To Where I Am Now

Monday August 18th 2025

Hey All,

I got a bit of a nasty message on FB, I didn't quite understand it, and I spontaneously deleted it without blocking the person as I would normally, I should have because they will still be there. I don't get many, but occasionally I do get trolled or attacked, so I'm going to stop posting there because it is too public and open, and giving people freedom to respond seems like it can be unnecessarily hurtful. I have just been trying to post the album stuff here for free and the blog on subscription but I think if I put the album choices also on subscription I'm unlikely to get attacked if someone has to pay to do it. (You never know). I know not everybody can afford to pay, or wants to or agrees that they should, or has time to read it every day, so I apologise in advance. I have a large Music Archive and like The Archive itself I just wanted to share it, build it, make it something really cool and leave it to the world as a library when I die. It's Spanter's funeral on Thursday (a true music freak) and I won't be there in Liverpool, but when I join him knowing that the music we loved endures in the hands of someone who also cares deeply about it like we both did, I will rest happy. So thanks to everybody who has engaged here for so many years, so many people, but like the airline security that we have to go through, so many people's convenience upended by so few.

These days if you don't want to be attacked you have to stay away from politics, climate, war, religion, covid, Trump, gender questions - you can't challenge or have a sensible conversation with most anyone that has a different opinion, it seems you have to pick a side and i'm actually surprised that the side I am on is not chosen by everyone I thought I knew - although having said that there were always signs. So, you don't need to know my side, because you probably already do. It didn't used to be this way, proven by compromises made by opposites in all realms of life, we don't agree but we live and let live.

All the open social media outlets seem to be full of hate, in football, in the opinion columns the responses always have a ridiculous response or two, at least they are allowed to be there in a world where free speech should always reign. But lies and deceit and changing the storyline for advantage or changing your stance to keep your power is just sad. It's hard to know the truth, the facts, but it seems easy for people to pick the one that suits them and vigorously defend it despite any evidence that might at least challenge it. I don't want to argue anymore, I'm 67, I know where anger leads, but I don't want to hear bs either, so I will keep to my records and my Archive, my music and sessions and lessons and I will try to keep in harmony with any relationships I may have on whatever level they exist.

RIP Spant and love to all