Oh no! Today I am 40! I was born at midnight 40 years ago.
I do not remember exactly when I discovered New Model Army.
I think I was 18 yrs hanging around in Innsbruck as usual checking underground music shops. I ended up in a small but great vinyl shops with a lot of great and mostly unknown stuff for me. I check so many vinyl covers and I ended up picking this one white with this kind of Celtic symbol on the front. The guy of the shop played it for me (I had headphones), it sounded pretty good. When after my trip I went back to Turin (my native city in Italy) I played the vinyl for the 1st real time at home. But it sounded different. It was good though……but different. I realised that the first time I heard Thunder and Consolation in Innsbruck the vinyl has been played at the wrong speed !! I was 18 and used to a lot of punk and metal music (still I am) so it sounded good anyway. But for sure, only once at home I learned to listen to this band (at the right speed) read their lyrics, sing their songs.
Now I am 40 and I still love them so much. For their great songs, for their honesty and for their being outsiders to the music mainstream business at least in my opinion.
I told the same story to Justin and Joolz when I met them in Bradford (where I lived during one year) in 2005 during the Arts and Artifacts exhibition. They were pretty amused. And I was too, rethinking to this story after so many years.
Beside the birth of baby Maya (who was born listening to Justin’s solo album) It has a very difficult 2012 and it has been, so far, a difficult 2013 on a personal and professional level. But I am sure that what is left if this year will be better, especially knowing of the album coming out sometime soon. Soemething will change.
Looking forward to see you all at the next gigs.
Love to all and………faces to the wind boys (and girls)!
Simon
