THE MUTE DIARIES Entry 5: Limbo (Ikea Clarity, Wagamama Gallery)

Word of the week: Limbo. Not the dancing kind.

After last week's fabulous events, for various reasons, I found myself back in that uncomfortable place that is limbo. And limbo people, is WACK. Wiggedy wack! I would much rather know what I'm dealing with, good or bad, I can take it. But its been a week of mixed feelings... joy and confusion and not knowing where I stand with certain situations and people. I know in my heart, I have good intentions so that keeps me from needing anybody's approval which is good.

Issue is, many think the strong don't need strength, the brave need less enCOURAGEment, and that those who are inspired need less inspiration.




Quite the opposite for me I think. These are qualities in my life and career I have constantly strived to reinforced in myself. That's a good thing. Guess I want it more often. I'm greedy that way.

Being in middle-road mode makes me frustrated to sort things out, no matter how small. So looking around Ikea, I began venting in my own special ways. While it may well have been children fooling with the bedding, you never know. I mean sometimes you just want some order. Look how I found this bed...



Now here is how I left it....



Order.

Better right? Bound to do something for your state of mind. Some say I'm OCD (Obviously Crazy Dude) But saying that, consider those Ikea employees who don't leave til after midnight - just think.. I may have saved someone the cab fare.

Sometimes I convene at Wagamama to reflect and talk through things with friends over a yaki soba. Since I had a pen handy, and began living out my inner Tracey Emin on the paper place mats they serve your food on. Ok, maybe not Tracey Emin, I just have a doodling obsession...



The next time I went, they sat us at the table where they'd left a load of crayons. They musta seen me coming from MILES off...




What does it mean? I'll tell you at the auction. Not that really matters, its just expression. At least this time you cant tell what I had to eat. Or maybe that would add to it's value... Hhmmm... (I can feel the Wagamama Gallery coming on)

Continuing my search for simple good (or bad) answers, I found it on... yes, where else... YOUTUBE! And it was SO good. Not forgetting my fabulous Jools Holland experience the week before, I felt thankful. But this Magic Music Moment made me think, what happened to stuff like THIS? Looking at our young men, seems they could do with more of the same. And us chikadees. And I'm glad to say, it got me a little closer to clarity. I was able to gain some of that strength, inspiration and enCOURAGEment from this song.

Now here's some for you. And I can't wait to sing you mine xxx



*** Happy Birthday Snips ***

Sewuese on Jools Holland with Sway & Lemar

THE MUTE DIARIES Entry 4: Broken Silence!! (Jools Holland / Rankin / Don't Do Drugs)

It's been one of my dreams to perform on the Jools Holland show, and on Tuesday night, that dream became REAL!! SURreal infact.... feels like a blur now but watch it back and it's far from blurry!!! (BBC iPlayer kids - but they will be repeating on Friday night, BBC 2 at 11.30 GMT) and though in my dream, the music sounded a little bit more like my own songs (LOL, I mean, LG - laughing gently) I'm so happy for Sway - who's now been Konvikted!! -and it was still great music, a hot line-up and a great opportunity. So for now, the silence has been broken!!!



Baby, DON'T DO DRUGS. You wont need 'em. Cos when you're low, the rush of how high you can get off something GREAT happening will be dampened by the FAKE high the drug has given you. Lord knows, my life aint too dull, even now... but that's cos these real highs are a total thrill! Check this video of me after the show and you'll see what I mean:



See... so high that I even went out of sync! So if drugs take you out of a low you were in, you'll be dull to the height of your REAL high, which is SO MUCH HIGHER!! (Been tryna post that all week! Had a few technical issues with MacBeth which are now solved)

At Jools, I got to watch Kings of Leon and Metallica live for the first time. If nothing else, being an artist is a damn hot ticket as I was completely blown away by both - even in a TV studio... bemused by the ssseeexxy Carla Bruni (wife of France's premier) and the electric VV Brown (who had the producer of Saturday Night Hustle in her band... I was calling it the Jools & Shux show... he also produced Hi Definition on Lupe's The Cool). Needless to say, everyone was great.

And the highs don't stop.... last week, as part of the band I sing with, Bugz In The Attic, I was photographed by the one and only, big boy photographer, image, video and filmmaker that is the mighty RANKIN!! (He shot one of my favourite vids of last year, 'Say It Right' by Nelly Furtado and generally creates ICONS with his shots... I suggested that he replace my head with Naomi Cambells...) I had a great time on the shoot! Rankin? He's the MAN.

And it STILL don't stop... as I said, I have been speaking for a week and I did make a trip to Morocco since my last blog but I was unwell, hence why you didnt hear from me. Feeling butter (yes, butter) now though and I got a few pictures still....

Marrakech Airport... so pretty!





The venue had a very interesting and unusual light fixture..





A shot of the venue... the stage is to the right... OUTSIDE! Check that SUNSHINE!!



From my hotel room balcony...





So, you ask... this is Ace in 'slowing down' mode?!?!

Actually, yes!

So, I dont NEED drugs! And neither do you. But to clarify... by no means am I being frivilous. I'm still being extremely careful until I'm given the all-clear with my voice and general health. So Ace the Mute lives on for the moment.

I wonder what adventures next week will bring - maybe none... I don't know. But I'm looking forward to my next hit!