Zippin' Up My Boots/Goin' Back to My Roots

OK, my boots are German army surplus and haven't got zips, but I'm now living a stonesthrow from my first home on returning to England in 1988 - in a beautiful arboretum on the edge of Canterbury. One of the factors that influenced my decision to come to university here back then was having read about the late 60's/early 70's 'Canterbury scene' (even though I didn't have access to any of the records then - had just heard Gong's "A Sprinkling of Clouds" on WWSP student radio). The idea that such a small place could have had such a prolific output made me think there might be something in the place conducive to such creativity. And I'm glad I made the decision - had a great time, made some excellent friends...although I still don't have any musical contacts down here (hopefully that's going to change).


The sound of modern Canterbury, about 44(!) years ago - The (legendary) Wilde Flowers
Brian Hopper, Richard Sinclair, Robert Wyatt, Hugh Hopper, Kevin Ayers.
I've been going down to a lovely wooded spot on the banks of the Sarre Penn stream the last few sunsets, recording saz duets with the evening birdsong and burbling brook. Some of this will no doubt get edited up and made available here, eventually.

A few days before I cycled here from the farm in Dorset (epic four-day journey with stupidly heavy bike and trailer) Joel and I recorded a couple more saz and hurdy-gurdy jams.


Joel rowing The Black Pig (a currach we helped build) on the Helford estuary, Cornwall, 1998
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