Greetings From Ben Naga

[Ben Naga]

So... a couple of brush strokes that might allow you to form an impression somewhere in the vicinity of what I'd accept as not too inaccurate. Left school in 1967 (Hertfordshire), already "under the influence" of the youthful Mr Harper. So date back to the free concerts in Hyde Park era and "McGoohan's Blues" under a blazing summer sky. Back in those days I neatly divided people between those who know "what on earth there is to know" and the rest. It's not quite as clearcut these days (he lied glibly), but old perceptions die hard.

Since then lived in Lancashire, briefly in France, on Merseyside, in India for 6 months, in Central Scotland, in Berkshire (right, that's definitely it for the South of England this time round), in North Yorkshire, and currently West Cumbria. Each of those locations holds important RH memories somewhere (think: soundtrack to your life) and I managed to actually get to the odd concert from most of them.

Music can put up a strong case for being a major interest of mine - probably veering towards the addictive/obsessional if we're honest. The serious competitors would probably be writing, hanging out in "the blind silly season (that) occurs when our reasoning is trying to fathom a reason" and laughing a good deal, frequently at things other people might question the appropriateness of.

As I have put on record elsewhere, I hold that

“Logic is a tool
Not a home address”

so for the rest of this introduction I'll lean on a song I wrote for a friend of mine and his band a while back. When he performed it for me I had one of those "did I really write that?" moments along with the humbling thought that it was almost something Roy might have written. Of course I reckon it's the Muse that write everything anyway, not the person who happens to have a pen in their hand (or more likely a keyboard beneath their fingers these days). So maybe she was playing away that day...

DRIVEN

REFRAIN
What is this life if full of care
We have no time to stand and stare
Wherever you're going, wherever you've been
You've been there before and you'll be there again

Schooled in compliance and knowing your place
Trained to compete in the great human race
Driven like lemmings to follow the trend
Driven to keep up and on round the bend

Trapped by your drives like a rat in a cage
Driven in circles, driven to rage
Cornered and dangerous and on the attack
Driven to run like a rat with the pack

REFRAIN

You've no hope of learning what's really going on
As you're driven to abstraction by the media con
Where endless analysis by self-centred bores
Keeps your mind off what's happening behind the closed doors

Or try "entertainment" and reflect on a nation
That gawks at its neighbours whose sole aspiration
Is a chance to be famous or the next millionaire
Will it drive you to distraction; more likely despair

REFRAIN


Living life on the edge, living life on the brink
Keeping up with your image will drive you to drink
Driven by passion, driven by greed
To see love as possession and desire as need

Driven under the knife in a vain stab at youth
Your face or your fear: what's the uglier truth?
If acknowledging death is your idea of hell
You'll be driven to hide from the present as well

REFRAIN

Like a leaf in the tempest, a twig on the stream
At it’s worst it's a nightmare, at it’s best like a dream
If it's all an illusion and nothing is real
Then you're driven to wonder just who's at the wheel

[Bob Jacobs]

Welcome aboard Ben. I guess you must be one of our most senior members:)

I enjoyed your introduction and song lyrics. A definite touch of the Roys there :)

I currently live in Berkshire. It can't match up to Cumbria for natural beauty but it does have its charms. Glad I don't live in the urban east of the county though..

Cheers

Bob
np Norwegian Wood by Circus

[Ben Naga]

It was Maidenhead where we lived. The countryside was fine; we were out at the edge and two minutes into the fields over to Cookham. Happy days. I think my reference to having had enough of the South was mostly to do with the cultural differences North/South. Born at St Mary's Paddington and it has to be said a bit partisan when I first moved up North, returning to Berkshire just showed me I'd been hopelessly corrupted. It seemed as if so many pubs and people were trying to create the right image stead of just being themselves. There's some of that up here too of couse, but people aren't so good at it. :wink: Although being able to access big spaces without too much evidence of them being parcelled up and "belonging" to somebody is another thing I really love about the North. (And some of my best friends are Southerners. :) )

[Linda]

Love the lyrics to Driven Ben - do you have the music to go with it please?......... but Bob says "Welcome aboard Ben, you must be one of our most senior members"?
oo err - I left school in 1967 too. Does that make me senior as well? I don't feel it...lol
Linda

[Ben Naga]

While the "Driven" lyric is mine, I didn't have a hand in the melody - or indeed the audio version you can access here (http://my.opera.com/Jinian/blog/), performed by the band I wrote it for. I might have done it a bit differently?

They do a video of another of my songs here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPz9UnFdlEs). I hope you enjoy them and if you're moved to offer feedback or whatever...

So, what about you? Other musical interests (I'm taking one or more of the Harpers as a given)?

[Bob Jacobs]

I was still in short trousers in '67 - one of the last boys in my form to graduate to long trousers :-( Anyone who left school in '67 is senior to me :-) But I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now ...

[Ben Naga]

Actually I can honestly say that life seems better at present than it ever has, and looks set for further improvement. Do I detect at least a passing knowledge of Bob Dylan? That being the case, here's something that might amuse (depending on your general reaction to puns).
So Matthew and Philippe hit it off at a bar one night. They discover they have lots in common and their friendship blossoms. They are both big Dylan fans, and also both Jewish. However, after a while the Jewish angle becomes a problem. Matthew is increasingly drawn toward Orthodox practice and this takes up more and more of his free time. Philippe is not happy. One day Matthew gets home from work to find that Philippe has moved out, taking all his stuff. All he has left behind is an envelope on the dining table. Matthew picks it up and opens it. Philippe has left him a note that simply says, "Most likely you go YHWH I go mine."

[Bob Jacobs]

Nice one :-)

Bob