seeking pleasure, purely for the thrill

Why phenomenal musicians ever date trash that are unworthy of them and who don't appreciate them properly is beyond me. When you're that divinely artistic a soul and so many women swoon at the source of musical creativity, why settle for anything less than the perfect muse, the inspiration, the goddess?!

All this trashiness in rock'n'roll girlfriends is relatively new to me. First I discovered the Beatle girls and those Beatles had amazing taste in women. All hail the Liverpool boys for their wondrous taste and pulling power. Then I crossed to the likes of The Who where I re-discovered the likes of Groupie Queen Miss Pamela. Alas some of the choices of Duran girlfriend have left me utterly baffled in many ways but I can't put it down to there being a lack of brilliant muses in the modern age because my darling Who are still getting it right.

Mr Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (hey, when middle names are that fabulous, why not flash them around a bit?!) has in fact upgraded.

His current long term girlfriend is so phenomenal that she is not only a goddess of fashion, but she's also ousted the man himself as my preferred lyrical genius. A short while after discovering her I began to wonder if he was in fact worthy of her, not the other way around. I realise they're utterly perfect for each other.

So let me introduce you to the wonder that is Rachel Fuller. Talented pianist, voice of an angel, wit of a devil, dress sense that almost puts to shame that of her friend Jerry Hall.


...and ohmygoodness the lyrics.

Pleasure Seeker
...I am falling slowly into something safe. You are trying to hold me but I won't stay in place. And I want to be a little unkind, don't want to call you ever on time. I want to feel slightly unreal, don't want to be safe. I am seeking pleasure purely for the thrill. And I want to walk into the dark with no hand to hold, the adrenalin starts, the deeper I go the faster it flows...

Twelve Lies
...I wear this dress to impress, so keep your eyes upon me. And if you want to see what lies beneath you'll have to gaze beyond me. ...the only time you want me, the only time you hold me is when I lie. 'cause the only time you need me, the only time you love me is when I'm high.
Then we have the divinely dark lyrics of 'Into My Heart' and 'Ghost In Your Room' from her album 'Cigarettes and Housework'. Not to mention the most beautiful protrayal of love in lyrics I've ever heard:

Imperfection
...you sigh when your perfect world is less than that. Only smile when it all comes together. You cry and you try and you strive for perfection. And I think you should have another drink and let yourself go. Light a cigarette and follow the smoke. 'cause it's your imperfection that turns me on and makes me long for you. So don't hide your imperfection, it draws me in and makes me head spin...

For some insane reason she isn't world famous for being utterly phenomenal in every way, so I realise lots of people out there need to catch up on her a bit. Dive straight into the music and then check out something called In The Attic.

In The Attic was an online "TV show". Kind of like the cool evening musos version of daytime magazine shows. Hosted by Rachel and her friend Mikey in an environment reminiscent of their old attic room from times past. They showcased their own music, their humour, discussions on everything you could think of and had the most phenomenal guests who were all completely at ease.

For those of us lucky to hang around with musicians on a regular basis it was like those magical moments late at night on tour, jamming in the hotel bar and chatting about all the wonders the world holds and all the curious happenings it throws at us. It was my weekly drug out of touring season to remind me who I truly am when at my best (and worst!).

Understandably Pete quickly grew discontented with the idea of leaving this wonderful being behind when he went on tour, so In The Attic eventually went on the road with The Who doing the festival circuit and allowing more phenomenal musicians to grace Rachel and Mikey's space.

I'm sharing with you a little of the Liverpool episode of In The Attic because my beloved Charley and I were both buzzing around with the band at this gig, but hadn't met each other yet because the boys were too stupid to introduce us to each other. It features the super Shack and has a performance of Rachel's 'Imperfection' at the end of it. I defy anyone to watch her singing that and not utterly fall in love with her.



(no apologies for the little bonus footage at the end there of the lush Mr Starkey in white trousers. LOL!)

Since then Rachel has completed her amazing art installation type music project "Kew" where she lived entirely in Kew for a week, writing a song a day upon the walls of her flat, each based on a shop in Kew Village. To experiance the full wonder of the project and download the end product for free visit Week In Kew

If nothing else, go there to check out the song "Starbucks" and the photo of Rachel going for early morning coffee in her dressing gown. How cool could she possibly be?!

Work continues on the musical she is writing called Ash. The snippets I've heard so far are enchanting, beautiful and humerous. All the things I've come to expect from her. I seriously cannot wait for the chance to see the finished production.

...now that everyone's thoroughly addicted to the wonder of Miss Fuller, I suggest you go buy her album "Cigarettes and Housework" and the EP "Shine", check out the In The Attic CD/DVD set and wait with baited breath for Ash to grace the West End.