Silversea Water Cooler: Part 3, Welcome!

That situation sounds like a fork in the road for you J. Who knows what would have resulted for your life in you had chosen differently? The road not taken? Would you be where you are now but with bragging rights about doing Glastonbury? Or would things have turned out very differently? When I look back over choices I made I often wonder what the result for my life would have been had I chosen the other fork. Overall, I am satisfied with the choices I made. I hope you are too! :)

Jeff, those are great memories... Things happen when and how they need to happen. Just as you had an important career sans Glastonbury, Roberto was passed over for a commission the first time the Philadelphia Orchestra played in PR. The rest is history. You both can look back with pride.

Hi...wow, a big music festival.......Jeff, were (are you) you a musician?

Shots, glad to share the photos:)........they are not nearly as good as Terry's but they are the only one's I have......

Glad you enjoyed them.

Mysty, overall I agree with you. However, I have passed on things that I have regretted since. But the acceptance has not make me unhappy.... although I sometimes build scenarios on who would I be now... I tend to think most of us have traveled this road at some point...

I was thinking that Roberto had probably been able to match or even share these random absurdities of life.

As it happens, one of the gigs I did instead was to host another unknown in the UK Alexis Korner. I was in awe of him at the time. Roberto might describe him as a musician's musician. He was extremely influential in UK R&B history but totally unappreciated. `The problem was that if you booked him, you didn't know what would turn up. At one end of the spectrum, it might be just him and a n old guitar and a Selmar practice amplifier stuck on a chair. At the other end, you may get several members of the Rolling Stones gigging and jamming for free. But you had to handle him and the people that booked him and were perplexed. People that booked musical acts had hardleymever heard of them.

M, no not doing the gig had no career repercussions. As I had no real career. It was a wandering, aimless existance that had opportunities, dissapointments, all random events, and an end that simply drifted to zero. The best part of the career was A&R when I was paid for choosing A and B sides of records when I was around 16 onwards and it was discovered by chance I could pick hits. That only lasted a few years. When you start a family, you acquire responsibilities and that shapes what you decide to do. My biggest regret was not making the most of a BBC opportunity when a cousin of mine got me a pilot programme having done some pirating. I ended up not doing too well on a couple of programmes broadcast on BBC Overseas (now World) to Africa.

It really is all a blur now. So long ago. So many careers ago. Most people only get to fail at one career in a lifetime. My great achievement is failing at several! ;)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_Korner

We all make choices along the road of life. Each choice not taken involves an alternate reality that does not come into play. We never really know if the road not taken would have made any difference in where we ended up. The potential however is there. The question then becomes....are we happy with where we ended up? Or are we wondering if we would have been happier with a different choice....a different path taken?

My great achievement is failing at several

It is failure that determines who we are Jeff, the successes look after themselves

If someone asked me about my life , it would be a litany of my failures….

The wonderful thing about failing at something is that it often forces you to do something completely different that you would never have had the courage or need to do if you hadn't been forced into it. Failure often produces the variety of experiences in life that people who have not failed are doomed to miss out on. Failure at being happy and contented as an employee mid-life for example made me desperate to start and succeed at my own business.

Good morning.....Jeff, not sure if you saw my question in between postings....are you a musician?:)

Good morning.....Jeff, not sure if you saw my question in between postings....are you a musician?:)

Sorry I missed your question. Bizarre early time in retrospect, as I was a musician who could only play three chords which was rather limiting, so played records in clubs and on a UK pirate station, hosted pop concerts, and did a bit of A&R. I was homeless at 17 and managed a club in Soho for a while when the manager ran away with the takings and left me the keys ... I was simply the DJ at the time .. which had a retaurant and was owned by "The Turkish Mafia". I basically slept in the club because I had nowhere else to live. As the previous manager had been stealing so much of the takings, and I was therefore handing more over, they asked me to stay on. You don't argue with "The Turkish Mafia". I was 17 at the time and running a club in Soho was interesting and illegal as you had to be over 18 to work in a bar.

I also started a few venues in London pubs where I got the venue for free and took the door cash and the publican took the bar takings. I also started a school of broadcasting which taught DJ'ing, and had an employment agents licence which meant I could run an entertainment agency and basically managed myself as a dj under a different name and could book other groups and dj's for venues.

I then met wifey and settled to a more traditional life.

Hi Jeff, WOW..........you have lived an interesting life for sure........sorry to read that you were homeless though....that must

have been quite scary at times.........looks like your life is pretty good now though:D

Hi Jeff, WOW..........you have lived an interesting life for sure........sorry to read that you were homeless though....that must

have been quite scary at times.........looks like your life is pretty good now though:D

One thing I guess just led to another. All bad things in life often lead to good things. Finding yourself unexpectedly homeless makes you incredibly self-sufficient.

Jeff, a life full of adventure! Thanks for sharing with us. Fate is overriding...if we don't push hard enough....?

Jeff, a life full of adventure! Thanks for sharing with us. Fate is overriding...if we don't push hard enough....?

I was asked (twice .... ;) ) .. and often responding brings out bad things in those that troll, hence reticence, but I think you're right. It all starts with motivation. Either something you really want, or something you really need.

I was so hoping to hear about Roberto's motivations and had so many questions for him. For example how does one really define what "art" really is? I know that Roberto has explained that some of his composition is from within and emotionally driven rather than from traditional mechanical construction, but if we were to take the art equivalent, how does one say that Jackson Pollock is art of great value and contribution for example?

Jeff, this is so complex. What is the difference between "classical" and "popular" music? Both are art forms....one more recent and relevant to our personal experience and the other more distant, but preserved with a patina of respectability. Given time, the Pollock may be deemed classic (with a prefix, such as ultra) or may fade. My view is that art is exempt from an objective contribution, it justifies itself by its very nature. But then, this is me. So sorry that we could not meet then we were in London... Roberto would have been thrilled to discuss these matters with you!

Jeff, this is so complex. What is the difference between "classical" and "popular" music? Both are art forms....one more recent and relevant to our personal experience and the other more distant, but preserved with a patina of respectability. Given time, the Pollock may be deemed classic (with a prefix, such as ultra) or may fade. My view is that art is exempt from an objective contribution, it justifies itself by its very nature. But then, this is me. So sorry that we could not meet then we were in London... Roberto would have been thrilled to discuss these matters with you!

We must contrive a day long lunch at some time in the future!

What I think is missed in the discussion is when pop culture and hype and business manipulation enters art. For example, if it turns out that Jackson Pollock was taking the p**s out of the public then does it remain art. With classic realistic art one can judge the degree of realism and the skill used and compare it with others. One can see that the skill used to carve a David sets the sculptors skill ahead of other sculptors. One can say the same about a Claude sky. To a lesser degree a Monet lilly. You can jusdge the realism and the skill or if all else fails then if it is successful at generating an emotion. But just because an artist can either pretend to be windswept and enigmatic or mysticsl or can bluff and talk incoherently and in an abstract way to make the disbeliever or sceptic think it is them that lacks the culture and insight to recognise "their art" and hype their work, that shouldn't transform a non skilful doodle into a valuable piece of art.

Interesting topic.

Greetings Coolers!

Regarding the question of "what is considered art?", the story of the Emperor's new clothes comes to my mind. :)

Have a great day all!

Shots

Just wondering if you received my email?

Jeff, I understand. Early Picassos demonstrated his skill....many of the later ones his mockery for the dilettantes of his time. Yes, Roberto and I are looking forward to our postponed lunch.

There is one or two people at glasto today ..... and bored with heavy stuff I made us some home made sausage rolls

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Yumm!!

Thanks ... but they are rather rustic. :D

Shots

Just wondering if you received my email?

Spins.....l also emailed Shots offering to be of any help and asked her kindly to pass my email address on to you so we could touch base before September.....she replied to say she hadn't received your mail.

I did mention to her that you would be better than l to recommend a good TA in the US.

Hope you're ticking over well Soapy.

For anyone interested in the UK (or VPN>BBC elsewhere ...) Chic and the wonderful Niles Rodgers are on the Pyramid stage in a few minutes.

It will be nectar!

Jeff......thought Glastonbury was pretty poor this year so didn't continue to watch....I too like songs l can sing along to! There was a good prog on beeb four about the 60's which was better!

Great looking sausage rolls 😋

Very very quiet weekend here...kids popped down earlier and caught me napping!!

Onward and upwards.....☺️