he was on a
stage with Steve Tilston's talented young daughter Martha and her
young guitarist. The point here is, of course, one you all know well.
Most serious and respected musicians are never worried about
competition. They do their thing and are comfortable in their skin
and with their talent. They are invariably as excited as us mortals
when a young gun comes into town - and we can all recall a gig where a
shy, embarrassed, nervous awkward duckling of a singer or guitarist
has been invited especially up on to the stage by the main man only
to turn into a fabulous swan by the second bar. Oli Brown and
Buddy anyone?
I guess you know by now where I am
heading with this trip down Old Boys Alley. As an unashamed groupie
of the Hebden Bridge Blues Festival, I have admired and done
my best to broadcast their line on those two issues – money and
youth. Many up and coming bands find it hard to get a proper and
respectful audience, reach out to some fresh faces, make contacts and
maybe Touch the Hem of a Hero. The Crew made this happen in Hebden
last week. And then they got paid. Not a lot - as the boys are
working on shoe-strings and gaffer tape – but it is there in the
hand without hassle and they won't have to walk home. It is a policy that will pay
dividends. The epitome of all this was Paddy's Midnite Jam
session. Cheek to cheek, young and established talent together,
falling off the stage in their enthusiasm. Forget the casual kudos
for The Hebden Bridge Blues Festival. Just think of those many brilliant and talented
young musicians who will be moving just a little faster up that steep and intimidating
hill as a result. Ain't that just grand.
Really Nice Bloke Wizz. Too late for
him to change now. Thank God for That.
Pip Pip!
The Man in The Hat