Darrell Parson's Page

Ruislip, Middlesex

Too young to remember the 50's (well anything much before 1965 really) and too old to give up trying to relive my youth! My musical tastes and record collection have been described as eclectic and I guess most of the new stuff I prefer these days tends to have a retro feel to it. I do remember playing table tennis and drinking Coca Cola on Saturday nights at the local church-run youth club in my teens, to a soundtrack of early British pop and American music from Tamla Motown to Rock 'n' Roll and Blues, with Chuck Berry, Ellas Bates (Bo Diddley) and Fats Domino early favourites.

The first LP I ever bought was 'The Wild Angels - Live at the Revolution', so Rock 'n' Roll was certainly part of the furniture as far as my old record player was concerned in those days. I've always enjoyed live music and have subscribed to several music magazines over the years. Back in 2001 however, I read a review of a gig that I'd recently attended in a Blues magazine. My first thought was: whoever wrote this wasn't at the same gig as me! I recall it was also somewhat derogatory, complaining that one of the bands had no original members - slightly unsurprising since the group had been going since 1976, with death and illness subsequently intervening, never mind musical differences!

Anyhow. . . I thought I'd have a bash at conveying the buzz I'd obtained from a live gig and to my surprise, my first effort made it into print in the same magazine. That was the start and I've found that my writing has since enabled me to meet so many people, especially loads of talented musicians that have entertained me and others over the years. It's great to give something back, bearing in mind the relatively little effort involved, compared to all those bands slogging up and down the country, just to entertain people like me for a couple of hours, as well as the promoters and volunteers who spend so much time and money organising gigs and events for relatively little, particularly financial, reward. Without them, life could be quite tedious!

These days, living just inside the M25 means reasonably easy access to many regional gigs and those in central London, although the pressures of work have mainly restricted attendance to weekends, or the occasional trip further afield. I just can't make an early start after a late night out like I used to! You'll also find me regularly cutting (up) a rug on the dance floor, having taken some lessons a few years ago, to greater or lesser effect depending upon your view, each time generally followed by several minutes of heavy breathing, mopping perspiration and staring at the scribble in my trusty and rather battered notebook that accompanies me to most gigs. I just hope my knees and eyesight don't fail me for a few years yet!

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