MORE FOOD, MORE LOVE

Perhaps you’re lucky enough to own a copy of MUSICS, published by Ecstatic Peace Library, a compilation of the complete run of the magazine MUSICS, which the Ecstatic Peace website describes thus,

“MUSICS was published from 1975 to 1979, by musicians and artists on the London scene of free improvisation, focusing on the most innovative participants of their generation. Steve Beresford, David Toop, Annabel Nicholson, Evan Parker, David Cunningham, Lindsay Cooper, Eddie Prevost, John Russell, Derek Bailey, Val Wilmer, Hugh Davies, Peter Riley and many, many others contributed to the writing, graphics and photography.”

There amid lengthy considerations of Einstein on the Beach and articles with titles such as, “Some immediate proposals for Music for Socialism,” you’ll find this fabulous extract/quotation from a classic English novel (the February ’78 issue if you want to look it up):    

“Truly, now,” said Michael Mail, clearing the corner of his throat in the manner of a man who meant to be convincing; “there’s a friendly tie of some sort between music and eating.”  He lifted the cup to his mouth, and drank himself gradually backwards from a perpendicular position to a slanting one, during which time his looks performed a circuit from the wall opposite him to the ceiling overhead.  Then clearing the other corner of his throat: “Once I was a-setting in the little kitchen of the Dree Mariners at Casterbridge, having a bit of dinner, and a brass band struck up in the street.  Such a beautiful band as that were!  I was setting eating fried liver and lights, I well can mind—ah, I was! and to save my life, I couldn’t help chawing to the tune.  Band played six-eight time; six-eight chaws I, willynilly.  Band plays common; common time went my teeth among the liver and lights as true as a hair.  Beautiful ’twere!  Ah, I shall never forget that there band!”

It’s from Thomas Hardy’s Under the Greenwood Tree.  Who knew?  Well, a great many 

people, no doubt, but it was new to me.