Chapter 217. Life is a bowl of shrubbery

This week’s episode of TCD (sorry Lucy) is one of those where we really benefit from having a clever and creative voice in the room.You may recall that we have been talking about the Marillion promo vids on a kind of ad-hoc basis, and that the last time we touched on that topic we talked about the singles from Holidays. That took us to the legendary Howard Greenhalgh, a bit of a creative trailblazer and all round top bloke.Fast forward a couple of weeks and following a couple of speculative messages we managed to reconnect with Howard and twist his arm into coming onto TCD, to share his take on those projects and what actually went down. And even though we are talking about a gap of thirty plus years, he still managed to deliver in terms of helping us understand how that part of the industry operated back then, as well as some stories from the production floor …and how he very nearly cut my life short in Iceland.Love’n’skipping-along-the-glaciersh x

Greetings from NYC….I have to say that this week has gone by in a a bit of a blur. Indeed, it seems a long time since I was strapped to the chair, recording this week’s TCD (sorry, Lucy) pondering what I still had left to do, before I could set-off to board a plane and cross the Atlantic.Certainly, I wasn’t expecting Ant to take me back to shooting the promo videos for Holidays in Eden, or to be reminiscing about working with the legendary director Howard Greenhalgh.He was quite a character, with a penchant for straightforward (and profane-embellished) instruction whilst delivering Hollywood production on a Cricklewood budget.Anyway I am off to groove about a bit in New Jersey, if you bump into me at Progstock do come and say hello.Love’n’”for f***s sake look heroic. I’ll be back in 10 with a helicopter”h

Here we go then, the second half of my Seasons End musings, based on having listened to the album again for the first time in ages.Of course since we last spoke it has tipped past its 35th Anniversary, which is a statement that has the power to stop you dead in your tracks, particularly if it feels like last year.Anyway we got as far as Holloway Girl on TCD #219 (sorry Lucy) so today we start with Berlin, and work our way through the latter stages of the album. And tbh there isn't much else to say that you need to know before you start listening.Which is your cue to start listening...Love'n'driving through the nighthTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

Who says you can’t teach on old dog new tricks, well to be fair lots of people - including me as it goes - but you know what I mean.So for this episode of TCD (sorry Lucy) we are having a crack at something a bit different, based around an idea that Ant had. I happened to mention a few weeks ago that I rarely listen back to the Marillion albums and haven’t done for quite a while. Consequently my experience of our back catalogue tends to be in rehearsal and on stage.Anyway he suggested that I sit down and work my way through our back catalogue, taking note of what struck me whilst I was listening back to them now. And do you know what, it sounded like quite an intriguing little musical experiment, so here we are.Anyway we start, where all good stories start, at the beginning. So sit back and prepare yourselves for Seasons End.Love’n’full fibrehTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

The first TCD of September (sorry Lucy) and we are starting with what could be loosely called ‘a plan’.Following some imaginative intervention from the Purples, we have a rich vein of chat suggestions to mine over the coming weeks, starting with a belter from Roger Harvey.But I ain’t going to spoil the surprise, so you will just have to listen for the details - and of course we will also be requiring you all to help provide the clarifications when the timeline gets a little hazy.Love’n’linenhTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

It’s literally two years since we had an episode quite like this one. And in an unusual foray into accuracy I can give you the exact details, because it was Chapter 122The reason I know this is because that week Ant was on holiday in Catalonia, and as such he recorded his half of the conversation in a lively cafe in Platja d’Aro.And, literally just for the hell of it, he is back in the same spot - only this time it was a hotel reception. The good news is that the Wi-Fi was considerably better, so actually getting something in the can was a lot easier. The downside is the background hubbub that you get in that particular environment. Meanwhile, I was in Denmark with toddlers.Tweaks have been made using expensive Spanish digital software, but it is a little nosier than usual so please bear with.Anyway onto business, because those of you who appreciate a well-run council waste facility, or indeed are unsure about the nutritional make-up of your breakfast bowl, are in for an absolute treat.Love’n’tow-ballshTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

Big shout out to Roger Harvey, who in a round-about way has filled the middle of the TCD doughnut this week. Confused? Well let me explain..As you know I read a bit of something in the middle of each week's pod. Since I got through all of The Invisible Man diaries, I have been rooting around the bottom of the digital drawer looking for interesting (and previously unread) stuff to include. And, as most of you are aware I tend to do this a bit 'on the hoof' each week.Anyway this week I had to message Ant in a panic to see if he had any inspiration, because I had lost all track of what I had (and hadn't) read already. After a few minutes contemplation he recalled that Roger Harvey had been in touch to share pictures of a handwritten excerpt I wrote for the Web Magazine in the way back when, about my 100th show.So that is what you have got, and it is thanks to another Mr.H that you have that at all.Cheers Roger...Love’n’mosi-bashingh xTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

It struck me as I was listening to chapter 215 that one of the quirks of recording TCD (sorry Lucy) is that the process is often interrupted by what has gone before. It isn't exactly a 'ghost in the machine' because it is all very explainable, and indeed predictable.Let me try and enlighten you. The way I record my half of the conversation involves overdubbing onto a file that contains snippets of previous recordings; you know the kind of thing, old diary readings, the musical idents we use to transition between sections and odd bits of crooncast. Because I am not great at muting these before we start, every so often they spring into life becoming audible to both Ant & myself mid-conversation.This week it was the jingle for spreadsheet corner that made an appearance, momentarily throwing us both a curve-ball, and resulting in a slight break in the flow as we re-centre.Of course you, dear listener, are privy to the reaction rather than the cause so I thought it only fair to explain how and why this semi-regular phenomena comes about.Of course it's entirely possible that you have never ever noticed, in which case 'as you were'.Love'n'seam sniffinghTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

I was minded on listening back that we spend years fine-tuning our quirks, in fact I am not convinced it's a process we ever actually get to the end of.But these are the things that define who we are. So to know me is to know both my caffeine routine and how I close an overhead locker when I am on a plane.So I say 'embrace all quirks without fear or self consciousness' and respect and cherish those of the people that you encounter along the wayBecause life for me often involves an imaginary pogo-stick.Love’n’specialist-dusting,hTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

This week's TCD (sorry Lucy) reminds me of when you take a drive to somewhere you travel to often. Not a quick-round-the-corner to the shop kind of trip, more a journey that you know well but maybe takes an hour to two.Sometimes you arrive at such a destination, not really remembering exactly how you got there. You know you have been in the car for a couple of hours, and that you have covered 103 miles but as to the specifics of the journey, well that kind of went by in a blur.So when I came to edit #213 I couldn't really recall what Ant and I had talked about. I knew we had met at the pre-arranged time and that we had talked for an hour or so, but as to the details, hmm...So, in short, I may well have had the same experience you are just about to have yourself.Love'n'TolstoyhTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite