Richard Hawley wrote:
thanks i don't really know what to say except i am glad the music helped and am deeply sorry for your loss pal,i too have had,like most folks on this earth some shit along with the good bits,coming from Sheffield and being brought up the way i was i see both sides of the fence so to speak.You can be in utter and total dark world and someone will say something that'll bring you round and make you laugh at yourself,maybe thats it.
I am happy I got through just how important your music was in getting me through those times, I think the mark of a creative genius (be it music, painting, writing, sculpture whatever) is the ability to connect with people.
Mr Hawley you have th.ta rare gift . I do not know what it is about your music, whether its the nostalgic feel (balanced perfectly between homage and inspiration) or the subtle Yorkshire (south Yorkshire of course) undertones, that only those who grew up in Sheffield and there abouts can truly really pick up on. Or is it fact that it is plainly obvious that the person who wrote these songs has felt what he is describing.
Whatever this gift is, all I know is that certain songs just take me back to a time when the sun shone during the six weeks holidays, my mum was listening to Elvis on the old record player with the 45RPM's stacked on the turntable (you know those old record players), or back to how I felt when the love of my life left and you get that twinge in the chest and smile wryly.
I am a pretty good painter and I have been commissioned to paint pets a few times, on a few occasions I have painted pets and when the person who commissioned them has seen the finished painting, they have burst into tears (no not because they were crap
)because the painting touched them and they saw something in it that reminded them of their pet. I am not saying it is the same thing, but being able to do that is rare, the bonus for you is that you can touch many more people and provide for your family while doing it (I just paint as an interest).
Anyway, I do not want you to think I walk around my house in a permanent state of nostalgic wistfulness while listening to your tunes Mr H. Far from it, one of my joys in life is cooking the kids tea (I am a single bloke with two teenage kids after my divorce (escape) 5 yrs ago, ) and singing along to Lady's Bridge, especially 'Dark Road' and driving my kids apeshit. Believe me Rich my voice is not what you would call 'user friendly'. Like you said the ability to laugh at yourself is key to a sane existence and I often laugh at myself when I get those pitying looks from the kids along with the plea to stop massacring "good songs".
I am not going to ask you to divulge anything personnel about your experiences in life, but I think part of what draws me to your music is that sense of recognising someone who has been through the mill a few times. Roy Orbison has the same 'edge' to his music and I sometimes wonder how that dude sang the songs he did after the tragedy in his life. I like the way you can balance melancholy with irreverence and thats not an easy thing to do.
Anyway time for a question. I have to ask you Rich, did you ever hang about on Lowedges or is the story about you seeing the name on the 53 and 76 bus and being intrigued by the name true? (76 doesn't go to Lowedges anymore
). I grew up on the estate (and later on Jordanthorpe) and I always loved the place (still do even with its problems) and I am interested to know if you have any personnel experience of the place and its mix of inhabitants (good, bad and just plain strange, not sure where I fit in there)
Anyway enough rambling, I would like to thank you all for your comments, I was a bit wary of posting the letter, because heartfelt essays on how beautiful and touching music is and , is not usually seen as the Provence of working class Sheffield lads