Full disclosure: I am a dedicated Anglophile when it comes to music.
asserted
it → come → music
I’m deeply invested in the kind of music that comes out of that rainy island in the North Atlantic.
asserted
that → invest → Atlantic
I’m fascinated by how the people of the U.K. are constantly able to innovate, iterate and surprise when it comes to music.
asserted
it → ’m → music
And if we look at music tourism, more than £11 billion is spent every year.
asserted
billion → look → tourism
Governments know, this and push music tourism with vigour.
asserted
Governments → know → vigour
Liverpool, for example, has a Beatles industry worth £120 million annually.
asserted
Liverpool → have → industry
If you’ve done any traveling, you’ll know that geography is destiny.
asserted
geography → do → traveling
Where you come into the world determines much of how your life will turn out, as my brother-in-law, a professor with a specialty in how geography impacts the arts, will tell you.
asserted
geography → come → you
This really hit home over the last 10 days as I’ve toured with a group of music fans through England on a trip called UK Legends of Rock.
asserted
I → hit → Rock
I was specifically struck by how living conditions in Britain create environments for musical creativity.
asserted
conditions → strike → creativity
I’ve written plenty on the subject over the decades, but there’s nothing like seeing, feeling and smelling it for yourself.
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I → write → yourself
Nothing beats walking the same streets, marveling at the same night sky, walking along the same streetscapes to help you fundamentally understand their roots.
asserted
you → beat → roots
About 60 million people live in an area that would fit comfortably in southern Ontario, all connected by railways, roads and extensive metro systems.
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all → live → railways
Cornwall starts at Windsor.
asserted
Cornwall → start → Windsor
Greater London sits on top of the Greater Toronto Area, with Wales touching the Bruce Peninsula.
asserted
Wales → sit → Peninsula
Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester fit nicely between London and Barrie while the Ottawa Valley can accommodate Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands.
asserted
Valley → fit → Glasgow
Getting to and from any major city is a matter of hopping on a train for a few hours or hitting the highway in a transit van.
asserted
Getting → get → van
This makes touring, even for the smallest acts, a snap.
asserted
touring → make → acts
So many different cultures so tightly packed together make ideas spread at the speed of sound.
asserted
ideas → pack → sound
At the same time, each city is made up of tightly-packed neighbourhoods where residents are fiercely loyal to their chunk of town.
asserted
residents → make → town
East London might as well be East Timor compared to Shepherd’s Bush.
uncertain
London → compare → Bush
Each has its own musical culture, individual petri dishes where new sounds and attitudes develop that either become so big that other neighbourhoods rush to check things out or a few brave souls book gigs across the city.
asserted
souls → have → city
And no matter what happens, they remain loyal to home.
asserted
they → happen → home
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Here, for example, is a shot inside The Dublin Castle, a bar where Amy Winehouse used to pull pints and where Madness played their first show.
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Madness → get → show
It’s become a shrine to the band.
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It → become → band
Meanwhile, to the north, there’s The Clissold Arms, a pub directly across the street from where Ray and Dave Davies of The Kinks grew up.
asserted
Davies → ’ → Kinks
It’s still their local and has a room dedicated to them.
asserted
It → ’ → them
What drives people to form groups?
asserted
What → drive → groups
There’s the love of music, of course, but it’s also seen as a way out.
asserted
it → ’ → way
Housing can be tiny with many people packed into a miniscule flat.
asserted
people → pack → flat
Getting out to a gig or a pub gives you a chance at some space that you may not have at home.
uncertain
you → get → home
It’s the door below the historical blue plaque on a short private road in Liverpool.
asserted
It → ’ → Liverpool
Small homes encourage going out.
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homes → encourage → ?
Going out means mingling.
asserted
Going → go → mingling
Mingling involves networking.
asserted
Mingling → involve → networking
Networking turns into collaboration.
asserted
Networking → turn → collaboration
Because the homes are so small, there’s no place to rehearse.
asserted
homes → ’ → ?
That leads to out-of-home rehearsal spaces shared with other bands.
asserted
That → lead → bands
More cross-pollination happens.
asserted
pollination → happen → ?
As you get better and start playing gigs, you begin to run across the same musicians and fans over and over.
asserted
you → get → musicians
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
