community music and the utopian impulse (the audience comments while you paint)

horsemouth is back in the great wen after his holiday in weirdshire - initially at his parents then at richard and stass’s for new years. the gateway to the seaside towns was open again (after refurbishing over christmas and new years) - the gateway too the valleys was still blocked off from newport and replaced by buses. jon is over from sunny (though now cold) porto - things continue to be hard for the people horsemouth knows there.

on his last day in weirdshire horsemouth went for a womble round hoarwithy from near the italianate church uphill to another church past polytunnel strawberry farms and then across a victorian bridge and back around (rounding it off in the local pub with a pint). on his way round horsemouth discussed the 60ies, 70ies utopian impulse with a few of the survivors - formerly of communes in the hills now community music enablers, they reminisced about processional theatre (that’s not quite the right name) - plays on boats, plays on buses driving around and discovering historical re-enactments. horsemouth floated his notion of the democratic openness that repetition provides to involvement.

earlier (new years or possibly the morning after) horsemouth had been discussing painting while the audience comments (painting as spectator sport) - another arts festival hybrid.

later still news of a death arrived by facebook or one party guest (wheras once it would have arrived by mobile phone, and before that answerphone, phonecall or visit). the departed had been due to attend a new years eve party but had not arrived. 2016 (the grim reaper) departed as it arrived - for horsemouth it was the monkey year of disruption, vexation and change. his uncle ralph left the party - our brief glorious walk in the light before oblivion - but other than that horsemouth’s circle of friends survived unscathed. of the famous the magnificently smart and wise john berger has popped his clogs (just as horsemouth was belatedly discovering him).

2017 march/ april- elections in germany and france. at the pub in hoarwithy a french woman averred that the two stage french presidential election system was so gerrymandered that it would keep marine le pen out - horsemouth can only hope so.

horsemouth’s new years resolutions? - to record again - to attempt to evade the grave of anonymity - to play music live again to an audience.