Well August was incredibly busy once again culminating in Vintage at Goodwood, the first music and fashion festival of its kind held over the 13/14/15 August. I have never been to a festival before so it certainly was an eye opener. Even though the music centered on creative British cool from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s, there seemed to be more of a focus on fashion in terms of the stalls there. The music featured throughout the event was broad ranging with leading DJs and bands, some of which I had never heard of, as well as contemporary bands and brands inspired by Britain’s rich cultural history.
I arrived the day before the event to set up and met Paul and Sue White at my designated hotel for the 4 days, it couldn’t have been further from the event had I tried but that is all I could get. It was a good half-an-hours run which might not sound too bad until you’ve done a 12 hour day in the pouring rain, are cold, tired and hungry and badly needing your bed – and then it’s a bloody long way.
Paul, Sue and I made our way to Glorious Goodwood on the Thursday and after two hours of trying to find our site, finally started the long arduous task of setting up shop. I have to say the end result was worthy of an award – I think we did well considering the circumstances and happy with the final effect we left the grounds at 10.00pm. I was back at the hotel by 11.00pm and after finalizing the paperwork crawled into bed at 1.30am.
At 4.00am I awoke to find my lower legs hurt and on examination found them to be heavily welted and full of blisters and blood running under the skin. There was nothing to do but try to go back to sleep, content in the knowledge that there was a make shift medical centre at the festival that I would visit in the morning.
Friday started well and on the official opening of the event the swarms stampeded into Goodwood. I left everything in the capable hands of Paul and Sue to see the doctor to be told it could be an allergy or an infection!!!! I was given an anti histamine, and legs wrapped to protect them from the elements I left the area safe in the knowledge that I wouldn’t drop dead of a weird disease.
I have to say the atmosphere was wonderful and the actual traders were a hoot. The people attending generally made an effort to look the part and the three of us have a great laugh commentating the various outfits. And then disaster – it rained and rained and then poured for hour after hour. The paths were like an ice skating rink and there were all manner of injuries from people falling. The medical centre was fit to burst and the paramedics certainly earned their salaries. The shame of it was that the whole weekend had had a wonderful forecast up until the day before and then the winds changed or something technical and that was the end of the British weather forecast. It hampered business something rotten and the three of us were left trying desperately to protect the stock from getting ruined. The book had to be totally covered up because even if the book itself didn’t get wet the damp would have damaged the pages.
Now here’s the thing. 12 hours after we started trading we locked up shop for the day. Vintage at Goodwood had put ‘laws’ into place that allowed us to come onto the grounds with a car between 3.00am and 10.00am, which meant Paul could drop me at the stall in the morning and have the car off the field before the shops opened. BUT there was no way of getting me back out. Paul wasn’t allowed to bring the car onto the field even though the organizers had totally forgotten my ride to the car park where Paul patiently waited. They had asked Sue and I to wait under the archway for a golf buggy to appear – it didn’t – and it was still bucketing it down. After an hour Sue made the perilous journey by foot to the medical centre to make a complaint to find out that they expected me there. It wouldn’t have made any difference, as there was no transport waiting anyway.
Paul has now started to panic and has walked all the way down from the car park to see where we are. Per chance a very nice chap in a smashing vintage car has decided he has had enough. The glamour vans accommodation has been flooded and the organizers can offer no alternative – poor chap had no alternative but to drive three hours home in an open-top car!!!!!! But being the dashing English gentleman sort he offered Sue and I a lift to the top with Paul walking beside the car getting soaked!!! Cannot print audibles here for the fear of censorship problems. He was not going to be told he couldn’t drive out and I feared the safety of anyone trying to stop him – he was a man on a mission.
Nearing 1.00am I reached the hotel and I crawled into bed vowing never to go back again but incredibly with great British humour the three of us arrived at 9.00am on a drier Goodwood. Sue and I had the marvelous idea of getting rid of Paul, well after having got our lift and we duly dispatched Paul back to Hastings To be honest there just wasn’t room for three of us behind the stall and so it worked out for the best that Paul get on with his own work and come back a few hours before trading finished. It did rain somewhat that day but it was mainly showers and although we had to continually cover and uncover the stock people were all round in better humour. Left to our own devises Sue and I continued to laugh throughout the day with us both resulting to childish behavior but it made for a saner day. Now I am not one for throwing my dolls out of the pram that often but when a minion at Goodwood informed me that afternoon that unless I had pre-booked a buggy to get me to the top that was my bad luck, I let rip and threatened not to only sue Goodwood for not having any disabled facilities at all but that I would throw a press conference that evening to let the press know. Amazingly enough transport was arranged for the next two nights – ON TIME.
I know it was an inaugural event but the organizers are also involved with Speed at Goodwood and the like so certain problems should have been prevented from the off. There were only two sets of toilets in the immediate area and it was too far for me to walk each time Mother Nature called. They did finally allow me to use the staff facilities and although a long walk for me it was at least on even ground. We had been originally told that there would be toilets available at the end of each street but apparently the head honcho didn’t want the aesthetics ruined!!!!!!!!! I won’t let you know my thoughts here. The second problem was there wasn’t enough matting or wood chips to lay down on the ground which would have prevented a lot of the injuries – but it could have been worse – I think!!!
The rest of the event on the Sunday stayed dry but there was a different type of person there and although ales were healthy it could have been much better overall but then that is what comes of accepting to do an open air event in England, even in summer. I have to say I met some wonderful people over the three days and sold quite a few books. Amazingly one woman had said she had tried to buy my book everywhere and was very disappointed but the first thing she saw upon the opening of Goodwood was my stall. She said if she went home then and there she would have been more than happy after buying the book and meeting me. You can’t get better than that.
Thank you to everyone that came and said hello but mostly the biggest thanks have to go to Sue and Paul. I just couldn’t have done the event without them and although it could have been a better financial outcome we did all have an incredible laugh and a great experience – let’s put it this way – same time next year – Yes please.
I mentioned last month that the book has gone to its 4th reprint. I am so pleased for dad and it makes me so proud that people are interested in his story. It also gave me the opportunity of correcting some spelling mistakes that had been noticed by those of you who are eagle-eyed and I’m grateful for that. It also gave me the opportunity of putting in two new quotes I received from Pete Conway and his son Robbie Williams – yes THE Robbie Williams. Pete was also in the business and worked with dad on several occasions. He in fact contacted me originally saying he had bought the book and enjoyed it thoroughly. I thought it would be amazing to get quotes from both him and his son, two different generations, and get their take on dad.
The book came out in America in May and I have been doing interviews on some of the American radio stations. This has been a great way or spreading the word across the pond but because of the time difference some of these has necessitated 4.00am starts!!! But it seems to have paid off because my book has been nominated for an IRWIN Award (Industry Recognition for Writers in the News) by the Book Publicists of Southern California. The category is ‘Best International Campaign and although I am sure I won’t win it is a privilege to be nominated. The Award Ceremony takes place on 21st October so fingers crossed.
Now comes even better news in that the paperback is slotted for a Valentines release together with an audio version. Now please let me stress here that not all the content can be included in the paperback. To make it cost worthy the publishers have said that it has to be heavily edited and I have decided the best thing might be to eliminate the photograph and try and keep as much of the editorial content as I can but I will let you know when everything has been confirmed. Obviously the audio can only be brought out on several discs and it would run to hundreds of hours if I left it all in but I think without the pictures and the quotes it should be OK. It is possible that we will do a joint venture with EMI called ‘Words and Music’ with an abridged version of the audio and a remastered release of the ‘Matt Sings Hoagy Carmichael’ album so many of you have been asking for. It will also include a new song and different versions to make it worthwhile for all you music collectors out there.
The other piece of fantastic news is that the BBC are running a very special ‘Friday is Music Night’ in honour of dad on Friday 8th October live at London’s Mermaid Theatre. The theatre is near Blackfriars and has a 600 seating capacity. It will also be aired live on BBC 2 at the same time. Jodie Keane who will be producing the two-hour event says she “sees this as a real celebration of Matt Monro’s music”. This will be a wonderful night and although I am unsure of how the tickets are to be allocated I will try and make sure the fans get first refusal on tickets. If any of you are keen to attend in person then please let me know asap to michele@mattmonro.com.
Being that this will coincide with the end of the 25th anniversary year it might be worth thinking about hosting a special get-together for the fans either prior to or after the event. Keep your eyes peeled for more information on the Forum.
With the success of the Newport Nostalgia Music Society behind me I am delighted to have been asked by the West Surrey Big Band Society to appear there in September as a guest speaker. If the people are anywhere as bit as warm as the Welsh I will be in for a great night out. Let me know if anyone wants to attend what should be a great night?
The only negative over the last few the months was that I suffered a small setback health wise and was unable to travel to Nottingham. I’m sure it boiled down to the fact that I haven’t really stopped since the book was released in January and even before that I was busy doing re-writes up to Christmas and of course I was trying to look after mum at the same time - the bottom line was that something had to give. With the worry of other health problems I booked a holiday with my son Max, which saw us taking flight to Venice and boarding the Norwegian Gem for a week. I certainly rested spending most of my day on the balcony of my cabin but I certainly would not travel with that cruise line again and the ports of call were very disappointing apart from Dubrovnik which I thought I’d hate. It turned out to be the highlight of the cruise ports, quaint, clean and rolling in history I would like to go back from longer.
What made up for the whole week was a day and night in Venice, which was absolutely enchanting. I’d wanted to go there since I was a little girl and very nearly went there with mum and Max for my 50th last year but I thought Max would be bored and we opted for Euro Disney instead – what a mistake, I would have loved to have shared the experience with mum. It is certainly a place to see before you die and both max and I couldn’t drink in its loveliness enough. Of course I had to do the obligatory very costly gondolier ride but we chose to go at 10.00pm and whereas it was like the M25 in the daytime we found we had the canals to ourselves at that time of night. It was eerie in its quietness, with just the water ripples barely audile, the canals were dark and shadowy broken only by the illumination of the various buildings and then our chief navigator sung Nessum Dorma. It was amazing and I was near to tears in the beauty of the moment. It might sound nauseatingly corny but I can assure you from one very seasoned traveler, it was one of the standout moments of my travels over the years.
I’ve had great fun speaking to Alex Lewczuk each Wednesday evening at 5.55pm on Siren 107.3FM but with me out of the country I persuaded my trusty sidekick that he should take my place. Richard reluctantly agreed and he was fabulous. You can hear his interview by clicking on the relevant date (Wednesday 25th August) in the Forum. It’s a great idea being able to pick the less known tracks to play on the station each week and if you want to hear one of your favourites then please let me know. There is actually a discussion thread on my Facebook site at http://www.facebook.com/michelemonro - If you leave a message there I will do my best to include your selections.
To date nearly sixty hospital radio stations have embraced the ‘special’ that I recorded for them. The programme was very well received and Phil Moon the Chairman of Hospital Broadcasting Association has also been on to me about putting something out in their ‘On Air’ Magazine. I am absolutely delighted that it has brought so much pleasure to the many patients around the country and with that in mind I have now committed to doing a dedicated Christmas special for the season. I must say a big thank you to all the radio hosts who have graciously allowed me airtime on their shows as without them the publicity on the book would have dwindled.
A lot of you have asked whether I am coming to your area to sign books. That is not so easy to arrange, as I am unfamiliar with a lot of the private bookshops but if you have one in your town, go on in and ask if they would be interested in having a singing there or let me know their details and I will give them a ring. Or maybe you have a Society that you belong to or a Ladies Guild, Book Club or the like that might want a presentation evening, with a question and answer session – anything is possible.
Thank you to all of you who left messages and reviews on the book in the Forum. I really do want to hear all your feedback on the book, good and bad. Feedback is very important to me and anyone who has held back so far please take the plunge and let me know your thoughts.
Titan have sent up a special page on their website, including an interview I did and footage of the master singing. Thought you might like to pop your head in. http://static.titanbooks.com/promotions/matt-monro
Please don’t forget to let me know if you have anything related to dad, whether a story, a photo or an old radio show. Or maybe you have some old VHS formats laying in the attic that might have a television show on it. We can always have it transferred for you at our costs. As Richard and I unearth these rarities we are constantly told “but we thought you must have it”. Please don’t be shy; you might have something we are looking for.
I now some of you follow my brother’s escapades on his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/mattmonrojnr) including myself. The dates that I know of at this time are:
September
03 - The Regent Centre, Christchurch
04 - The Elgiva, Chesham
19 - The Camberley Theatre, Camberley
25 - The Plaza, Stockport
26 - The Theatre Royal, Lincoln
November 04 – 18 – Oriana, P&O – Australia to Hong Kong
December 15 – 25 – Nautica, Regent – South Africa
Our Spotlight artist this month is very special and it comes from our very own member Joshua de Gray. Be sure to go and read all about his love for Matt’s music.
I received a very nice email just before going away from our own Keith Good, which I would like to share with you all. It is very nice that someone should be constantly thinking about dad’s music. Thanks very much Keith, your poems are always gratefully appreciated.
WE SHOULD CARE (Adapted from the song by Sammy Cahn, Axel Stordahl and Paul Weston)
We should care, maybe do more rapt list’ning;
we should care, do more Matt Monro missing.
We don’t miss you overmuch
‘cept when a show lacks class,
your hug-rich tones keep us in touch
and Michele succeeds at meeting our needs.
So we should care, your absence won’t upset us;
we should care, let no downbeats get to us;
surely we won’t find a singer as gifted as you,
so we should care and we do.
Lastly I don’t know whether any of you caught John Barrowman’s show, which sadly I missed but the BBC did inform me of this young man’s performance ‘with’ dad. What did you think of the programme? The man in question, Steven Brown in fact contacted me ahead of time to let me know of his coming appearance but then threw a hissy fit when I warned him not to just use the Forum as a tool for promotion but to let everyone know how he came to be a fan etc. He ranted about his love the singer and music and how dare I intimate he would use the site for anything but. We have a huge amount of singers on the site who all love dad and it’s a shame he couldn’t accept some friendly advice. Thick skin is needed in the business – that’s any business. But hopefully you enjoyed the performance as much as he did.
Friends of Matt Monro is our official Fan Club run by Geraldine Vine. Membership includes a Welcome Pack and four issues of our exclusive newsletter. Where possible we give you advanced access to concert tickets and pre-sales as well as the opportunity of purchasing tickets for concerts, personal appearances and special gatherings. The Newsletter also features discounts on exclusive merchandise and Geraldine runs several competitions with the chance to win tickets and merchandise. Membership is £12.00 single/£15.00 joint membership for fans in England or £15.00 single/£18.00 joint membership for overseas fans. If you wish to join the Fan Club either contact Geraldine Vine at gerivine2005@yahoo.co.uk or access our website and go through to the ‘News’ page. By scrolling down the page you will find the heading ‘Friends of Matt Monro’ and print off an application form.
For those of you that are members you will see your Member’s Magazine arriving through the door any day now. I have to say a huge thank you to Geraldine who quietly perseveres throughout the year sifting through all the information in order to bring you the most pertinent facts. She really is a wonderful person to have working on your side of the fence.
Check out the ‘Rough Guide to mattmonro.com’, which is available towards the bottom of the Homepage. A few of you have mentioned that you don’t know how to access certain areas of the site or in fact are unaware of new areas, this guide will explain how easy this website is to get around it once you know how.
There is also another information box “How to Use the Forum’. I know a lot of people have been tempted to join in on some of our conversations but are slightly nervous of doing so. For that reason I have printed step-by-step instructions of how to access it. It really does only take a few minutes.
Till next month
Here’s hoping that your life is always filled with music
Warmest
Michele
L;
Press Play to start slideshow.
Galley Instructions. Hover your mouse pointer over the control panel in the bottom left hand corner of the above slide show. This will bring up the controls, the title of the photograph and the option to view all thumbnails
Slideshow Part 2
- Press this link to see the Amazon Listing for The Singers Singer by Michele Monro
