Lemonrock Editor

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Ta-ra, Ziggy x

1 Feb 2022Ta-ra, Ziggy x

We lost a dear friend recently. Andy Zsigmond died on January 2 2022, from cancer.

Andy was the best guitarist I had ever met. He'd been playing all his life, and he practised daily. He once recorded the solo to "One of These Nights" by The Eagles, especially for me, on a mobile phone video. It was a gesture of support, encouragement, and of love. I am nowhere near getting through that solo - a few bars in, and I'm exhausted.

When a warm, intelligent, talented, funny, caring person dies - and dies far too young - it sends shockwaves through families: blood relatives, friends, and musical friends; people Andy had played with and bonded with; people that had entertained us lucky punters for many years.

I've lost both my parents now, and yes, that's tough. You expect your parents to die, but not your mates. My heart is broken, and I am sad and shocked, but I am also deeply grateful to all those who helped Andy through his last few months on this Musical Earth; his family and friends, and the hospice where he eventually slipped away into the big beautiful rock gig in the sky.

___

Mac, so sad to have lost my friend

___

I'm the saddest I've been
For a while
You were a friend
Of mine
Biscuits and some tea
Stories of scallies, and overseas
Music was in your veins.
I can never be the same.

Mark the music

24 Jan 2022Mark the music

The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,

Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils;

The motions of his spirit are dull as night

And his affections dark as Erebus:

Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.

- Lorenzo, from The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

___

Mac, big fan of Lorenzo

Where there's a Willie...

14 Jan 2022Where there's a Willie...

I'm in the wrong job.

Recently, I was on Linked In, where you can connect with other big-headed people just like you, and boast about your thousands of important achievements.

I happened upon this serial entrepreneur guy (who knew they existed?) who ran a world-leading dating site.

Let's just call him Willie. It isn't his real name.

Willie had written this great piece of software. It was a dating site, but with a twist. It didn't have a name. But if your company / newspaper / radio station wanted it for themselves, Willie would re-brand it with your logo and sell it to you. For a large sum of money. Willie knew the power that these sites could have; how the (single) human mind works, and, above all, how to win customers who couldn't afford to design a website from scratch for themselves.

Even more recently, I tested the water on one of Willie's newest dating sites. The home screen was snazzy, and within 10 minutes I had told the world how I tick, and what I wanted from a potential partner. And 2 minutes after that, Willie wanted a large amount of money out of me, which, given the dismal appearance of my potential matches - mainly rather blurry, pie- and TV-loving women - led me to choke somewhat on my falafel. He's charging a monthly fee of a tad less that Lemonrock's ANNUAL fee.

Is going out with someone more valuable than going to a gig? Is it worth 12 times more cash? Willie says yes. I say: no, Willie.

___

Mac, not willie-ing to willie-fully waste my hard-earned cash

A Christmas Present

14 Dec 2021A Christmas Present

It is beginning to look like Live Music is recovering all over the UK.

Lemonrock can show that, after a disastrous year for gigs during 2020, numbers are heading back to 2019 levels.

Year-on-year, gigs posted during 2021, compared to gigs posted during 2019, show:

Gigs posted in September : 55%

Gigs posted in October : 66%

Gigs posted in November : 79%

We're only midway through December, but the prospects are good.

Compare this with COVID-lockdown 2020 against 2019:

Gigs posted in September : 8%

Gigs posted in October : 6%

Gigs posted in November : 3%

Gigs posted in December : 3%

We need to keep the spread of COVID under control. The best way to do this, if you are a live music lover, is to get vaccinated. If you don't fancy doing that, then I and my fellow triple-jabbed music lovers hope that you enjoy the view from the windows in your home.

Merry Christmas.

___

Mac, with a Ho-Ho-Ho (one for each injection)

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