Tuesday 18 August 2009

The Power Of Independent Blogging

When I wrote the entry 3 or 4 weeks back about my first band `Age Of Berlin', it was largely to mark the occasion and get some of that nostalgia I am regularly plagued with out into the world. Certain significant dates in my life will always be there lurking in my memory, and will always be marked or remembered internally at least. There are many people I've met who place no value on what they did ten, twenty, thirty years ago, live for the day and take no delight in retracing old steps, but for me it is not only a source of quiet joy, it helps provide an understanding of how we all got to where we are now. It helps to make sense of things, and much amusement comes from memories of just how different things were back then.

The piece actually became a catalyst for some of the people from those days finding the motivation to get ourselves to the same place at the same time for 2-3 hours and spend a sunny afternoon reminiscing, jogging those memories and indeed seeing how we all turned out. So it was that last Sunday last I found myself in the Cleveland Bay Hotel in Redcar East, having hot-footed it up from Harrogate, anticipating the arrival of 3 friends who I hadn't seen for 10, 26 and 28 years respectively.

Rich Sanderson has lived more than half his life in London now, and was on a two week annual trip back to Teesside with his family, (he wasn't in Age Of Berlin, but his presence was felt at the time) the other two, Spib and Sandy, are in the North within striking distance, so it was the ideal opportunity to make it happen. They set it up, and I was happy to join them. Their histories together go back far further again than my mere thirty years, they formed their first band `Solaris' in 1974, so it was amusing to feel like the newcomer in their midst. The three have known each other since infant school, but had not all seen each other for some 17 years.

It was a special and affectionate 3 hours which only lifted the lid on detailed conversations which could have lasted days. I'm sure it won't be another 17 years before it happens again.





L-R Mark (Sandy) Sanderson, Mark (Spib) Spybey, Rich Sanderson

3 comments:

Spybey said...

We're on a roll here. The common denominator may be nostalgia and the waves of joy and tinges of sadness this brings, but my sense is that all four of us are healthy and happy people. I have an eye on the future, and I am very proud to know all of you. I think what made me very happy, was feeling the warmth and the commonalities. I also think we could all make great music again together and let's do it!
To OUR future!!
Spib
x.

Steve Dinsdale said...

Well said that man, I agree completely. We turned out OK didn't we ?

Steve Dinsdale said...

More profoundly perhaps, I have realised that you have to come full circle to realise what it was that you started out with.

I wonder how many musicians collectively we have all played with, must be quite a number.