Angst night

Wednesday night is Angst night at the Blues Bar in Harrogate, where Johnny's brother Paul plays with his Angst Band. 

Angst on my wall

Since 1967, singer-songwriter Paul has been entertaining his adopted home town of Harrogate and the wider world. Delivering his own lyrics in a gravelly, bourbon-soaked voice that wells from his Yorkshire soul, he sings of trials and tribulations in love, life and death.

His music is irreverent, uncompromising and expressed in an explosion of sound and passion, which at times teeters on the fringes of mania, as his hands coerce the frenzied voice from his slide steel guitar. Pied Piper like, he leads his Angst band and audience to the edge of the cliff as guitars soar, drums throb and xylophones pulse in a heady fusion of rock and blues, laced with Yorkshire grit and humour.

A close family, Johnny is a keen supporter, both as audience and artist, having done the art work for numerous posters and CD covers over the years.

I have come to learn that from the moment Johnny begins a project, he gives it his complete focus.  A CD cover or poster must present an image that reflects the CD and be one that he is completely satisfied with.  His own fiercest critic; he pursues 'satisfaction' with single minded intent.

So, for the latest CD cover, Johnny began his reflections on Paul's performance.  The background became white and the red heart changed to pink.  Time moved on and so did Johnny; he was absorbed and pleased with the way the elements of the cover were coming together and the deadline seemed well within reach.  After all, I thought, all J has to do  is paint in the word 'Angst' and job's done with a week left to do it in.

68 Angsts later

'Well how's it going?' I enquire on the phone, a couple of days later.
'Not well,' replies J gloomily, 'I'm up to 30 'Angst's' - one or two are close, but not quite.'
'What do you mean? It's just a word.'
'No it's not - in China, calligraphy students have to learn to portray not just the meaning of the character, but the essence of it too.  They practice the characters in sand pits with huge brushes until they capture the essence through their brush strokes and attitude - only then are they allowed anywhere near paper. 'Angst' has to be angst as well as mean it.   My 'angst's do not have the essence - getting close but not there yet.'

Latest CD

I left him to it.  Johnny is a perfectionist.  A day later, the studio was carpeted with 'Angsts'.  It took 73 to achieve the essence and meaning to Johnny's satisfaction and synchronicity between worlds was stretched almost beyond its elastic limit.