The Edge Of The World 

Stevie Connor, the presenter of Wee Dan's Hoose on Blues & Roots Radio (you should catch it, it's a great show) told me that my song "This Old Guitar" had been played on Isles FM The Hebrides of Scotland or as he called it back home "the edge of the world". So my wee song has gone from downunder to the edge of the world!
This brings back memories of all the Patrick O'Brian novels I read and the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and his side kick Doctor Stephen Maturin as they sailed the seven seas in the wild days of battle and discovery. They went to the far side of the world (which must be somewhere near the edge) a lot. Somehow they always managed to return after a series of thrilling adventures. The thing I so enjoyed about these books is you could jump in and out of them anywhere, skip from book to book and somehow the story seemed to flow, seemed to hang together. It was like one enjoyable story you could dip in and out of at any time and, like a recurring dream, once in, it seemed like you had never left. I think I'll go and dip into a Patrick O'Brian book when I've finished this.
"So what' all this got to do with the price of fish?" I hear you ask...
Well, the song "the Voyage" off the Wrenboys album was written after a particularly heavy few months of Patrick O'Brian novels combined with the fallout of relationships ending and beginning. The nautical theme is obvious and if I remember rightly I might have borrowed a guitar groove from Christopher Cross's song about sailing during the initial writing process. It's buried in the mix if it's still there at all so I don't think I need worry about any "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree" scenarios with this one. What is less obvious is the narcissism behind the lyrics. There are times, and I think it's a part of human nature, when we think the whole world revolves around us and our situation.  Being in love is one of these, war is another ("don't they know there's a war on..."), losing a close friend or relative is another, being diagnosed with a serious illness and so on. The narrator in "The Voyage" is in love, bound on a reckless voyage, determined to end in death or glory or both. And of course, he's dragging his new partner with him "look at us everybody..." Frankly, everybody would rather they just get a room, get it out of their systems and get back to being the normal, fun people they used to be.
Still, I listen to this a fair bit even now. Musically I'm very proud of this song and there are some neat devices at play. A strong pre-chorus and a big pub rock main chorus. The guitar of Brock O'Connor is outstanding as is the "don't argue" drumming of Fred Abery. This is probably the rockiest track I've ever done so you might want to finish your porridge and orange juice and take the dog for a walk before hitting the play button.
Lastly, tune into Blues & Roots Radio 11am this Sunday morning (Melbourne time) to hear me on the Scaussie Music Show with Neil Mitchell. Hopefully I'll have digested my porridge and orange juice and won't burp through the lyrics....
Cheers
Parick

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