My Musical Taste
As a teenager growing up in North London in the 1960s, I saw a lot of the bands of the time. I saw the Stones, the Animals, Adam Faith and quite a few others at the Regal Cinema in Edmonton.
We also mounted a school outing in 1974 to see the Beatles, supported by the Yardbird, at Hammersmith Odeon.
At Liverpool in the 1960s, the University always had the best bands and I saw such as the Who, Manfred Mann, John Mayall and many others on Saturday nights at the Mountford Hall in the Student Guild.
At that time, I also went to various concerts in London and saw Eric Clapton with John Mayall at the Manor House, with to say he got paralytic would be a severe understatement. I was also at Cook’s Ferry Inn, when the Animals tried out the possible replacements for Alan Price.
My going to concerts stopped around the late 1960s, as I was married and as our children were born in 1969, 1970 and 1972, we went out less and less.
It was about that time, that I discovered Dory Previn, for whom I have had an admiration ever since. I actually saw her in concert at the Donmar Warehouse sometime in the 1980s.
It is true to say that Liverpool, the 1960s and Dory Previn defined by musical taste.
I have only ever been to the occasional classical concert over the years, although C and I did go concerts featuring such as Cleo Laine. But she wasn’t a great concert goer either. In her last years, she did listen to classical music in her car.
I have never listened to music, whilst I work, usually I’ll be watching sport on television, or listening to it on the radio. If it’s not sport, it’s either news or a documentary. I make it a point not to watch any drama series these days, although, I’ll go and watch a film or a play. But I never watch films on television or at home.
Now, I don’t even have a DVD player. And I’m not even sure where the DVDs are!
The only concert I’ve been to, since I moved to London, was to see Kate Dimbleby sing Dory Previn, although I did see the Glasgow Citizens Theatre production of Backbeat.
Where music is concerned, I’m probably a lost cause.
The Anonymous Widower 
You are adventurous, you could turn on Radio 3, or visit the music colleges in London and listen to the amazing students. The Guildhall School of Music & Drama blew my mind and almost all the performances are free – give it a go!
Comment by Candy Blackham | June 21, 2014 |