A week on, I’m still in shock from the sudden death of Gary Speed.
For anyone who doesn’t know who he was, he was the popular manager of the Welsh national football [soccer] team. Wales is a country with only a few national institutions, he was therefore one of the most high profile people in the land, and had been a part of public life since his late teens.
To put it into perspective, at least that of a football fan, it’s like losing a Pope or a president or a top sports star or something, but not from an illness or old age but from a suspected suicide at the height of their powers. It’s deeply shocking and mysterious. And there has been unprecedented, collective grief in Wales and beyond.
I’ve been watching him play since the early nineties when he had hair like a raver and seemed to represent the spirit of my generation. And I had the privilege of watching his last game as Wales manager at Cardiff City Stadium on November 12th.
Wales beat Norway 4-1 – and in the first 20 minutes in particular they played some truly fancy, confident football unlike any Wales side I’d ever witnessed. (though the 2002/3 team that Speed captained were also pretty incredible).
During the last few weeks, in a frenzy of over-confidence I had even been trying to book accomodation for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, as Speed’s Wales seemed (and still do) to have everything needed to qualify.
Obviously there is no shame in failure. People, especially people from small countries like the Welsh must be able to accept that we can’t always qualify for various scenarios. But….
Gary Speed allowed us to dream.
As a player he was extremely determined and resilient.As a manager he built an inspiring and talented team of progressively-minded people around him, such as assistant manager Raymond Verheijen that helped him stamp these attributes on his team as a whole.
These are attributes that this team will now never forget. They will have them emotionally ingrained on their psyches – I imagine for the rest of their lives.
It’s a tall order but, hopefully the players and his backroom staff and, by extention, the Welsh fans and football fans in general can carry his sense of adventure forward.
We can all take inspiration from his belief that we could achieve anything, and achieve it in the most beautiful way. Regardless of how impossible and distant these things sometimes seem.
Huge thanks to Artrocker Magazine for giving Hotel Shampoo their award for Album of the year 2011.
Foxx
At a crazy legend laden event in London presented by Jen Long. The likes of Gary Neuman, Akira the Don, John Foxx, Tim Burgess, Jim Reid and Douglas Hart drank cans of strong European lager beer and spat peanuts and raisins at newcomers like Plan B and Bombay bicycle club.
Great developments are afoot at the flagship branch of Hotel Shampoo in Cardiff Bay, Wales.
ACCLAIM!
A new extension is set to be unveiled on December 19th designed by universally acclaimed architect Zaza Hadid.
LUXURY!
The H.S group, Owners of the Hotel Shampoo chain of budget luxury accommodation and Spas are hoping for a ‘Guggenheim Effect’ with a boost in footprint and sales when the contemporary digital 7 song extension opens to the public.
TIGERS!
Full track listing of the newly extended hotel is included below.
It will include all the b sides from the Hotel Shampoo related singles as well as the single Whale Trail and all three songs from the Atheist Xmas E.P.
Thanks to Douglas Hart who commissioned the song At The End Of The Line for his short film; Long Distance Information. Which in turn triggered off the other songs too.
Shark Ridden Waters
Honey All Over
Sensations In The Dark
Vitamin K
Take A Sentence
Conservation Conversation
Sophie Softly
Christopher Columbus
Space Dust #2
At The Heart Of Love
Patterns Of Power
If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme)
Rubble Rubble
I Totally Understand
Xenodocheionology
Follow The Sunflower Trail (Theme Tune For a National Strike)
Whale Trail
Post Apocalypse Christmas
At The End Of The Line
Slashed Wrists This Christmas
Digital (high quality 320 kbps MP3, Apple Lossless OR FLAC.) Buy / Prynu
Christmas
The song At The End Of The Line was written for a short film by Douglas Hart entitled Long Distance Information. Which recently played at the London Film Festival.
Not
This autobiographical film is set on Christmas day and led eventually to the writing of the other two songs as well.
The Turkey
On December 19th, by harnessing the latest teleportation technology Rhys will play a solo set at the following record shops;
During the amazing Swn festival in Cardiff recently I lost a yellow, ironically named [Sainsbury's] ‘Bag For Life’ * full of exotic musical instruments including a Neumark record deck, Indian Shutri box, some one off dub plates, BBC sound effect records and a bunch of custom cables [wow!]! A big muff fuzz pedal [Oh!], guitar tuner AND 2 cans of strong European Lager! [yeah!]
I should have put them in a ‘pro’ case or something … but it was so crazy, crowded and incredible on the street after the Y Niwl free jazz set at Gwdihw bar that the said bag could have got anywhere.
Reward!
A fine reward of rare vinyl records awaits anyone who’s stumbled upon this bag of unusual musical randomonium.
Contact the ‘Contact’ link below.
Many Thanks,
Gruff Rhys.
Notes:
* since the successful Welsh Referendum that took place during the hight of the Arab spring earlier this year – the Welsh Government can now pass laws on everything• bar defense and ‘major infrastructure’ [inc nuclear power stations] so it’s been flexing it’s muscles – one of the laws is that free plastic [and paper] carrier bags are outlawed (they’re 5 pence now – roughly 10 US cents or 6 Euro cents) It’s a good progressive eco minded law. Which means that now the larger stronger ‘Bag For Life’ is endemic. [anything between 10 and 50 pence]. Please help bring my bag back to my life.
• In June Wales became the first European country to legalize MDMA, leading to a huge boom in tourism and club culture. Pharmacies have seen a 6.5% increase in turnover. The MDMA cells are grown in strictly controlled systems of poly tunnels in a number of post industrial areas, employing a large number of graduates, physicians and unskilled workers. Wales’ GDP has experienced what’s been tagged as the great MDMA ‘bump’.
It’s been a highly divisive issue however, as it’s become clear that 17% of farmers have already diversified to growing the wonder drug, leading to a shortage of wheat and bread in some northern counties.
Gruff Rhys will release Honey All Over backed with brand new track Xenodocheionology on 23rd May on 12" and digital.
Pre-order 12" here
Pre -order Honey Bundle here
Gruff Rhys presents, Sensations In The Dark – a feel-good, mariachi-tinged ode to the joys of falling in love with music. Sensations In The Dark single – including exclusive B-side called Follow The Sunflower Trail (Theme Tune For A National Strike) on heavyweight 12″ vinyl and digital following on 7th February. Read More...
Shark Ridden Waters is taken from Gruff’s recently completed, and previously unannounced, third solo album. Pre order the 12" here , the record promises to be the most accomplished yet.
Ahead of the album’s release, Gruff will be setting sail on a voyage of small, stripped back UK and European da Read More...
