Okay… it’s been too long - 02.10.24
Yikes, just shy of a month since I’ve been on here, writing to you.
What’s my brilliant reason?
…that, I’m unsure of, but now that I’m back, I realise that I’ve missed you. Currently I’m sitting in a window overlooking Lyon, a cup of tea by my side, & Green-House playing from my speakers. I’ve just cleaned up some parts of the new apartment that my partner & I are staying in… & things are pretty relaxed.
Leaving things over a month will stack up events & milestones. Let’s break it down…
From the release of my ‘at the Bunker’ session earlier this month I’ve been bombarded with praise from you all. You seem to really enjoy the songs, the performance, the visuals, & I gotta say that I’m over the moon with this one. It’s rare that you release something & don’t have a looming cloud over your head of ‘whatifs’… but I’m thoroughly proud of this one. Definitely give it a shot if you haven’t already.
On the back of this video, I’ve been able to plan a music release! In fact, I’ll be releasing Fitzcarraldo as a single this Winter. There’s still a little bit of work to do on the production side, but we are so close to finishing it. Not only that, but I’ve also got some artwork on the way too! There’s a very nice artist on instagram that I happened upon a little while ago. She has a very fun & grimsical style to her work & I figured that I’d use this song as an opportunity to make a connection. From the initial sketches, I’m now extremely excited to share all of this with you.
In the image, I specifically requested a certain ship. A steamboat that’s the main character of a Werner Herzog film… also by the name of Fitzcarraldo. That film from 40 years ago, was the inspiration of the song, written by Glen Hansard almost 30 years ago! As a teenager, I would sing at parties with friends, eventually I began performing at open mic nights. Back when I didn’t have enough faith in my own songs, back when they sucked… I would perform Fitzcarraldo by the Frames. It, alongside a roster of Glen Hansard songs, was a foundation in my vocal style & performance. The big growls & belts I grew from trying to match Glen’s vocals. Needless to say, he was a huge inspiration for me, & beyond that… through this song, he introduced me to the director that would go on to define my 20’s: Werner Herzog.
While Werner doesn’t know about my song, I did get to speak with him once… which was a humbling experience. To stand in front of someone you admire, in front of someone who’s so engaged with the act of living… it’s a pretty memorable experience. Maybe someday I’ll get the chance to show Werner the song. Maybe…
…but for now, I’ll have to settle for the approval of another one of my old heroes: Glen himself. Ireland being a small country, & the music industry being an even smaller country, a connection of mine managed to get the song under his nose. He listened to it & wrote:
“Please thank him for me! He killed it! Made it new again! Bravo!!!”
If that’s not something that would make your knees shake with joy, I dunno what is. They say that external validation needs to be approached with caution. That it opens you up to the yoyocoster ride of validation. But for this moment, for this little moment, I’ll keep this little smile for myself. I’ll let this fill me with a bit of light. & I’ll use this as fuel to drive me into the release of the song! It’s crazy how these things turn out.
I won’t leave it so long next time,
N.
