FROM 24 AUGUST 2020 BIGISSUE.COM | 15hat role do music and performance play in the present crisis of a
broken economy, broken by Covid-19? Coming at a time when live
venues for performers are shrinking, one can imagine that the crisis
of Covid-19 is also a crisis of modern performance. The damage done
to our live performance outlets has been steady and painful. But suddenly, with the
advent of the pandemic, it’s obvious it’s suddenly got a lot worse. Can we reverse the
erosion of people standing up and playing for us? Away from the mechanical and digital?
Could we possibly come out of Covid-19 more fully aware of the role of music and
performance in upping our wellbeing? All I know is that if anyone whips out a guitar or
a penny whistle, or anything musical, the mood tends to change. We all come together.
We stop talking and start moving and singing. We become completely different. We
probably return to an earlier, less complicated emotional world than the world we
now live in.
To lighten our load during lockdown I told you the story of my old mate Phil Ryan,
who was the first person I asked to help me start The Big Issue. Phil ran a cable out of his
third-floor North London flat into the front garden. And there for 10 weeks he played
guitar and sang to the street. The street responded and hundreds turned up to be lifted
and lightened, to be inspired, and to shake off the blues of lockdown.
Professional guitarist, singer and songwriter, performer internationally, he has
nonetheless now thrown himself into the struggles of all musicians. Because of the
shrivelling up of opportunities to perform, as Covid-19 has knocked the ballocks out of
countless numbers of music venues, Phil is now working for their reinstatement. How?
By playing and campaigning.
Live music faces an enormous crisis because of the disappearance of live music
events, putting many performers and their careers under the hammer. So what can
we do? We can join the campaign to keep live music venues open, or get the many
closed reopened. We can see live music’s crisis as a part of the crisis that we are facing
with our Ride Out Recession Alliance (RORA). Where we are fighting to keep people out
of homelessness. But we can also support the socially distanced music events, like the
Chiswick Festival.W
The redoubtable Ryan has now got involved in another
attempt at opening up the live music world and not let
it wilt on the vine. On Tuesday September 1 at 7pm Phil
is performing at the Chiswick Festival at Chiswick House
and Gardens in West London. A Palladian-style villa with
capacious grounds, it is an actual dream of a place. I know it
of old, having jogged round its grounds at first light when
I was a printer nearby. And Phil’s performing will be a good
omen hopefully for the revival of all venues for live music.
Live music is a pick-me-up. It’s a depression-buster. It’s
a means to allow people to connect. It’s all the kind of thing
you need to do when you want to be with others. Music
unites and connects. Therefore I commend Phil Ryan’s
attempt, in the grounds of Chiswick House, to offer us a
chance to break free of our isolation. Chiswick House and
Gardens is a splendid setting for a festival that fundraises
to sustain the house and grounds in this difficult climate.
Needless to say, all help is needed as splendid edifices like
Chiswick needed money to survive.
Talking about isolation, this last weekend has seen the
ending of the ban on evictions in England [although as we
were going to press it seems there may be a last-minute
U-turn]. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already
announced extensions to the ban to next year; we need
the same to happen in England. Isolation doesn’t come any
worse than that faced by homeless people. I do hope that we
can stop the spread of the virus into the very social structures
of our lives. And the greatest way of spreading this virus is
to allow the destruction of someone’s home. We have to
avoid the erosion of people’s lives, passing from security into
insecurity. We have to fight harder and longer to make sure
no one slips into Covid-19-related homelessness.
The Chiswick Festival will run for three weeks. Jonathan
Geitner, the founder of the festival is, like Phil, struggling
to get live venues back on track. Combining music with
comedy nights, exercise and stretch classes, it is an attempt
at breaking free from the recent pandemic-imposed torpor.
But the festival needs help. And the best help you
can give is to actually get involved by becoming a part
of the audience.
I shall be there in my socially isolating circle on the grass,
with my wife and children. Actually getting things moving
again is the best thing you can do to head off the recession
that we are all dreading landing on our doorstep. The next
few months will be crucial. Let’s hope we build enough
defences to stop the worst effects from happening.
But for September 1 Phil will be keeping the fires
burning. His special guest at the show is Lucy Garrioch,
who is a well-loved West End singer and actor. Go to
chiswickfestival.com to view the festival programme.
If you want to see Phil and Lucy on September 1 go
to chiswickfestival.com/phil-ryan-and-lucy-garrioch/.
Tickets are £25. Come and be socially isolated
and inspired.opinion.
THIS WEEK JOHN WILL BE
LISTENING TO:
The Dubliners: The
Essential CollectionREADING: Time of the
Magicians: The Invention of
Modern Thought by
Wolfram EilenbergerWATCHING: Knives Out,
film with Christopher
Plummer and Daniel CraigCONTINUING TO: Build
up the Ride Out Recession
Alliance (RORA) campaign John Bird is the founder and Editor in Chief of
The Big Issue. @johnbirdswords
linkedin.com/in/johnbirdswords
[email protected]
See pages 4 and 5 for more on RORAJOHN BIRD
In the face of
Covid, we just
have to play on
Splendid isolation
The festival at Chiswick
House is taking a lead in
sending a lifeline to the
entertainment industryFROM 24 AUGUST 2020 BIGISSUE.COM | 15
hatroledomusicandperformanceplayinthepresentcrisisofa
brokeneconomy,brokenbyCovid-19?Comingatatimewhenlive
venuesforperformersareshrinking,onecanimaginethatthecrisis
ofCovid-19isalsoacrisisofmodernperformance.Thedamagedone
toourliveperformanceoutletshasbeensteadyandpainful.Butsuddenly,withthe
advent of the pandemic, it’s obvious it’s suddenly got a lot worse. Can we reverse the
erosion of people standing up and playing for us? Away from the mechanical and digital?
Could we possibly come out of Covid-19 more fully aware of the role of music and
performance in upping our wellbeing? All I know is that if anyone whips out a guitar or
a penny whistle, or anything musical, the mood tends to change. We all come together.
We stop talking and start moving and singing. We become completely different. We
probably return to an earlier, less complicated emotional world than the world we
now live in.
To lighten our load during lockdown I told you the story of my old mate Phil Ryan,
who was the first person I asked to help me start The Big Issue. Phil ran a cable out of his
third-floor North London flat into the front garden. And there for 10 weeks he played
guitar and sang to the street. The street responded and hundreds turned up to be lifted
and lightened, to be inspired, and to shake off the blues of lockdown.
Professional guitarist, singer and songwriter, performer internationally, he has
nonetheless now thrown himself into the struggles of all musicians. Because of the
shrivelling up of opportunities to perform, as Covid-19 has knocked the ballocks out of
countless numbers of music venues, Phil is now working for their reinstatement. How?
By playing and campaigning.
Live music faces an enormous crisis because of the disappearance of live music
events, putting many performers and their careers under the hammer. So what can
we do? We can join the campaign to keep live music venues open, or get the many
closed reopened. We can see live music’s crisis as a part of the crisis that we are facing
with our Ride Out Recession Alliance (RORA). Where we are fighting to keep people out
of homelessness. But we can also support the socially distanced music events, like the
Chiswick Festival.
W
The redoubtable Ryan has now got involved in another
attempt at opening up the live music world and not let
it wilt on the vine. On Tuesday September 1 at 7pm Phil
is performing at the Chiswick Festival at Chiswick House
and Gardens in West London. A Palladian-style villa with
capacious grounds, it is an actual dream of a place. I know it
of old, having jogged round its grounds at first light when
I was a printer nearby. And Phil’s performing will be a good
omen hopefully for the revival of all venues for live music.
Live music is a pick-me-up. It’s a depression-buster. It’s
a means to allow people to connect. It’s all the kind of thing
you need to do when you want to be with others. Music
unites and connects. Therefore I commend Phil Ryan’s
attempt, in the grounds of Chiswick House, to offer us a
chance to break free of our isolation. Chiswick House and
Gardens is a splendid setting for a festival that fundraises
to sustain the house and grounds in this difficult climate.
Needless to say, all help is needed as splendid edifices like
Chiswick needed money to survive.
Talking about isolation, this last weekend has seen the
ending of the ban on evictions in England [although as we
were going to press it seems there may be a last-minute
U-turn]. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already
announced extensions to the ban to next year; we need
the same to happen in England. Isolation doesn’t come any
worse than that faced by homeless people. I do hope that we
can stop the spread of the virus into the very social structures
of our lives. And the greatest way of spreading this virus is
to allow the destruction of someone’s home. We have to
avoid the erosion of people’s lives, passing from security into
insecurity. We have to fight harder and longer to make sure
no one slips into Covid-19-related homelessness.
The Chiswick Festival will run for three weeks. Jonathan
Geitner, the founder of the festival is, like Phil, struggling
to get live venues back on track. Combining music with
comedynights,exerciseandstretchclasses,itisanattempt
atbreakingfreefromtherecentpandemic-imposedtorpor.
But the festival needs help. And the best help you
can give is to actually get involved by becoming a part
of the audience.
I shall be there in my socially isolating circle on the grass,
with my wife and children. Actually getting things moving
again is the best thing you can do to head off the recession
that we are all dreading landing on our doorstep. The next
few months will be crucial. Let’s hope we build enough
defences to stop the worst effects from happening.
But for September 1 Phil will be keeping the fires
burning.HisspecialguestattheshowisLucy Garrioch,
whoisawell-lovedWest End singerand actor.Go to
chiswickfestival.comtoviewthefestivalprogramme.
If you want to see Phil and Lucy on September 1 go
to chiswickfestival.com/phil-ryan-and-lucy-garrioch/.
Tickets are £25. Come and be socially isolated
andinspired.opinion.
THISWEEKJOHNWILLBE
LISTENINGTO:
TheDubliners:The
EssentialCollectionREADING:Timeofthe
Magicians:TheInventionof
ModernThoughtby
Wolfram EilenbergerWATCHING: Knives Out,
film with Christopher
Plummerand DanielCraigCONTINUINGTO:Build
up the Ride Out Recession
Alliance (RORA) campaign John Bird is the founder and Editor in Chief of
The Big Issue. @johnbirdswords
linkedin.com/in/johnbirdswords
[email protected]
See pages 4 and 5 for more on RORAJOHN BIRD
In the face of
Covid, we just
have to play on
Splendidisolation
The festival at Chiswick
House is taking a lead in
sending a lifeline to the
entertainment industry