Jackie Leven
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Jackie Leven is yet another artist I have discovered thanks to the Bob Harris radio show. Former front man for Doll By Doll, he is Scottish and he has a sense of humour and an interest in poetry. It is impossible to talk about Leven's work without including the serious work, but there are lighter moments - for example his version of 'Say A Little Prayer' is wonderfully incongruous - singing about putting on his make-up and so on. He is also strongly influenced by traditional folk music. Although Jackie Leven is hugely influenced by the Men's Movement and Robert Bly it isn't necessary to encompass those beliefs yourself to appreciate his music. Leven himself thought it was 'complete bullshit' when he first heard about it - I must admit that I am not likely to be moved from that point of view. Having said that it is still possible to enjoy his music without embracing his philosophy. One has to respect Leven as a man. His larynx was damaged as a result of a violent attack and, unable to perform, he became a drug addict. Eventually he overcame this, returned to performing this fine music, and founded the Core Trust to help other addicts "I think all problems of that nature -
most problems, actually stem from troubles of the soul. If we ignore and
push them down, they come back; maybe as addiction, maybe as cancer, but
they come back. Once we find and address those problems, we start to do
well in our lives, or at least to understand our lives. And that's the
ideal." Clay Jug (The Mystery Of Love Is Greater
Than The Mystery Of Death) also appears on A Collection Of Artists Against
The Criminal Injustice Act / The Disagreement Of The People |
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