I am cheating a little on my return as the first blog is by another guest. Paul Lee is the first graduate of our "Self Publish & Sell" course to have released his book to the reading public. In this blog he reflects on some of the songs that he has loved through his life and that he still returns to when he is writing.
The first single I bought was Young Girl by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap back in 1968. Despite the controversial theme, it's a great song.
As I grew older my tastes began to change. Canadian, Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind Love" was thought provoking even if I didn't know what it was about.
Equally puzzling was "Tom Traubert's Blues" by Tom Waits. Although I love the original, I am going to pick Rod Stewart's cover version as I had to have Rod somewhere in this list.
As life progresses, inevitably your taste in music diversifies. The king of reggae - Bob Marley - gave me a whole new perspective and "No Woman, No Cry" is one of his finest songs.
For a period in my life, music and work went hand-in-hand. One of my favourite songs from that time is "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by Michael McDonald, who I think is the best white soul ever.
Which brings me Soul and the best years of my life. I ran the Rococo Club in Hamilton where both the music and the atmosphere were amazing. There are almost too many tracks to choose from but I've decided to go with the genius that is Marvin Gaye and "Sexual Healing."
Life then took me to Spain and although I enjoyed my time there, I did get homesick from time to time. "Home" by Michael Buble" captures that feeling.
Another song which evokes that time for me is "Loch Lomond" by Runrig. This sentimental folk song was transformed into a raucous stadium anthem by the band from the Western Isles.
I'm still exploring new music and one artist I've grown to love recently is Lori McTear and here she is performing in George Square in Glasgow.
And that leaves the one song that is my number one choice. Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road", a song that encapsulates all that is great about music, singing and life.
From the sublime to the ridiculous. My guilty pleasure is "McArthur Park" by Richard Harris. It's a naff song but I like it.
Thanks Paul for this diverse list of songs and my apologies for the delay in posting it. He did mention "Seasons in the Sun" as a possible guilty pleasure but I couldn't inflict that on my poor readers. Sorry Paul.
Paul's book is called "Defending Joe" and it is a dark, twisting tale of murder set in Glasgow and Spain. It's a great read for anyone who loves a crime story with multiple suspects, a Glaswegian sense of humour and shock or two along the way.
You can follow Paul on Twitter - @Leeauthor or visit his website.
If you would like to follow in Paul's footsteps and publish and sell your book, why not learn more about it at our "Self Publish & Sell" course at the end of this month.
No comments:
Post a Comment