Music is for Everyone!

I am (as per usual) watching a documentary about Frank Sinatra as I type this. I love him so much. Soooo much and I always have. My second musical love after Jarvis Cocker was Frank Sinatra. I remember watching ‘Young At Heart’ laying on the sofa when I was off school with the flu aged 5. From then on I watched every film he was in (apart from From Here to Eternity as I can’t watch him die!!) if I ever went on Mastermind I think Frank would be my specialist subject. I used to go out in my dressing down as I so badly wanted a massive fur coat like all the ladies knocking about with Frank. My mum always said I looked ill and I did to be fair… So I did stop!

Frank was incredible but also a bit of a wrong un’ we all know that! But Sinatra was never a racist! I’ve just watched him arm and arm with Sammy Davis Jnr in the late 50’s singing on stage. That was never done in the 50’s, a black man and a white man! It would have been astronomical!

In this documentary (All Or Nothing At All -Netflix) Bruce Springsteen has been interviewed about the few times he met Frank. I also love The Boss. I’ve read his book and he talks about the racism he faced living in New Jersey in the 1960’s with an Italian family. Or when he played with (in my opinion) the greatest saxophonist of all time, Clarence Clemons, who was black.

I’ve got a mate who I do a bit of singing with who’s a big Springsteen fan. He saw him at Hammersmith Odeon in 1975, that’s impressive! He’s flown all round the world to see him and followed his career since the earl 70’s. I love having stats with him about Bruce and how he used to wear a pair of Levis with a hankie hanging out the back pocket!

This week a film is out called Blinded By The Light. I won’t lie I thought this was a film about The Streets song. It’s not, its about a young asian boy who is influenced by Bruce Springsteen and how Bruce’s lyrics and music have effected his life! I cried from the second I sat down in the cinema! I bloody love a feel good film about music, politics and clothes. And to be honest, I judge you if you don’t. Not all films have to have guns, blood and Leo Di Caprio in to be brilliant, all though don’t get me wrong I love a bit of Leo. There’s nothing better than watching music change and shape someones life and that’s what this film is all about! I LOVED IT! I’m no film critic, I’m not trying to be the new Johnathon Ross but people… GO AND SEE IT!

Anyway…

I asked my mate who’s the Springsteen fan if he was going to see the film and he replied that he didn’t think asian people should listen to Bruce Springsteen.

How horrendous is that? I told him that was an awful thing to say and walked away. I could have asked him why he thought such a terrible thing but I just haven’t got time for people and statements like that.

He is not my mate anymore.

Music is for everyone!

Greek people aren’t limited to listening to George Michael only, just cause he’s Greek too, welsh people don’t only listen to Tom Jones and The Stereophonics!

Racism is annoying and I hate it. It’s so frustrating that people are still saying stupid things about wh