Author: Kevin McGeary

A third of Pakistan is under water. My only connection to the country is spending time with someone who lightened up my Lockdown 3 immeasurably in the early months of 2021. But she has moved on and hasn’t kept in touch.

More on the Pakistan situation and what it implies in the Wider World section.  

Activities

August 20^th was the biggest night of my creative life so far. During the day, most things that could have gone wrong did, but my own set – aside from a few technical glitches early on – went well.

With this out of the way, my creative ambitions for the rest of the year involve finishing my last Chinese album, and finish writing (though probably not recording) the third The Kev album.

In recent weeks, business has picked up considerably, with multiple IELTS lessons and forthcoming guitar lessons. I also won the highest honour on Duolingo (Legend status), but like most computer games, it makes you feel more accomplished than you really are. My Spanish is still some way from being conversant.

Output

This month’s Substack/video essay was called ‘Service with a Fixed Smile’. It involves the usual mix of history, social comment, literary criticism, and memoir.

The next two will be on the subject of creativity (‘Looking down on Creation’), and comedy (‘Laughter Is No Laughing Matter’).

The monthly cover was ‘Same Size Feet’ by The Stererophonics:

Wider World

As Al Gore predicted in the 2000s, the countries that are least responsible for global warming are set to suffer the most. The climate has never been a political issue, but a moral one.

In Pakistan, one third of the country is under water, and well over 1,000 people have been killed by the floods. At the same time, China is facing its worst drought on record, and the subsequent economic devastation is forcing the country to ration electricity.

Meanwhile in the United States, The Republicans, who in their attitude to global warming resemble a death cult more than a political party, are looking on course to make gains in November. President Joe Biden has indicated he will run for a second term, which at his age and with his record on immigration and cultural issues like the gender debate, will be a hard sell.

The notion of humans saving the planet – as opposed to hoping the planet has mercy on us – has never felt so distant.

The Kev, which originated in a mistyped email sign-off, is the persona under which I write, record, and perform most of my English songs. This alter-ego, which I have a hard time controlling or even defining, seems to mix bottomless cynicism with life-affirming silliness.

Whatever The Kev is, his biggest gig yet was held at Manchester’s Academy 3 on August 20th. Most of the set was caught on video

Personal highlights included ‘Someone Somewhere’, a consistent crowd-pleaser

and ‘Romance Tonight’, which got its live debut

Hopefully this is just the beginning, but I made sure to get some snaps from the super-glamorous dressing room because you never know when your career has peaked.

This has been a month of goodbyes and reminiscences. This past week I have been in Brighton for a funeral. I did a Master’s degree there at Sussex University in the academic year 2005/06.

During this Master’s I did all kinds of menial jobs, mostly factory work and cleaning. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my studies, it quickly became obvious that they were neither qualification nor preparation for the real world.

During this period, the person I spent the most time with was classmate Virginia Monson. She was by far the most helpful and positive influence. And was also an irrepressible eccentric with a schoolboy sense of humour.

Her funeral, the most crowded I’ve ever seen in England, was very her.

Activities

Another farewell that I am in the middle of is one to Chinese-language song-writing. This month I finished a Chinese version of ‘Hope It Might Be So’, which will be the last song on my last Chinese album

Speaking of all things China and Chinese, this month I launched a Facebook ad campaign for my tutoring business. I didn’t make much money but I learned a lot. I allowed a colleague to load the ads with emojis, exclamation marks, and promises of things being ‘quick’ and ‘easy’. This does not appeal to the kinds of dedicated slogger that I am looking for. As executive coach Harsha Perera pointed out:

Output

Since I will probably never be able to write a memoir, I have decided to do the next best thing – start a Substack. This month’s topic was fame, future editions will include the subjects of happiness, humour, current affairs, and – least interesting of all – romance.

This month’s miscellaneous cover was ‘This Is the Sea’ by The Waterboys:

Wider World

The 2020s, which have already included a pandemic, war in Europe, and apparent ethnic cleansing in China, are the decade in which the myth of constant progress is exploding. This month, much of Europe has experienced record temperatures, so climate change is now affecting the rich world.

Shifting temperatures will revolutionise life on the planet. In 1988, Margaret Thatcher was the first major world leader to call for international action, but since then, flying, driving, and factory farming have remained everyday activities.

American cognitive scientist Joshua Greene pointed out that our ancestors did not evolve in an environment in which total strangers on opposite sides of the world could save each other’s lives by making relatively modest sacrifices. Nowhere near enough has been done, and the consequences are coming. That was the river, this is the sea.

This month, at age 38, with business having been on a low ebb since the Four Peaks Challenge, I visited a careers adviser. Not much has come from that particular consultation, but I have launched a Facebook marketing campaign, which has meant days have been busier than ever with work and passion projects.

Output

Many months after it was scheduled, my first article has appeared in Litro Magazine. It is a review of the novel ‘Solo Dance’ by Li Kotomi, which was translated from Japanese. It begins:

Civil rights campaigns are a long process. There was over a century between The Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery in the United States, and the Civil Rights Act, which ended segregation. In the United Kingdom, there was over half a century between women getting the vote and the Equal Pay Act, and it is widely agreed that feminism is still very much needed.

For all its size and diversity, Asia lags far behind the Anglophone world in the rights of same sex couples to marry.

This month’s miscellaneous cover was ‘No Surface, All Feeling’ by The Manic Street Preachers:

I am also still giving free online Mandarin lessons to build awareness.

Activities

The next The Kev album is coming along. I have already been in the recording studio to lay down some rhythm guitar and have been putting together between-song skits to liven things up.

One of the skits is probably the most controversial thing I’ve ever written. Which is damn-well saying something. It may be self-destructive to publish this under my own name, considering how prospective employers like to Google people. But I am not a fan of online anonymity, unless it’s for corporate whistle-blowers or political dissidents, and in most jobs, competence is much more important than respectability. Speaking of prospective employers, check out the Facebook page of my new business.

August 20^th at Academy 3, which will be the biggest night of my creative life so far, is shaping up to be a good one. Tickets are available here.

Wider World

In 2020, due to the decidedly ineffectual behaviour of the Labour Party, some people joked that footballer Marcus Rashford was the de facto opposition leader. With rail strikes happening this month, the current darling of the left is trade unionist Mick Lynch.

Political commentator Andrew Marr described Lynch as a silver-tongued champion of the working-class. When asked who his political hero was, Lynch named the Irish socialist James Connolly.

This has got me thinking about the notion of having heroes, and celebrity culture. In one interview, Lynch acknowledged his own status as a mere flavour of the month, pointing out the fact that tabloid journalists were going through his bins looking for things with which to smear him.

Like everyone else who has ever lived, Connolly was deeply flawed. The Irish Independent pointed out that he was a warmonger who preached confrontation. It added: “A champion of the miller, the docker and the assembly-line drone, Connolly went out of his way to dehumanise the soldier and the policeman, as if they were not wage slaves themselves.”

I have decided to set up a Substack in which I discuss these types of issues further. The first piece will be on this subject.

Ayanam, who will take the stage at Academy 3 on August 20th, is a Nigerian singer who grew up in Lagos but now lives in Manchester and considers himself an honorary Mancunian. He describes his musical style as soulful pop with his covers of Pop and R&B classics often accentuated by his raspy vocals.

A quarter-finalist on The Voice UK (2019) as a member of Sir Tom Jones’ team, Ayanam continues to hone his craft all over the UK, having performed at notable venues such as The Troubadour (London), Soho House’s The Ned Hotel (London), Matt & Phreds (Manchester), and The Whiskey Jar (Manchester).

His latest release, CBD, is now on Spotify

How long have you been playing?

Outside of school – I think about 10 or so years.

Where can people catch you playing before the gig on August 20th?

Playing as a support act for Joel Gardiner on July 9th at 33 Oldham Street.

Playing at the Whiskey Jar on the 13th of July.

Playing at the Whitworth Locke Hotel on the 26th of June and the 17th of July.

When was the first time you played live?

Not counting school performances – tail-end of 2011/beginning of 2012

What are most listened to songs on your Spotify?

ATM I’ve been listening to “been about it” by Andy Mineo and Lecrae a fair bit!

What can people expect from your performance?

A fairly mellow energy and guilty pleasure covers.

Favourite artists and influences

Paolo Nutini, Chance the Rapper, early 2000s bubble gum pop.

Your first album bought

I want to say it was “I don’t wanna know” by Mario Winnans.

Your hopes and where you see your path in music

Would like to do a proper global tour with a tour bus and all of that.

What was your first gig as an audience member?

I think the first ever proper big concert I went to was a Beyonce/Jay-Z one

What was the last gig you went to?

Hayden Barlow’s EP release

What upcoming gigs have you planned?

Apart from yours, my next ticketed gig is on the 9th of July as a support act for Joel Gardiner

Why people should buy a ticket to your show?

All the covers I do are mellow versions of songs you’ll know and who doesn’t love knowing something?

Most disliked artist/genre and why?

I don’t like artists who act too self-important but genre-wise, I don’t dislike any genre…just some songs click with me on an instinctive, almost animalistic level and some don’t. You just know when you know haha. Also depends on my mood when I hear the song and whether it complements it.

What are your musical ambitions?

To be able to make a comfortable living from touring alone.

You can follow Ayanam on YouTube, Instagram, and of course, check him out at Academy 3 on August 20th