House Music
About fourteen months ago, eight songwriters were invited to a house near Castle Douglas and were told to pair off with different partners every morning and evening. All they had to do next was write a song and over the course of four days they did just that. In fact, between them, they composed more than twenty original pieces of music.
It was all part of the initiative and tonight at the City Halls in Glasgow I went along to hear those same songwriters perform the work they had created in that hot-house environment.
Among them was my old friend and former colleague Davie Scott who, it turned out, had been dubbed Calamity Dave by his fellow housemates after a series of clumsy mishaps.
And the "hothouse" description wasn't really accurate. Apparently the house suffered from poor heating and many of the song lyrics concerned themselves with low temperatures and cold nights away from loved ones.
But it was a terrific night. The music was fantastic and augmented by some very funny stories and wisecracks as each musician explained how they had created their various songs.
I was luckly enough to have been given a seat right in the front row, just along from the Culture Minister, Patricia Ferguson. I can reveal that she could be seen clapping enthusiastically and tapping her feet. I hope that doesn't cause some kind of scandal.
Meanwhile, out on Albion street, the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Scotland audio crew were crammed into our big Outside Broadcast truck, recording the whole event. During the interval I popped in to see them. Those trucks are like the opposite of the Tardis. They look huge on the outside, but you wouldn't book the interior for a cat-swinging competition.
I went back into the hall for the second half of the show. The various stories of life inside the Burnsong House prompted comparisons with house.
"Yes it was just like, "said Davie Scott, "but without the racism."
