Three Chords and a Lyric About Something

Following my post about Felt, I did a little internet digging to find out more about Lawrence, and his current activities. I'd heard rumours, and hoped that's all they were, regarding his lifestyle of late. One forum mentioned a book that featured some extended interviews with the man.

The book was Song Man by Will Hodgkinson, whose brother was one of the people behind The Idler, a magazine I've long dismissed as tedious, middle class and having nothing to say to the true idle git. This genetic connection put me off, but luckily, a second hand copy was tracked down for a couple of quid. Result.

In a nutshell, it's the sequel to Guitar Man, in which a mid 30s-Hodgkinson sets out to learn guitar with help from various masters he's able to call on through his dayjob as a journalist. Subsequently, and somewhat obviously, he decides to write a song. And this is the story behind this book, with the added clause that he intends to record a single by a set deadline.

Lawrence appears in the first chapter, and my fears were confirmed when he's shown to be living the life of a junkie in a tiny flat, constantly in fear of being thrown out and onto the street. Hodgkinson loses points right away for describing Felt as "fey", but Lawrence seems to take to him (though the author is honest enough to admit he may just like the company) and acts as a kind of songwriting guide throughout the book.

Elsewhere, he gets 'lessons' from the likes of XTC's Andy Partridge, Bert Jansch and Richard Hawley, as well as picking the brains of songwriting genius' like Lamont Dozier, Hal David and Ray Davies, the latter somewhat predictably turning out to be a bit of a distant type. In between, he squabbles with the friend he wants to co-write with and his wife, who he wants to sing on the single.

Despite the author coming across as a bit of a dick at many points, Song Man is a decent read because of the songwriters interviewed. A highlight for me was when we come across Jake Holmes, who recorded a couple of albums in the late 60s that sold to nobody, but also wrote a song called Dazed and Confused, later to be ripped off by Jimmy Page. Hodgkinson is surprised to find he works in a very plush office/studio complex: it turns out he turned his hand to advertising jingles, notably the "Gillette - the best a man can get" riff, which has doubtless kept him in guitar strings for the past 30 years.

At the conclusion, the narrator gets his song penned and recorded, with help with a sympathetic friend who owns a studio. Lawrence is evicted from his flat and is living in a hostel in London's east end, constantly in fear of being mugged. Given this book was written in 2007, I hope the last three years have seen Lawrence - one of my favourite songwriters - get back on his feet, off the junk and living with a bit of security.