PEOPLE ARE CRAZY

The good, the bad and the ugly starring John Martyn...

Not really big into the idea of organised religion and its rules, dogmas and doctrines.

However I’m not vehemently anti-religion. Each to their own. I do like a lot of the associated creative iconography and aesthetics. And I’ve always found the subject endlessly fascinating from a cultural history point of view esp. examining and contemplating the cultural ramifications, impact and imprint that stem from religion on societies today.

Are the various ideologies and organisational structures we see more powerfully prevalent today (arguably having replaced religion) any better or worse for society? I’m really not sure.

The things that people tend to criticise most about religion and its negative impact nowadays tends to coincide and occur where poverty, inequality and social injustice are at their most rife. Vulnerable people being exploited and manipulated by individuals within powerful organisations. Sounds familiar…

Poverty, inequality and social injustice are much more concerning issues than religion in my book. Easier problems to erase on paper too.

There are some religious bits and bobs I enjoy and cherry pick from as well. Particularly from the classical Eastern cultural traditions and perspectives. Not really religions as such either, more philosophical approaches to life.

I like, talk and think a fair bit about some aspects of the world of the ancient Chinese philosophical cultural tradition of Taoism. Yin and yang, hot and cold, good and bad, ups and downs, highs and lows. Go with the flow.

Really believe there’s something in this theory relating to the universal structure and cycle of duality - symbolised by ‘yin and yang’ at its most basic. Seems to me to be a fundamental actuality and reality of human existence on both the macro and micro levels.

It’s likely not the absolute truth of the nature of things (the chances seem unlikely) but it strikes a chord and chimes with me. Definitely something in it.

While it might not define, it certainly helps make sense of the nature of existence on both the global front and on a personal level for me.

You can’t have good without bad. Experiencing bad helps us appreciate good. There’s good and bad, dark and light on every sphere and scale. Including inside all of us as human beings, to one extent or another.

That tradition (unlike say classical Buddhism which tends to be far more stern and austere by comparison) accepts that we all naturally have a bit of a fun, playful and rascal side to us. And encourages us not to shy away from that.

The terms ‘good’ and ‘bad’ can often be highly arbitrary, subjective and relative ones as well. Things in life are rarely as black and white as we might think they are.

It doesn’t take a genius to observe that on the global scale and world stage lots of amazing, enrichening things and lots of heartbreaking, horrific and horrendous things happen constantly and perennially. They always have and they probably always will.

This stems from the good or bad aspects inside individuals and the organisations, groups and systems within which they operate. Often manipulatively, destructively and exploitatively.

While highly unsettling and upsetting to see the bad when it occurs, it’s the nature of the human experience and condition unfortunately. War, disaster and suffering are as old as the hills. As are powerful organisations running amok and exploiting ordinary people.

I think the best way to try and make a little bit of an impact on the world is to try to improve ourselves, nurturing and cultivating the better sides of our nature and then allowing that to have a positive effect on our communities and those around us in our day-to-day business. Focussing on where we can make an actual difference and where we have some semblance of control.

It’s baby steps and a long game, but steps that have the potential to have more of a positive, lasting effect and impact than many modern day behaviours attempting to change and expedite the nature and horrors of the world in other ways.

Those baby steps - as an approach and action - have a ripple effect going forward, causing a series of other positive things to happen and be experienced.

That’s the point…

If you do a good deed - in doing so - you are spreading goodness around and making a beneficial and positive impact on someone else’s (maybe multiple people’s) days and sometimes whole lives for the better.

Sometimes also influencing and encouraging better behaviour in others. This perpetuation of good actions leads to a better and more harmonious life for us and can also improve the people and things around us. Surely that type of humanitarianism is pretty good for society?

More of that, I say.

There is also a huge amount of stubborn divisiveness in the world today. A hell-bent, arrogant and unyielding individualistic focus on what makes us different rather than what makes us similar and inter-connected.

My way or the highway, with little room for conversation, compromise, healthy debate and discussion. Redemption and/or forgiveness unthinkable. The most vocal voices on the new right, the new left and in between are often as bad as each other on this front, in my view. It’s a sad indictment of our times.

We literally do not get anywhere in life without compromise. Getting angry tends to achieve very little. On the macro and the micro.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion and a perspective as well - the last time I checked.

Whether you like it or not. Whether you agree or not.

If we all agreed on everything the world would be extremely boring.

Also worth bearing in mind that a large volume and high percentage of those incarcerated around the world for various heinous crimes typically tend to come from difficult, deprived and disadvantaged (at best) backgrounds.

Not trying to promote or be an advocate for violent, damaging crime and bad behaviour. Just trying to encourage people to consider things more deeply and holistically as oppose to making immediately instant, knee jerk, angry reactions to things that we do not like.

Anyway…

The point of the above is to set the scene for some music chat.

One artist who really epitomises the overall ‘duality’ theory that Taoism was big on - to quite an extreme end - is John Martyn.

Extremities of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ really epitomise his music and his life.

The maverick Martyn (born Iain David McGeachy) was a Surrey born, Southside-of-Glasgow-bred singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for his very unique, experimental and often sonically boundary-pushing blend of folk, jazz, blues, dub, funk and ambient music.

The first white artist and musician to be signed by Chris Blackwell to his ridiculously prolific and pioneering Island Records, he is easily one of the most important and influential figures in the British folk scene. And more generally in the overall musical universe of the late 20th century.

As is Chris Blackwell.

Martyn’s early work in the late 60s and early 70s was deeply rooted in acoustic folk. Self-taught, he plied his early trade picking up from and playing with local left-wing folk legends like Hamish Imlach and Matt McGinn on the Glasgow pub folk circuit as a young teenager before heading to London and doing his thing in live music basements such as the famous Les Cousins venue (among others) a little later in his teenage years. All pre-Island.

Interestingly, I believe it was in this London period that he rubbed shoulders with other legendary Glasgow folky types such as Bert Jansch as well as the likes of Davey Graham.

Notably talented and gifted from the off in terms of his technique and fast playing style, his sound soon developed and evolved quite significantly.

His distinctively soulful voice and atmospheric sound really set him apart from his contemporaries. A proper musical non-conformist of the highest calibre and a true one-off. Way ahead of the curve.

One of the greatest ‘solo’ singer-songwriters types to ever do it - male or female - for me.

Definitely Top 5.

Although there was some outstanding work before this one, his breakthrough album was Bless The Weather in 1971 (aged 23) which heavily featured his intricate, fast fingerpicking guitar style with flashes of the ethereal, downtempo dreamscape vibes that would follow in the years to come.

Mellow left-field folk-rock is probably the best way to describe it. The album very much set the tone for his future work. It’s amazing. The title track and Glistening Glyndebourne being my two main stand-outs. The latter Martyn described as being his first “real” Echoplex tune.

His follow up record was Solid Air. Often regarded as his major masterpiece and definitely the one most people are most familiar with. A big influence on trip hop as is well documented. My dad had the record when I was a young lad and I loved it back then. It provided a nice introduction and gateway into Martyn’s world at an early age.

Discovering Solid Air serendipitously coincided with discovering Portishead and the other like-minded Bristolian adjacent downtempo atmospheric artists who were inspired by it. Nice timing. It was a little later that I dived deeper into his other work and back catalogue.

The Solid Air album which includes the iconic title track (written for friend, Nick Drake who died the year after the album’s release) is a seamless fusion of laid back folk, jazz and rock with Martyn’s distinctive voice and virtuosic guitar work at the forefront.

His use of tape delay, reverb and other effects helped shape a new sound. He henceforth became known and revered for his innovative live performances which often involved a range of experimental techniques including live looping and improvisation.

May You Never, I’d Rather Be The Devil and Over The Hill were my faves on that one growing up. My dad played May You Never a lot. It still hits the spot when I hear it. I still love that LP but there is a lot more to him than that one.

In the late 60s/early 70s period of his career, his friend Nick Drake tends to get all the plaudits and admiration on the Island folk front but, for me, Martyn is quite a bit better. Love Nick Drake but Martyn is on another level entirely. Perhaps Drake would have scaled the same musical heights had he lived longer. We’ll never know.

Latterly his work was characterised by his pioneering use of experimental electronics, effects and quite out-there and unorthodox guitar techniques. His love for and use of both the Echoplex and the ‘Big Muff’ distortion/effects pedal was key.

Big Muff was immortalised on his brilliant track of same name on the exceptional One World album in 1977. More of which to follow. That song is a great example of the man’s pioneering and extraordinarily single-minded musical artistry and innovation.

Always refreshing to know that that particular tune is celebrating some guitar equipment too. Well, mostly it is…

One of many big faves of mine is included on the album before One World. His haunting take on a traditional olde-worlde English folk number features on the more conventional-leaning, Sunday’s Child album from 1974.

It’s called Spencer The Rover. Here he is performing it at the Sight and Sound concert at the Golder’s Green Hippodrome in 1977.

Over the years his music became more and more adventurous. His exploration of dub, ambient, downtempo, jazz and electronic music led to albums like the absolutely outstanding One World in 1977 and Grace and Danger in 1980 respectively.

The latter album was recorded at the famous and pivotal Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas. It’s a deeply personal record that reflected the emotional turmoil of his life at that time, particularly his divorce. It is second best only to One World for me. Sweet Little Mystery, Save Some (For Me), Hurt In Your Heart and Some People Are Crazy are almost indescribably incredible works of art.

More ‘produced’ and clinical than the organic, dub-laden beauty of predecessor One World, it’s still very much a super deep, rich, mesmeric and majestic record. Very Compass Point. But in a way only Martyn could implement. Grace and Danger sums the man up, and also the thoughts in this piece of writing, pretty nicely I think. A later album, 1981’s Glorious Fool does too. Also brilliant.

Throughout the 80s and 90s Martyn’s output continued to be marked by his deep, soulful vocals and his conviction to pushing musical boundaries. During this period his life and career were often marred by personal struggles including battles with addiction and serious health issues.

Despite these challenges Martyn maintained a dedicated following and is rightly celebrated for his fearless creativity, unwavering vision and for his ability to continuously reinvent himself musically.

In 1976 he met a kindred spirit in Lee Scratch Perry.

Drawn together by their similar approaches and attitudes towards reinterpreting and reimagining traditional sounds, Martyn had visited Jamaica at the invitation of his record producer and Island head-honcho, Chris Blackwell.

There he found both solace and creative inspiration in Jamaica and particularly in Perry's iconic Black Ark studio, where the deep, outer-space atmospherics of dub reignited Martyn’s love for music.

With a shared passion for sonic exploration (among other things) the combination of these two giants was really quite something. Iconic duo. God rest their lonely souls.

Martyn’s time in Kingston was rejuvenating, destructive and transformative with the two musicians indulging in their shared passions for both rum and music…

Martyn’s exposure to Perry’s experimental techniques led to his first recordings in nearly a year, culminating in the creation of the previously mentioned (Top 1) One World record. That album fused Martyn’s folk roots with the experimental dub influences he absorbed in Jamaica with Perry.

This collaborative nature of One World represents a unique fusion of British folk and Jamaican dub. It’s a product of both their musical innovations and their shared interest in pushing boundaries.

The Upsetter himself co-wrote the amazing Big Muff tune that I mentioned earlier. One of the album’s many highlights.

So, although their time together was marked by excess, it also produced Martyn’s best, most atmospheric and most experimental works. One World is a record where echo, dubby delay and environmental sound play as much of a role as the actual instruments themselves. It really is a true masterpiece, from start to finish.

While in Jamaica and cutting about with L$P - being paid for (often uncredited) session player parts in bottles of local rum - he also appeared on records by such Rastafarian rude boi royalty as Burning Spear and Max Romeo.

His involvement in the creation of War Ina Babylon, the iconic Max Romeo album, saw him playing guitar on several tracks. His influence can be heard in the subtle, echo-laden guitar lines that complement Romeo’s roots reggae vocals. A proper classic of the genre that album. Martyn’s contribution added a unique and distinct flavour to it, melding his folk guitar with the dub-infused reggae sound that Perry and his friends and collaborators had helped to define.

A more in-depth and quite brilliant deeper dive into the Lee Scratch Perry connection on the brilliant In Sheep’s Clothing Hifi site here if that’s of interest.

As a flippant side note, I’d love to open a takeaway in Glasgow one day called Lee Scratch Peri Peri Chicken.

But anyway, back to it…

Martyn's influence on the musical cosmos is immeasurable. He was a key figure in shaping the British folk and prog rock scenes and his impact can be seen in the work of artists ranging from label-mate, pal and contemporary Nick Drake to Robert Smith of The Cure and from Paul Weller and Portishead through to hundreds of other folk, indie, alternative, electronic, downtempo and dub type acts of the last 50 years or so.

Though his commercial success never fully matched his critical acclaim, Martyn’s legacy as a genre-defying artist is a solid one. He passed away on January 29th 2009 but his music continues to be celebrated for its emotional depth, technical brilliance and open-minded, boundary-pushing spirit and energy.

He is one of these few artists where you keep finding gems in the outer reaches of the back catalogue. Magic would be a gargantuan understatement.

It has been well documented that his personal life was marked by troubles and turbulence with many ongoing struggles that often paralleled the deep intensity of his music.

His battles with alcohol and drug addiction, which are also well-documented, deeply affected both his relationships and his career. These issues were particularly apparent during the 70s and 80s - a period in which Martyn’s personal and professional life were in constant chaos and turmoil.

His marriage to Beverley Martyn, also a very talented artist and musician, ended in divorce in 1979. The emotional upheaval of that was reflected in the Grace and Danger album - as previously mentioned.

That record is amazing and also a deeply personal reflection of their fractured relationship.

An early piece of work, John and Beverley’s collaborative 1970 LP, Stormbringer (recorded in Woodstock, NY when he was 20) is a big fave.

The track John the Baptist is just on another level entirely. Easily in my Top 5 tunes of his. Top 5 Woodstock related tunes as well probably. Dynamite. That track and album gave the world an early taste of the musical genius that was to follow.

With the revelations granted… and my face just ‘lightly’ haunted. I see myself on the nursery wall. On a poster reading 'Wanted'.

Great lyrics.

The opening track on the album, Go Out And Get It also incredible. Top 40.

Martyn’s lifestyle in this period also led to a number of health complications and problems. He was in and out of rehab centres throughout large spells of the 80s and 90s.

Probably his most shocking physical challenges came in 2003 when he suffered a seriously nasty leg injury after a fall which required the amputation of part of his leg. This event came after years of seriously heavy drinking and general neglect of his health.

Despite this set-back he continued to perform (almost) unperturbed and unabated. Wasn’t to be stopped. A bit of a force of nature to say the very least.

This troubled, tumultuous and turbulent personal life often overshadowed his musical genius yet his music, which conveyed deep emotional expression, remains a testament to the big man’s resilience and his alluring and enduring creative spirit.

John Martyn's deeply complex character and deeply troubled inner struggles undoubtedly resonate in his music. His musical legacy is one of emotional depth and artistic excellence.

By all accounts and to say the least, he often wasn’t a very nice person at all. Deeply and seriously flawed. Deeply and seriously troubled.

Pondering this side of things led me to think about some other well-known artists with baggage in one way or another.

Not a huge fan although he has a few good tunes and it’s quite hard to argue with his influence on music and his skill and dexterity as a player, Eric Clapton famously had his horrible racist outburst in 1976.

Absolutely abhorrent but in a period when he was also riddled with alcohol, drug and celebrity rock star ego-mania problems. I don’t think for one minute that Slowhand is an actual hardcore racist. More likely he was in a deeply dark phase of his life. Pretty certain he’s mortified and embarrassed by that one…

“I was so ashamed of who I was, a kind of semi-racist, which didn’t make sense” he has confessed contritely in the years thereafter.

Clapton now has tinnitus which is maybe karma?

I think everyone will have things they have done or said at some stage or other in their lives that they regret deeply. Albeit probably less concerning than Clapton’s and/or John Martyn’s. Fortunately most of us aren’t famous faces and household names.

The point however on that one is that lambasting, victimising and ‘cancelling’ people doesn’t really serve much purpose beyond serving the satisfaction of those calling for the heads. Conversation and attempting to understand and influence is the answer.

Not as immediate as hitting the delete button and throwing away the key, right enough.

Talking broad strokes here but we tend not to have much insight into (or time for) the complexities of context in this day and age either.

I then asked myself is one foul-mouthed racist outburst whilst under the influence of all-sorts worse than say, celebrated artists like Led Zeppelin (allegedly) routinely sleeping with girls in their early and mid-teens? Not excusing either, but we don’t hear too much said about Led Zep or the countless other 60s and 70s “rock gods” doing the same as a matter of course during this period. Not heard them apologising or expressing any kind of self-reflection or remorse.

Sometimes seems to me like there are double standards depending on who it is that’s under the microscope. I’m sure you get the point I’m trying to make. Our culture is awash with hypocrisy and double standards. On the macro and the micro. On the new left and on the new right. And we are very quick to judge and lambast when it suits. I’m not sure it’s especially helpful.

Maybe the issue is a heavy metal one. Joking. But Aerosmith are another act that don’t get too hard a time from what I have gleaned and observed. Steve Tyler was 27 when he started a relationship with 16 year old, Julia Holcomb. Whom he later attempted to adopt in order for her to go on tour with him and the band.

WTAF? Creepy would be a gargantuan understatement. She became pregnant during their relationship but later terminated the pregnancy - an experience she described as deeply tough and emotional and one ultimately influenced by the pressures of Tyler and his rock star lifestyle.

They are the best-selling rock band in US history and in recent years have been inducted into all sorts of rock halls of fame and won all sorts of awards of that type for their work. Is Tyler better or worse worse than say, R Kelly or Led Zep or Eric Clapton or John Martyn?

David Bowie seems to get handed a very convenient free pass too, despite flirting with fascist iconography and alleged sex with children in his heyday.

“I believe Britain could benefit from a fascist leader” said Bowie in 76. Any worse or better than Clapton’s ego-maniacal anti-immigration outburst?

Maybe it’s ok because The Thin White Duke’s music is deemed more credible?

Main points here are not to excuse horrific behaviour, but relate to the opening section of this piece. Good and bad being inherent and intrinsic in all of us. Spreading goodness has a positive effect on the world around us and has the potential to influence the behaviour of others in a pro-active, positive way.

And I’m always interested in why some artists (and people) get less stick than others in the modern world.

In the grand scheme of things, John Martyn was a very difficult, flawed and troubled individual who displayed some quite despicable and destructive behaviour at times. He didn’t have the most comfortable and smooth start to life.

Much of his music is pretty much out of this world. The world’s a better place for that.

We’re all human. We all make mistakes we regret. We all have good and bad in us to varying degrees. We all have dark and light, ups and downs, highs and lows. Some more extreme than others. No-one ever knows the full story, context and background.

He didn’t kill anyone and he wasn’t abusing children.

Think all of us could learn to focus more on improving ourselves and those around us rather than calling out and getting angry about what we don’t like in others and trying to change the complexities of that and the world stage in more difficult and ineffectual ways.

As a species we can do better.

Some People Are Crazy. Some of the Glorious Fool’s tunes below.

A personal Top 50.

Thanks for reading! Next one will be MUCH lighter. Promise.

Some further listening for the super-fans can be found here too. A selection of full live concerts from him from 77 to 89. Mastered by Glasgow’s Alan Walsh.

PS - Think I just managed to get through a whole piece of writing without once mentioning Steely Dan or football. Thrown in jail for that these days…

If anyone’s still reading, here’s a poem I wrote a few years back which touches on some of the above themes.

LIFE IS EVERYTHING

Life is yin and life is yang
It’s like that every day
Life is good and life is bad
Can’t be any other way

Life is this and life is that
Take the rough with the smooth
Try an’ walk down the middle o’ the path

Some you win…
Some…
… you lose.

Sometimes dark and sometimes light
Sometimes sensational
Sometimes shite

Let’s just try as hard as we can
To get the balance right

Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad
It’s how you wrap your head round it
Life is happy and it’s sad
Try not get too upset about shit

Sometimes dark & sometimes light
Sometimes sensational
Sometimes shite

Let’s just try - when we can...
To get the balance right

Life is this and life is that
Take the rough with the smooth
Try an’ walk down the middle o’ the path

Some you win…
Some…
… you lose.

Some days it’s a party
Some days it’s lazy
Sometimes it all gets a little bit crazy
Its nice when its hazy and dazey

Life is yang and life is yin
Remember you can do anything
Life is yang and life is yin

LIFE IS, LIFE IS…

EVERYTHING