Here's my eighth photograph to mark 2025. I paid two visits to Bristol this year. The second time was to record some new material with Phil Cooper. I wrote about the songs I recorded at the time, including this one. Fuelled by nothing more toxic than tea and biscuits we had a really productive session (I'd like to go back next year and do a couple more) and between takes we chatted in his garden. I was admiring the artwork on his boundary fence; turns out Phil's wife is not only green-fingered but an artist to boot as well. I may have to let her loose on the album cover!
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Eric Spear (1908-1966) is probably best remembered for a television theme tune he was commissioned to write in 1960. Granada TV were making a new serial set in the North West. Eric duly came up with the goods and wrote Lancashire Blues for the show which was to be called Florizel Street. They paid him the princely sum of £6 for his work. When Granada realised one of the cast (William Roache) couldn't pronounce the name of the show, it was hastily changed to Coronation Street. This isn't that.
Despite being such a relatively short book (more a novella than a novel; 207 pages and a word count of roughly 40,000) Orbital was always destined to have a huge impact. And so it came to pass - winning, as it did, the 2024 Booker Prize. I remember saying at the time it would be a book I'd return to often. In pretty much the same way Andrew Smith's Moondust knocked me sideways, so Samatha Harvey's fifth novel, despite its brevity, is still resonating with me long after I finished reading it.
It was also the inspiration for one of my newer songs. I wrote One Small Step last September and recorded it last week (along with I'm Doing Just Fine), and I've got to say I'm blown away with the sound Phil Cooper has achieved. His remarkable production and (almost) angelic backing vocals have lifted the song in a way I couldn't imagine when I was driving down to Bristol last Monday morning singing it in the car.
Since my surgery I get asked all the time 'How are you?' or 'How are you feeling?' To which, in the early days of recovery, I would recite, chapter & verse, precisely how I was feeling (and until quite recently that was mostly likening my current status to that of someone who has recently been hit by a truck). Then, for good measure, I'd also list of all my past, present and future hospital and clinic appointments. Pretty soon I realised that not only was I boring the person who was asking the question, I was boring myself. So now, whenever anyone asks me how I am, I simply reply: 'I'm doing just fine.' I've even written a song about it.
A huge thank you to the supremely talented Phil Cooper (below) who not only produced this recording but also made me sound like I knew what I was doing.
I forget just how long* I've been hanging on to Phil Cooper's coat tails; long enough to know he's one of the most talented singer-songwriters around and certainly one of the best discoveries I've made in all the years I've been blogging. (And, in the immortal words of Donny Osmond, that's a long, long time.)
The fact that he hails from Bristol and that he's got a brand new album in the shops chimes in perfectly with this year's BlogCon meet-up in the heart of Brizzle (you fancy playing a little pub gig for us, Mr. Cooper?!). 'Playing Solitaire' is jam packed with some beautiful and intricate songs that expose a side of Phil we've rarely seen before. Several songs are quite raw and introspective yet it's still balanced with an underlying wave of positivity. The whole thing appears to have been recorded very sparsely, with primarily just one voice and one guitar - and none the worse for that. It's an album I've been playing the hell out of since it dropped a couple of weeks ago and could well be on the podium come my end of year roundup. My standout track? I'm gonna go for this five and a bit minute slice of homespun wisdom...
I found Phil Cooper on my Twitter feed. He's always plugging gigs and is, seemingly, forever on the road - there must be a bit of Bob Dylan in him, me thinks. His new single, Shake it Up, was released earlier this month and is so catchy it's obscene. So what makes this bespectacled troubadour tick? There's only one way to find out...
Phil, your new single has just come out. On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you?
10, naturally! It’s such a lively upbeat song, I’m mostly excited to get out and play it live. It’s really catchy and easy to pick up, so I’ll be expecting great things from my 'singalong' audience!
You love Twitter I see. Giving Trump a run for his money?
Well I don’t have any parody accounts of me yet, so I’m not quite at that level, haha! As an independent artist, Twitter’s a great place for getting out to people who don’t really know you. I’ve had quite a few people turn up at my tour shows because they saw it on Twitter and thought they’d take a chance. Long may that continue!
Are you a prolific songwriter?
I guess I’m a songwriter above all else (and as much as I love performing) so yeah, I guess you could call me prolific. I start new songs all the time, but I think I’ve become more picky about which songs I finish now. I also love writing while I’m out on tour, so I expect to be writing a load more over the coming months, as I set off around the UK.
I love the video that goes with Shake it Up. Are you still a busker at heart?
Thanks. As it happens, I’ve never really enjoyed busking per se, but I do love spreading happiness and creativity through my live show, and that was the thought process behind the video. I wanted to take that element of my show out on to the streets, so Mike (who directed, shot and edited it) and I went out in to Bristol city centre with all manner of instruments (mostly egg shakers, which also get handed out during most of my gigs).
What was the first single you bought with your own money?
I don’t actually remember, I’ve always preferred albums to singles, so I do remember that 'We Can’t Dance' by Genesis was my first album purchase.
Biggest crowd you've played to? And smallest?
The biggest was probably when I supported The Bluetones in Bristol last year. I’ve loved the band since the mid 90s so that was a special moment for me. I’m pretty sure every experienced band has that one gig where literally no-one turns up, mine was with my old band The Haiku when we played to just the sound man, even the support band left before we took to the stage.
Where's all this leading to - plays on local radio or global domination?
Probably, and hopefully, somewhere in between. I tour the country (and Internationally) because I don’t want to get stuck in the 'local circuit', as much as I love my local area and the support they give me. I have confidence that my music is universally enjoyable, so I naturally want to get it to as many people as possible. I’m not sure I want celebrity status though for myself though, it’s the songs that are the real stars.
Beatles or Stones?
Beatles every time. I do enjoy the Stones, but The Beatles contained three of the most amazing songwriters that have ever lived.
Sweaty rock club or festival?
I enjoy both but festival just about edges this, I like the choice and the relaxed atmosphere.
Superstitious? Any rituals before gigs?
It’s boring but my pre-gig activities are mostly practical, the clearance of the bladder and the vocalzone (or Fisherman’s Friend) vocal lozenge to clear the airways. While I don’t really get 'nervous' I do get restless in the 15/30 minutes before a show, so there tends to be a lot of pacing involved.
The song you wished you'd written?
Too many to mention, I love so many songs. Most of Neil Finn’s back catalogue, and plenty of Ben Folds' songs.
Tell me something you've never told another living soul.
Does it have to be true? Haha! I genuinely can’t think of anything, I’m a ridiculously open person and I probably share way too much.
A big thank you to Phil for taking the time. His plans for world domination continue apace - see his evergrowing list of up and coming gigs - he's well worth a detour.
