Category Archives: Elephant Shelf

One Step Forward Two Steps Backward Means All Work And No Play

Existential angst mostly. That’s what’s on my mind.

Labour and Conservative, what is the difference. Slightly less xenophobia?
Also the simplistic “working people” trope and still no proper “social housing” as in old school council houses due to misplaced ideology plus a few 100 other things….
So most people think it is one bunch of suits swapped for another (that’s actually what I think too).

The real ideological problem is in my opinion this: Clinging on to the old school notions that everyone wants the equivalent of a “middle class” lifestyle and sharing that view is in part the problem, Up north there are a lot of people who don’t share those views and are frankly often ill educated with a very narrow minded and naive view of the world. They are the ones and their descendants that Thatcher wrote off. They are the ones that supported Brexit, and some of them were rioting, possibly in part because that nice Mr Khan that owns the local 7-11 has a 3 year old Mercedes and they don’t… There needs to be a massive cultural shift. The arts need to be opened up to everyone. It will taken generations to fix. Not all old school socialist ideas were daft. Yes we need a strong economy and a skilled workforce, but also we need poetic road sweepers and homes for those that can work but will never be even hedge hoppers let along high flyers. Aspiration is fine but all the perspiration and grafting in the world won’t get you there if its not in the stars for you.

On a different subject I do YouGov polls. they did one today about “How Woke Are You”.
daft really, but the comments were interesting. A lot of guff about “woke” erasing british culture… I am so woke to the point that gammons are at risk of spontaneous combustion if I am within 3 meters of them.

And I just saw this from another occasional musical co-conspirator: “Statement from Ealing Blues Festival Founder Bob Salmons (aka musician Robert Hokum) as he bids farewell to the event he started in 1987 and where he remained Artistic Director, until 2024. “Well it’s not so much ‘Elvis has left the building’ as ‘Bob is leaving the park’ as I have joined the likes of Stephen Hawking and Rob Burrow in having Motor Neurone Disease and thus have to say ‘goodbye’ to the event that I have brought to Ealing’s Walpole Park since 1987.”

Blimey….

That was a shock.

Here are a few of my Tunes

  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Just a sleazy blues
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Sometimes you have a revelation and you can’t keep it to yourself so you end up singing about about it almost ecstatically. So I did. Go me. A very recent recording inspired by those moments of special sharing twined with enlightenment.
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Tune in Gb
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    A few thoughts on lost opportunities' in a pop rock setting ballad.
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Just cause you are a bad person by Diana Stones Glasscage
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    A stream of consciousness song.
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    I am So Empty Now by Diana Stones Glasscage
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Safe For The Moment by Diana Stones Glasscage
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    A moment of pure joy letting go
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    jazz fusion world style instrumental
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Simple acoustic guitar instrumental tune.
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Autumnal Piano Piece
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Wish You Would Let Me by Diana Stones Glasscage
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    False Prophet by Diana Stones Glasscage
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    In To The Dark by Diana Stones Glasscage
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Third World Intervention by Diana Stones Glasscage
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Hard Walk Into Sunlight by Diana Stones Glasscage
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Ennui 11 by Diana Stones Glasscage
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    A mellow song for a rainy day.
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    A sad violin instrumental about loss.

Humble, How is That Working For You

I don’t like to push to much, but that’s hard if you make music and actually want it to be heard by anyone. Also I try to not get pretentious and keep a light touch and a sense of humour, but that is not always to my advantage. We are not judging you….

Vicky martin and Diana Stone

I have had a week of self doubt about what I am doing, triggered perhaps by as usual to much introspection. I listened to a couple of recent tracks that I though were not so good and after a break from them they actually sounded rather better than I had though at first listen. Ear saturation perhaps? Particularly when listening to the sound of your own voice where over familiarity breeds utter concontempt. But what is there to do but just keep pushing on…

I played at an Irish style session last night with the Also Rans (a loose Irish collective) and it was a fine and pleasant evening of music for a Saturday night. There is something to be said for simplicity at times. I need to relearn that on occasion. Whilst talking casually a couple of people were surprised at my age, (I can’t recall how it came up in conversation) but I said it’s all an illusion, slights of hand and deception. I do forget and then my body reminds me 🙂

Waiting and Waiting

Don’t you hate waiting, at the dentist or for the cable guy or the automobile association.

On a recent rehearsal with Jon Bickley with we played our next gig set 3 times in a row. A bit of a workout, but we also videoed it too. Next week we will do the same thing again. Its for a gig in Amersham in a month or so. I don’t play many gigs these days and I also play with several bands, duos and also solo. These days every gig is often completely different. As time has gone on my personal position in terms of security and finance has become more stable whereas other people i know are now now not so assured and comfortable as they were.
I am still very anxious which is triggered I believe mostly by personal issues, but almost any new activity it seems can set it off. Good bad or different or indifferent. Even if it’s something I am really looking forward to. Crazy.

So today is a waiting day. Ho Hum. Blogg on then. I have a new tune, but not all words for it yet.
And very little inspiration either. I have drawn a mental blank.
Feelings though do wash over me at times, a little out of control and they rattle my cage.

Currently I am playing with the vocal processor on a track. Its quite an interesting sound as I am singing quite jazzy lines and the effect is both pleasing but also very weird harmonically. I will put on a “straight” vocal line too and maybe use a bit of both in the mix. I have no idea if this track will work as its got very weird. Its definitely a marmite song. But sometimes you just have to let loose and get off the leash. Its brewing up for something though.

This is a tune of Vicky Martins which was finished after her death.

This a lyric that I am using in a new song that’s currently in the process of being recorded.
It will be either too weird or very good 😂

Lost to others in all but dreams

Today is the day you thought you were waiting for.

All worries and sin is cleansed and swept away, but you don’t feel any better.
You just sit reading that letter, is it better to have loved and lost at all.
One day you will get the call, then you will stumble and you will fall. And wonder how this ever came to be. One moment on the bank then you slip into the stream and times current pulls your head under and you are lost to others in all but dreams.

I wish that you had held your hand out and i could have grabbed it very tight. I would have held onto you and pulled with all my might. My grip though would be as tight as days have passed and strength has withered on the vine. And then you slip out of my grasp.

Today is the day that you will never know, that you never knew. But we that still see you are all left behind.

D.Stone

A partial lyric.

Some of the graphic humour of Vicky Martin