The Thames Delta Exhibition.... and Inspiration

Last Saturday I went down to Southend to attend the opening of the Thames Delta Exhibition which charts the rich history of popular music in the area. I was pleased to have contributed a few small items of memorabilia to do  with rock band, Doctor Feelgood, who in the 1970s were an amazingly powerful live act, one of the best ever in my opinion. My connection with them is through my school days friendship with Lee Brilleaux, Doctor Feelgood's outrageous frontman. Lee and our little gang spent lots of time -when we should have been doing school work-  creating all kinds of  poems, playlets, gags, drawings and fantasies. It was, I suppose, our response to the boredom we felt and a rebellion against the sometimes oppressive authority of our teachers.

I remember the feeling of delight I experienced as we created all this stuff. This delight is something that has stayed with me all of my life and which I constantly try to recapture. Sometimes I succeed, which is wonderful. You can't get back to the past but it can inspire you to explore fresh experiences and fashion metal, paint, clay, sounds, tastes or words -whatever your chosen medium is- into something new and amazing.

My favourite piece of 'art' from my school days is the revised 'Map of the World' that Lee and I created in a private study session. We made  Canvey Island the centre of the world and muddled up continents, seas and cities, added a few non-existent places, redid the points of the compass, reduced the USA to an offshore banana republic, made the Earth flat. Oh it was fun! Here it is.The red line traces our imaginary 'world tour'.

Sadly Lee died of lymphoma in 1994 at the age of forty one. I'll be attending the Lee Brilleaux Memorial Concert on Canvey Island on Friday the fourth of May. This raises money for Havens Hospice a charity that provides hospice care for adults and children in the Southend area. It provided support for Lee and his family. A worthy charity to support. I sell copies of the above map for £10 plus postage and packing. The £10 I donate to Fair Havens.