Advert idea

Polaroids; songs; Saul Leiter

Had a lot of fun with my friend Mark Ponsford today. He’s a painter and photographer and Chris TT fan and we shared strong coffee and then went out in the cold air and he took photographs on his camera (he uses Polaroid cameras with Impossible Film, though not today) and I took the occasional shitty snap on my phone. Got home to find there was a job from a picture agency and I had to be in Yeovil to do a portrait by 5pm. I got there with seconds to spare and thank god the lights that I quickly grabbed from the office in town were charged up a couple of days ago. Mark is doing the artwork on my album (my alter ego Peter James Millson writes songs) which is out next year. We have a blood red and black theme going on and there’s gold and polaroids and songs from the heart. I asked him in particular because he sees things in a different way to me but I love it all the same. We watched a trailer for a documentary on Saul Leiter. Saul Leiter died a few days ago. He saw shapes and colours and human-ness everywhere. There’s a screening of the film in Bath, not too far from us next Wednesday. Would love to go. I absolutely LOVE his photographs with all my heart. If the camera only got invented for one person, Saul would have been a good choice. Also got in touch again with a photographers’ agent I spoke to a few years ago. Sorting out a meeting now. Have decided that I specialise in portraits where you don’t look like a twat. It’s a unique angle.

Belle of the Ball

Wedding photograph © Pete Millson. Yes, I do weddings.

The Blackboard

Sheet of plywood cut to the golden section (1:1.618) and a tin of blackboard paint, get it up on the wall: a place to write songs!

In other news, this week I have to find a location and model for a book cover for Faber (set around a pub – could be a difficult one).

Popped into a 24 supermarket for the first time last night driving back from a gig with a friend. Wandering around upstairs in the homeware/clothes/music section at that time of night is like, as my friend pointed out, walking through a museum: a museum of nothing.

Happy days.

Have a good week.

 

Twitter

Occasional bulletins pertaining to my songwriting adventures can be found (occasionally) here.

ReverbNation

In an effort to get a little more organised this year with my songs and performances, here’s a link to ReverbNation.

Details of gigs and the like. Feel free to join the mailing list if the music does it for you: there’s a place to leave your email.

Artist Mark Ponsford is doing me a polaroid portrait sometime this week. I hate having my photo taken.

Have a good week!

Two photographs

Songs of Hope and Despair

I’ve written an album. It’s taken me about three months to write. That’s nice isn’t it. You’ll be the judge of that.

It’s yet to be recorded by someone who knows what they’re doing but that doesn’t matter because now it exists enough that I can put it on a table and point at it.

From The Birds

New song. Crappy recording, but, new song.

Word up

Have today done a great gig and the songs sound great. New discovery: sing quietly like it’s real and all will be well.

Have also photographed a book cover for Faber. Have photographed the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Have cleaned the bathroom. Have decided on a plan of action for the album. Am putting a book of recent portraits together. They’re also the best work I’ve done. Have fallen in love (musically, you understand) with Ryan Adams and Gillian Welch.

This is what a blog is for, no? Talking to yourself to fire yourself up for the week.

Have a great week.

Look, here’s a couple of family snaps from ages ago: