Black Diamonds
As some of you may know I am currently appearing at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre in a production of Black Diamonds and The Blue Brazil. Don’t worry…I’m not acting. I am singing songs I wrote to go along with Gary McNair’s script which is based around Ron Ferguson’s book. The acting is performed brilliantly by Dawn Steele and Barrie Hunter. As I write this we are previewing the show before it officially opens on May 13th. On that night we will welcome Ron Ferguson himself along with extended family members and it will be a joy to see him again. As a small bonus Ron came to Saturday’s preview along with his wife, Christine and daughter, Fiona.
I was able to tell Ron how much his book meant to me and how, in an age of millionaire footballers and billionaire football owners the book is a timely antidote to everything that is wrong with the modern game. The book and the play tell the story of a football team which sits at the heart of a mining community and reflects the hopes and dreams of the town as much as it does its own sporting ambition. The Black Diamonds refer to the coal – Cowdenbeath became the ‘Chicago of Fife’ back in the late 1900s – and the Blue Brazil – that nick name for the football team is a little more whimsical. But like all good sobriquets it carries with it a certain amount of hyperbole based on aspiration. Safe to say there is laughter and tears but essentially it seems people are enjoying what the late John McGrath correctly identified as a ‘good night out.’ If you are free to come I hope you enjoy the evening.
Jimmy’s Juke Box
The sound designer for the show, the good Pippa Murphy, suggested I make a pre show and interval playlist. This, of course, is essentially a gift. I decided the best way to introduce the show would be to imagine the music played in the main setting for the play – Jimmy’s Bar in Cowdenbeath. So Jimmy’s jukebox which I hope may have been there in 1992 – the setting for the drama – contains some classic 45’s that (I have allowed myself to imagine) have been customer favourites over the decades. And, yes, there are country classics.
Paul Simon
I need to tell you that I finally saw the great Paul Simon last Sunday. After all these years and listening to his wonderful songs over the decades it was a real joy to be in the same room hearing his now fragile voice delivering some of his most beautiful songs. We shall have a great country Paul Simon cover on this week’s AC.
Julia Cole
On this week’s show you will get a chance to hear more about another of this year’s C2C artists, Julia Cole. There’s always been a strong comedic thread running through Country Music and Julia has tapped into that great tradition. There is no better example than her song, What Could Possibly Go Wrong. We met up at our backstage makeshift studio at the Hydro to talk about this and Julia’s own brand of ‘sisterhood country.’ You can hear this as well as lots of lovely new records by Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes, Hiss Golden Messenger and Charley Crockett – there’s quite a Charley story to share with you too.) If that’s not enough we’ll also take you on a little Gregory Alan Isakov trail which involves some beautiful collaborations. This all starts at five past eight this coming Tuesday evening on BBC Radio Scotland and , if you happen to be coming to a theatre that night, you can hear it all any time you choose on BBC Sounds.
Hi Ricky. Just wanted to say ‘thanks’ – ACs on BBC Sounds have been the accompaniment for me to seeminhly interminable fence painting over the last period! Even made it fun (at times). Kacey Musgraves, The Lone Bellow, Mon Rovia, Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert and the tracks and chat on Don Schlitz all superb.
Looking forward to the ‘Cowdenbeath Show’ – we’re going on 19 May. Sounds great from reviews and music clips!
Hope you manage to keep the energy levels up!
Hi, Ricky. Just to say that I made it to tonight’s performance of “Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil, and that I really enjoyed it—all the more deeply for the further insights from the after-show discussion.
Like Dawn per her comments, I really connected to the themes of loss and its cycles, and the idea of home in the story. (I’ve been listening to “What’s Winning”, of course, and “Come Home Now” really resonated for me, too.)
I don’t know the book, but may well now be moved to pick up a copy myself. You were, of course, right when you commented to me some time ago that’s the production is about much more than football, but it also helped deepen my understanding of the value of its community and how it matters.
Thank you for collaborating on putting this story out into the world in this version, and for giving me another great reason to return to Scotland!
Thanks for coming up to see the show Adam. I wish you’d managed to say hello…sorry I missed you. It’s back to civilian life for me now. Hopefully catch you over the summer. R x
Thanks Robert. I enjoyed doing the show but am glad to have a rest. So glad you tune in. Best. Ricky
Oh, sorry to have missed you, too, Ricky, but no worries. I tend not to do the stage door thing, ever since queuing to do so many, many years ago to meet Gillian Anderson. She was lovely but also clearly exhausted, and it left such an impression on me that I don’t like to ambush any artist that isn’t doing a formal signing or meet-and-greet!
Enjoy a bit of civilian life; I’m coming to Bedford in July, so maybe see you then! x