I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t write a hopelessly selfish, self-indulgent gushing explanation of why 2020 was alright for me, despite being the worst year in living memory. I knew people who had COVID-19 and it’s a right fucker of a virus. Avoid it, if you can. Stay away from people. Wear a mask, even though they suck. But you don’t have to feel guilty if you had some good times. I did & I don’t.
I’ve been a lone wolf for so many years, I can’t remember having a supportive team of colleagues who have my back, share my problems. I always did it pretty much alone. This year, though, I made things with other people, married the love of my life & I moved to live in a beautiful new place where nobody knows my name.
So, yeah. 2020 was pretty good to me & I’m excited for the end of the global pandemic chaos so we can get back to living properly. In the meantime, I have work, love & life. Twitter friends, you are my actual friends & I love you, knowing you are out there means so much & I’ll try to be there for you, too. If I can do anything to help any of you reading this, then I have the space & time. Ask me. If I can, I will.
GUESS WHAT, here’s some photographs of my 2020. You’ve seen most of these, but here they are again, because, like I said, self-congratulatory year-end post.
I got married to Josienne Clarke, easily the highlight of all the years. Thanks for being there for me, JC x
I made a load of films & did a load of photoshoots. I can’t fit them all in here, but I have so much more coming in 2021 that I can’t wait to show you!
I bought a double bass & started playing again after a 20 year break.
I released a solo album, ‘I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot’ and some people didn’t hate it!
We did some listening parties in lockdown, I joined Josienne on her tour of Ireland & made the cover art for her Historical Record series of releases.
I made a film with Andrew Leach called ‘Overheads’ using actual actors & one for a song of Kingsley Ravenscroft called ‘Magus’. I made a few videos for Josienne’s releases, too.
My little brother Mark got married, too & I took the photos for his wedding. What a (pre-pandemic) day! That’s me with him & our sister.
We spent a week in a recording studio. It went far better than I had feared.
Here’s some shots of us enjoying 2020.
Here’s a few things that I am working on, things that are yet to come. These things will be even better than the things that have gone. I don’t expect the pandemic to let up, or us to be able to be with each other, properly, again, yet, but I’m quietly optimistic that this will end in some way or other, because that’s what things tend to do. I’ll let the smartest man in the world explain:
‘The universe is basically an animal. It grazes on the ordinary. It creates infinite idiots just to eat them. Some people get a chance to climb on top, take reality for a ride, but it will never stop trying to throw you and eventually it will, there’s no other way off…’
— Rick Sanchez
Here’s to riding the universe until we can’t anymore, my friends. Glasses raised to 2021, I’ll see you all tonight for a drink & a final fuck-off to twenty-twenty, ya massive dickhead x
