I’m drinking my first glass of red for over a week and it tastes like the sunshine that made it. Suiting my mood after a memorable weekend shot through with music and beautiful friends. Life would be nothing without both those ingredients; flapjacks without sugar and butter; just the dry oats.

Saturday began with a stint on the Out in Brighton show which was great as always thanks to Kathy’s aplomb. I hope that one day I can match her gold medal multi-tasking ability to think on her feet with a hangover and without a script. Sadly there’d been no news from the Eitzel camp so we filled the hole in the doughnut with a bit of chit chat about upcoming LGBT musical delights, and after a quick post show pit stop at the Red Roaster I returned home to relax the day away. To my surprise a missed call on my mobile revealed a voicemail message from Chris at Decor Records. The interview was on and my presence was requested at 6.30PM. Panic!

I arrived in good time and was able to park directly across the road from the venue. Luck was on my side and Mark’s low pitched growl serenaded me as I crossed the road. He was still sound checking so I slipped in, watched and waited. The interview eventually took place whilst Mark ate his dinner which felt rather odd, but in hindsight I think he simply wanted it done swiftly and had engineered a position in which I’d feel awkward to linger. After five minutes it was over and despite the crunch of poppadum and helicopters flying overhead, playback in the car revealed some gold. Seeing Mark eat made me realise my own hunger so I set off in search of sustenance marvelling at the beauty of a blue sky laced with jet trails. Lines from the song Amelia flickered like movie credits across my mind and I smiled and took photos savouring the moment.

I was driving across the burning desert

When I spotted six jet planes
Leaving six white vapour trails across the bleak terrain
It was the hexagram of the heavens it was the strings of my guitar
Amelia, it was just a false alarm.

Here’s a lovely performance of the song recorded on Joni’s last ever tour in 1983 which I was lucky enough to see. She remains my favourite female artist of all time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAb6Jgb41mo

As I walked I remembered the records in my bag brought along for signing. Was it too late to turn back and try to engage with Mark once again? I reasoned that it was a risk worth taking and retraced my steps. The worst he could do was to tell me to fuck off and I knew he wouldn’t hesitate if so inclined. Mark was sitting outside drinking a large glass of red wine and as I approached he looked up. From a distance I couldn’t judge if he was annoyed or happy but close to I was heartened to see warmth in the large brown eyes nestling in his heavily bearded visage.

I sat down and explained my reason for returning and close to three hours later we were still talking, getting along like old friends and consuming the dressing room rider dry. It was particularly wonderful to talk about San Francisco, swap salacious stories and reminisce about bars like the Hole in the Wall and Twin Peaks which we’d both enjoyed. We also talked music and the highlight was sitting in a huddle around his iPad to listen to little Jimmy Scott together. Mark discovered this shamefully overlooked singer by chance when he was dragged to a show by record producer Mitchell Froom in the early 90s. He recounted how the performance changed his life and I can see the influence of Jimmy in the way Mark sings, even though the styles are light years apart. Both take their time, play close attention to phrasing and ooze emotion and truth. Mark quipped that the USA had contributed two things to the world, singing behind the beat and nuclear weapons J There was a tinge of sadness though because like Jimmy, Mark now struggles to get by financially as a result of bad deals and poor luck, but he has no choice but to sing for his supper. It’s in his DNA and what else could he do, work in a bank? Time for some music I think; here’s Jimmy Scott with ‘When Did You Leave Heaven’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRYJbaxwJ20

When did you leave heaven?
Why did they let you go?
How's everything in heaven?
I'd like to know

Why did you trade heaven
For these earthly things?
Where did you leave your halo?
Where did you lose your wings?

Our conversation was punctuated throughout by Mark’s trademark self-deprecation and at one point he even described himself as worse than average. I felt compelled to make the observation that an artist who’d released 18 or so studio recordings and enjoyed a career spanning decades was clearly above average especially in a musical sea peppered with X Factor flotsam and jetsam.

As show time drew closer fans would catch sight and come over to say hello, and in an effort to bolster his China thin self-esteem I took to tapping him on the shoulder after each encounter, looking him straight in the eye and saying ‘see, they love you.’ I could see the gratitude in his eyes for their validation and their obvious joy at meeting him. One called Patrick recounted how he’d travelled from South Devon to see the show and he shook with excitement as he crouched down to speak by Mark’s chair. It was a touching moment and I offered to take a picture of the pair and email it to Patrick the next day.

 Many, many thanks for remembering to send the photograph and for even offering to take it in the first place.
It was an extremely kind gesture; thanks so much. It was a superb show and I hope to catch Mark again soon.

Mark did deliver a wonderful show and I was really blown away by the power of his growling croon and his ability to squeeze out each phrase with pathos and sincerity. In between songs his shyness and vulnerability would manifest alongside his greatest defence mechanism, humour. At one point he gently chastised the keyboard player’s attempt at strings as being ‘too Genesis’ whilst launching into a parody of Foxtrot era Peter Gabriel. There aren’t many performances which get across his aching power, but this one from the Culture Show in 2010 gives you some idea and the lyrics reflect his life.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p007yfql

Give me back the last couple 20 years
It melted away like ice on my tongue
Melted away like all the fun
Melted away like all those who love me
Melted away like all those I put above me.

Mark is akin to Marmite and not to everyone’s taste but he does deserve recognition and some good fortune in both health and career. I really do hope that the release of ‘Don’t Be a Stranger’ brings some record sales because he cites the piece as his finest work to date and I for one can’t wait to hear it. I felt so honoured and blessed to have spent so much time with Mark and I will never forget the experience. With any luck a lasting friendship has also been born. So let’s end with some humour and a clip filmed just this month of Mark receiving career advice from Lady Gaga’s make-up artiste. Enjoy :)  

http://www.mergerecords.com/blog/2012/09/mark-eitzel-gets-tour-advice-from-lady-gagas-make-up-artist/