Engine Punk

There hasn't been much mention musical content on this blog recently but this is for a very good reason. True to the do-it-yourself anti-establishment philosophy that underpins (some would say undermines) the Engine Punk ethos, I'm having a go at making music myself. I haven't mentioned this before because - whisper it - I'm not actually very good at it yet but I have played in public to a bunch of very supportive friends. Somehow, at Newquay Tretherras School, they gave us music lessons without actually teaching us any music. I never learned to read music or understood musical structure. Music has played a big part in my life for many, many years and I particularly appreciate live music and still like to dance whenever I get the chance, even though at times it seems socially unacceptable to do so now that I am 45 years old. As the years went by, the feeling grew that I lacked something with regard to music. I knew what I liked and often heard tunes in my head, espe...

I first heard of Terry Pratchett when his first Discworld novel The Colour of Magic was read out as the book of the week on Woman's Hour. This must have been in 1984. What struck me then was his beathtaking imagination. Could magic ever have a colour? If only wizzards (note deliberate mis-spelling) can see the octarine glow of magic, or taste its tinny smell in their mouths, does this make them the supreme synesthetes? Since then, Pratchett has added regularly to the Discworld series and he's also found time to create the Digger series, known as the Bromeliad Trilogy . One of the great attractions of Terry Pratchett's work were the covers designed by Josh Kirby . Right from the start, the Discworld books had a distinct identity that could be spotted from across a busy bookshop. Kirby's illustrations became synonymous with Pratchett's stories and I think this great partnership had a lot to do with the success of the series. Whoever set up this partnership rea...